A Gentle Tyranny

February 1, 2021
Reina Pierce lives in Ned�, a 200-year-old matriarchal society founded in response to the atrocities in the old world. In Ned�, Gentles--male-born people--are "gentled" to rid them of their Brutishness and ensure the safety of girls and women. Approaching her 18th birthday, the age when Ned�an women choose their careers, or destinies, Reina can't help but think that no one option fits her exactly. Before getting to choose, Reina is told that she has been selected as a Candidate to succeed the current Matriarch--the supreme ruler of Ned�, who also happens to be her grandmother. Shocked and unprepared, Reina quickly realizes that she has a lot to learn, and throughout her Apprenticeship, she becomes aware that the virtuous society she thought she lived in is not as just as she had been taught. Corban paints a world that, on the surface, is an inclusive utopia for girls and women but which includes starkly different treatment for boys and men. Themes of justice, equality between the binary genders, and abuse of power are developed in this well-written novel. Corban's post-apocalyptic dystopia includes a cast of characters with a range of skin tones; Reina has brown skin and hazel eyes. Readers will be enticed, though gaps in worldbuilding and plot leave unresolved questions waiting to be answered in the next volume. A series opener with an intriguing premise. (glossary, author's note) (Dystopian. 14-18)

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March 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 In 2267, there exists a society where women are wholly independent, safe, and liberated and where male Brutes have been recalibrated into subservient Gentles: Ned�. Corban's impressive world building turns the dystopian subgenre on its head in this first installment of the Ned� Rising series. Seventeen-year-old Reina is expected to adhere to the strict laws of this nascent civilization and perhaps even follow in her grandmother's and mother's paths as matriarchal figures, but when an unexpected event results in Reina closely interacting with her mother's Gentles, she begins to question her own destiny as a matriarch, discovering the truth behind Ned�'s facade of perfection. Corban's characters are charming and memorable, and the lush, verdant Central American jungle setting offers a fully fleshed-out paradise that is as tempting as it is freeing. As Reina nears her eighteenth birthday, she must decide whom to trust and what morals to fight for, and readers will likely be captivated enough to read through this mysterious, imaginative plot in one long, thrilling sitting.

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March 26, 2021

Gr 9 Up-Reina Pierce lives by the creed of her home: Protect the weak. Safety for all. Power without virtue is tyranny. Reina has been chosen to become a Candidate for the position of Apprentice to the Matriarch of the country of Ned�. It has always been her dream to work alongside her grandmother, the current Matriarch. Being the granddaughter of the Matriarch can be either a blessing or a curse because the citizens will judge her every move. They want to see her fail during Candidate training, but for Reina, becoming the next Matriarch will give her an opportunity to better the lives of those of Ned� and those in the surrounding areas. Once Reina goes through Candidate training, she is chosen as one of the final four. This takes her to the peacekeeping force, Alexia, where she begins vigorous training to become one of them. By the end, Reina realizes that she has her own destiny to follow. This well-written dystopian novel about a matriarchal society is reminiscent of The Hunger Games with the strong characters of Wonder Woman. While the narrative starts slow, the ending will leave readers on the edge of their seats. Ned�ans have a range of brown skin tones, and Reina is described as having hazel eyes. VERDICT Recommend to fans of The Hunger Games and Wonder Woman.-Tricia Jones, Thomas County Public Lib. Sys., Thomasville, GA

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