Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli was epic in so many ways. I absolutely loved the contest and the different trials the women had to face to win the Sun Kings heart and crown. The trials were all unique and kept me engaged. Lor (MC) was written well and I really appreciated how the author wrote her as a supportive MC to the other tributes. My main complaints about the story is that Lor was a little to infatuated with the Sun King. Sure, he's hot but that doesn't mean we need to swoon over him immediately and give up all of our independence. Also, Lor was in prison a long time and you would think she would be a little less trusting of people she just meets. I think the author could have also dived deeper into the fantasy world building. There was a lot of interesting and unique elements, however they weren't fully dished out.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy the fantasy genre. I will definitely be reading the next one!

It was okay, but I read them out of order. That being said, it was a decent book with writing that was okay. It kept me entertained while reading!

Entertaining and captivating. If you love The Selection with a little more spice, this one is for you. The secrets will keep you hooked until the end and needing to read the next installment immediately.

I could NOT get enough of this book!

If you are a fan of Romantasy with trials then this is for you! It was a perfect blend of ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, The Selection and Hunger Games vibes!!

10/10!!

What a wild ride! This book had me in the edge of my seat with the suspense. Poor poor Lor and her siblings. The start of the story was so overwhelming with emotion of the trauma they were facing. Once Lor gets stolen to compete in the Sun Queen Trials I was heavily rolling my eyes because it reminded me of elements of the Selection series that I did not enjoy, however this was so much more intense because these women’s lives were at stake. Let me just say I did not trust Atlas one bit, anyone who love bombs you like that is always up to no good. The reveal at the end was predictable however I feel like that was intentional. I love how complex the story, characters and world are. There is just so much to unpack and it is very satisfying easily digestible. And the spice???? Whew, can’t wait till the enemies to lovers starts the lovers part lol. Dove into book to immediately.

While I enjoyed the concept of this one, I found overall the story fell flat. In a market that is filled with A Court of Thorns and Roses wannabes, I'm afraid this story was no different. It began with a strong concept and seemed like it was going to be fresh, yet as the story continued it became more and more of the same.

The story's pacing was wonky at best and I found myself not really investing in the characters. What kept me reading was the mystery of the main character's secret past, which wasn't clearly revealed leaving little satisfaction in the cliff ending of the story. My best guess is the author wanted to play on an unreliable narrator but I felt her attempt was unsuccessful due to how little answers were revealed in the end.

Many characters throughout the book were very flat and every female character was only defined by their relationship to the main male character and fighting against each other. While the concept of the story falls into this trap, I still feel there was room for this to be avoided.

Overall, I just found myself wanting so much more from this story as a whole. While it kept me entertained, there was so much wasted potential throughout. Unfortunately, I will most likely not be continuing this series.

This book is a mix of the tv shows The Bachelor and Survivor. Then add is fae and secret identities and you’ve got it. The sun king is picking a Queen. Tributes must compete for the chance to be Queen.

I enjoyed the book but look forward to book two more.

I really enjoyed this. If you’re a fan of Throne of Glass, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, ACOTAR, Hunger Games, even the Bachelor - this is a book for you. It has action, romance, fantasy, fae, powerful women, close kept secrets, and mysterious men. I’m so excited to read the next book and the rest of this series!

Was this formulaic? Yes. Was the MC a badass bitch who knows how to survive? Yes. Did I expect the twist? Yes. Did I still have all the fun? Absolutely. I look forward to exploring this world more and what the true overall plot is. I can see myself not continuing with the series if the main character becomes OP in the next book as that current plotting is not high on my like list right now. You can absolutely enjoy these books despite some of the challenges the writing and plotting have. One down, hopefully more to come!

A book I’ve been wanting to read for a long time because I’ve seen it posted and recommended. It felt like a blend of lots of fae inspired books I’ve read and enjoyed reading it.

