“Look at me now, Jude. Enjoy your crappy soap.”

The world building of this first book of a new series by Nisha J. Tuli is great. I love the love triangle angle with the charismatic Sun King and the brooding Aurora Prince. I have so many questions for the second book!

This was so good! Excellent world building without bogging down the whole book, action packed and suspenseful! This was a fun easy read with an interesting story. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Lor next

Our FMC is kidnapped from the prison she's lived in for 12 years to compete in a set of trials to win the heart of the Sun King.

This book absolutely lacks world building, character development, and predictable.
But it was also intriguing, easy to read, and entertaining. It's like bad tv truly, I couldn't put it down.
It's really reminiscent of "The Selection" and gave written by a 15 year old vibes. I have already picked up the next one & I'm excited and hopefully for some more originality! We will see after this next one how I feel about continuing the series!

Welcome to the wildness of Lor! Thank you Netgalley for this title, there was so much to unpack in this book. Lor’s layers of trauma are clear in her actions and inner struggles. She thinks she is being logical but also knows that she isn’t because she doesn't even really know how to live or what is actually logical. While i enjoyed her time with Atlas, he was giving me ick vibes from the beginning - poor Lor.

This book was a great start to a series that continues to build in the best way, I’m so glad i was able to read them back to back and watch the characters grow. And talk about slow burn… 😂

Thank you to the publisher, Forever Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for an eARC of this novel. I thought this was so entertaining and enjoyable. It was engaging and spicy and hot and fun and I had a great time. I'm definitely going to keep reading.

Note, this is more on the romance side of romantasy, so while there is definitely plot, the romance takes a much larger share of the plot than you would find in a fantasy romance. This is also very much for adults and the spice rating is high.

No, this is not a copy or rip-off of any SJM novels; if you think they are, please go read more books that aren't written by SJM.

This whole series is wonderful and this book is no different. I love the world. I love the characters. It was a fast and immersive read.

Hunger Games meets Fae in this action packed adventure story. Almost has a Cinderella type vibe to it too with Lor. I definitely understand why it got popular and picked up by so many ! I'm interested to see where the story goes in the sequels.

I had so much FUN reading this book! This book follows Lor, a prisoner who is taken by royalty in a different fae court to compete in the Sun Queen trials - think the bachelor x the triwizard tournament x the hunger games x ACOTAR. As she learns more about this new court she’s been thrust into, the trials, & the king who brought her there, she learns that everything is not exactly as it seems. This story was so fast paced & entertaining. While I definitely felt as though aspects of it were inspired by other stories, there were so many factors blended into one plot that it still felt unique. I wish the world building was a little more thorough, but I still had so much fun getting to know the characters & watching the trials play out! I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book!

Trial of the Sun Queen has been a book that I have seen circulating around social media quite a bit and have been interested in but only just now finally got around to reading. The story follows the FMC, Lor, who is kidnapped and sent to compete in the sun trials for the heart of the sun king. Lor fights because her brother and sister have been imprisoned since they were young and wants to free them.

The story is such a quick read and if you set aside time, you could get through it within a day. There is lots of action and the pacing is well done. My favorite part is when it gets to the trials, if you're a fan of any series that involves trials, this one will not disappoint. I enjoyed the story throughout and am intrigued at what is to come for Lor as she is from Aurora which is very different and with how the ending comes about. I am very excited for the next book and to dive straight into it!

Thank you NetGalley & Forever Publishing for the ARC!

I haven’t been this hooked for a fantasy romance in quite awhile. Had so much fun with this book and can’t wait to see where the series goes

I did not expect to devour this book as quickly as I did. I literally read it in 24 hours because I couldn’t stop. This book is perfect for you if you loved Throne of Glass and anything SJM. It has an underdog story and your classic competition with mortal vs fae. Lor is an interesting character, she reminds me slightly of Feyre from ACOTAR, as she is a mortal getting thrown into the fae world but she is so much stronger willed and determined. Nadir is so mysterious and I can’t wait to find out more about him as the series continues. I have so many guesses and I was right about a few things early on. Truly a five star read for me and I can’t wait to jump into the rest of this series.

⭐️rating: 5/5

I loved this! It’s been on my TBR for soooo long and I’m so glad I finally read it. I was immediately intrigued, lured in, and I don’t want to leave! I finished this so quickly, I love it❤️. It’s the perfect start to a romantasy series and I’m so excited for the rest!

The world building was great. It was really intriguing while also not being too much all at once, and there was a great balance with the plot. I love the world and the characters that Nisha has created, I just want more! The magic and lore are also so intriguing and it makes me wanna learn everything about everyone.

There’s delicious banter, amazing sarcasm, and ugh😩 I just loved the dialogue! You’ve also got some Throne of Glass and Selection vibes, but completely different. With gilded castles, deadly trials, handsome princes, dangerous secrets, and the beginnings of some spice, what more could you ask for?

