When Selection meets Hunger Games what can possible happen? Add hot fae and excellent, strong FMC and what will we have?

Well asnwer is very simple - Trial of the Sun Queen contains it all. I loved every page of this book. I didn’t just read it - I DEVOURED IT.

From the first sentence - literally, I fell in love with Lor. Sassy, sharp-tounged, strong and confident - the mix I love and adore in FMCs. She knows what she wants, she is so focused on surviving place she in right now - a Nostraza prison, place she knows so well, because she was thrown there as a child, with her siblings, by cruel Aurora King.

A confluence of diffrent events led her to a beautiful castle, straight into arms of a prince, Fae prince - Atlas. Lor is abour to learn, that she may be freed from a prison if she’ll take a part in a special trial. Trial of the Sun Queen is a competition with only one purpose - to find next Sun Queen. Lor doesn’t have a choice but to participate in deadly events to save her siblings from their miserable life inside a prison.

Will she survive? Is it all, or is there a secret kept from us and from Lor?

You are about to find out!

If you love:
☀️ strong FMC with secrets
☀️ excellent world building with magic and Fae
☀️ deadly trials and scheming
☀️ rags to royalty
☀️ not so obvious love intrest (sooo Nisha’s style)

this book is for you!

5/5⭐️
1/5 🌶️

I absolutely loved this book and if I could give it more than 5 stars I would.
Lor is a human prisoner in the Aurora realm she is imprisoned with her siblings until she is kidnapped and taken to the Sun court to take part in trials to be the next Sun queen. There she is shunned by the other contestants but is slowly wooed by the Sun king.
Lor was such a good character she was feisty and defensive but vulnerable. She stood up to any injustice and had a ‘fuck it’ attitude to getting steamy with the Sun king to further her cause. In this book you will find mystery and intrigue, romance and smut and Lor making unexpected connections. I can’t think of any negatives for this book and I can’t wait to read the next part of this world.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this arc. I was actually very excited to read this because the synopsis sounded so interesting. I have never watched the Bachelor, but I do watch a lot of reality TV shows only for the drama, and this book seems to be something I would enjoy.

Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.

Let's begin with the things I DID like about this book:
- Strong beginning: The first few chapters were very engaging and the pacing was just right.
- Decent writing: I have read a lot of smutty fantasy books with bad writing, but this one was fine for me.
- The cover: ABSOLUTELY STUNNING *heart eyes* I would still want it on my shelf despite the rating lol.
- Short chapters!!! So easy to read!

Now, the (not so) fun part -- things I did NOT like:
- The heroine's characterisation makes ZERO sense. She was strong and hard-headed and independent at the beginning, then she met the "love interest" and suddenly she became very naive and pick-me??? Also, for someone who had gone through the things she had, she sure cried a lot.
- The insta-love: I actually don't mind insta-love in these types of books, but it has to be convincing. The "love interest" has no personality other than being sexy so it was very hard to believe the main character would fall head over heels for him when she was supposed to be this badass feminist woman that we were first introduced to.
- The REAL love interest: I don't even like The Court of Thorn and Roses, but I could tell this book tried to be like it. The real love interest was also boring and had no chemistry with our heroine. I skimmed through every chapter from his POV.
- The world-building: If it wasn't for the sex scenes and f-bombs, I would have assumed I was reading a YA book and not NA. The world-building has so much potential but the author failed to make it unique and interesting.
- The tropes: Nothing groundbreaking. Everything has been done before. All the plot twists were predictable.
- The plot: I know that this is book 1 in a 4 book series, but withholding every important information to save it for the next book is such a cop out. The big reveal at the end revealed nothing, and all the questions about the main character were left unanswered. You don't have to tell me everything about her but give me SOMETHING to root for. Why I should care about this girl? WHO. IS. SHE?

Rating: 2.5*

I don't think I will continue this series. It's just not for me...

☀️Trial of the Sun Queen☀️

By Nisha J. Tuli

🤫possible spoilers ahead🤫

Synopsis:

The Bachelor meets Fourth Wing. Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King's heart.

Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King's rule. Her only desire is to get free and pay him back for every moment of misery she's endured.

When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of queen. If she wins his heart, she'll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge.

But Lor doesn't belong in the Sun Queen Trials. Not only does she not understand why she was freed, she isn't a citizen of the Sun King's court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is wiped off the gameboard, permanently.

Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she'll be sent back into the hands of the Aurora King.

☀️☀️☀️☀️

Apparently this book is a TikTok sensation but I have entirely missed any hype about it.

This was a hit and miss read for me. It started well, I found the middle pretty slow and boring, and then I liked the end.

The main character’s secret did not come as a surprise at all. I’m not sure if this was by design or just clumsy foreshadowing/predictable plot line, but if it was meant to be a twist it didn’t work for me. I didn’t really like the dating/trials section of the book. I found all the other tributes pretty flat or stereotypical mean girls. Even the ones who became friends and allies of the MC weren’t really developed. There is an extremely brief reference to an LGBTQ relationship but absolutely no background or on page development so I felt like it was just there for diversity kudos.

What I did enjoy were the sections with the Aurora prince trying to figure out who the missing girl was.

Overall a bit of an odd read for me. Some really good parts and some parts that I didn’t like at all! But enough in there to read the sequel.

Thanks to @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lor and her elder brother and sister have been incarcerated for over a decade. Their crime... being seen as an "enemy" by the Aurora King. She has faced the worst that prison can subject a young female to and she come out mentally stronger. She never backs down from a fight and she'd rather fight to the death then let anything happen to her siblings.

But another "timeout" in The Hollow leads to her being abducted and transported to another part of the world. And they somehow expect her to take part in the weirdest games ever. They want her to compete to marry the Sun King. She's just a prison rat from The Aurora - she has zero chance at winning, even with the Grumpy Gabriel assisting her.

Nostraza just gave me the ick. The guards and Warden are worse than the other prisoners. SA is a way of life for the inmates. Starvation is the norm. I would have happily razed the place to the ground and laughed as it burned!

Atlas, the Sun King. Gabriel, Captain of the Guard. They both seem to want her to win but they both have their own agendas. These two I'd trust about as far as I could throw them!

The Trials are the deadliest kind of "Bachelor" game I've ever seen. The girls are cutthroat, determined, and ready to do whatever to win. But Lor does have a few allies and she'll need them if she ever hopes to survive! The plot is twisty, little nuggets of info are dropped here and there to lead you through the story. The world building is really good and no huge info dumps to ruin the pacing of the story and a map to help you keep everything orderly.

I seem to be on a fantasy kick at the moment and really enjoyed finding this little gem by a new to me author. I'm about to happily dive into book 2 and see where Lor and Co. end up next!

As always, I want to start thanking NetGalley and Orbit UK for the opportunity to review this title. I have just finished this book and I haven't been able to wait to write the review. Without further ado...
I was promised that once you start reading this book, you couldn't stop and how true that was! Presented as The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, this book left me very intrigued.
Set up to be a spicier and more mature approach on The Selection by Kiera Cass, it was the perfect mix of romance and political intrigue, and I can't wait to read more about this world. The characters were very interesting as well as frustrating. I couldn't stop getting angry at Lor for how naive she was but just like she states, "his kindess is addictive". Someone who has been denied freedom in every sense of the word, it is understandable that she feels the way she does about Atlas.
I feel certain parts of the plot were a bit cliché but others got me up at night thinking about them. It is quite fast-paced and got me hooked to the story from the very beginning. The characters have many layers as well as faces, and the reader can't seem to trust anyone.
I can't wait to read the next installment, Rule of the Aurora King, and if taking the excerpt included in the e-ARC as an example as to what to expect, I CAN'T wait to get my hands on it.

Thank you for Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC to Trial of the Sun Queen in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt like ‘The Selection Series’ meets ‘Throne of Glass’ meets some elements of the Triwizard tournament, which to be completely honest is completely fine with me as I loved all of these - and it made me absolutely devour this book.

