If you’re looking for a romantasy with dark academia vibes for autumn that is fairly short, fast paced and an easy read this is a great choice. The setting and atmosphere were wonderful with most of the book is set at a castle academy on an island that can only be reached during low tide.

Sophia is a great protagonist and I really liked Alden, the MMC. I can’t say much about the plot without giving spoilers and I think it would be best to go in blind like I did, but it was unlike anything I’ve read before and went in a direction I wasn’t expecting.

I did feel like there was something slightly missing from the romance and in places the plot glossed over some significant developments that I would have liked to have seen explored in more detail. I enjoyed my time reading this but I’m not sure that I’m personally invested enough to continue to the second part of the duology.

The Ordeals is an immersive, character-driven fantasy that blends high stakes with emotional depth. Greenlaw’s writing is vivid and lyrical, pulling you straight into the world and the tension of the trials. I loved how the story balanced danger and action with the quieter, more human moments that made the characters feel real.

The ordeals themselves were creative and gripping, and I found myself just as invested in the relationships between the characters as in the challenges they faced. It has that perfect mix of magic, survival, and heart that makes you want to keep turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Well what can I say? If you love suspense, thrillers, vampire and romance novels then this is definitely for you. A cross between The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Buffy the vampire slayer.
Sophia has been 'protected' by her uncle "the collector" for years, now she feels she needs to get out from under his grasp. Hearing about Killmarth she decides its her way out, if only she can find a way of getting there! Using techniques she has perfected over the years, she meets a fellow hopeful Killmarth student Alden in a pub. Gaining the information she needs from him she makes her way to Killmarth.
Tasks, murders and romance are ahead but what other dangers are there lurking in the shadows whilst the students compete with each other for a place at Killmarth. Wasn't expectecting the way it ended but loved the novel, really hope there will be more in the series.
Highly recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this.

i thought this was great. the pacing was amazing. the romance was paced well and the characters were delved into enough for me to care about them. i felt so invested in this book that i was carrying on despite having a migraine.

i thought i had the plot twists figured out - turns out i didnt. so that was really fun to read about.

i loved the magic system and the ordeals were so fun to read about too. i’ve never read anything like this so i thoroughly enjoyed.

This book really grips you into the story straight away, and stays that way throughout. A fast-paced and action packed fantasy romance set in a world where those with magic must survive the trials of The Ordeals.

The main story plot was completed unexpected, but fantastic, and it definitely helped that I went into this spoiler free. I love all of the characters and unravelling this new magic system.

🖤 Dark academia
🖤 Magic
🖤 Flirtatious banter
🖤 Trials
🖤 Found Family
🖤 Rivals to lovers
🖤 Forced Proximity

This book really has it all!! Can’t wait for book 2 🤭

The reason for the loss of the story is because, for me, the chapters were very long, especially at the start! I found myself getting easily distracted, which I think was also caused by how fast-paced the story is at parts too.

This is an absolutely stunning book. Rachel Greenlaw has woven a wonderful web of magical academy, fantasy creatures, love, friendship and deadly trials and i am obsessed. This book is so fast paced with high stakes and i just didn't want to put it down as was desperate to know what would happen next.
This book has all of my favourite tropes:
-dark academy setting
- found family
- deadly trials
- forced proximity
And each trope is written so well with so much skill and originality.
I was fully invested in Sophia's story, rooting for her and raging for her and trying to figure out who she should trust. Everytime i thought i knew where the story was going then something else was thrown into the mix, but it all worked perfectly. I did guess one of the twists, but it didn't effect my enjoyment of this book.

I will eagerly be awaiting the second book.

Five stars!!!!! Yes!!! Yes!!! Yes!!! I’d give it more if I could.


The final chapter of this book is named ‘Brace Yourselves’ and I am under the complete impression after finishing this title that should be the title of the book.

The Ordeals has magic, slow burn, secrets, vampires, dark academia, humour, twists, who did it and is the first in its series! We follow Sofia through the ordeals, four magical trials which allow her the opportunity to become a scholar at a prestigious academy for magic. Unlike her classmates though who have been preparing for this for many years she enters from a different background. Not only do we follow her through the trials, we also get to experience her fall for our MMC and oh my he is one for the book boyfriends. We learn about her past, the mysterious happenings across the country and a cliff hanger that will leave you screaming.

Book 2 cannot come soon enough!!

I loved this take on dark academia. The world building and magic system is fantastic; the characters are brutal but loyal and full of heart. I can't wait to see where the rest of this series goes, I need more!

Sophia DeWinter wants to escape her blood oath to her cruel uncle The Collector and reasons the only way to do so is to be accepted into Killmarth, an elite academy for magic users, entry to which severs any other magical ties.

Entry into the academy requires passing a brutal entrance Ordeal, followed by a series of equally harrowing challenges to narrow down the field before final acceptance. In addition, someone is clearly trying to improve their odds by brutally murdering other hopefuls.

Pitted against third or fourth generation hopefuls, some of whose families founded Killmarth, Sophia will need all the cunning she learned on the streets to even the odds.

Can Sophia survive the Ordeals?

This is The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing. I loved it, devoured it in a day. Yes, it's pretty obvious where this is heading almost from the start, but what a ride!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Hunger Games meets Vampire Diaries! This book has interesting world building, a fun magic setup and a plot that is distinct from the usual tropes of Romantasy. There seems to be a great amount of scope for the magic, and ergo the plot, to develop into something interesting. There also seemed to be no fear of character demise to move the story forward, which is important and so often sidestepped. The romance is slightly juvenile and quite confusing. It’s written as a secondary, and less important, plot point and as a result I think it’s weaker than the rest of the book.

