A Tribute of Fire is the story of Lia, a princess who has been sent to Troas to serve as an acolyte to the goddess....if she can make it alive to the temple. This book draws deftly from classic mythology - the Trojan war, Ariadne and the Minotaur, and Lia is a determined heroine who is concerned about her people.

The book explores the ideas of found family, sisterhood, and women protecting each other from violence. It might be a bit of the spicy side, but would really recommend to young women for its resonance.

From Blood and Ash meets The Hunger Games meets a world that feels like ancient Greece in this Romantasy from rom-com author Sarish Wilson. Princess Lia has been training her whole life with one goal: survive as a tribute to Ilion, find the eye of the goddess, and break the curse her country. But when her adoptive sister is chosen alongside her, everything changes. And then there is Jason, the Ilion sailor she doesn't know if she can trust, but is drawn to all the same. But what Lia doesn't realize is that making it to the temple is only half the battle.

Read if you like:
-Greek Lore and Legends
-A Race against All Odds
-Forbidden Feelings
-A Princess in Hiding

I'll admit, I was unsure about this book at first. I wasn't sure where it was going, but I stuck with it. And I'm glad I did. Sariah Wilson mixed in just enough foreshadowing that I could guess at what was coming, but also enough to lull me into a false sense of confidence that I didn't see the plot twists she was cooking up. This is definitely a plot that is a slow burn. Looks conventional but will surprise you.

Lia reminded me of Poppy from FBAA, but I liked her a lot more. Sorry, not sorry. And Jason reminded me of Hawke, and I also liked him a lot more. Again, sorry, not sorry.

I really can't share my favorite part without letting a huge spoiler slip, which is killing me. This book does end on a cliffhanger and I'm so excited to see what happens next.

This book was fantastic! The twists and turns kept me engaged. The ending was surprising, and I didn’t see some of the plot developments coming. Lia and Jason’s banter is great, and their tension is brilliant. I love action scenes with a strong female lead. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can’t wait for the next installment.

A Tribute of Fire has been everywhere on my feed lately and people are raving about it! Including me! Our FMC Lia has to compete in a life and death race to make it to the goddess’ temple. No maiden has made it out of the enemy city alive. Lia finds out her sister has been put in danger. She has to make it out of the maze alive. Lia is reluctantly drawn to an enemy sailor, Jason. I loved Sariah Wilson's world building it felt like I was really there!
Y’all, it’s so good! I keep saying this but this Ancient Greece inspired fantasy is so fun. I really think readers are going to eat this one up. Adventure romance? Yes please! It’s one that will get you from the first page!

✨spoiler-free✨ arc review

my rating: ★★★★

aesthetic: 🗡️🏛️🖤☀️👩🏽‍🦲🕊️💫🏜️⚓️🐉👑

tropes: enemies to lovers, slow burn, death trial, found family, stabby fmc, dragons, greek-mythology, ‘who did this to you?’

This was an extraordinary take on the Trojan’s and Greek mythologies. The concept was that two Locrian maidens are selected to participate in a death race each year to appease the goddess because of the actions that were conducted by a Locrian centuries in the past. This was such a high stakes, intense, and magical read.

Lia was unlike any female character portrayed in this book, she had a strong determination and will to sacrifice herself to save the many maidens that couldn’t save themselves or wouldn’t be able to save themselves in the centuries to come if something didn’t change. As well as the deathly races her nation was plagued by a famine that left them without produce and many aspects of life, so it felt natural for her to question everything when she found her way to Ilion.

The male main character (aka Jason) did leave a lot up to your imagination. Where his loyalties lied, what his pure intentions were, and if everything he said was a ploy or if he was being his truest self. I loved their immediate connection, not love at first sight but fated together beyond anything Lia could comprehend. You would really get inside Lia’s head through Sariah’s writing style, it was so thoroughly detailed that it was like you became Lia.

The sisterhood was wholesome, they didn’t question each other beliefs or pasts, and remained faithful to one another through thick and thin. The actions of the priestesses did frequently leave me questioning the way things would turn in the end but nothing prepared me for most of plot twists that’s occurred and I’m still reeling from the cliffhanger ending.

Thankyou so much to Sariah Wilson for sending me an advanced copy of her fantasy novel, and I’m seriously in dire need of book 2!

thank you to netgalley and sariah wilson for the e-book arc!

this was everything. i cannot tell you how much i love this book. the heroine was everything i needed her to be. the bond in the sisterhood was everything. and the romance....oh my god my heart hurts.
i will say the ending is highly predictable but it still garnered a lot of emotion either way. the writing in this is so addicting and there is so much action but not too much at the same time. i honestly think i not once felt bored whilst reading this....eagerly waiting for book 2!

Unfortunately this was a very slow read for me. The FMC was very frustrating and she had little character growth. The romance felt insta-lusty and fell flat for me. I didn't feel connected to the characters, the plot, or the romance.

