Soul's Aspect by Mark Holloway

A debut coming-of-age fantasy in the tradition of The Poppy War, The Name of The Wind, Nevernight and The Shadow of What Was Lost.

A healer forced to become a killer for an empire that would grind his country to dust.
Kehlem, the sickly son of a widowed physician, has devoted his life to learning his father's craft. Wanting to finally step out of his father's shadow, he embarks on a project of his own, seeking out the help of Themia, the town's newly arrived Alchemist and a rare wielder of magic.
But Themia has secrets of her own, secrets carried from the heart of the empire itself, secrets that would steal Kehlem away from his home and into the empire's Academy for magic users.
The Isale Academy beckons, but can Kehlem survive the academy and its brutal regime? And if so, what would he have to become?