"What if women unraveled the evils of patriarchy? With men safely 'gentled' in a worldwide Liberation, the matriarchy of Nedé 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 keeping her training for the Alexia and her 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...

"Protect the weak. Safety for all. Power without virtue is tyranny. Nedé has a new Apprentice, and now Reina Pierce must come to grips with what she sacrificed to secure Matriarch Teera's favor. As secrets unfold and danger mounts, Reina will test the bounds of trust and be forced to answer the question that has haunted her since her first night in the jungle: Which is better--Gentle or Brute? And how far will she go to ensure tyranny is eradicated...