A Trial of Sorcerers by Elise Kova

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Eira Landan lives her life in the shadows — the shadow of her older brother, of her forbidden magic, and of the person she killed. But her life changes when she decides to compete for a spot in the Tournament of Five Kingdoms. Pitted against the best sorcerers in the Empire, Eira fights to be one of four champions. But stepping into the spotlight is not without risk. By day she navigates the royal court with the "Prince of the Tower," by night she prepares for the trials with a handsome elfin ambassador, but the greatest threats are secrets she never knew were haunting her. 

She went into the trials ready for a fight. She wasn't ready for what it could cost her.

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Y'all this book is dangerously engrossing.
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Literally
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Late last night I sat down to read A Trial of Sorcerers and before I knew it I was 30% in and craving toast. What my family calls 'Nanny Toast' to be specific, which means it has to be made in the oven. So I set my book aside and gave in to the allure of buttery, carb-y goodness and threw a batch together real quick. While it was in the broiler I picked my book back up for what I swear was less than five minutes and the next thing I know the TOAST WAS ON FIRE and my kitchen and living room were so filled with smoke they could have filmed a Snoop Dogg video in there.
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My poor toast was, well, toast. Or charcoal to be more specific. So I opened up all the windows and doors, turned on the fans and sat down with some chips & guacamole to finish the book.
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And it was GOOD.
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(I'm talking about the book, but so was the guac)
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Imagine Sarah J Maas wrote a story about Elsa competing in the Triwizard Tournament and you would probably come up with something similar to ATOS. I really loved the structure of the magic and world building for this book. And if you know me then you know I'm a sucker for Enemies to Lovers stories, so fingers crossed that Eira and Cullen get closer in Book 2!
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Do yourself a favor and check out this series but learn from my mistakes and consider snacking on some charcuterie or midnight cereal, because you will be distracted!