Really enjoyed this, the characters were well thought out and there was enough of their back story to understand them without it taking over the whole story line. The story line itself was exciting and unique, quick paced and kept you guessing throughout. Can’t wait to read the next book!

An interesting story about a girl & her fight to move away from being controlled; by completing the Ordeals & becoming a magic wielding scholar. I really enjoyed the magic system & the overall plot in this book, however I felt some things needed more development i.e. the relationships between the characters & the development of the romantic element. Overall though, the story was interesting & the ending left me curious to know more!

Another one I could not put down and devoured in one sitting. I absolutely recommend this book. Be ready for an afternoon or evening of completely neglecting any chores as this one will have you hooked within the first chapter. I live for books that leave me speechless and this book did just that. I actually feel quite sorry for the next book that I read because there is no way it be able to compete with this magical gem!

Action packed from the first chapter, I loved the intriguing magic system and the strange power that binds people together with bargains.
Trials are one of my all time favourite tropes so I was raving through the book to discover what The Ordeals had in store.
Perfect for lovers of popular Romantasy books and Dark Academia, if you swoon over dark haired main characters with sharp jawlines, this is essential reading.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me an e-ARC. The opinions below are my own and are not influenced by this.

This book was the epitome of slow burn and dark academia. I love any books with trials and magic, and this book delivered with that! It was an interesting spin on some popular tropes and it was really unique, I’ve never read a book like it. I liked the progression of the relationship between the characters, and I love the firey attitude of the FMC. This book made me feel a mix of emotions in the best way.
I do wish that we had a bit more background setting/information about the trials at times just to fully complete the world building. But otherwise I enjoyed this and would recommend it to any readers who like dark academia.

Rating: 4/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

What a brilliant story. Think The Hunger Games mixed with Harry Potter, with a side of Twilight!

I didn't want to put this book down (although a weekend with friends meant that I reluctantly had to).

My only negative was the romance element. I didn't have a problem with the growing relationship between Sophia and Alden - in fact I really liked this, but all the swooning about his hazel eyes, muscular torso, flowing hair detracted from the action and story telling.

I started this book not knowing what to expect as the only other book involving magical academies are the H P series. The story starts with Sophia being magically bound to the Collector (“her uncle”) running jobs for him. After the last job going wrong , she decided she had enough of being bound to live this life, so she made her way to the crucible where she had the chance of passing a magical entrance test to then stand a chance of spending a semester at the magical college Killmarth, where she would be free of the collector as his magic was nullified beyond the gates of killmarth. During the semester long trials at killmarth which would enable her the chance of getting a coveted spot to be a scholar at the college, she has to dig deep to find herself, discover her past, make friends and fall in love all while having to fight off the cold ones who every 8 years go on a great hunt to drain the magic from the wielders. The book follows Sophia’s journey, describes the setting perfectly and you can really picture the grounds of the college, it also weaves the story of each of the characters close to Sophia. There is definitely going to be a second book and I would be very keen to read it. Dark academia done brilliantly

4.5 ⭐

This was such a good read!!!!! I was hooked from start to finish!! The world building is so immersive, I'm actually sad I've finished it!! Think Harry Potter meets Fourth Wing (but without the dragons) - obviously right up my street!!! Magic, rivals and romance 👌🏼

From the characters to the plot to the romance The Ordeals is the book that keeps on giving, in the best way!! I am so here for it! I feel so invested in the characters lives. A really exciting read all round, I'm so pleased I got to read it thanks to Netgalley - I can't wait for it's release and for it to get all the love and hype it deserves!

A definite favourite read so far this year for me, and I will be buying the special edition hardback 🤭

The Ordeals was a really fun fresh take on a magic school setting with just enough familiar elements to feel nostalgic.
Rachel Greenlaw really made this her own by crafting a quite creepy atmosphere and adding the Buffy-esque vampire slaying into the mix. The magic system is interesting with four different kinds of magic: botanists, illusionists, masquiers and alchemists.
I had a lot of fun with the trials and exploring the school but I will say that this is quite a romance heavy book and I wish we’d spent a bit more time on the former rather than the latter.
The romance was a little instalovey, however I liked that the author actually leaned into their emotional connection rather than just basing it off physical attraction. Also shoutout for the males taking contraception in this world!
In my opinion the twists were very obvious early on but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment throughout. I’ll definitely be looking forward to the sequel!