I absolutely loved this book! The story was fantastic and the magic system unique.

Sophia DeWinter has been bound to her cruel uncle, the Collector since he exacted a blood bond from her as a child. When she learns of Killmarth, an elite academy for magic wielders outside of the Collector’s control, she grabs it as her only chance to break free.
Each hopeful must prove their worth by competing in brutal and deadly challenges – the Ordeals. And that’s just the beginning, because hopefuls are also being viciously picked off one-by-one.

Things I loved: the trials, or should I say Ordeals!!! The Ordeals were fantastic with high stakes. Pass or die. Literally. The mysteries: a killer picking off hopefuls in between Ordeals; what happened at/to Darley Hall; who are Sophia’s parents; what does the Collector actually want from Sophia.
There’s also vampires and werewolves. Honestly this book has everything!

There were a few things I somewhat disliked: I didn’t love the insta-lust; I wish there were more world building but that can still be fixed in the next book; as well as character development, which now that I think about it, was almost non existent. That said, none of it took away from the story. At least for me.

I can’t wait for the next book!
Thank you NetGalley and HQ Stories for the earc!

I thoroughly enjoyed this leap into the world Kilmarth and our feisty and determined FMC Sophia De Winter.
The story was a good mix of both story and character development, and having seen Rachel's acknowledgment to Joss Whedon and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I can see the inspo she has drawn from it.
A great take on the vampire genre, without the usual stereotypical "girl falls for vampire".
If you like a vampire story, a bit of dark academia-meets the Hunger Games, then I think you would like this a lot!

The Ordeals is a read-in-one sitting, ignore your family and friends, unputdownable read! The suspense, the steamy romance, and the plot twists combine to make Rachel Greenlaw’s romantasy an absorbing and unforgettable book!

The story follows Sophia Dewinter as she seeks entry to a magical academy to escape the control of her uncle. But to gain admission, she will have to pass a series of deadly ordeals. If much of this sounds familiar - a magical school, deadly trials, steamy romance - trust me, the Ordeals is neither predictable nor cliché. The book jumps straight into the action, hooking the reader's attention, before then introducing character and world development as the plot develops. The suspense, plot twists, and mystery made it impossible to put the book down! I loved learning more about the characters, world, and magic system as the book went on. I loved Sophia, Alden, and all the side characters, and the relationships they formed as they overcome the challenges thrown their way. The ending - which I did not see coming - left me desperate for book 2. There is clearly a rich and complex world underpinning the first book. I sincerely hope a series is in the work!

If you love dark academia, found family, rivals-to-lovers, and deadly trials, then you will love The Ordeals!

I received an eARC from the publisher which I voluntarily chose to review. Thank you!

A huge thank you to HarperCollins and the author for the ARC!

This book completely exceeded my expectations!!

The synopsis and cover were intriguing, but the story truly hooked me from the very first pages.

The main character, Sophia, is a strong, cunning, and brave character who has faced a hard life. When she gets to the academy for wielders, Killmarth, she's still in a difficult place, but she finally finds her people and someone she can rely on.

I loved the academy setting, the challenging trials, and how the romance naturally unfolds alongside the main story.
While some might label it "enemies-to-lovers" or "rivals-to-lovers," I feel that's not quite right. It's simply a romance, and that's perfectly fine—it doesn't need a specific trope to be meaningful.

As a non-native English speaker, I sometimes found the descriptive writing a bit confusing, and I had to reread some passages. However, this didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book or the story.
I can't wait to read the next book and learn more about Sophia!

Just when I was about to give up on Dark Academia after several disappointing books, The Ordeals has restored my faith in the genre.

I could not put this book down and can't wait to see where the story goes.

While on the surface the story is about trials to gain acceptance into a school of magic, there is so much more going on. This is a story of love, self discovery and monsters.

It's not what I was expecting but it is far better. The layered story, the excellent characters, the magic system and the monsters all kept me hooked and have set up an excellent book two.

I need more people to read this book ASAP so I can talk about it because there is a lot to discuss.

I loved the academic setting and how the romance was a sub plot - this definately sits more on the fantasy than romance fantasy. But that's not a bad thing. It's refreshing. There was a magic system but I wanted it to be make developed. There was romance and spicy but it read more a YA novel. It was an enjoyable read but it was not innovative in terms of plot or tropes.

This was a brilliant read from start to finish.
The unique magic world building really had me hooked on wanting to read more. The author made this such an intense read especially during the trials.

Sadly I had to DNF this one...The premise sounded super intriguing but I just struggled to connect to the characters. Having them make out in chapter 1 was a bit much and it didn't seem to get much better after that. It might be that it wasn't quite for me, but thank you so much to netgalley for the ARC!

I’m someone who loves a slow burn, I enjoyed seeing them together in the first chapter.

Book was dark, fun and such a wild ride, set against a wild coastline.

This was an interesting premise and the magic system was fascinating!
Personally, I feel like this reads as more of a YA novel due to the style of monologue of Sophia, and would do well if some of the more insta-lust and explicit scenes were removed. Overall, I feel like this will be the perfect read for a cosy autumnal purchase!