With men safely gentled in a worldwide Liberation, the matriarchy of Nedâe has risen from the ashes. Seventeen-year-old Reina Pierce has never given a thought to the Brutes of old. Itching to escape her mother's finca--and desperate to keep her training and forbidden friendship a secret--her greatest worry is which destiny she'll choose on her next birthday. But when she's selected as a Candidate for the Succession instead, competing to become Nedâe's ninth Matriarch, she discovers their Eden has come at a cost she's not sure she's willing to pay."--Provided by publisher.