Paedyn Gray a girl from the slums, an ordinary with no powers is selected for the trials of the Elites. Oh! But she is anything but ordinary in her skills as a survivor,  trained by her father. .All her life she has hidden this secret from the world except from her friend Adena. Under the rule of the tyrant King, the kingdom of Ilya have these annual trials, where Elites(humans with an added ability) are made to fight, survive and win them.

Kai the future enforcer of the Kingdom is a monster made for murders. To kill for the King and his beliefs. Trained by the King (his father) ruthlessly made into a killing machine. Kitt the older brother trained to be the future King, is a kind, warm and loving man. His training also by the King, yet so different in comparison to Kai, to govern the kingdom.

Once the trials start, Paeydan must do everything to hide her identity of an ordinary, to survive and perhaps win these trials. A compelling tale that had me flipping pages and losing track of time completely. A slow burn romance, enemies to lovers triangle had me arrested for days at a stretch. The witty dialogues and teasing banter added flavour to the flow. The trials were fascinating and I found myself empathising with each character struggling to survive. The descriptions were picturesque and I could easily visualize them. The twist in the end was heartbreaking and yet it set the ground for the second book perfectly. For all those who enjoy this genre, go ahead and grab a copy now. This is part of a trilogy.