🏛️𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨🏛️

📖: A Tribute of Fire by @sariahwilsonauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️{4}
🌶️{1}
KU ✅

A riveting romantasy novel! Had me hooked from the start and loved the character and world building (and am even more excited to see where it goes in book 2!)! Had me constantly wondering what was going on and what was going to happen next. A whole lot of f*ck the patriarchy in this one, a stabby fmc, and major girl power found family which I love! Also, the banter and the forbidden romance 🫡😮‍💨 There was just a little lull in the middle of the book where I felt like the plot could’ve progressed more quickly, otherwise this was excellent and I’m dying to get book 2 in my hands cuz 👀🤯 and thanks to the bestie @lilrobin02 for buddy reading this one with me!!

This one follows Lia, princess of the cursed nation of Locris. Each year, the nation of Ilion selects two Locrian maidens to compete in a life-or-death race to reach the Earth Goddesses temple. Lia purposefully gets herself selected for this race, all so that she can infiltrate the temple in order to find something called the eye of the goddess and hopefully save her home. She has been training for this, but will it be enough to survive the unseen obstacles that crop up along the way?

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
🏛️ found family
✨ nods to greek mythology
🏛️ stabby fmc
✨ enemies to lovers
🏛️ death trials
✨ slow burn// forbidden romance
🏛️ reylo vibes

𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼:

“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘶𝘴. 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.”

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.”

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝙰𝚁𝙲. 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗.

I’m a huge Greek mythology nerd, so I immediately had to read this! Add in: dragons, a girl forced to compete in a life-or-death trial, dragons, a sexy sailor, and enemies to lovers… and this book had me pulling an all-nighter to finish! In fact, that ending had me SCREAMING. I need book 2 now!

The premise is unique and the setting is so cool. The world building was very well-crafted, and the writing is detailed and vivid.

My one gripe is the length of this book, I definitely feel like it could’ve been shortened. For example, Lia kept getting sidetracked by lusting over Jason, and it got excessive after a while. However, I still LOVED Lia’s character and how fierce she was. Stabby FMCs are the best! She’s definitely a character you root for. The tension between her and Jason was sizzling, too. Also, the female friendships were definitely one of my favourite parts of this book. That sense of sisterhood and women bonding was so wholesome. Overall, I adored this book, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author in the future!

A Tribute of Fire was an interesting read. While the story is captivating, I honestly did struggle with it, too.

Lia is a princess in a land cursed by a goddess. Every year, 2 maidens from her land are sacrificed as tributes to a bloodthirsty rite because of this curse. Desperate to save her land, she ensures that she will be one of the chosen picked in the upcoming rite.

I did enjoy the premise of this story. The first 25% of the story had me captivated. It lost me a little bit in the middle, and the last 25% or so was also very engaging.

I found that many of the plot elements were just a little bit too convenient for me, sometimes verging on unbelievable. The insta-lust between the MMC and (virgin) FMC felt very forced and I never found myself warming up to the MMC. Lia, our FMC, is frustratingly stubborn, and the emotional connection between characters feels shallow (it's more tell than show). I also felt like the story reads a lot like YA for being marketed as adult fantasy. There is quite a bit of material that feels like filler, especially in the dialogue, and the writing is just a bit choppy at times. I'm also feeling confused a bit about the mapping of the world and of the (country?) of Ilion. It feels kind of scattered, and I think a visual map would've helped me a lot as a reader. This first book ends on a pretty significant cliffhanger.

All of that said, I still generally enjoyed it. There are some great swoon-worthy moments and a tantalizing forbidden love element. There were some completely unanticipated twists and turns (but I'm a little bit frustrated as to how/why). The sisterhood aspect was wonderful, and I love the found family element to this story. I'm very curious about some of the unanswered questions, so for this reason, I'm interested in picking up the sequel despite my perceived flaws with the story.

It is a solid three-star read for me. While the plot and worldbuilding have issues - in my opinion - the overall vibe of the story makes it very enjoyable all the same.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

I need the rest of this series like yesterday!
✔️ found family
✔️ slow angsty burn
✔️secrets
This debut romantasy is everything I didn't know I needed, and I'm here for it! The tension is on point, the world building is great, and the cliffhanger is insane. Highly recommend!

💭 My Thoughts: Throughout the entirety of this audiobook, I was completely captivated! I am a mood reader at heart but no other book had my attention during this audiobook. The narrator Thérèse Plummer @plummertherese did an amazing job! Usually I get a little bothered during different character’s dialogue but I barely noticed this time. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance.
The female empowerment and rage was so expressive in this book, I felt every emotion of the fmc Lia. She fought so hard and cared for everyone so deeply. It was a constant battle of trust and physical determination. Not many would have worked as hard as Lia, but she was doing this for the good of her family and her people. I tried so hard to predict what was going to happen and the plot twist and the ending had me flabbergasted! Wow. Not what I was expecting but an amazing turn of events. If you enjoy lots of action, goddesses, mythical creatures, female empowerment and a crazy good cliff hanging ending, I definitely recommend this book!

Tribute of Fire was such a fantastic read! It blends Greek mythology, a slow-burn romance with steamy moments, a Hunger Games-style trial, prophecies, found family, and the classic “chosen one” trope.

