Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the E-ARC of The Ordeal in exchange for an honest review.
Holy wow, what a wild ride this one was! As happy as I am to have gotten my hands on this story early, part of me is jealous of those who will get to read it for the first time when it comes out in October. It will be a PERFECT dark academia adventure with a touch of horror to read for that month 👌🏻 I can’t wait to buy this novel when it comes out and re-read it again during spooky season!
This book had everything; romance, thrill, a badass heroine who conquers all that’s thrown at her, and a super hot slow burn romance with a perfect rival MMC. Literally every Harry Potter lover’s dream. The touch of horror added to the mix was also a pleasant surprise and I found myself on the edge of my seat reading well past my bedtime in order to finish this.
Naturally, now I’m finding myself utterly devastated that I have to wait who knows how long before the second book comes out. Greenlaw went from an author I hadn’t even heard of to someone who wrote one of my favorite books of the year so far! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

I know I say ‘from the first chapter, I was drawn in and hooked’ but I’m never lyinggggg 👏🏻
From the beginning of this book, I was sucked in and brought into Sophia’s world. I also wasn’t expecting to be full on sobbing in chapter two but that’s a discussion for another day.
The banter, the found family, the mystery, the magic system & the overall vibes was every you could want in a dark academia romantasy!

Two words:
ALDEN 👏🏻 LOCKE 👏🏻

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for this arc in exchange for an honest review!!

I will be posting a review on my Instagram tonight (5/22)
(Handle is @readitand_yapwithme) 🖤

What a wild ride! Rachel Greenlaw's Romantasy debut combines a captivating world, a twisty plot, and a steamy romance. I thought I knew where this was heading, but boy was I wrong. The way the layers of this story unfolds made it impossible to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Ordeal by Rachel Greenlaw is an atmospheric dark academia fantasy following an illusionist that is determined to enter a prestigious magical academy, but first must pass a series of deadly trials to get in. It was a nonstop adventure that I absolutely couldn't put down!

The author did a phenomenal job of marrying layered, endearing characters with a deeply creative world that I wanted to spend so much more time in. The magic system was unique and faceted, the relationships were so intricate and lovely and flawed, and the plot itself never let up and kept you flipping the page for more. I truly was so blown away by this novel!

Needless to say, this was a five-star read. As my first novel that I've read by this author, I couldn't be more impressed and will absolutely be reaching for another title of hers. This will definitely be the perfect vibes for a fall/autumn read and I couldn't recommend it more!

3.75 stars
This was such fun!’ The ending was great and I liked the trials and the dark academia vibes. The romance, I feel, was too insta-love with no real foundation except for that meet cute at the beginning.
I liked how the trials were unpredictable - as well as the appearance of certain supernatural beings - but I felt like the fellow contestants weren’t fully fleshed out. When anyone died, I felt nothing and this was supposed to be a murder mystery.
Will I read the sequel? Yep.

DNF @ 37%. This book falls flat for me. In an ocean of trials books, I need a book to be spectacular to stand out, and this just isn’t working for me. I have a hard time connecting with Sophia, and she’s making so many choices that I really just can’t make sense of based on what she’s told me about herself. I do like the unique magic system, but the book over feels too much like an amalgamation of other random books I’ve read for it to be enjoyable for me.

This one was just okay for me. The premise was intriguing, and there were a few solid moments throughout, but overall it didn’t fully grab my attention. I didn’t feel especially connected to the characters or the story, and it lacked the emotional pull or momentum I was hoping for.

Not a bad read—just one that didn’t quite leave a lasting impression.

Throughout most of this book, I was anticipating that I’d give it three stars. It had an interesting premise and Sophia had a unique background which intrigued me, but I felt like much of it was too convenient. While they were deadly, the trials felt low stakes and Sophia getting through them mostly by luck disappointed me.

However, the ending bumped this up to 4 stars. Sophia’s acceptance of her fate and then still having determination to try was what I was looking for the most. I’m looking forward to the next book.

How not to love a book that gived me caraval vibes?
If caraval was dark academy would be the ordeals
Its a emotional rush where you cheer for both protagonists the entire book
The cover its gorgegeous the story intriguing and i hope to see this book a lot on bookstagram

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dark academia
Yearning
Magic
Trials

WOW wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did! Was a bit confused at the beginning while learning about the FMC & the world building, but all of the pieces quickly fell into place. Loved the characters and the different ordeals! Definitely surprised during the final ordeal when we discovered who was behind the attacks. Can’t wait for book 2!!

