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picklelady's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Enemies to lovers romantasy with fae, a lost princess, deadly Olympics, and “good guys” you know are up to no good. Sons who vow to be better than their fathers. Weak nobody FMC who has amazing stamina and skills. “Plain” looks but desired by all…
Still quite enjoyable.
Still quite enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
spicycronereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book starts out really strong! Lor the FMC is imprisoned with her siblings and is known for getting into trouble. She is smart and funny and indomitable. And she loves Tristan and Willow, her two older siblings.
When she is the human tribute selected to participate in the sun queen trials, every move she makes is to protect them. Trials test physical strength but also reveal Lor’s character.
We also get POV chapters from Nadir, the prince of Aurora, which is the territory that held Lor as prisoner for half of her life.
Th pacing is quite good and the writing is often sharply funny. Some plot points are quite predictable but it is fun getting there all the same. I saw the book described as ACOTAR meets The Hunger Games and that seems pretty spot on.
The secondary characters are fairly flat, with the exception of Gabriel, around whom there is a bit of mystery.
There is a slow burn love interest and some spice. I’d give it two chili peppers. 🌶️🌶️
There is a fair amount of diverse representation with almost every character having some shade of brown skin and many secondary characters in queer relationships or flings. Lor and Nadir are both brown-skinned with dark wavy hair.
Overall it is a fast, fun read that sets up events for the next book (which is less predictable imo). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️
When she is the human tribute selected to participate in the sun queen trials, every move she makes is to protect them. Trials test physical strength but also reveal Lor’s character.
We also get POV chapters from Nadir, the prince of Aurora, which is the territory that held Lor as prisoner for half of her life.
Th pacing is quite good and the writing is often sharply funny. Some plot points are quite predictable but it is fun getting there all the same. I saw the book described as ACOTAR meets The Hunger Games and that seems pretty spot on.
The secondary characters are fairly flat, with the exception of Gabriel, around whom there is a bit of mystery.
There is a slow burn love interest and some spice. I’d give it two chili peppers. 🌶️🌶️
There is a fair amount of diverse representation with almost every character having some shade of brown skin and many secondary characters in queer relationships or flings. Lor and Nadir are both brown-skinned with dark wavy hair.
Overall it is a fast, fun read that sets up events for the next book (which is less predictable imo). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Gaslighting
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
thebookwhale's review against another edition
3.0
So this was okay.
Not horrible, but not excellent either.
The storyline and plot is interesting, but the writing...
Lor, the FMC, lacks A LOT. I can't really described what exactly it is, but something was amiss. Her character didn't feel complete.
Also, the world building was really shallow. Who or what is Zerra? Presumably a god or something, but I would need an explanation of that. In general, the world was missing a lot of details, and that made it hard for me to truly enjoy the book, since it left me with a lot of questions.
The spicy scenes felt out of place and random, and the affection of the Sun King from the very beginning as well.
I will read the second book though, as I still want to know how everything works out in the end.
Not horrible, but not excellent either.
The storyline and plot is interesting, but the writing...
Lor, the FMC, lacks A LOT. I can't really described what exactly it is, but something was amiss. Her character didn't feel complete.
Also, the world building was really shallow. Who or what is Zerra? Presumably a god or something, but I would need an explanation of that. In general, the world was missing a lot of details, and that made it hard for me to truly enjoy the book, since it left me with a lot of questions.
The spicy scenes felt out of place and random, and the affection of the Sun King from the very beginning as well.
I will read the second book though, as I still want to know how everything works out in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol
kemikemi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Rape, and Alcohol
julietsdemise's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Torture, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
booksalacarte's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Trial of the sun queen- 3.75⭐️ 2.5🌶️
New Adult
High Romantasy
Romantic Fantasy
Dual POV
Bipoc
Fae Courts
Magic
Politics
Feuding Kingdoms
Secrets
Bride Trials
Rags to Riches
Slow Burn
🏳️🌈 Side Character Rep
Tw- adult themes, definitly check the trigger warnings.
The first line- “That bitch took my soap.” I was immediately invested in this FMC. I wanted to know her story, her hardships. The time in the prison made this story unique and compelling. I wish there had been more of the story developed there.
Thank goodness the trials in this book were heavy in the plot and revealed character growth. They took up space and were well laid out. There was a little bit of haziness around the 2nd. I was more than a little turned around on the obstacle course in where the competitors were in relation to each other. But I was relieved for them to be as central to the plot in how they were played out and not just that they happened. It helped with more than just the FMC’s character development, I feel like it really moved the side characters forward as well.
If the secret had been known, I feel like it would have added to the tension and stakes of the plot. Instead I felt left out and that the FMC was untrustworthy.
I found the romance to be very naive right off the bat, making it feel more YA. The FMC’s defined character from her time in prison immediately disappeared once she was in the trials. In the prison she was independent, untrusting, self-sufficient, with feminine rage for days. When she was in the palace, all of a sudden she had absolutely no self preservation or suspicion until further in the plot than you would expect.
I had a great time reading this book!
Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Gran Central Publishing) for an Advanced eReader Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual assault
amanda_reads13's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Lor has spent 12 years imprisoned, though she has committed no crime. One day she wakes up to find herself in a castle far from the prison and her siblings. She becomes one of the ten women who are competing in a deadly contest to become bonded to the Sun King.
This is a very predictable book. I was able to see the big surprise pretty early on. The character and plot are pretty unoriginal. It is basically a mashup of other popular books and characters (think The Selection + Hunger Games + ACOTAR + Red Queen) but not as well written or developed.
This is trying very hard to be ACOTAR. The Aurora= Night court, Atlas=Tamlin, Nadhir=Rhys etc...
Lor started out very independent and strong willed, but ended up being extremely naive. She is supposed to be a strong woman shaped by her tough life, but she just crumbles at the smallest setback.
I found the way that the dual POV was written to be interesting. Lor was written in 1st person where as the Aurora Prince was written in 3rd. It threw me off at first.
Tropes: slow burn, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fantasy
This is a very predictable book. I was able to see the big surprise pretty early on. The character and plot are pretty unoriginal. It is basically a mashup of other popular books and characters (think The Selection + Hunger Games + ACOTAR + Red Queen) but not as well written or developed.
Lor started out very independent and strong willed, but ended up being extremely naive. She is supposed to be a strong woman shaped by her tough life, but she just crumbles at the smallest setback.
I found the way that the dual POV was written to be interesting. Lor was written in 1st person where as the Aurora Prince was written in 3rd. It threw me off at first.
Tropes: slow burn, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fantasy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting