Omg WHAT A RIDE! For about 70% of this one, I was not sure where things were going. I had some ideas and then all of a sudden things escalated and when I tell you I DOVE right into book two. I feel confident I’m going to throw my kindle out the window when I finish book two since book three isn’t out til next summer.

Trials of the Sun Queen follows Lor, a long time prisoner from the Aurora, who is kidnapped during a prison riot and taken to the Aepjilion court to compete in the Sun Queen trials as the final tribute - a long standing tradition to bring a common mortal competitor against the nine other elite Fae females who have trained their whole life to compete for the title of the Sun Queen. Meanwhile, back in the Aurora, the prince is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a prisoner with no record.

The Trials of the Sun queen felt like a season of the Bachelor but the trials are more like Feyre’s challenges in ACOTAR. As Ron would say, “you’re gonna suffer… but you’ll be happy about it?” The world building was light and easily digestible, which I greatly enjoyed in contrast to some other recent fantasy reads.

Check this one out if you’re looking for:
☀️ Fun, easy fantasy read
☀️ Bachelor vibes with deadly contests
☀️ Magic, fae and a story of courts
☀️ A cliffhanger ending 🤣

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for my copy of The Trials of the Sun Queen! This is available on Kindle Unlimited and being released by Forever in paperback!

INCREDIBLE. I’m absolutely hooked! I cannot wait to see how this series plays out. I am obsessed with the unhinged tendencies the main characters portray and the dynamic between them! The tension, the plot twists, the possible theories and plot lines that could follow made my head spin and I will be re-reading and picking out all the potential clues!! The world is so interesting and unique, with the politics and magic and rules! So well thought out! Bring on book two three and four please! I’ll buy them all!!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: sexual assault (past), death of parents (past), violence, misogeny

This was a great start to the series. The descriptions I've seen that this is a mix between Hunger Games x The Bachelor were spot on. Lor has spent over a decade in prison with her siblings and has done what she needed to, to survive. But she finds herself suddenly competing to be a fan's mate, the only human competing against other fae. The story is action packed with twists and turns and will just leave you needing to dive immediately into Book 2. I won't say much because spoilers but if you're looking for adventure, competition, and a feisty heroine with romantasy look no further

Steam:3

“Welcome back”!!!! Nooo, I need the second book now!!! I must know what happens next. I read this book in less than 24 hours🔥.

I read Heart of the Night Fire by Nisha and I absolutely fell in love with this author’s writing. So of course, I had to read this too!

Lor has spent almost 12 years inside the prison walls. Trying to survive, protecting her family when she can. No one at the prison owns their bodies or souls.

“I’ve been kidnapped and sentenced to lie in a luxurious bed?”
Lor is finally out of that horrible prison. But will her new residence be her freedom or has she been moved to a new prison?

As she discovers she will be living a lie that is planned by many members of the court. She will be competing in a trial to become the Sun Queen in Aphelion.

I was shocked at some many parts. From couples I did not guess would be together. To Gabriel being in his stuck-up ways but having a change of heart.

There are so many secrets that we still don’t know and I can’t wait to find them out in the rest of the series!

“You were on the edge of death when I found you in that hole, and somehow you still managed to fight me. Do you remember biting me, Lor? Use some of that grit.”
Gabriel is the captain guard and one of my favorite characters. I can’t wait to see if he has another big role in the next book.

“I’d very much like to kiss you, my lady.”
Oh, the king. I think I have a love-and-hate relationship with him. I love him but I’m completely side eyeing him too!

If you’re a fantasy lover. You will love this series.

Thank you, Nisha J. Tuli and Forever Grand Publishing for the EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared on my Instagram (Alexandriavwilliams_) shortly.

Trial of the Sun Queen is book one in the Artefacts of Ouranos series by Nisha J. Tuli.
One of the best books I’ve read this year!
I’m not sure what I can say that other amazing reviewers hasn’t mentioned.
Because this is seriously a great story!
An absolute must read for all fantasy romance lovers! I was enthralled from the moment I read the first words! The tension and the banter had me holding my breath for the next explosive interaction!
I loved the detail throughout this book. Tuli did a remarkable job. The world-building is phenomenal.
I was so entranced in Lor’s world and everything she has gone through!
This book will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat begging to know what is next!
The storyline is wonderful, very detailed. With lots of action, intrigue, complex world building and surprises you’ll do absolutely nothing but devour TOTSQ!
I can’t wait to start Rule of the Aurora King!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Forever for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book was such a fast read for me, finishing it only 2 days time. The beginning starts off so strong and engaging it sucks you in, needing to know more about the storyline. The FMC spends a majority of her life in a prison within her region and struggles to survive daily. She gets taken to another region only to be told she is going to compete to become the queen of that region, and if she fails one of the many trials, she may die or be sent back to her former prison.

