The Ordeals
A Novel
-
-
4.2 • 12 Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
“What a wild ride! Rachel Greenlaw’s romantasy debut combines captivating worldbuilding, a seriously twisty plot, and a steamy romance.”—Demi Winters, author of The Road of Bones
“A magical college with death games, a murder mystery, and dangerous magic? Yes, please!”—Tessonja Odette, author of A Rivalry of Hearts
Twenty-year-old Sophia DeWinter has only known life bound to her cruel uncle, the Collector, thanks to a blood bond he exacted from her as a child. When she learns of Killmarth College, an elite academy for magic wielders outside of the Collector’s control, she knows it is her only chance to finally break free. But to gain entry, she will have to compete against other illusionists, masquiers, botanists, and alchemists in a series of brutal trials that many hopefuls don’t survive—the Ordeals.
Sophia knows her skills as an illusionist are weak; she only makes it through the first challenge by teaming up with a powerful (and insufferably sexy) botanist, Alden Locke. To make it out alive, she will have to hone her magic and learn to identify who is a rival, who could be an ally, and who is a murderer.
Because now, not only does she have to protect her heart but her very life. Hopefuls are being viciously picked off one by one between the challenges. In her haste to escape the Collector’s trap, Sophia may have fled straight toward her own death sentence.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The Ordeals ticks off all the boxes required for a great romantasy and still finds a fresh way to tell its tale. Sophia is a young woman whose background is shrouded in shadows. Her upbringing was a living hell on account of her tyrannical guardian, the Collector. The Ordeals are the deadly competitions she’ll have to endure to gain entrance to a college of magic and escape the Collector’s clutches. Along the way, a frenemy starts becoming something more and Sophia fights all manner of magical battles, even encountering some werewolves and vampires for good measure. Before it’s all over, she ends up finding out more about herself than she wanted to know. Rachel Greenlaw keeps things percolating by varying the tone throughout the story. She’s not afraid to get good and gory or dig into the details of magical tradition, but she amps up the romance or eases into humor as the moment demands. It all adds up to a fantasy world that feels immersively real. Before The Ordeals is done, you’ll be hoping for the sequel.
