Thank you, NetGalley, Montlake and Sariah Wilson for this book.

This is not my normal genre, but had to read it since I have enjoyed other books by this author. I had trouble getting into it, but only because I'm not used to this genre. It was enjoyable once I got used to the writing and setting. The characters and the plot drew me. I'm still not sure if this genre is for me, but I did enjoy this book.

I am so excited for the next installment in this book - Be warned it ends in a cliff hanger BUT don't let it put you off reading this beautiful masterpiece.
A tribute of fire is a brilliant, amazing book which focuses on the female lead Lia.
She's is a powerful, tough baddie who wants and needs to protect her sister as ultimately they both end up in danger.
The plot twists in this book i didn't see coming and it is absolutely amazing, Sariah Wilson has created an amazing book for someone who wants a romantic, fantasy based book which will keep you on your toes and staying up late to keep reading on. The characters, development , ending ( although cliffhanger) has just been brilliant to read.

This was a very interesting book. I loved the inspiration from Greek Mythology and the plot is very unique. The idea of the chase was crazy but I loved that entire scene. Overall I really enjoyed this book but struggled with the main characters. I’m not sure how to feel about them yet as this book is setting up so much for the rest of the story. I think I’ll like Jason and Lia more in the second after reading the ending. I had been waiting for something more from him. I’m still so curious about the magic and the history of the goddess/priestesses as there seems to be a lot missing or has been changed over time. There’s definitely a lot to figure out!

If you are looking for a new book with a strong FMC , Greek mythology, a different take on enemies to lovers, slow burn, phenomenal banter, found family, an insane plot twist, betrayal, then this is the book for you.

So let's get into a brief overview of the plot
Our FMC, Lia, is the princess of Locris which is an impoverished desert nation that has been cursed by an earth goddess. Meanwhile, the opposing nation of Ilion has been blessed by the goddess and every year Ilion offers the goddess a sacrifice, two Locrian maidens. The two maidens are forced to compete in a life and death race from the port to the temple of the goddess and in a millenia not one maiden has made it there alive because the
majority of the male citizens of Ilion hunt the maidens throughout their labyrinth maze of a city on the way. Lia has been training for this very event so she is not surprised when she is one of the chosen maidens this year. What does surprise her is when her very untrained sister Quynh is chosen as the other maiden. As if Lia's life isn't difficult enough, she finds herself drawn to an Ilionian sailor, Jason who is part of the crew taking her to her certain doom
I don't want to give too much away but our plot just gets crazier from there and I absolutely adored it.

I want to give a few reasons why I loved this book and what made it stand out from other fantasy romance books I have read. While there are a multitude of reasons, one of the biggest was our FMC Lia, I absolutely loved her. She is strong willed, selfless, and her character development is seriously top tier. The romance in this book was also phenomenal. Nothing felt forced and the character's chemistry was so palpable I was obsessing over them. P.S. The banter is SO good!!! Our MMC is sassy and hilarious. The found family and sisterhood piece of this story was so beautiful and touching as well. This entire aspect of the story was so touching and really pulled at my heartstrings in the absolute best way. And finally, the world building was perfect and there really was no filler which I loved.This book is great for beginner and seasoned fantasy readers which is why I know it will be one of my favorites to recommend.

And of course there is literally the most insane cliffhanger that had me semi depressed this was an arc because I know I will need to wait a bit for Book 2 but I am so excited!

This book follows Lia, the princess of a cursed desert kingdom, is forced into a deadly race that takes place every year.

This book was very fast paced and engaging from the beginning! The romance was chef’s kiss! I had fun reading this book, but the cliffhanger was criminal😭 I honestly lost sleep staying up to finish this book. But I don’t regret it!

Thank you to @talesandteacupspr for the ARC!

A Tribute of Fire follows the story of Lia, a princess of Locris, as she becomes one of the two Locrian maidens forced to compete in a life-or-death race to reach the temple of an earth goddess. However, unlike the other maidens, Lia has trained for this to give herself a fighting chance. Lia must face more challenges than she plans to as her untrained sister Quynh is put in danger, the Ilion city’s labyrinthine maze is not what she expected, and she finds herself reluctantly drawn to Jason, an attractive Ilionian sailor she finds herself blindly trusting. Will she be able to break the curse the earth goddess as put on her home land and restore it to it’s past glory?