I flew through this and finished this within a day; which really hasn’t happened in quite some time to me - it was even a struggle for me to take a break to write this review and not dive into book 2 straight away. Honestly, I need Nisha J. Tuli to stop writing books since as soon as I get my hands on one of her works, my productivity goes to absolute 0 until I finish it! ^^

I’m normally not a huge fan of these kinds of FMCs but Lor somehow worked for me and I did start rooting for her from the start. Some of the relationship aspects within the book didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but that kind of didn’t take away from my enjoyment and even though the ending left some confusion, I am certain that some or most of the questions and more information will come to light within book 2 (which I am literally about to start as soon as I press enter on this review .. haha.. obsessed, I know).

Is this the most original, never-before seen story ever? No, obviously not. But it has been an extremely enticing, fast-paced and sizzling read to me and I will definitely be recommending this. All in all - I need more, immediately, and I am already dreading the moment I finish book 2 and have to wait for book 3 later this year - I am hooked on this series and it’s a huge guilty pleasure for me.

>> Review also posted to Goodreads

"Trial of the Sun Queen" is the first chapter of "Artefacts of Ouranos," a fantasy romance na series written by Nisha J. Tuli, currently in progress.

The story follows Lor who has survived twelve long years in the terrible and brutal prison of Nostraza. Imprisoned by the cruel Aurora King, her only wish is to free her and her brothers and then make him pay for every moment of misery she has endured. When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Lor is suddenly thrown into the spotlight as she finds herself competing against nine other Tributes for the role of Sun Queen. If she wins the king's heart, in addition to the trials, she will finally gain her freedom, her brothers' freedom, and much desired revenge. But Lor does not belong to the Sun Queens Trials. Not only does she not understand why she was freed, but she is not even a citizen of the Sun King's court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure that Lor is permanently removed from the competition. So Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she will be sent back into the hands of theAurora King, to the same prison from which she astonishingly emerged.

Small premise: in my opinion this book is clearly a hodgepodge of various fantasy romance series, with elements taken from one title, elements taken from another title, and so on and so forth. It is not a story that stands out for originality, so much so that I found the various plot twists extremely predictable. BUT, excluding this my personal observation, I liked Trial on the Sun Queen a lot. Yes, I consider it a mishmash of various ingredients seen and used repeatedly, however, overall these components are blended and flavored nicely, resulting in a rather enjoyable and tasty product. I found it to be an extremely compelling, captivating, and fluent read that kept me highly entertained from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed the writing! I found it definitely sparkling, addicting and simple, the kind that is easy to follow and understand. The descriptions, especially on an aesthetic level (settings, appearance of characters, etc...), seemed to me vivid and enjoyable to read. The dialogues did not strike me as brilliant, indeed some of the exchanges seemed rather absurd, but in general they intrigued me all the same. The fast and brisk pace, combined with the presence of short chapters, make it a very quick read in my opinion. I started it and finished it in a day, without even realizing it and without being able to tear myself away. In my opinion this is the kind of prose that knows how to keep the reader's attention and knows how to get devoured!