Thank to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An exhilarating read, full of twists and beautiful writing, with a slow burn romance and plenty of magic. This could have been a cookie cutter off the peg offering but instead was just spellbinding and immersive. Highly recommend.

I loved the premise of this book, at first glance just another read about a loner wanting to get into a magic academy, fighting all the odds & managing to get a foot in the door but this is so well crafted, it stands out from the crowd.

I loved Sophia DeWinter, the writing is spell binding, she is such an interesting character, you’re drawn to her story instantly. It’s a lovely twisty story, you’re never sure where the story is going but know you need to keep reading. It’s very dark in places, intense and heartbreaking at times but I Loved it, please let there be a second book.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

An exhilarating, high stakes romantasy that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. The world building, the peril and slow burn between Alden and Sophia made The Ordeals five stars for me.
I never knew what was going to happen next and I greatly enjoyed unlocking the secrets of the college and the shadowy Collector.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Thank you to HQ for providing this for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Sophia DeWinter has been bound via a blood bond to cruel uncle for most of her life and she is bristling at the chains that bind her. She longs to attend Killmarth Academy so she can hone her wielding and when she can she takes a chance to escape there. At Killmarth each hopefully is put through a series of deadly trails called the ordeals designed to weed out the weak. Sophia teams up with another hopeful Alden Locke in order to make it through but the ordeals are only the beginning.

Noooo the ending torn my heart in two, hopefully the author can repair it in the next book. It took me a little while to get into this book but once I got into it I was truly hooked and did not want to stop reading. I loved Sophia and Alden, they were a good team. I really can’t wait for the next book, I have to know what happens next. The authors writing really drew me in, loved it.

I absolutely loved reading The Ordeals. It was A Darker Shade of Magic meets an adult version of Nevermoor; more blood, death and sizzling romance.

I was completely drawn to Sophia Dewinter and I felt the world building was intruiguing and inviting. The challenges were absolutely brutal and the tension built is captivating.

I was on and off rooting for the romance, I thought it was very much a thread within the story, rather than the focus, which I particularly enjoyed as it left plenty of space to layer the plot, including Sophia's search for answers about who her parents were.

I think this book is ideal for urban fantasy fans who enjoy a layered and compelling story, peppered with a hot slow burn romance. I honestly loved it.

Please tell me this is just the start!!!!

The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw

Sophia De Winter 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 sees it as her only chance to break free.
Not read a book like this before and I was gripped from the start and couldn't stop reading as I wanted to find out everything about Sophia and her life.
Gripping .

to the publishers, the author and the gods please let me have the next instalment of this story!!!
i am hooked, i devoured this book I could not put it down.
think, early cassandra claire, think The Night Circus this book just has ‘it’
amazing just amazing

Actual Rating: 3.5

Last year ’The Woodsmoke Women’s Book Of Spells’ utterly bewitched me so when I was lucky enough to be offered an early chance to read ’The Ordeals’ I was overjoyed. Not only did I find Rachel Greenlaw’s writing truly beguiling last year but this novel sounded like a deadly dream come true (in the best possible way). Featuring an elite magical academy, deadly trials, a threat picking off hopefuls and an ominous figure known as ‘The Collector’ the premise of ’The Ordeals’ sounded like the perfect blend of features to discovering a new favourite. As you can probably guess from my rating that sadly didn’t prove to be the case but don’t let that deter you from picking this one up; this particular instalment of the series may not be a new favourite but considering where everything is heading, and how my investment continued to grow throughout, there’s every possibility that the sequels could be.

Something that truly intrigued me consistently throughout was the world that ’The Ordeals is set within. It has a magic system that I loved learning about, hostile neighbours with very different beliefs and the unexpected bonus of supernatural beings. Going into this I didn’t know that entities like werewolves, vampires and gargoyles would be included but I was overjoyed to find them featuring upon the page. I don’t want to say too much, due to the spoiler risk, but let’s just say that at least one of these kinds of beings plays an important role within the story too in a manner that’s left me craving a copy of the sequel.

