Fourteen-year-old Mikayla Grebe is days away from taking the Fulfilled Genetic Potential test and proving she’s worth society’s investment. The fear of losing Elite status and becoming a Defective or an Expendable always looms. She knows that “you can lose everything in a moment”—like her friend Carmen, who vanished with her family one day. But shortly before the test, Mikayla learns her GRC is lower than she thought, sending her on a high-stakes journey, accompanied by her friend Garith Marquez, out of the Elite zone to see what’s been hidden from her all her life. The more Mikayla learns and the more people she meets, the more she questions her society’s priorities and starts to dismantle her own assumptions, many instilled in her by her brilliant and ambitious mother. The story’s countdown structure, starting six days before the FGP, enhances the tension and makes readers aware of the stakes as Mikayla’s test approaches, a beloved teacher disappears, and steely Dr. Ava, who runs the weekly lab assessment, targets her. Debut author Monders’ detailed worldbuilding includes just enough hints about the past to create a convincing dystopian world. Mikayla develops a strong moral core and inwardly declares “I can make a difference, just by being me.” Dark-haired Mikayla has “medium-light” skin, and Garith has light brown skin.