The world building seemed to me to be fascinating and full of potential, albeit little exploited at least for now. The story takes place on the continent of Ouranos, originally composed of nine kingdoms, which later mysteriously became eight. The realms that are most explored, in this first book, are The Aurora and Aphelion. The Aurora is the realm from which the protagonist comes, ruled by a vicious and ruthless ruler, characterized by a perpetual twilight (it is always more or less dark, there is no sun, and day and night are distinguished mainly by the northern lights in the sky) and holder of the infamous Nostraza prison. Aphelion, on the other hand, is the realm of the Sun King, characterized by the alternation of day and night, but above all by the presence of gold and more or less light and creamy hues, which envelop every thing and person. Clearly, these eight territories have alliance or rivalry relationships with each other, and the two mentioned above are in contrast. Each realm has its own version of competition to choose its royal consort, leading to ascension to Imperial Fae. In the case of Aphelion this is precisely the Trial of the Sun Queen, where ten tributes, nine Fae and the last ever mortal, must compete in four trials with potentially fatal consequences. Whoever passes each trial will then be put in front of the Sun Mirror, a powerful Artifact (again, each kingdom has its own Artifact) that has the final deciding power over the choice of the future queen. The chosen one will then ascend to Imperial Fae, gaining magic and especially giving full powers to the Sun King. Ah, I almost forgot! As mentioned, the continent of Ouranos is inhabited by fae and humans, who have more or less oscillating relationships with each other. The fae consider themselves superior and live in usually better conditions, but sometimes accept wealthier humans into their circles. Humans, on the other hand, have a more variable situation, but essentially only a few are wealthy, while the others flounder in misery. This is, at a general level, world building. Basically the basic information is provided, the minimum so as not to get lost. I hope it will be extended in the future, because I find it really interesting! To conclude this point, let me talk about the prison for a moment. Nostraza is the infamous Ouranos prison, located in the Aurora kingdom, known for its extremely brutal and cruel methods. A place where violence and misery reign supreme, with ruthless guards who rage daily, just for personal amusement, on inmates. The punishments are brutal, the living conditions horrific, so much so that many prisoners do not survive long within its walls. I have a soft spot for the presence of prisons in fantasy, and I must say that Nostraza impressed me with her vicious description!

The plot proceeds quickly, full of action, subterfuge and intrigue. The book focuses mainly on the various court and power games, with little fighting. As I said above, I found it all predictable and unoriginal, but still highly entertaining. I was absorbed by the various intrigues and plots that unfold throughout the story, even though I guessed them well in advance. I sensed the presence of various forcings and situations of convenience, to bend events to the course of the story, as well as numerous plot holes. For example, Lor's transition from prisoner to tribute to me seemed really too quick and abrupt, with some vague explanations thrown in a bit haphazardly. Okay, maybe this point will be better illustrated in the future, however, at the moment it left me puzzled. And this is just to name one episode, but there are many others. The trials then, the focus of the competition, did not completely satisfy me. Or rather, I liked some of them,while others made me roll my eyes and giggle at the absurdity of the scenes. Overall, however, I enjoyed the narration and avoided asking myself too many questions. It entertained me, involved me, and made me estranged from everyday life for a few hours, so it's approved for me!

Lor, protagonist with her first person pov, I liked her a lot! No, she didn't seem original to me and yes, I felt a mixture of traits recalling other protagonists of other fantasy romances, though she convinced me! Lor is a 24 year old woman who has spent twelve years of her life in the terrible Nostraza prison, facing abuses of the guards and warden, disease, starvation, cold, and so much more. Determined, combative, and endowed with incredible willpower, she never gave in to her difficult situation. She did what she had to do to survive, deprived of such a luxury as dignity, moved by the desire to free herself and her older brothers, prisoners like her. And by the feeling of vengeance toward the Aurora King, responsible for their suffering. Lor is a woman deeply scarred by what she has suffered, both physically and psychologically, who tries to hide her frailties behind the mask of biting irony. She has learned to rely solely on her own strength and hates crying and showing her weaknesses in front of others. She is a protagonist that I liked a lot, with excellent development, not without flaws. Some attitudes seemed a bit out of character, while others I found coherent in their incoherence, given her particular past.

Nadir, son of theAurora King and himself an Aurora Prince, is the other character with his pov in the third person. I do not know why this choice of person switching for the narration, but I must say that compared to other books it did not leave me dazed. Perhaps it is because his chapters at the moment are very few compared to Lor's. And that's probably why I couldn't get him right. In the sense that he seemed underdeveloped, nebulous and vague. However, I am quite intrigued by him, so I hope for greater development and a larger presence of him.

The remaining secondary characters, in turn, did not strike me for their characterization. I felt them superficial, rather flat, albeit rich in potential. Some irritated me, others fascinated me, too bad they have the depth of a puddle! Here too, of course, I felt references to other characters from other series, yet they work. They did their job, they entertained me, but on reflection they left me with nothing. I hope for better characterization in the next chapters!

