In this gripping sequel to The Culled Crown, Monroe finds herself fighting between the power in her blood, her traitorous heart, and her freedom. ***** Monroe Benson had two choices: be queen or be dead. When the Culling for the Erydian crown turned deadly in new ways and girls started dying outside of trials, Monroe's rebel brother gave her a third option: kill the queen and escape the Culling. Hidden in the mountains of Vayelle, Monroe must now try to prove her loyalty to a group of rebels who only see her as a threat. They don't want culled crowns or toxicant thrones - they want a new country with no goddess and no goddess-touched girls. With her only allies now her enemies, Monroe finds herself on a dark path filled with grave danger. [[word count: 250,000-300,000 words]] Cover designed by Natasha Shaikh

Book 1.5 - The Culled Crown Series. A Culled Crown Novella. Ten girls. Nine bodies. One crown. If given the chance to be queen, would you take it? Viera Kevlar is goddess-touched, one of ten female heirs to the Erydian throne. She is a poisoner, the first girl in the history of the Culling to ever be blessed with such an ability. Despite her own reservations and desires, she will have to fight for the crown. She may have to die for it. If she wins the Culling by killing the other nine candidates, then she will be crowned queen of Erydia. Her family will be invited to live in the palace and her mother might have access to healers who could save her life. But to be queen, she may have to lose the one thing she cares most about-- herself. This is a novella that acts as a prequel to Monroe Benson's story--"The Culled Crown." I would suggest reading that novel before reading this one. Although this story takes place before Monroe's Culling, this novella should be read between book one and book two.