When I first started reading this book, it took me a bit to get into, but once I did, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. Especially after Lia left for the city of Ilion. I was invested to find out how she planned to help her city while also trying to find the temple. I also enjoyed how much mystery was left at the end of the book to make me want to come back for more. There is so much we have yet to learn about the temple and what is going on with the priestesses, I hope the next book will answer all my burning questions.

I also loved the aspect of the found families throughout the story. I enjoyed how it was a big part of her life even before coming to the temple. I was happy to see her make the connection with others at the temple as well.

The love interest was very ‘attraction at first sight’ and I am interested to hear what is causing their connection in the next book. I will say, I was stuck on his name being Jason after so many other characters had such unique names. But I enjoyed the banter they shared when they weren’t making out.

This book was full of twists that had me excited to keep reading, and I found myself sad when it was over because I would have to wait for the next book to read more. I have already recommended this to all my friends to read and keep finding myself thinking about the book. I recommend this book to people who like a strong FMC, found families, hidden identities, and lots of secrets, but are not looking for a ton of spice. Thank you, Sariah Wilson and Netgalley, for providing me with an advance copy for my honest review.

The Tribute of Fire intrigued me with its unique premise and intricate world-building, and I found the writing style easy to follow and engaging. The author has a way of pulling you into the world with vivid details, and while I appreciated the effort to create such a rich setting, I felt like much of the book was spent on setup. The main action didn’t kick in until the last 10%, which made the pacing feel slow at times. That said, the ending was incredible and the cliffhanger left me so curious that I know I’ll pick up the next book.

The romance felt more like physical attraction than a deep connection. Since the two characters were apart for most of the story, their relationship didn’t feel like a significant focus of the story. But I can see it potentially becoming a stronger element in the next book and I’m curious to see how it develops.

Overall, while this book leaned heavily on world-building and setup, I stayed engaged because of the accessible writing style and intriguing premise. The last chapter truly delivered, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next. If you enjoy books with immersive worlds and don’t mind a slower build, this could be a great choice.

Here’s the review in the same format as before:

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🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5 stars)

*A Tribute of Fire* by Sariah Wilson is an electrifying adventure packed with high-stakes action, forbidden romance, and a heroine who refuses to back down. 🔥👑

Lia, a warrior princess of the cursed desert kingdom of Locris, is thrust into the perilous tribute game—a deadly ritual where Locrian maidens race through the labyrinthine streets of Ilion to reach the goddess’s temple. With centuries of failure weighing on her shoulders and her untrained sister at risk, Lia’s determination is tested at every turn. But as she navigates the maze, she finds herself torn between her hatred for Ilion and her undeniable attraction to Jason, a charismatic sailor from her enemy’s land. 🌵⚔️❤️

Wilson masterfully weaves heart-pounding tension with intricate world-building, creating a vivid backdrop of cursed lands and divine intrigue. Lia is a fierce, resourceful heroine, and the slow-burn romance with Jason adds a layer of depth and complexity to the story. The twists and turns of the tribute game keep you guessing until the final page. 🌀🌟

Perfect for fans of *The Hunger Games* and *The Wrath and the Dawn*, this novel is a spellbinding tale of resilience, sacrifice, and hope. Don’t miss this thrilling journey into a world where every decision can mean life or death. 📖🔥

<b>I didn't know how time flew away while reading A Tribute To Fire by Sariah Wilson. I was lost in this world of myth, suspense and action. It is like a collaboration between Hunger Games and Dark Academy romance. Lia is trying to change the fate of her nation but the journey will be treacherous. She is brave and fierce but even her body and mind have limits. Specially when manipulation and secrets ruin everything. This fantasy romance was exceptionally well written with an impressively diverse cast of characters. The romance is still at a precarious stage because the ending destroyed me.</b>

It's so hard to review this book without spoilers. This ends with a heart stopping cliffhanger. I did see that twist coming but I prayed that it won't be true. Lia or Euthalia is the princess of Locria. A kingdom that has been cursed and abandoned by The Earth Goddess and that's why it's dying. The curse is also bound to the tribute. Where two maidens are sent to Ilonians as tribute where they have to run for the temple while hunted by the Illonian men. No one ever made it.

But Lia made it. She trained in secret. She plotted and planned so that she can reach the temple and retrieve the eye of the Goddess. She paid the dear cost of losing her sister on the way. The temple isn't exactly a welcoming place either. She spends every day trying to achieve her goal while learning about the religion and history and myths. She did found a sisterhood with her adelphia. And Jason. The sexy arrogant sailor who is helping her. And the man who has claimed her heart. But at the end..with battered body and bruised mind..she is afraid that everything is ruined.