There is romance in the book, but it did not captivate me. Not because it is poorly written or randomly inserted, in fact I find it quite coherent given Lor's situation, it just doesn't fit my taste. I can't say more, to avoid unintentional spoilers, so I'll just say that I have high expectations for the future!

All in all, this is a good start to the series, not very original but rather enjoyable, which I recommend to fantasy romance fans!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I really didn't enjoy this book. There I said it - what a weight off my shoulders! The start sees a young human woman named Lor surviving in a ridiculously strict prison for committing no crime and the punishments here are HARSH. She's sentenced to 2 weeks in the hollow - a pit in the ground without food or water (sure why not) while she's almost dying in this pit a fae kidnaps her - but it's OK because she is now part of the Sun Queen trials - an event that happens every 500 years (or less...) to basically weed out fae girls so the smug self-satisfied Sun King can pick somebody to be his wife. Sure some of the competitors die but the ones that don't get to be in his harem so it's all good fun! Also it turns out that the human girl is possibly less human than you'd initially been led to believe - but that's still not cleared up by the end of the book. Will not be continuing the series.

The Trial of the Sun Queen was a really quick read that definitely had me curious throughout. However, although the plot itself was quite promising, I didn't feel as though the Trials were ever particularly high stakes as to me the outcome seemed somewhat predictable.
Whilst not a YA book, I felt the writing came across as quite YA and clichéd at times, with the very vocal 'not like other girls' MC.
I can definitely see why this book will be popular, but whilst the premise was interesting and Lor's background intrigued me, it didn't feel overly original and I felt the execution didn't quite live up to what I expected given the hype surrounding the book.
Despite this, I am curious to know what happens next so I will read the next book at some stage.

First of all, I'd like to thank you NetGalley, Little Brown Book and Nisha J. Tuli for providing me with a free advanced reader copy
⭐️5/5
🌶️ 1/5

Trial of the Sun Queen was first book of Nisha J. Tuli that I've read and I was hooked from the first page.
This book would be perfect for everyone who enjoyed The Selection, The Serpent and The Wings of Night or ACOTAR.

Tropes:
bridal trials
hidden identity
hidden past
rags to riches

Action, tension, handsome fae prince. Do you need anything else?

PS. Book 2 is even better!

This was a fun mash-up of other romantasy ideas with a dash of The Selection thrown in (or The Powerless which also failed to hit home with me tbh) but I’m not sure it was for me. I’ve been trying to work out what works for me in a romantasy and I think it comes down to characterisation. I don’t want a ‘type of character’. I want a real, fully rounded MC around whom the romance/ Fantasy plot can be built. And to be fair I am a fantasy first reader not a romance first reader. So I like fantasy novels with a strong romantic element rather than romance novels with fantasy window dressing. So this was entertaining but I didn’t really gel with the characters or the romance. (To be honest it’s incredibly hard to make me believe a romance let alone pull for it so that is very much a me thing.) This is still a decent representation of the genre however, and if you like romantasy, go for it.

This book grabbed me from the very first line, and never let me go. No really Nisha outdid herself with that
line.
Lor is a prisoner, filled with rage, and thoughts of revenge that often get her thrown into solitary confinement. Every day is a fight just to survive, that is until her world gets turned upside down and she is thrust into a deadly competition. Everyone has been training their entire lives for this, except Lor, the only human amongst fae.
1 am not joking when I tell you that I loved this book from the moment I picked it up. I had to force myself to put it down so I could follow through with my responsibilities. Lor was such a relatable main character, she had experiences, she had feelings, and she had strong will and an attitude to back it up.
Everyone of Lor's relationships leave you hungry for more, wanting to know what is going to happen next.
The magic system in this book is unquestionably unique, and I am excited to learn more about the fae kingdoms and how they came to be so separated.
This book was such an easy and enjoyable read for me, and the only thing that left me disappointed was the fact that I finished it. I'm ready for the next book. If you loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, if you read The Hunger Games as obsessively as I did as a teenager you will devour this book as quickly as I did.
Thank you to NetGalley, Nisha J Tuli, and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a brilliant opening to this duo. Lor is a MC you can get behind immediately, she's gritty and determined.
Incredible twists throughout, I was eager to get through the trials to hear what happened next... Lor, I want to know all your secrets you cheeky minx!

