On the island of Eshol, a ruling council gifts magic to all its citizens whether they want it or not.

Eighteen-year-old Rayna Drey should be excited for her Branding, when the islands Good Council will infuse her blood with one of five sanctioned magics: the ability to wield elements, summon objects, shift forms, talk to wildlife, or manipulate minds. The Good Council is good. The Branding doesnt hurt. And the institution she must attend afterward, to learn how to control her new gift, is only a little dangerous.

Or, at least, thats what Rayna has always heard. As soon as she arrives at the Esholian Institute, however, a peer-pressured dare makes her explode with a power as deadly as it is forbidden. Worse yet, the only one who can teach her how to hide it from the Good Council is Coen Steeler, a much-too-handsome fifth-year who can manipulate minds as easily as he breathes. He alone understands Raynas forbidden powerbecause he has the same one.

With their secret in each others hands, Rayna soon uncovers other dark secrets that threaten the very foundation of the island itself. And the worst of them? If the Good Council finds out what lurks in her and Coens blood, theyll both face a fate beyond obedience and a punishment worse than death.