"Melissa de la Cruz Studio" -- Cover.

Nigel Barrett has spent his whole life preparing for the Culling, a spell-casting competition that determines which of the world’s teenage magicians will be stripped of their powers to preserve magical balance. Nothing could have prepared him to face Ori Olson, a broody rival whose caustic wit cloaks a painful past. Both boys discover that their powers are stronger, more thrilling, the closer they get. But becoming attached is a risk: as the field narrows and the Culling grows more dangerous, the ways their powers combine could threaten their success in the Culling, the future of the Guild, and even the fate of the country. -- adapted from jacket

Ages 12-18.,Hyperion.

Grades 10-12.,Hyperion.