Nefarious Gift. Northern Roseaarde, #1

A simple life is all he ever wanted. But in a world of gifted Guilds and ancient secrets, destiny has a funny way of choosing the unwilling. Loren Turtingas is perfectly happy in his basement, surrounded by books and dreaming of a quiet career in Law. But his peaceful existence is shattered when his ambitious stepfather forces him into a prestigious-and lethal-program on the remote Heart Island. Here, students are implanted with a mysterious device and pushed to unlock their latent "gift, " hoping to be chosen by one of the powerful Guilds that rule the seven cities.
On the island's strange pink sands, Loren finds himself caught between two incredible women: the gentle and kind Damaetra, a gifted Formulator who offers him a love worth fighting for, and the enchanting Paerli, a beautiful and whip-smart girl whose instant friendship feels like a carefully laid trap. With his new friends Nico and Dill, Loren navigates the treacherous program, where the line between a gift and a curse is terrifyingly thin.
But when a student dies a horrific, unnatural death, Loren realizes the program's dangers are far greater than he ever imagined. Just as he's ready to give up, a violent seizure reveals Loren's own terrifying gift: he is a Reaper, one of the rarest and most feared abilities in existence. This unwanted power awakens a dark connection to Paerli and ties him to the island's most forbidden secret-the smoldering, black peak of Mount Gehenna.
Now, Loren is no longer just a student; he is a key. And the lock he opens could unleash an ancient power that will shatter his world forever. Fans of Brandon Sanderson's intricate magic systems and Pierce Brown's found-family dynamics will be captivated by this epic blend of sci-fi and fantasy. "Nefarious Gift" is a gripping adventure filled with ancient conspiracies, slow-burn betrayal, and a reluctant hero who must embrace the darkness within to save everyone he loves.