Trial by Ember: a Dark Fantasy Romance of Rivals, Phoenix Trials, and Reluctant Soulmates at a Magical War Academy Saga Book

Survive the bond. Or burn with it.At Emberkeep Citadel—a brutal war academy carved into the bones of a fallen fire god—every soulbond is a weapon. Every trial is a reckoning. And every heartbeat risks betrayal.Vael Emberlyn never wanted a bond. As the top-ranked flame duelist of her year, she’s clawed her way through the Trials of Flame on pure grit and searing willpower. But when the phoenix chooses him—her arrogant, infuriating rival Kian Draeven—as her soulbonded partner, everything ignites. Including her temper.Kian is cold, calculating, and impossible to read. His magic is lethal. His past, shrouded in ash. And now he shares her thoughts. Her power. Her pain.Thrown into a gauntlet of deadly challenges, phoenix-bonded trials, and elemental magic rituals, Vael and Kian must survive not just each other—but assassins in the shadows, flame-forged beasts, and secrets that threaten to unravel the Citadel itself.But the Ashbrand stirs again. And their unwanted bond may be the key to awakening a god… or unmaking the world.Perfect for fans of:Enemies-to-lovers with magical tensionPhoenix riders and bonded matesBrutal magical trials and war academy dramaForbidden intimacy, elemental powers, and soul-deep angstThe fire doesn’t care if you hate each other. It only cares if you burn.