The Ordeals

"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.

Author: Rachel Greenlaw
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: 10/07/2025
Pages: 384
Weight: 1.25lbs
ISBN: 9780593984833


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 08/01/2025 pg. 49

About the Author
Rachel 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. Greenlaw 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.