I'm keen to find out what Nadir's part is in the story, it's not yet clear where he fits but I'm excited to jump into book 2!

I think this could be the next best thing. It had romance, fantasy and great intrigue. Excited to start the next one!

First, I would like to thank the author & NetGalley for the eARC opportunity. Like always, this review is voluntary & honest

From page one, I was immersed into this story. So much mystery and questions, But, with every answer we get, we end up with more questions along the way. Little details getting leaked just at the right times.

The world building was just perfect, the descriptions of their surroundings and the character profiles were amazing. The writing really captures your attention and sinks you into the story.

Couldn't put it down!
And I super excited to read the next book

slow burn
Deadly competition
morally gray characters
Kidnapping
forced proximity
hidden identity

This book is packed full of secrets and dangerous trials and our badass fmc Lor. If she can survive spending half her life in prison then I’m not sure anything can stop her, and she proves determined, strong and kind as she fights her way through the trials which will help decide the next Sun Queen, and secure a marriage to the charming and attractive Atlas, and all the fae magic that comes with it. Lor is the classic underdog in this story and has to work hard and use her skills to get through not just the trials but life in the Sun Palace. The people are judgemental and unwelcoming for the most part and there’s definitely some classic nemeses in there, along with a lot of secrets to uncover and the difficulties of working out who you can trust and who's going to stab you in the back. We’re left guessing throughout why Lor was chosen and what it is that she’s hiding. Nothing is quite as it seems and it was interesting going along for the ride and seeing where the story would lead and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I've decided I'm officially giving up on having a career so I can sit on sun-warm patches of moss in the moors and perennially recite really mediocre poetry about how good this book is.

Lor is a prisoner in the Aurora realm’s prison. One night while she’s in solitary confinement (The Hollow), she’s kidnapped and taken to the rival Sun realm and forced into the trials of the Sun Queen. She must complete 4 trials against 9 other females to win. The prize? She’ll get the title of Sun Queen and become bonded to Atlas, the Sun King. The twist? Lor is the only human competitor in the trials, her rivals being fully-fledged Fae females. There is so much action, intensity, politicking, deceptions, and juicy betrayals, my head is still spinning.

Trial of the Sun Queen was an absolutely pleasure for me to read. Lor is such a strong and fierce FMC who has a vengeance and will not let anyone take her down. She’s intelligent, resilient and I was rooting for her the entire time. She was a realistic character, she felt pain, she felt joy, she was unfathomably determined, and she most certainly was unpredictable. The world is growing and epic. I’m so interested in the different kingdoms and I hope we can explore them in future books and see what type of roles they play and which side they are on. This book balances a grittiness and eloquence. The writing is smooth which makes this book so easy to consume and fast-paced. There is a mixture of 1st and 3rd person POV which is incredibly unique.

This book is described as The Bachelor meets Hunger Games meets ACOTAR. Lor's refreshing take of the world holds this story together seamlessly and I cannot wait to see what is next on her journey! Very enjoyable read, I really didn’t want to put it down.

Lor is a prisoner of the Aurora King and has been for a very long time, while she is in solitary confinement, a riot breaks out in the prison and she is rescued but then she finds herself in a different court and forced to participate in the Sun Queen Trial as the final tribute. It is a trail to become the Sun Queen and claiming the hand (and bond) of Atlas, the Sun King. But Lor is the only human in the trials, her rivals are Fae females.

She’s drawn to Atlas, the king, and how he seems to know more than he’s telling but is very keen on Lor.

There’s also Nadir (Prince of the Aurora kingdom)

who gives a second POV in third person occasionally

I was hooked from the beginning, the trails,

how unpredictable Lor could be at times and her relationship with Atlas.

I'm excited to see where the story goes after that ending!