The Wretched by Brad Carsten

No one knows what happened at Almswick except that the King was injured, and his hundred-strong elite guard slaughtered. Strangest of all, there was no indication that they had even faced an enemy.
Nothing could approach the Kingdom of Thamaria’s wealth and might for one reason: they could assess a child’s potential, and then sculpt them into what they were meant to be.
Liam, a gifted tracker and archer, missed his first two assessments and now, at the age of twenty-five, is too old for selection into the kingdom. He’s left with no hope for a better future until he meets Jaylene… There’s something “off” about her, and he is soon thrust into a plot that reaches into the heart of the Immortal Kingdom, threatening to tear it apart.
But with war closing in, he may finally have one last chance to prove to himself and the kingdom that he has what it takes to be somebody.

Category: Fantasy – Epic