The Ordeal’s by Rachel Greenlaw
3.5 stars

I started this book out and got about 50% in and was like yes this is a high 4.5, then I got about 75% and I’m like solid 4 star, and then the end and it went down to 3.5. But first let’s talk about what this book is about. I rounded down because as I was writing this I kept finding things I had problems with.

The ordeals is about a girl who has a contract with her uncle the collector doing his dirty work. The only way she can escape is to get into a magical college that rips away any magical bonds/agreements etc when entering its gates. She ends up getting an invite into the school with the help of a handsome man named Alden Locke. But we have good news and bad news: the good news, the contract is broken, the bad, she’s not in the college yet. She has to face four ordeals to become a scholar and stay out of the hands of the collector. The ordeals are harrowing and she doesn’t know who the enemy is. Can she trust the handsome Locke? Can she face the unknown enemies and survive?

Alright so let’s now talk about my rating. First off this should 100% be categorized as young adult romantasy. The writing felt YA and so did the characters and the spice wasn’t spicy. The characters were just 20, which is adult but everything as a whole felt YA/NA.

The world. The world build was just okay. There are 4? other kingdoms, one that is anti magic. You don’t get a very good detail of the different areas. I would say this is present day because there were cars, but no mention of phones. And of course we have magic welders too. The world is just kind of flat.

One of the big things in this book was that the ordeals would get the potentials into the school as scholars. But as the book moves on we see that the magic world is in need of strong magic users. So my question is this: Why make a deadly competition that KILLS all the people who fail? You want and need magic so why are we just saying “ope oh well” to the magic users who are strong but just don’t pass the test? It just doesn’t make sense.

The Collector: his job is not well defined. The author really doesn’t tell us much. It’s reads basically like “he’s a bad dude and he makes Sophia do his dirty work.” The only evidence of this is the fact that she’s trained to fight? But no real detail goes into this. I wish the author would have expanded on it more.

The romance. Okay so the romance is the one piece that really shined in this piece. I loved Alden. He was sarcastic, flawed, but a good person. He reminded me of Roman Kitt from DR. The chemistry was great. The need, angst, etc. well done. Do I think they could have crashed together a little sooner? Sure but I do love the slow burn.

This leads me to the characters. As I stated previously I loved Alden. Great personality and has personality flaws. Now Sophia. She’s a huge ball of contradictions. I think the author wanted to make her badass but weak too? Which you can do but wasn’t done well here. Sophia was trained by the collector, it’s inferred heavily and evidenced in the first few chapters that she’s very fit and has been trained in combat. But when a murderer comes for her instead of going after them she gets scared and hides behind a door. I don’t understand this thought process. This was the same person who was also actively trying to figure out who the murderer was. She’s also very flip floppy. One minute she’s like no Alden isn’t good he’s my rival and then ten seconds later she’s like but I want him. The side characters are good, but again with Sophia she’s all secretive not telling Alden anything but tells her new bestie everything, I just don’t get it.

The final reason for the low rating: The end. The reason for everything that is happening (the murders, etc,) just comes out of literal no where. It’s a good one and I like it, I just wish there had been more history so we could see why this reason came to be.
The author also does what I hate and gets the readers hopes up and kills off a person last minute for that last climax. I legit hate those, the death serves no purpose than to make the reader sad.
We also have an all powerful FMC warrior who is able to overcome all obstacles and perform magic she’s never done before even though she was at deaths door like 4 minutes ago.

Now the good. I really enjoyed the story. The different magics the botanists, the alchemists, the illusionists, and the masquiers. Each type dealt with a different magic. Most are self explanatory, but alchemists though are considered the most powerful with the ability to manipulate all non living material. Sophia is an illusionist who has the unique ability to break and figure out if an illusion is being cast. The ordeals are intriguing and innovative. I loved the little gargoyles. The different enemies. All of that I loved. I enjoyed the interactions between Alden and Sophia. The vampire add on was different but not terrible. I enjoyed the werewolf interplay as well.

All in all I had high hopes and it delivered but not as much as I hoped. Will I read the sequel? Yes, basically for my man Alden.

Thank you to Delacorte and NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

High stakes, fast paced, action packed. This book had no dull moments. I was hooked from the first page and I am desperate for the sequel.

This book for some reason felt like a comfort read of a favorite book. It felt like a big warm hug into a world I want to keep coming back to. The world building made me feel like I was watching a movie and the characters felt so real.