Another factor of ’The Ordeals’ that I truly appreciated was the number of mysterious story threads woven throughout. There were plenty of truths that I longed to uncover and mysteries that kept me guessing. Between these threads leaving me longing for answers, and the overall tension and danger of the plot, it was easy to stay invested once I was hooked.

Character wise there’s an interesting mixture of individuals to discover. Sophia was a strong central character to follow during ’The Ordeals’ and her fellow hopefuls were a varied bunch in terms of abilities and personalities. The professors intrigued me – and I can’t wait to learn more about them all – as did The Collector. The truth about him did manage to catch me off guard and I can’t wait to unravel more within the future books. Personally I’d have loved a few flashbacks to Sophia’s past with him – to strengthen the impact that their complicated bond had on me – but I know not every reader is fond of such things.

So this book certainly had a lot going on that interested me and I found myself increasingly invested by the plot throughout. Unfortunately I did struggle to connect somewhat initially and I think that’s partially because the initial meeting between Sophia and Alden didn’t quite work for me. There’s this constant push and pull between them throughout yet I never really brought into the rival side of their dynamic. That being said I can see plenty of romantasy fans falling for their interactions so there’s definitely plenty of hope that others will be ensnared by them.

Similarly there were a couple of times throughout where certain elements felt a bit too convenient to me although they generally weren’t strong enough to jar me from the plot. Personally I also felt like the professors could have been shown to have more of a reaction to the threat against the hopefuls. The Ordeals themselves are a cutthroat competition but given the rules about hopefuls and their behaviour between each trial I felt like more of an investigation would have been taking place. Plus I can’t help but question the logic behind the Ordeals to some degree. Don’t get me wrong I love where the narrative is heading. But the trials don’t strike me as the most sensible approach given what’s going on. I didn’t let this impact my enjoyment – as I was hooked by then – but it’s worth mentioning.

So ultimately, as someone whose now excited to see what the sequel looks like, I certainly recommend picking up ’The Ordeals’. It had a few minor issues that lessened its overall impact on me but the direction that it’s heading in has left me eager for more. As the element I struggled most with boils down to the dynamic between certain characters – something that truly can affect each reader differently – there’s also every chance that this book will hook other readers sooner. Altogether I’m delighted with the unexpected road that this one went down.

Old Magic. New power. A contest to die for…

A contest to die for? This book was to die for!

A deliciously deceptive and dangerous dark academia with magic and supernatural monsters!

When I say this was addictive, I wasn’t lying! Every spare moment I could find I was reaching to read this. This is one of those books that I could see turned into a film or TV series because the writing was so immersive and atmospheric it practically jumped off the page.

I loved how the magic system was crafted and how easy it was to become so invested in the story and the characters you couldn’t help but cheer them on through each of the ordeals! Interwoven between the main action is an element of mystery that keeps you on your toes and has you wondering all the who’s, where’s and why’s. Everything comes together in a very tense final few chapters which completely took me by surprise! I won’t say much more but I’m praying there is going to be a book 2!

Outstanding! What a truely amazing book. The way Rachel weaved her magic in this book is incredible. Flawlessly weaving her take on magic, magical schools, vampires and werewolves and making it all seem so effortless and seamless is amazing. Her take on the magical world had me gripped from the first few pages and only left me wanting more and more. I found it hard to put this book down! This definitely made me reminiss over my love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but in a completely different unique way. The Ordeals themselves leaving me on the edge of my seat! There were a few twists I did not see coming which left me gasping audibly To say I was disappointed when this book was finished is an understatement! I need more! I need more magic, more of the characters I have grown to love, more of their back stories and what is going to happen next. I honestly can't wait for more. Well done Rachel, absoltely well done!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets the Scholomance series!

I inhaled The Ordeals! Binge-worthy from start to finish, I devoured it in less than a day - and it would have been even faster if I hadn’t had to work! The last third had me on the edge of my seat. It was wild, twisty, and impossible to put down. I loved the fresh take on vampires and werewolves, seamlessly woven into a magical world that feels like it’s only just beginning to unfold. There’s obviously so much more to come too - more world, more magic, and more twists, and I can't wait to see where this series goes next!

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.