The character dynamics are great within this, and keeps you invested in some of their wellbeing. The last few chapters of this book REALLY got intense, and seemed like a lot of things happened that made the ending fly by. The twist at the very end was slightly predictable, but didn't detract from me wanting to read more to see what happens afterward. Definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something fast paced and reminiscent of the hunger games.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eArc of "Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli.

This book started very strong. When we were first introduced to our main character, Lor, she is feisty and strong-willed. As a young girl, she was sent to the notorious Nostraza prison with her brother and sister. Their crimes are unknown to the reader. Lor says that she was too young to remember what happened.

One excerpt that struck a cord for me was, "Everything is on temporary loan, including our bodies and definitely our souls. The only thing they haven't claimed yet is my mind, though that seems less true with each passing year." The beginning of the book conveys so much emotion and makes you care about Lor. She survived this prison, while most only lasted a few years.

When we moved into the part of the book that featured the trials gone was the Lor we were introduced to. Instead, we were given a character that wanted so desperately to be loved by fae Sun King Atlas. She became naive. She trusted him fully, not even considering he could have ulterior motives. The fighter we met at the beginning only comes out during the trials. When she is not fighting for her life, she becomes a shell of the character we were introduced to.

We are told trials are a longstanding tradition of the Sun Court. The Sun King is to find his bonded mate this way. There are ten tributes, and only one is mortal. We are also told that the mortal has never survived the trials. The tributes at first all seem to look down on Lor, but she soon develops allies.

The book is filled with kept secrets, and we are left wondering who Lor is. Is Atlas as genuine as he makes himself out to be?

There are some parallels with the characters from the story to ACOTR. Most notable to me were Atlas and Gabriel, who reminded me of Tamlin and Lucien, and Nadir, who reminded me of Rhys.

I’m interested to see where the next book in the series takes us. I hope it develops into its own and becomes its own story instead of relying upon stories that have already been told. Ms. Tuli built an exceptional world, and I’m interested to see how it will develop over the following three books in the series.

The Bachelor meets the Hunger Games in this book. It was so intense and so fun. Lor has endured so much pain and heartbreak throughout her life, but she has so much grit and strength. I really loved her as a character.
This author has such a way with her worlds, kingdom & queendoms. She describes them so well that you feel like you are right there with the characters through the trials. I was very interested in the different kingdoms and I hope we could explore them in future books and see what type of roles they play and which side they are on. I just am not over my read honestly. It took me a while to process this book. I had so many emotions, but it was freaking worth it. I knew where the book was going half the time, but like I said it just gave me so much to theorize about I enjoyed getting to know the characters more. It's just. You really can't stop.
I can’t wait to read more of this series! I'm excited for more from Lor and to know more about Nadir. I need to unravel all the secrets!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

It has elements from The Hunger Games, The Bachelor, and ACOTAR, put together in a comfortable and familiar way. It is nothing groundbreaking. That said, it’s not supposed to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

This book honestly took me by surprise. It’s like “The Selection” meets “Hunger Games” meets.. a small hint of ACOTAR (if you know, you know). I enjoyed the familiar toughness of our FMC and the appearance of a dark and broody prince and I found the contest to be pretty engaging. Some tropes to look out for:
🗡️Fated Mates
🗡️Quest for Vengeance
🗡️Fae Politics
🗡️Multiple Love Interests
Will definitely be tuning in for book two! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I very much enjoyed this book! Trials and magic and fae kings and princes are wins for me. It was definitely fun to speculate where the book was going. There were a couple things that were pretty obvious for anyone who reads romantasy regularly, but that didn't stop my enjoyment. I loved the dual POV, but definitely wanted way more Nadir. The plot slowed down a little in the middle, but picked way up at the end and had me jumping straight into the next book! I definitely recommend this one!

I liked this, it was a pleasant read and kept me interested for most of the book. In this book the fmc Lor is kidnapped and taken to the sun kings court to compete in a deadly trial for the kings heart with 10 other women. When she was kidnapped she got away from the horrible aurora king and Lor wants revenge on him but still doesn’t understand why she’s in the trials and what the sun king wants with her.

