Immortal consequences

Why these tropes fit

At Blackwood Academy, a magical purgatory perched at the borders of the afterlife where magic is studied, feared, and manipulated, the ancient Decennial ritual transforms into a brutal competition among the school's best students, with only one emerging as winner. The chosen include Wren, a confident and elusive competitor whose eternal rival August threatens her path to victory; Irene, a talented and wild reaper desperate to escape her gilded cage even at the cost of her only friend Masika; and Olivier, a charming student who toys with others' hearts—including that of the silent, thoughtful Emilio—to avoid feeling the weight of his own. Each competitor is willing to do anything to win, but as stakes climb, losing becomes increasingly dangerous. Some destinies, the description warns, may prove darker than death itself.