The Ordeals
A Novel
In this lush, atmospheric romantasy, an illusionist competes in a series of deadly trials for a spot at an elite magical college—that is, if another hopeful doesn’t kill her first.
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…
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October 7, 2025Rachel Greenlaw is the author of the magical Christmas romance One Christmas Morning and The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells, as well as the YA fantasy series Compass and Blade. Rachel lives on an island in the middle of the Atlantic, and when she’s not wandering the beaches and nature trails with her two children and husband, she’s dreaming up her next story.