The plot is fast paced and action packed. I was holding my breath so many times when Lia faced the obstacles and almost lost. My heart breaks for her but it also feels extremely proud of her. The author subtly put many contemporary issues like gender discrimination, women's rights, religious fanaticism, evils of war and many more. So despite being fantasy, it resonates with everyone. Lia's sisterhood in temple gave me so much hope and warmth. But there were not many quiet moments. From the beginning, Jason was a puzzle. That man was too charming and too smooth talking and too sexy and too intense for to be true. I am still believing in the best. But the cliffhanger left me sad and restless.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

A journey to better her homeland this was a fun romantasy.
The built up to the beginning was a tad slow and political aspects were tough to get thru but the dynamic between the characters and jovial dialogue made the story enjoyable.
I think this is a good introduction for Sariah into the romantasy realm.

A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson took me on adventure that was filled with fantasy and romance and lots of dangerous adventure.
Between the danger and decisions that Lia had to make this book will have you reading into the night.
Set in the cursed desert nation of Locris, We follow Princess Lia, who must navigate a deadly ritual to save her people.
Every year, two maidens from Locris are chosen to go to the neighboring nation.
There they have to compete in a life or death race that no maiden has ever survived.
Will this year be didn’t.?
The author did a wonderful job weaving in Greek mythology, danger, fantasy and some spicy romance. The romance between Lia and Jason add just that spice to have you hooked.
You’ll be impatiently waiting for the next book.

I was excited to see this book contained trials. One of my favorite tropes is trials/games. This is such a great romantasy. The trial aspect is unique and a bit unorthodox. I will say this banked more in romance with a fantasy element then a full flesh fantasy novel. I’m excited to pick up the next one!

Thank you so much Sariah Wilson for letting me read your amazing book for a review!

Lia is the princess of a land that is dying from a centuries old curse, put upon them by a vengeful goddess. Every year her people give up two Locrian maidens as tribute to the goddess, during which they have to compete in a life or death race to the goddesses temple through a city of people hunting them for sport. In a millennium no maiden has made it out of Ilion alive and this year its Lias turn. This is what she has been training for but all her plans fall apart when the other maiden chosen is her own sister.

This book has so many layers to it which just made it so thrilling and captivating the whole read. Lia is a princess who, in a bid to save their land has been offered for an arranged marriage. Rising taxes and port controls by other lands have caused her people to become poor, barely getting by, this alliance could save them, but Lia has other plans.

First the political intrigue is brilliant and sets the book up really well, we learn about the history and current state of Lias kingdom and family, why she has been put into an arranged marriage and how this could help her people. Then the element of mythology and magic is added with the curse on her land from the goddess, causing her to go on a dangerous quest. And of course we get a handsome stranger that consumes her thoughts, all while trying not to get her or her sister killed in their attempt to save… well, the world. Thrust into a new found family with new sisters made under an oath at the goddess temple she has to try to figure out how to complete her goals of saving the kingdom while juggling this new sisterhood. Uncovering many secrets, her world is about to change as she discovers nothing is as it seems.

Cue training montage!

I feel like this could be really popular as a book series, I already can’t wait for the second book. It has all the elements that make up a great fantasy book. Brilliant action scenes, a stabby female mc, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, a dark and handsome stranger, spicy scenes, strong female friendships with a found family vibe. Magical elements.. there’s even a dragon at one point (I’m hoping we get more of them in the next book).

I think the thing that stood out for me in this book though is the brilliantly multi faceted side characters that we get to meet. Her new found family that help her in this journey are so well written and each has their own fully fleshed out personality and we come to love each one. Their bonds just made me so happy to read about and I’m looking forward to more of this too.

I think I know what most people are going to love about this though and that’s the romance. This was really great, I loved the banter between them and their steamy moments I think will be popular. Although admittedly I did get annoyed by her as she seemed to just melt into a brainless horny girl in these moments when usually she is so headstrong and determined. I am hoping there will be some weird reason for this but we don’t know much yet! this romance has the potential to be really beautiful but, this is just my opinion too - I love the plot and the characters outside of this romance so much I wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t there!! (Just me though)

The main twist at the end I did see coming, the others though… no!! And I love that, I am so so excited to see how this turns out!! Overall I definitely recommend this book to everyone and I am very much looking forward to book 2!