The trials were so intense to me, deadly games and competitions to win a man’s heart was a little wild but still intense. This book was a little predictable in that it was very obvious that sun king was not the main mmc. He was giving Tamlin from acotar vibes tbh. It’s also a slow burn it has some romance but not with the character I wanted so I’m excited for the next book to see where it goes. Overall this was good and interesting, I still don’t really understand the world and the magic system and but I’m invested in the fmc and I’m excited for the next book!

Read if you like:
- Easy to read fantasy
- Diverse characters
- Hunger game style trials
- Slow burn
- Strong fmc

I gotta be honest - this book was incredibly predictable and clearly inspired by a few popular fantasy series. It also had a few continuity errors and loose strings. BUT, I loved everything else about it. The characters were driven, the world was interesting, the lore was there (pun intended). I’m excited to see where this series goes, even though I would bet money on being able to predict certain aspects. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a cross between ACOTAR, The Selection, and The Prison Healer!

Wow I could absolutely not put this down! I loved the idea of the trials and a girl being out of place in a foreign society. The multiple POV’s was interesting and I was so intrigued by the plot! Can’t wait to continue the series!

This is one of the best books I read in 2022, and I love it even more on the re-read! Though it is advertised as the Hunger Games meets The Bachelor, I think it is more like The Selection, but darker and spicier, with a hint of ACOTAR! I can’t wait to see what happens next… and if sparks will fly! I did the reread so I can be refreshed for the 2nd book. I still can't get over the first sentence: "That b**** took my soap!" LOL

Trial of the Sun Queen was so fun! It was exactly the kind of fun fantasy / romantasy I’ve been craving this month and a quick bingeable read! It has elements of some of really great fantasy books series like hunger games, savage lands, serpent and the wings of night, these hollow vows, red queen, and probably so many others, but I still found it unique and exciting!

Some parts were predictable and not much of the story shocked me, but I had so much fun with it and can’t wait to continue! Lor is likeable and I found myself chuckling a lot at how quick she is to throw the punches. And I look forward to learning more about Nadir in book 2, and seeing more about how the story evolves. 4.5 stars rounded up for vibes and a great time!

Thanks so much to Forever publishers, Nisha and NetGalley for the gifted arc. All thoughts are mine and I was so excited to read this!

If you liked Hunger Games and Selection, you’ll like this one too! It’s a classic ugly duckling to beautiful Sean trope but our ugly duckling was stuck in a prison then a hole and ends up a swan risking her life to marry the prince so a little different. I’m definitely intrigued enough to read the second one!

With a spunky, resilient underdog heroine and a (literally) glittering Fae court setting, "Trial of the Sun Queen" should appeal to fans of new adult fantasy romance with a heavy dash of sexual content. I expect this one will appeal to readers who enjoyed Fourth Wing--with a deadly competition and a cast populated by ridiculously beautiful people, it hits a lot of the same notes. Definitely note the content warnings as SA is a prevalent theme.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

The way I was INSTANTLY hooked in this story. Lor captured my allegiance as soon as the story started. I love the ACOTAR vibes that we get with the trials and trying to win over the Sun King. You know that she doesn’t have the full picture and we’re missing some key details, but with every twist and turn, your opinion on different characters is changing.

Between Atlas and Gabriel and Nadir, who do we like? Who do we hate? Who do we trust?

By the time this book ended, I was ravenous for the second installment of the series. It’s just that good.

Thank you so much to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this arc!

This Romantasy debut novel is perfect for readers who are new to the genre.

“Trial of the Sun Queen” follows Lord, a prisoner under the Aurora King’s rule. When the Sun King selects her as the only human Tribute to complete in the Sun Queen Trials, Lor is determined to win if only to get her revenge.

I gravitated towards this book because it was advertised to me as “The Selection” meets “The Hunger Games” and I am here to confirm that that is the case! I would even go so far as to add that it is reminiscent of “Divergent,” “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” Unfortunately, the book does not diverge much from its sources of inspiration and because I am such a huge fan of many of the series mentioned, I was able to predict most of the book’s major plot points.

One thing this book has that the others do not, however, are the alternating viewpoints. I really enjoyed reading from Lor’s point-of-view because of her strength and resiliency. Chapter’s written from Nadir’s perspective challenged me to figure out his role in the story and provided the most intrigue. Though the two were at odds the whole book, I am curious to see if that will change in the next installment.

I think that this series is perfect for new adult readers. Despite some of my frustrations with the book’s plot, I ultimately had a lot of fun reading it and I am excited to explore Tuli’s other works in the future.