I did guess the twist, but it was very enjoyable. My tampon (iykyk) radar was pinging, and it was fun to pick up the clues and guess at what would happen. But OOF that cliffhanger!! Thank goodness book 2 is out cause I’m running rn to go read that immediately💙

All in all, Trial of the Sun Queen was a fantastic read! It’s the perfect romantasy series intro that gives you just enough to whet your appetite while it hooks you in, making you need more. And with just the beginnings of spice, I look forward to seeing where it goes from here! I hope November comes quickly for book 4 cause I’m gonna zoom through all these. I highly recommend! And have you seen those covers? Gorgeous!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

'Trial of the Sun Queen' is a dazzling rollercoaster of emotions, thrills, and sheer unpredictability. Lor, our heroine, is a force of nature, battling against odds that would make lesser spirits crumble and coming out victoriously time and time again. Her journey through the Sun Queen Trials is full of heart-pounding action, deep, soulful connections, and twists so audacious, they leave you gasping. There is a beautiful balance between the electric tension of the trials with the relationships between characters that had me equally invested in both.

There's an undercurrent of sensuality and mystery that was addicting, though, making it impossible not to fall a little bit in love with the MCs. With friendships as dazzling as they are dangerous and betrayals as cutting as they are unexpected, 'Trial of the Sun Queen' is a symphony of storytelling that crescendos to an ending that left me reeling.

I really wanted to love this book but I found myself unfortunately only liking it. I’ve had this arc on my current reads for months because I ultimately found it hard to get into and stay into.

Perhaps because my preference now skews to more romantasy and I found the writing to be much more young adult?

Anyways as most of the reviews say - if you’re a fan of the hunger games with more fantasy this could be the book for you. 3🌟

I recieved an arc of this book and was intrigued because a friend loved it. This book follows Lor who is kidnapped and sent to compete in the sun trials for the sun kings heart. Lor is fighting for her brother and sister who are still locked up in Nostraza, the prison they've been in since they were young. Lor has to compete in trials with 9 other tributes who have all grown up in high society. Will she win? Will she be able to free her brother and sister? Or will she fail and be sent back to Nostraza?

This book is a quick read. It starts right off with a lot of action and gets right into the story. It gets even more exciting when the trials begin. A strong female character who has to fight to protect the people she loves? Yes please! There's death, love, confusion, family, mystery, and an exploration of different realms. It really is a ride. One of my favorite things is that Lor comes from Aurora. There it is always dark except for when the aurora borealis lights up the sky. Such a beautiful image that has more than one meaning throughout the book.

This book is very similar to other fantasies I've read. At times that made the story fairly predictable. I wasn't really surprised until the very end, which had me confused, but excited to read the next book. I have a feeling I know a bit about what's coming in the next book, but I'm hoping Nisha surprises me with something unexpected!

If you're looking for a quick and exciting fantasy, this one is for you!

Wow this is so good! I wasn’t expecting to be so sucked into a new fantasy series but this was awesome. I agree with the labeling of a mix of A Court of Thorn and Roses and Fourth Wing.

I loved the story and I had a feeling (from reading ACOTAR) that as good as The Sun King seemed there might be some hidden alternative motives. I loved Lors character and her bravery and strength throughout. I really enjoy reading books with badass female leads.


I’m hooked and so excited to read more.

4 stars for making me forget I was reading! I loved the hunger games back in the day so I was immediately intrigued. It was a little predictable, but I still enjoyed the journey!

Review posted to Goodreads and Amazon

This book is the making of a killer fantasy romance. I ate this story up and all of the personalities. Lor takes on everything thrown her way with strength and perseveres through every obstacle thrown her way in her early life and now with the Sun Queen Trials. Enemies to lovers and a high stake competition for a handsome Kings heart makes this book one of my favorite reads so far this year. Spoiler alert, I feel just as passionately about the second book in the series, so good!

This is like Throne of Glass meets the bachelor. It’s a fast paced romantasy with a great FMC. Her backstory and the trials are equally interesting. You get a good sense of the FMC and a few of the other characters, but mostly the impression that there’s a lot more that we don’t know. Since it’s a first book in a series it lays out the groundwork for the remainder of the series with the history and lore. It seems like there are some things left unanswered but it only made me want to read the next book even more. It’s a great foundation book and the series can only go up from here. Thanks to NetGalley, Forever Publishing and Nisha J Tuli for this e-ARC

Title: Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J Tuli
Genre: Adult Romantasy
Pub Date: August 15, 2023

⭐ 4.5/5
🌶️ 2/5

ACOTAR x Hunger Games
Deadly Trials
Epic Twists
Multiple POV

I loved this book! I was worried it would be too spicy but it's perfect, lots of tension and flirting but nothing too explicit! I love Lor, our strong bad@ss FMC who literally will risk losing these trials in order to help her fellow competitors. I have complicated feelings about the rest of the characters (our MMC) BUT I believe it will all be cleared up in book 2, Rule of the Aurora King! 👑

Thank you so much @netgalley and Forever Publishing for the digital review copy!🫶❤️