For Libby Sparks, turning sixteen means only one thing…death. Guardian rule demands she attend the ritualistic Inquest that will unveil her talents and secure her place in society. But that isn’t all that will be revealed in Libby’s case. The more talents you have the better, at least to some degree. Four or five talents will guarantee you a life of luxury, but seven…that is the mark of the Destroyer. Libby knows her Inquest will reveal her to be the Guardians’ greatest enemy. Their law requires her death before her eighteenth birthday. If she lives, prophecy foretells that the world will fall into chaos and destruction. Once her destiny is revealed, Libby is abandoned when her mother throws her out, her boyfriend tries to kill her, and her best friend shuts her out. Only Milo, a slightly grungy outcast, seems willing to be her friend—but Libby soon realizes he has secrets of his own. His secrets may very well have everything to do with her own destiny. In order to make it to her eighteenth birthday, Libby must bury her talents and convince the world she is harmless. Her plan only lasts until Milo is put in danger and Libby is forced to choose. Abandon her friend to save her own life, or embrace her destiny and truly become the Destroyer.

When faced with the choice between saving Milo’s life and embracing her destiny, Libby Sparks knew there was only one answer. Become the Destroyer. Libby is about to learn that accepting her fate is only the first step in figuring out what being the Destroyer truly means. Libby must reign in and develop her talents while planning to rescue her captive army of Ciphers from the hands of Guardians. Rescuing the Ciphers is already dangerous enough, but everything becomes even more precarious when Cipher hunter, Braden, pushes his way into Libby’s life. The strange connection they share frightens Libby, but it also pushes her to trust him despite her better judgment. When Libby’s feelings of trust begin to morph into something more, her relationship with Milo isn’t the only thing tested. If she is wrong about Braden’s motives, everyone involved in the Cipher rescue may pay the ultimate price for her mistake.

Libby Sparks has the power to destroy the world. She has prophecy and destiny backing her bid to take down the Guardians. She even has an army. What she doesn’t have is a plan. No matter how hard Libby tries to follow her destiny, the pieces never seem to fall her into place. Every effort Libby makes to build her army and organize an attack is countered by complications. Broken bonds may cost Libby power she desperately needs. Betrayal threatens to break her army. What may prove to be her downfall are the secrets hidden behind unbreakable Guardian Oaths that hold the key to her success. If Libby cannot find the answers in time, everything she has worked for since her Inquest will be lost. Lives will be lost as well, and not just hers. Failure means death … for everyone.