4.5 Stars! Wow! This book got me out of a reading slump (FINALLY)! I was sucked in to the story, read overnight, and finished within a 24 hour period.

I found this world to be very interesting and look forward to learning more about their magic system and goddess. Our FMC is a princess who plans on saving her kingdom from a curse by secretly training to survive a horrific trial. The forbidden love story had me kicking my feet and the support system from the FMC's found family is fantastic.

There are secret identities and secret plots, and even though I had my hunches, the ending still had me SHOCKED! I need book two immediately!!

Trigger warning: If you have a history of religious trauma, some aspects of this book might be difficult to read. Since the FMC is training to become an acolyte (against her will), signs her life away in temple ceremonies, and is gaslit by higher priestesses, some of those passages might be uncomfortable.

Thank you to the author, Sariah Wilson, for sending me an eARC copy! This is my honest review.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style but that didn’t prevent me from being engaged in the story. I’m curious to see how the series continues and how the relationships change.

I loved the twists and turns of the book! The mythology retelling vibes were perfect, and I adored the relationship between Jason and Lia. There were so many swoon-worthy moments, and I adored the slow burn. The only thing I would have loved to see was a more even balance between the romance and fantasy aspects of the book, as if it felt more fantasy-heavy than romance, especially in the middle.

₊⊹A Tribute of Fire
Firstly, thank you Sarah Wilson for reaching out and asking me to read your ARC! I appreciate it!!

When she told me this novel had:
enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn story (it also has a death trial, found family/sisterhood, a stabby FMC, is Greek-mythology adjacent and has some dragons),

I knew I wanted to read it!

And I definitely enjoyed this one!!! buttttt it felt like a tiny something was missing for me..I can’t really put my finger on it but it just felt like I was waiting for something to happen but I didn’t know what? The plot twists that did happen was great, I did eventually catch on to a couple of them but the ending was quite a shock to me and will definitely have me picking up book 2 just so I can have some questions answered!!

I do wish the author touched more on the creatures and magic lore in this world but maybe that will develop more in book two! (Because who doesn’t want more dragons, magic and mythical creatures?!)

I’m a sucker for Greek mythology, so I did love that aspect of this! The political scheming and a few heist made for a fun read. The found family was everything and I would like to join their Adelphia please 🥹 and Jason!!! I don’t know how to feel about you sir!!!!

"A Tribute of Fire" introduces readers to a cursed nation in dire need of salvation, centered around a fierce warrior princess whose journey is both physical and emotional. The narrative weaves a gripping tale of urgency as she embarks on a life-or-death race to a sacred temple, tasked with breaking the curse that plagues her land.
The themes of found family and camaraderie shine throughout the story, as the princess forges bonds with her companions, each character bringing depth and personality to the group. This dynamic enriches the plot, making the stakes feel personal and enhancing the overall emotional impact.
The enemies-to-lovers arc is particularly well-executed, adding layers of tension and complexity. As the princess navigates her feelings for a rival, the forbidden romance unfolds with palpable chemistry, drawing readers into the tumultuous emotions and dilemmas faced by the characters.
The world-building is immersive, combining elements of fantasy and mythology that create a vivid backdrop for the characters' struggles. The pacing keeps readers engaged, balancing action with moments of introspection and character development.
Overall, "A Tribute of Fire" offers a compelling blend of adventure, romance, and the power of chosen family, making it a must-read for fans of epic fantasy. The promise of further adventures in "The Eye of the Goddess" series leaves readers eager for more.

Wow, wow wow! I absolutely ate this book up! From start to finish I couldn’t put it down and the need to know how it was all going to end had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. The mythological elements, the diversity in characters, the tension, all of it was so well done I found myself literally messaging the author at the halfway point to fangirl about the book! I loved everything about this story and I need book two asap! If you’re looking for your next romantasy read then look no further, this book will be all you can hope for and more! I highly recommend putting this one at the top of your TBR for next month.

Thank you to the Author for the eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Sariah Wilson for this Arc.

Overall this book had a very promising story line but I felt it to be too predictable for me. I didn’t find the tension with Jason at the start gripped me, it was almost a bit too insta loveish and I suspected the plot twist immediately.

