That Devil, Ambition

From Lambda Literary Award finalist Linsey Miller comes this thrilling stand-alone fantasy about the lengths we'll go to get ahead—an incredibly fresh, twisty love letter to dark academia...with a body count. Perfect for fans of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Gallant by V. E. Schwab, and All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman. There is only one school worth graduating from, and it creates as many magicians as it does graves… First in his class and last in his noble line, Fabian Galloway’s only hope of a good future is passing his elite school's honors class. It’s only offered to the best thirteen students, and those students have a single assignment: kill their professor. If they succeed, their student debt is forgiven. However, if an assassination attempt fails or the professor is alive at the end of the year, the students’ lives are forfeit. And dealing with the professor, a devil summoned solely to kill or be killed, is no easy task. Fabian isn't worried, though. He trusts his best friends—softhearted math genius Credence and absent-minded but insightful Euphemia—to help. After all, that’s why he befriended them. As the months pass and their professor remains impossibly alive, the trio must use every asset they have to survive. Or else failure will be on their academic records—and their tombstones—forever. Dark Academia with a Body Count: At the elite Stellarium, the honors class isn't about grades—it's about survival. For thirteen students, the final assignment is simple: kill the professor. Kill or Be Killed: Success means a clean slate and erased student debt. Failure means a literal deadline, with their own lives as collateral. Morally Grey Protagonist: Fabian Galloway is first in his class and willing to do anything to stay there. He chose his friends for their skills, but in a school this deadly, he might need them for more than just their intellect. Academic Rivals and Shifting Alliances: With a devil as their professor and classmates who are equal parts competition and potential allies, Fabian must navigate a web of secrets where trusting the wrong person could be a fatal mistake.