WHAT IF THE PRICE OF BRILLIANCE IS OBEDIENCE—AND THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP YOUR SOUL IS TO RISK EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER EARNED?

Lucius Castor has spent his life inside the marble halls of the Lyceum, an elite academy that prizes flawless logic and unflinching loyalty. A rising star among scholars, he seems destined for honors and influence—until one forbidden manuscript forces him to ask the question no one else will voice: Is knowledge still knowledge when it costs you your freedom?

The crack in the façade lets in light.
• Corvin, the charismatic trickster, whispers of dangerous freedom.
• Vita, the gifted healer, embodies a compassion no curriculum can measure.

Drawn beyond the Academy walls, Lucius enters Varia, a shape-shifting city where art erupts in the streets and every stranger might be a teacher. Amid rooftop debates, carnival masks, and riddles hidden in weather-worn statues, he confronts three competing futures:

1. The Dean’s austere utopia of measurable outcomes.

2. Corvin’s anarchic blaze where all rules burn away.

3. Vita’s middle path that weds intellect to empathy.

As whispered arguments sharpen into public reckoning, Lucius must choose whether to reform the institution from within, ignite a different kind of revolution from without, or forge an untested route that binds reason to mercy. His decision will determine not only his own destiny but the shape of education—and power—for generations.

The Will to Become blends visionary fiction, philosophical inquiry, and page-turning drama.

INSIDE THESE PAGES YOU’LL FIND
• An immersive academy setting where the battlefield is the mind and heart.
• A kaleidoscopic metropolis that tests identity through art, debate, and spectacle.
• A love story rooted in shared ideals, not clichés.
• A manifesto-within-a-novel that invites you to rethink how you learn, create, and belong.

Advance readers call it “thought-provoking, fearless, and profoundly hopeful.” Whether you savor coming-of-age quests, intellectual thrillers, or emotionally resonant literary fiction, The Will to Become will light a spark you didn’t know you were missing—and dare you to keep it alive long after the final page.

Scroll up, look inside, and begin the journey toward the life only you can choose.