Rating: 3 out of 5.

I really like dark academia books with unique magic systems so was excited to read this book. The magic system here is definitely unique where magic users can manipulate different elements. Norah is our FMC and she can manipulate probability. When magic users use their magic, however, it can draw possibility beasts whose bites are deadly. When her father is bitten and his health quickly deteriorates, she joins the academy to follow a rumor that a cure can be found there. When she finds out that only senior research assistants are allowed in the archives—and you can only become one by winning a team trial designed to push your navigation abilities to the brink, Norah reluctantly joins a team.

I found it hard to like Norah. She was intense, distrusting, stubborn, and entirely too serious. She took forever to thaw out and warm up a bit to her roommates and her eventual love interest Vik. The book keeps you guessing about what trials the students would face and who Norah could trust. I wish the magic system was explained better. I found it confusing, but that could possibly be because I listened to the book and couldn’t easily go back and “re-read” what I didn’t understand. The narrator did a good job and definitely portrayed the darkness, uneasiness, and danger of the book.

This book is dark and intense and while I normally like that, there wasn’t any comic relief or light moments to break the tension. While the book is well written, I didn’t connect with any of the characters and wasn’t invested in the story. But that’s just me, I think others will enjoy this book and encourage you to read it for yourself.

I received a complimentary audiobook from Sourcebooks Audio. All opinions are my own.