The Warlock's Trial

Hidden Legends: College of Witchcraft #5

by Alicia Rades

The choices they make will be their greatest curse. Nadine We’re exiled from our coven and are being hunted by the Imperium Council, but this is far from over. To find the remaining Oaken Wands and release the witches from the wrath of the priestesses, we’ll have to go to hell and back— literally. But hellfire is the least of our problems. If I’m prepared to do what’s right by the coven, I’ll have to decide if I want to make a deal with our worst enemies… or lose what I hold most dear in this world. Lucas Nadine and I believed we’d defeated our curse, but the Reaper’s Shadow isn't done with us. The curse we believed was broken has come back to haunt us, and tying the knot has brought us worse consequences than we could’ve ever imagined. To free ourselves and our coven, I must prove myself to my fellow reapers, and undergo a trial of death to access the height of my abilities. This time, more than our lives are on the line. The future of our coven relies on the future of our family, but our family has already been torn apart, and I don’t know if the sacrifices I have made will put it back together again. *** Descend into the Abyss in book five of the College of Witchcraft series. Romance, adventure, and magic abound as Nadine and Lucas fight to obtain the Oaken Wands. This series takes place in the Hidden Legends Universe, along with the Academy of Magical Creatures series, the Prison for Supernatural Offenders series, and the University of Sorcery series. The Hidden Legends universe features college-aged protagonists attending magical academies, dual points-of-view, disabled and diverse main characters, and steamy, empowering romances. Each series stands on its own and can be read in any order. This is a full-length novel over 400 pages. Recommended reading age 18+ Release date is temporary and will be moved up. Undergo the trial and pre-order today!

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Paranormal, Witches, Urban Fantasy, Romantasy, Magic

540 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 11, 2024

About the author

Alicia Rades is a USA Today Bestselling Author of over forty young adult and new adult paranormal novels. Her stories follow characters in equal-dynamic romantic relationships and feature themes of discovering and claiming one's inner power. When she's not dreaming up magical stories, she's either binge-watching paranormal TV shows, meditating, or making crafts and cooking with her family. Her favorite tropes are small-town mysteries, witches, and magical academies set in the modern world. She has an unhealthy obsession with psychic characters and writes with a deck of tarot cards next to her computer.

Never miss a new release. Sign up for Alicia's newsletter at http://www.aliciaradesauthor.com/news...

Reviews

[Lexi Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️’s

This might be the best in the series yet. So much happened that moved the story forward yet so much still needs to be done. I’m so glad those two finally got their wedding and part of their future they were wanting. However killing off Grammy and then finding out the Reaper’s curse wasn’t actually gone through for so many damn emotions I couldn’t even keep up with myself. My all time favorite part of this book though was being able to see and talk with the characters from the other series. Seeing Launa as Nadine’s doctor was amazing plus getting to see Nadine and Sophia talk brought so much joy. And then you had to kill all of my joy with poor Dean. I swear these poor characters can’t catch a break. At least the group of them got the coven back to some degree at the end though. A plus for that one.

[Rockymountainreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book was hugely emotional. So many heavy topics were covered. I admire the way these heavy topics were handled. I cried a few times and SOBBED at another. It was a beautiful scene.

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was heavy in so many ways. Death of a family matriarch, discussion of abortion because the mother is disabled, war, birth, death of a child, a lot happened in this book. It was handled in a beautiful way and I may have cried a few times. The last book is out in March and I’m impatiently waiting for it.

[Crystal Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many emotions and things happening in this book!
Marriage, Pregnancy, birth, death, etc! Left me sobbing at multiple points In the book. Past lives explained a lot! Not surprised that the 5 friends represent the 5 original siblings!


Bummed there’s no release date for the audiobook for book 6! Ebook comes out tomorrow. But can’t wait to see how it ends!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, I have to level with you - overall this was a pretty decent book. I'm mildly annoyed that the author is using essentially the same plot with different races/names as the Elemental books, but whatever.

The reason this got 3 begrudging stars is because if I wanted a social justice/cultural appropriation/this is Everything That's Wrong With Our Society lecture, I wouldn't be reading fantasy. There were AT LEAST three chapters I fast forwarded through because they added NOTHING to the story other than to preach on how society is filled with horrible people who aren't Indigenous people but say "smudging" and use sacred sage (15 minutes), or who don't give equal rights to persons with disabilities (10 minutes), etc. Oh, and we cannot forget the reference to a beloved older woman who was killed because of a "viral respiratory illness", and if only she'd had access to medical care she would still be here today.

Frankly, I hear enough about stuff like this in the Real World. When I am reading a FANTASY book, I want to read FANTASY. You know, to escape all the BS the world is dealing with right now? Please leave your "lessons" and rhetoric out of it, or at least don't spend 25+ minutes on a long-winded lecture, k?

[Barbara Marie Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Warlock’s Trial (Hidden Legends: College of Witchcraft Book 5) ~~ This book is Lucas at his rawest and most vulnerable. The trials he faces both emotionally and magically have pushed him to the breaking point, and I felt every second of it. Nadine refuses to give up on him, and the strength of their bond shines through everything. Their love stops being forbidden and becomes a weapon.

The danger spikes, the betrayals hit harder, and the suspense had me sitting up straight at 3am. Every page feels like a countdown. The ending set up a final battle that felt impossible ~ and yet full of hope.

I would definitely recommend this book and series and can’t wait to start on the next book. If you want to know what happens next, you’ll just have to read this series yourself ~ you won’t regret it.

[Stephanie Ring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!

Once again Alicia has succeeded in sucking you into a different world. I absolutely adore Nadine and Lucas, their love for each other and their friends will over come anything. I can’t wait another year though to finish the series. I’ll be waiting not so patiently for it tp come out.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are parts that I enjoyed and parts that I didn’t particularly like in this book. But the story is great and the characters are interesting, I’m looking forward to the last book in the series. 5 stars.

[Chelseea Arroyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

nedline and Lucas friends oaken wands fight witches

[Alyssa Enevold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alicia Rades has no chill. She gets you attached and then rips everything from you. I felt the highs and lows of this book like it was my own life. Well done Alicia

[Dona Bruening · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites in this series. There are alot of feelings and rollercoster of emotions throughout this book. I cannot wait for book 6 to finish this part of the hidden universe!