The story follows Euthalia (Lia), princess of a cursed and barren land after losing favor with their goddess.

Side note: What stood out to me the most is that we know so little about this goddess—she’s only ever referred to as the goddess. No name, just power. As the story progresses, we learn more, but I liked how we were kept in the unknown alongside Lia.

As punishment for an ancestral wrong, Lia’s people must send two female tributes to an enemy land to race to the goddess’s temple and serve her… yet none have survived.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat! It’s heart-wrenching and painful yet incredibly empowering. I could never get an idea of what was going to happen, and I loved that!

I especially loved the relationship she builds with her fellow “sisters.” I’ll leave it at that to keep things spoiler-free-ish. 😅

Lia’s journey is one of my favorite character stories this year—she’s been kept in the dark (not maliciously), but as she learns more about her world or what her land should look like, she uses that knowledge to express her feelings, which was beautiful to read.

And Jason?! Ugh, what a man. Infuriating, sexy, and impossible to hate no matter how hard I tried!

I won’t spoil anything, but that cliffhanger? Not okay. 😂 I need book two right now!

Sariah is one of my favorite authors. This is her first romantic fantasy book and I loved it. I'm generally not a fantasy reader, but I gave it a chance since it was written by Sariah. You won't regret reading this one!

This is a fantasy romantasy that has a strong empowering heroine and a great concept - cursed nation, deception, surviving trials to the death with gods, a desert world. I liked the bonds and relationships between the female characters.

Be still, my Reylo heart. I loved this from beginning to end - and I can't wait to see how the story continues! I need it, like yesterday!!! I couldn't put it down after I got past 70%... and I enjoyed every bit of the world building, mystery, and romance it brought. I am such a huge fan of how Rey and Kylo can communicate with each other and I loved how that was used here (I wish I could say more but you'll have to read it to understand!). I especially liked how there were twists and turns that I suspected that didn't pan out, then some that did. It kept me on my toes and I need to learn the bigger picture... I just know the scope of this is huge. I wonder if we get some of his perspective? I can't wait for whatever is revealed in book 2. Bravo, Sariah Wilson! If you are a fan of fantasy, Ancient Greece, and romance, please pick this up!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6832030808

This was sold to me as a greek inspired Reylo-esque fantasy with dragons, and if you know anything about me, you know that Reylo became my entire identity after the force awakens was released 😂 so you bet I ATE 👏 THIS 👏 UP

Lia, the princess of a dying nation - cursed by a godess centuries ago thanks to the act of men to sacrifice two maidens every year - has trained in secret to end the ritual for good and restore her country to its former glory by volunteering as tribute. It doesn't all go to plan however, as the second sacrifice is none other than Lia's sister Quynh, who is untrained, unprepared, and most certainly not going to survive. 😬

I dont normally like to compare my reviews to other books, but this the trial's you love from the hunger games, the tension from Reylo

“A warrior who sweats more in training bleeds less in war.”

This was easily one of my favourite reads of the year, and is a story of female rage and empowerment, sacrifice and betrayal, and I can't wait to get my hands on A Vow of Embers.
Thank you Sariah Wilson for the review copy!

Rating: 3.5⭐️
Spice: 🌶️

A few days late on this one 🫣
But I enjoyed it!!

The beginning is very fast paced, and it definitely hooked me immediately! Things slowed up in the middle… and honestly I had a hard time connecting to the FMC. I found her inner dialogue a bit…wearisome? I also struggled believing the chemistry between the FMC and MMC.
That being said… there were still a lot of things that I loved about this story:

I LOVED the sisterhood between the adelphia and the relationships that Lia develops there.

Kunguru ♥️🫶🏻

It was also a nice treat to see my name in a book! And even spelled “correctly!” First time that has ever happened for me, and I got excited lol

The ending definitely went direction I didn’t expect, so I’m curious to see how this will play out!

(However… the dragon part was way too short! I’m hoping they play a bigger part in the coming books!)

4.5 Stars
I ate this up! I love elements of history mixed with magic! Did I kinda predict a couple things? Mayyybe. Do I care? Not really! I immensely enjoyed the ride and am dying at where it left off. I need the sequel yesterday!

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Sariah Wilson for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was honestly excited to read this cos I'm a Reylo fan and I love the dedication but unfortunately this book wasn't for me. It was just okay.

My reasons for this is because I felt the writing was elementary and not descriptive in its world building and setting. The writing did a lot of telling and not showing. I did not realize that this book is an inspired Greek mythology retelling without reading other people's reviews. I could not even figure out what setting this book was trying to be in. At the same time it felt like it was too info-dumpy and was trying to fit a lot of romantasy tropes without any background descriptions or lore. Despite all the information, the pacing was slow and I felt the book was too long for what it was. I could not really relate to the characters and their actions besides Lia (FMC) wanting to protect her adoptive sister, Quynh. I did enjoy the interactions between Lia and Jason lol

Hopefully the second book gets better.