What a ride! This was so fun!
I love a good vampire story so when the story progessively started revealing these creatures, I was hooked!
I loved our FMC, Sophia from the opening chapter. She is fierce, determined and methodical. The way she tricks herself into The Crucible, I just knew she was going to be something special.
The tension and development between Sophia and Alden had me kicking my feet and excitely waiting for them to get together. I didn't feel that the enemy to lovers genuinely fit their relationship as while they were competetiors they were never really enemies. They work together beautifully under the guise of alliance and partners as they go through The Ordeals but it's never really to the point of being enemies.
I will absolutely be recommending this book and anxiously awaiting the sequel!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Rachel Greenlaw for the opportunity to ARC read this book!!

This was so much fun! I love dark academia, so this book had me hooked with those two words, but once I actually started reading, I couldn't put it down. I loved everything about this and can't wait for more!!

UM HOLY OMG. this was the wildest ride and I honestly will be needing a physical trophy of this and the next book immediately. such a wild ride of fun magic, romance, and never-ending action. I couldn't get enough and I woke up this morning DYING to finish this. Mark my words, this is going to be a heavy hitter for all my romantasy lovers!

Started this one not knowing what to expect, but by the time I got to the Crucible, I was hooked! The entrance exam did a great job creating high stakes and suspense that set the tone for the rest of the story. The trials were really exciting to read, and the magic system was super unique. I loved the descriptions of the creepy college and how it felt like someone could jump out of the shadows and attack at any minute. The Ordeals is perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, and I definitely recommend checking this one out in October! Thank you to Rachel Greenlaw, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for this ARC!

I loved this book. It is my first read by Rachel Greenlaw. I definitely enjoyed it, and will recommend to others.

This had EVERYTHING! Deadly/dark academic trials with mystery. The enemy's (rivals) to lovers and was filled with tension. I am going to need 5 - 10 business days to process and feel such a major book slump coming after this.

Wow, what a book! I’ve been on a streak of great romantasy lately, and The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw is another standout addition to the genre. It blends all my favorite tropes—dark academia, rivals to lovers, deadly trials, mystery, and a dash of romance—into one compelling read.

Twenty-year-old Sophia DeWinter is an illusionist, blood-bound to her cruel uncle, the Collector. Her only chance to break free lies in gaining admission to Killmarth, an elite magical college for gifted wielders. But to earn a spot, she must first survive the entrance exam—and that’s just the beginning. Those who pass the exam, known as "hopefuls," must then compete in a series of brutal trials called the ordeals to secure their place as students. And not everyone will make it out alive.

Sophia teams up with a fellow wielder, the enigmatic botanist Alden Locke, and a few other hopefuls. To complicate matters, someone begins murdering contestants between trials—despite the fact that killing outside the ordeals is forbidden. Out of 52 hopefuls, only 20 can secure a spot, making the competition fierce. Sophia will need all her wits to survive, as trusting the wrong person could be her undoing.

I loved this book and couldn’t get enough of it. The magic system is wonderful, featuring different types of wielders: illusionists, masquiers, botanists, and alchemists—each with their own strengths and abilities. On top of that, there are werewolves, vampires, and gargoyles, which add an extra layer of suspense and danger. While the world-building is intriguing, it’s not fully developed here, but it will probably be expanded upon in the next installment.

The storytelling is intense—full of tension and atmosphere. The trials reminded me of The Hunger Games in their ferocity. That said, I did find some of the deaths unnecessary. Couldn't the failed students have just been dismissed instead of killed?

The pacing is even and well-handled, keeping the tension steady without feeling rushed. The writing is smooth and immersive, making it easy to sink into the world and stay hooked from start to finish.

I adored Sophia—her determination, her spark, and her journey of self-discovery. She was taught how to blend in, think on her feet, defend herself, and gather intel, skills she later uses in the trials. She’s strong, fierce, and independent. Alden, on the other hand, is the strategist—powerful and determined, carrying his own demons.

Sophia longs for freedom and fights fiercely for her place at Killmarth, but she never loses her compassion. Even when it threatens her chances, she helps others. She learns that vulnerability isn't weakness. I loved her dynamic with the other characters and how she connected with them.

There’s a slow-burn romance, but it’s not quite enemies to lovers—the attraction is visible from the start. The romance isn’t the focus, but it adds a welcome layer of emotional tension. Sophia and Alden are rivals, but they’re also partners, each learning to trust and open up to the other.

I devoured this book in just a couple of days—I was completely enthralled. The author does an excellent job pulling you into the story and making you care about the characters. While most threads are tied up by the end, a few are left dangling, setting the stage for what’s next.

The book is well-written, cleverly plotted, and the twists—especially at the end—left me eager for the sequel. Highly recommended to fans of the genre looking for a fresh take. If you enjoy dark academia, high-stakes trials, and a mix of mystery and magic, this is the book for you.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.