Three Kinds of Lucky (The Shadow Age Book 1)

Petra Grady has known since adolescence that she lacks talent for magic. As a sweeper first-class at a mages' university, she has built a career around her rare ability to handle dross—the damaging magical waste produced by spellwork. When Benedict Strom, a researcher studying dross and methods to render it harmless, requires someone with her abilities for a project, Grady is assigned to his team. After an accident occurs, she and Strom are forced to flee and seek help from an outcast who was exiled a decade earlier for using dross to cast spells. Grady must now choose between maintaining the magical status quo or developing her own hidden talents, with consequences that could reshape their world. This is the first book in a contemporary fantasy series.