I think if you are a newer to the Romantasy genre you may really enjoy this book because you won’t necessarily see the twists coming.

I loved A Tribute of Fire!! Set in a world where every yearthe Kingdom of Locris must select two maidens as tribute to the goddess who was defied a millennia ago to run a life or death race to reach the Temple of the Goddess and become a priestess.
Lia, the princess of Locris has been training in battle combat and has taken it upon herself to go into this year's ritual and try to save her kingdom. I absolutely fell in love with Lia. She is such a strong, smart, and caring person who only wants the best for her kingdom and believes she will be the one to make it and return the eye of the goddess to her desert homeland. There are a few things she didn't account for: her sister being put in danger along with her and a man who she is inexplicably drawn to, but doesn't know if she can trust.
There are so many elements to this book that I love... High stakes, found family, instant attraction, love for family, and things that aren't what they seem at face value. Sariah has also done it again with the wittiest banter and steam between Lia and Jason (the man she cannot help but be drawn to). I love the way she plays these two against each other and when they weren't in the page together, I longed for it because of how great it was.
All I can say is after that ending, I NEED A Vow of Embers (like yesterday 😬).

3.5 out of 5 stars rounded up
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝-𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡

I, for one, have zero complaints about romance authors venturing into Romantasy! As someone who enjoys romance but always wishes for more dragons, this makes perfect sense. Sariah Wilson, a proven romance author, takes her first stab at Romantasy with A Tribute of Fire — and trust me, there’s a lot of stabbing. If you love your FMCs sarcastic and stabby, you’re likely to enjoy this one.

We’ve got Greek-adjacent mythology, death trials, found family, enemies-to-lovers, dragons, and even more dangerous…geese! 🪿 I won’t spoil anything, but there’s a goose scene that had me laughing out loud and forcing everyone around me to read it (my husband now knows this as the "goose book").

Heads up! It ends on a cliffhanger. I saw some of the twists coming but had no idea how they’d actually unfold, so I’m excited to see what happens next!

3.5⭐️
This book has a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to future installments because I really do enjoy the plot. I will say, I think the romance was not it for me and felt random and didn’t flow with the story well. I also think the beginning could have been cut down a lot as it felt like 3 different plots in the first like 50 pages

WOW! This was one of the best fantasy books I’ve read in a LONG time. Throne of Glass meets Hunger Games meets Fourth Wing! The world building truly takes you to another world and grips you into the narrative from the start. From page 1 until the very end the plot is action packed. The FMC is fierce, determined, honor driven, cunning, and tender all wrapped into one incredible character that you will be cheering for the entire book. AND THE ENDING 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 I quite literally cannot get my hands on book 2 fast enough! I can tell this is going to go in the same category as ACOTAR, TOG, and Fourth Wing as one of my favorite fantasy series ever. So incredible!

This is a wonderfully written fantasy romance steeped in Greek mythology and lore. Part of the story is based on Ajax’s nation, Locris, and the maidens cursed to suffer for his actions. Lia is a strong FMC who is willing to do whatever it takes to save her nation. Although the romance is focused around Lia and Jason, there were so many supporting characters that I adored and am invested in their stories in coming books. The plot is intricate and kept me on my toes as there are several twists throughout the story, including a double-whammy at the end that left my mouth gaping and not believing this is where the book ended. I am eagerly awaiting the next book!

Read this if you love: enemies to lovers, slow burn romance, death trials, found family/sisterhood, mythology

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book. This review is voluntary, and all opinions expressed are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ARC Review

Wow, what a book!

I absolutely loved this story. From the get go, I was invested in Lia’s tale and quest to save her homeland.

Her journey is brutal and exciting, with the trials I knew were coming and all of the unexpected twists and turns.

Her character is beautifully developed with each hardship she faces and she has other amazing strong females supporting her. I’ve highlighted so many inspirational quotes.

It’s also the most steamy book I’ve read which doesn’t go further than kissing!

I’m seriously engrossed and can’t wait to find out how the story ends.

Beware of the goose 🪿 & also the cliffhanger…

Themes/Tropes:
Romantasy, Mythology, Retelling, Chosen One, Prophecy, Magical Artifact, Survival, Trials, Mentor, Outcast, Found Family, Forbidden Love, Arranged Marriage, Gods, Magic, Monsters/Fantastical Creatures, Dragons & Mental Health.

