In this searing romantasy for fans of Divine Rivals and Throne of Glass, former magic-academy rivals face each other in a deadly competition, only to band together—in love and survival—against a powerful dark magic secretly brewing deep inside the palace.

Before she was expelled from L’Ecole Royale, Vivienne Lark’s biggest rival for the top spot at the kingdom’s most prestigious magic academy was Henri Sinclair, a spoiled playboy whose utter disinterest in school was even more infuriating than his brilliance. After being kicked out for stealing to help her starving family, Vivi never thought she’d see him again.

Fast forward a year, and Vivi is out of jail and barely scraping by when she learns of the death of the Queensmage—the second-most powerful wielder of magic. There’s a call for candidates to compete in the cutthroat Trials to find a replacement, which brings Vivi and Henri together once again, this time at the royal palace. They each have their own reasons for competing, but Vivi is determined to win and secure her family’s future.

While the Trials are dangerous and the competition fierce, Henri and Vivi inadvertently uncover a pattern of strange accidents leading to a string of dead nobles. No one believes them, so they reluctantly agree to unravel the mystery together . . . only to discover a shocking truth that puts the future of the kingdom—and magic itself—at risk.

The more time they spend together, the deeper their attraction grows. Suddenly, it’s no longer about which of them will win. Now, it’s whether they'll survive long enough to reveal their true feelings to each other, at last . . .