So Nisha J. Tuli is now an instant buy for me, I will read whatever she writes! This book hooked me from the beginning, it kinda reminded me of Throne of Glass, badass girl in a horrible prison is finally freed so she can participate in a competition, there's a grouchy guard and charismatic royal. That's where the similarities end though, the story is completely unique and the characters were totally their own. Lor is to compete for the honor of becoming the Sun King's queen, Atlas is handsome and charming and everything you could everrrr want. My only problem with the story is there are a few chapters sprinkled throughout from the Auror Prince, Nadir's, POV. Don't get me wrong, they are fantastic chapters but I was like from the very beginning that this was gonna be the dude she ends up so I never really bought into the trials or Atlas. I knew it was a way to keep them apart and drag out the story, maybe that's just me and I read too many romantasies? All in all though, I loved the story, Lor and Nadir are gonna be soooooo good, their dance gave me all the tingles.

The first in a series by Nisha J. Tuli, Trial of the Sun Queen follows Lor as she is mysteriously broken out of prison and shoved headfirst into a contest to win the hand of the handsome Sun King. The problem is that having grown up in the prison Lor is very much out of her depth. To say Lor is rough around the edges would be an understatement and it is extremely obvious as she tries to navigate the opulent world of Aphelion's wealthy. Lor is a character that I found myself rooting for throughout the story. Her snark and persistence were very enjoyable. We get part of the story from Nadir, the Auroran Prince's point of view at times also, and the mystery of those chapters kept me waiting for his next chapter. This book would be great for fans of The Selection and The Prison Healer.

excellent book. was so excited to receive this ARC. it became one of my top favorite reads. cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of Trial of the Sun Queen!

I loved this book! The setting was so well done, the premise was super intriguing, and the characters had me so invested in the story. I loved the aspect of the trials, and I especially loved the strength of the FMC. I was so happy this book was dual POV because I think the mysterious prince’s perspective really added to the overall intrigue of the plot.

I did predict the plot twist, but there’s still so much to learn about the world and how the characters fit into it. I can’t wait to continue with this series!

An enthralling and emotion-filled adventure through a world where power, love, and revenge. This was a fun read for me! Fast paced and spicy, so good!

“Look at me now, Jude. Enjoy your crappy soap.”

The world building of this first book of a new series by Nisha J. Tuli is great. I love the love triangle angle with the charismatic Sun King and the brooding Aurora Prince. I have so many questions for the second book!

This was so good! Excellent world building without bogging down the whole book, action packed and suspenseful! This was a fun easy read with an interesting story. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Lor next

Our FMC is kidnapped from the prison she's lived in for 12 years to compete in a set of trials to win the heart of the Sun King.

This book absolutely lacks world building, character development, and predictable.
But it was also intriguing, easy to read, and entertaining. It's like bad tv truly, I couldn't put it down.
It's really reminiscent of "The Selection" and gave written by a 15 year old vibes. I have already picked up the next one & I'm excited and hopefully for some more originality! We will see after this next one how I feel about continuing the series!

Welcome to the wildness of Lor! Thank you Netgalley for this title, there was so much to unpack in this book. Lor’s layers of trauma are clear in her actions and inner struggles. She thinks she is being logical but also knows that she isn’t because she doesn't even really know how to live or what is actually logical. While i enjoyed her time with Atlas, he was giving me ick vibes from the beginning - poor Lor.

This book was a great start to a series that continues to build in the best way, I’m so glad i was able to read them back to back and watch the characters grow. And talk about slow burn… 😂

Thank you to the publisher, Forever Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for an eARC of this novel. I thought this was so entertaining and enjoyable. It was engaging and spicy and hot and fun and I had a great time. I'm definitely going to keep reading.

Note, this is more on the romance side of romantasy, so while there is definitely plot, the romance takes a much larger share of the plot than you would find in a fantasy romance. This is also very much for adults and the spice rating is high.

No, this is not a copy or rip-off of any SJM novels; if you think they are, please go read more books that aren't written by SJM.