A Tribute of Fire has everything I love in a fantasy romance. Easy to navigate world building, likable characters, Greek mythology, found family, secrets and suspense and a romance with witty banter and tension, that I know we have barely scratched the surface of. I really loved Lia and Jason and I love when you just know so much more is coming!!!

I don’t want to talk too much about the plot, as to not give away anything , so I’ll just say if you are a looking for a pretty solid romantasy and a great start to a series , give this one a try. It was throughly entertaining— so much so, that I read it in one day! The cliffhanger had me gasping and wanting book two immediately!!!!

I really, really wanted to give Lia a horny bonk on the head. It was incredibly distracting up to the point it was slightly disturbing.

That aside, the story is loosely based on Greek mythology, so enthusiasts might appreciate the wink towards the story of Cassandra and Ajax. The author does a great job building onto the mythology while creating her own tale.

At some point I kinda lost track of where the story was going since it switched between romance and temple-life often. I feel like the bigger story is something we have yet to see, so I’m looking forward to the next part!

As an avid romantasy reader, this one fell a little flat. The pacing was off from the beginning and the middle dragged. I think it might be enjoyable for a teen that’s just getting into fantasy or romantasy though.

thank you to sariah wilson who provided a copy of this e-ARC to review!

i was thoroughly impressed at how much i enjoyed this book. while it did start out a little slow with the world building, my interest was always piqued through the entire book.

thousands of years ago, the great goddess cursed all of the locrian women and it has since become tradition to hold an annual deadly race to the temple for a sliver of a chance to possibly reverse the curse. lia is a princess who has been training hard in secret to enter the race in order to save her people. her plans fall in order after she is chosen because she was also betrothed to a prince in a neighboring kingdom (whom she had no intention of ever marrying). but then she meets this strange, yet handsome, sailor named jason. before she is even chosen as one of the women to race, it's lust at first sight and right off the bat it seemed so insta-love/lusty that i had a hard time truly connecting to their romance story from the very beginning.

the book also jumps from such a quick and short race to her figuring out her next move and it felt very sporadic and not well executed at times. despite the pacing, i did enjoy the easy to read writing - i just wish there was more world building and the fantasy aspect. the plot does thicken and gets more interesting more than halfway into the book and the ending really had me reeling because of the twisty cliffhanger. was it the greatest fantasy i've ever read? no, but i did have a good time. and keeping in mind that it's only the first book in the series and hopefully there will be more of the fantasy element included (ahem, like the dragons and lia's supposed fascination and/or connection to them)

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I knew of Sariah Wilson from the romance world, so I was intrigued about this romantasy from her. I really loved the pacing and the writing style - sometimes I can get a little lost in the intense world building of fantasy books, but that didn't happen here. Instead, I was able to connect immediately with the world building because the writing was rooted in a modern style.

As for the characters...I really like Lia and her connection with Jason. I'll leave it at that to avoid spoilers. Highly recommend!

I have not stopped thinking about the ending of this book. A Tribute of Fire is a testament to the strength of women, it is bold, exciting and new. The world building is intricate and so captivating. Every character whether protagonist or antagonist is compelling. The enemies to lovers is addictive and the spice is just enough. If you like mythology, trials, sisterhood and a smidge of moral greyness then this is the story for you.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an eARC of this for a review.

Meh. Too many small issues for me to rate this higher. Interesting story, has potential, but for me it misses the mark.

I’m not sure what makes this a fan fiction because there is no actual enemies to lovers here. They both basically fell in love at first sight — well, more aptly, she will into lust but calls it love. They have maybe four interactions, know nothing about one another and claim to be in love! I also didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters so that could be why it felt so forced.

There’s a line where the MFC states the sun rotates around the earth despite the fact this is set in something similar to ancient Greece. This line serves no purpose and this knowledge wouldn’t exist then 😭 like what’s the point.

About almost halfway through the book, there’s a part where she says that she can begin to move on from the death of her sister because she finally had time to grieve. Okay but. She literally cried one time. Once.

I’m not sure what the intended audience is, but this is very much written like a YA- which is fine. Just don’t go in expecting this to be an adult fantasy.

There are a lot of inconsistencies with the characters behaviors and actions. For instance, at the beginning, she tells you that she bribed people to get her information about this other place that was strange to her so that she could build a map and memorize it. But then halfway through the book, she doesn’t put any thought into how she’s actually going to sneak out of the temple she’s in and just goes for it without any preparation.