1/5 🌶 rating

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had the chance to read this as an ARC, and now I’m eagerly waiting for the next installment! A Tribute of Fire completely captivated me from the start. This fantasy adventure blends action, trials, and just a touch of romance perfectly. The protagonist faces a life-threatening challenge to protect her home, and her journey is nothing short of intense. The story showcases powerful, dynamic women and unique adventures that kept me hooked. While there’s a bit of romance, it’s not the main focus—and I appreciated that balance. What really stood out was the theme of strong women uniting to overcome impossible odds. Without spoiling too much, let’s just say the cliffhanger is deliciously agonizing! I can’t wait to see what happens next.

First and foremost what a journey this book takes you on. It has completely destroyed my heart! Sariah Wilson does a wonderful job of making you love or hate her characters or both. Reading the authors note at the end and seeing where she got her inspiration from for the story makes it even better.
The main story is about Lia, a princess of Locris, who begins a journey to save her people and lands from a centuries old curse where nothing will grow on their lands. She is put through the wringer from day one and the hits do not stop coming as she keeps trying to find the one thing that she believes will save her people. She continues to have to over come obstacles after obstacle and each thing makes her even stronger than she was before. By the end you just don’t want to stop seeing her kick butt and then the author just leaves you dangling over the cliff at the end dying to know what comes next in her story!

4.75 out of 5 stars

Thank you to @literarymediatours and @sariahwilsonauthor for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book as part of Amazon’s First Reads program. The publish date is 11/1/2024 if you don’t have prime.

I would suggest this if you enjoy:
Slow Burn
Enemies to Lovers
Forbidden Love
Hidden Magic
Positive sisterhood
Training and combat

Wow. Wow. This book was so awesome! I loved the fact that this book had all of my favorite tropes in it. The sisterhood, the intrigue, the mystery, the danger and, my personal favorite, the enemies to lovers/forbidden love trope.

The descriptions and atmosphere were stellar. The relationships between the girls were also really well fleshed out. I found myself excited and wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I pictured the temple as the place where Dr. Strange trained and I think that really enhanced my reading experience.

Also, book 1 has barely come out and I’m ready for book 2 immediately. I’m not above begging 😂@sariahwilsonauthor

This authors debut romantasy novel and my first read from this author. There’s a lot of promise, and the premise sounded good. This book was OK. Could have benefitted from being cut back, it was a long one. I was really invested in the last 10% as it was more fast paced and action packed. There were 2 plot twists at the end. One of them I didn’t get, I had an inkling about the other one around the 60% mark. At times the FMC seemed immature.

I did enjoy the “found family” aspect of it. I also enjoy greek mythology. World building was fine.

Overall it wasn’t horrible, I think a lot of the focus was in the temple and the plot kind of went missing for awhile. I did like the ending. Idk if I’ll be reading book 2 or not.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the e-ARC

This book is exactly what I needed to get back into fantasy books for the fall season.

I was so damn into this story. It was fun, exciting, and the world building was not too intense so it was easy to follow but also so frickin hard to put down.

I loved the forbidden romance aspect of this story. It felt like a forbidden, fated mates situation which made the chemistry sizzle and had me on the edge of my seat waiting for them to go up in flames.

The ending was perfect. It has me so ready for book 2. Exactly what I love about a fantasy series.

Pick this one up if you’re looking for an entertaining romantasy series with enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, Greek mythology inspired, and found family.

Thank you to the author for reaching out and proving an ARC of this book!

Woah; this book was 🔥🙌🏼 although this is my first book read by this author it definitely will not be my last. This book is filled with journey and growth of the FMC and has the most swoon worthy MMC. If you’re looking for a new world with lots of adventure and a strong heroine, look no further!

I seriously cannot wait until the second book!

First debut into the romantasy world and Sariah did a phenomenal job! The story was everything I could have wanted. A brave but a bit naive heroine, the mysterious love interest (swoon), a goddess to please! I cannot wait for her next book in the series! And that cliffhanger!!!!! Such a fun read. I literally couldn't put it down.