…this did not need to be 500 pages.

i was intrigued by the concept of a tribute of fire—a greek mythology-inspired romantasy about a princess training to compete in a life-or-death race in order to break the ancient curse on her nation—but it just didn’t work for me on so many levels.

it’s a very paint-by-numbers story. popular tropes are popular for a reason, i get it, but if you’re going to lean into predictable plot points to the extent that wilson does, i need something else to carry the story—whether that’s beautiful prose, witty dialogue, or some kind of twist, subversion, commentary, anything. unfortunately, i didn’t get any of that here. the book ends with THREE “shocking” twists and somehow each is more predictable than the last.

then there’s lia. i found her frustrating and difficult to root for. she wants to save her country, but despite her training, she’s quite shortsighted and naive to the potential repercussions if she fails… and she has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer in her “investigation.” she’s also constantly sidetracked by lusting over jason, which would be more understandable if he wasn’t the one carting her and her sister to their (likely) deaths. their chemistry did become more believable about two-thirds of the way through the novel, but by that point i was so irked by her being a horny idiot that i didn’t really care. her saving grace was her relationships with her sisters. i enjoyed their dynamic, bond, and fierce loyalty to each other.

while this book is not for me (obviously), it draws heavily on greek mythology, which i think readers may find appealing, and i appreciated the value placed on lia’s female friendships.

A Tribute of Fire is an absolutely spellbinding story that weaves Greek mythology with elements of The Hunger Games and Reylo into an amazing story that keeps you on your toes. Lia’s dedication to her people and her persistence to survive the labyrinth to reach the Temple of the Goddess, as well as her dedication to her sister Quynh and her sisters at the temple, really cement her as an amazing character. The sisterhood that evolves throughout the book is so refreshing and I can’t wait to see how things change with the twists at the end of the book.

The relationship between Lia and Jason, the Ilionian sailor that helps to bring her to the temple, is a great slow burning enemies to lovers romance. The slow build up of trust as Lia finds her place at the Temple and works to find the solution to help her people makes their story so engaging. The cliffhanger ending will leave you wanting the next story immediately so that you can find out how their relationship will drastically change with the revelations that we’re left with.

Easily one of my top reads this year.

Lia is the princess of a dying nation, cursed long ago by a goddess. To appease the goddess, every year her nation must send two maidens to their enemy nation to run in an impossible race – they must reach the temple of the goddess and claim sanctuary whilst being hunted. Reach the temple and don’t get cut down trying. No maiden has ever made it to the temple. This year, Lia is one of the maidens.

But so is her sister. While Lia is prepared for the race, her sister is not. And as if Lia didn’t have enough on her plate, an annoyingly handsome sailor, Jason, catches her eye. And he happens to be the enemy. Lia must keep herself and her sister alive, lift a curse, restore her nation to glory, and keep Jason at bay. Sounds easy.

I don’t even know where to start with this review, it’s taken a few hours for me to calm down enough to be able to type. This book kept me hooked throughout my entire read, but those last chapters… When I tell you I was screaming for the last 10 minutes of this book – I am not lying. I was genuinely screaming, swearing, gasping – you name it, I was doing it. And my dog, Daisy, went wappy as I did so, and I’m sure she must’ve thought I’d suffered a mental break (which looking back I’m sure I did). My throat still hurts as I type this review, and Daisy is still eyeing me warily.

So what caused this reaction? Well that would be spoilers, but I can set the scene with the lead up. Lia and Jason were such a good pairing. Their chemistry was phenomenal. Jason even had me blushing, so I don’t blame Lia one bit. I found myself constantly craving a scene with the pair. Their back and forth, their sexual tension… Someone get me a spoon because I was eating this up.

The actual story was captivating. There was such a rich background, context, lore – the world building was exceptionally done. The author gave us so much lore and I have a desperate need to know more.

Lia was a fantastic FMC. I just loved her. I might be IN love with her while also wanting to be her. She’s strong, funny, loyal, determined, intelligent. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs – and I whole heartedly support Lia in whatever she has up her sleeve in the next book.

I’d also like to mention the female relationships represented in this book. Lia makes friends in the Temple and they fast become like sisters. It really warmed my cold heart to see some well written female friendships in a romantasy book, because they are often left out or are lacking substance. I really enjoyed Lia and her friends interactions, I felt that it made Lia more human.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this book but I fear that I’ll take up too much of your time when you should be reading it. If you like enemies to lovers, found family, strong FMC’s, and Greek Mythology inspired reads – you need to read this.

Thank you to Literary Media Tours and Sariah for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of A Tribute of Fire! The premise of the book immediately intrigued me and I couldn’t wait to dive in. This book had me hooked right away, and I finished it in just a few days! It releases November 1st, and I highly recommend adding it to your TBR!

I absolutely loved this story. I was hooked immediately by the unique concept and early plot twist that changed everything I expected from the story.

The FMC, Lia, is very intelligent, headstrong, determined, and compassionate. I loved seeing her develop as a character and do whatever was necessary to try to save her country.

The TWO MAJOR plot twists right at the end??? I was screaming internally (I stayed up late to read and the house was asleep) last night when I finished the book. I NEED answers more than I have needed answers from a book in a very long time. I cannot wait to read the sequel next year!

Lia is the princess of Loris, a land that has been cursed by an earth goddess. Every year, two maidens of Loris must compete in a life-and-death race as a sacrifice to the goddess. This gives Lia a chance to compete change the curse and save her people.

I can’t even express how much I’m obsessed with this book! I loved the world building! I felt so immersed the story and the culture; it really did feel like a one of a kind experience!

I am not ok after the cliff hanger that Sarah Wilson left us on!!
I’m not sure I will ever recover!
I have so many questions and need the answers asap!

•Hunger Games meets Greek Mythology
•Sisterhood
•Chosen one
•Secret identity
•Enemies to lovers
•Forced proximity

Title: A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson
Genre: Romantasy
Pub Date: November 1, 2024
📖 524 pages

❤️‍🔥 Badass Princess FMC
❤️‍🔥 Found Family
❤️‍🔥 Cursed Island
❤️‍🔥 Greek Mythology Vibes
❤️‍🔥 Temple Sisterhood
❤️‍🔥 Hidden Magic
❤️‍🔥 Death Trial

A Tribute of Fire is a story about an island cursed for the sins of their ancestors, where young woman are randomly chosen to race through a labyrinth to either find solace at the goddess’s temple, or be sacrificed by the islands male inhabitants along the way.

I love it when we're given the "princess who trains in secret," so I was automatically a fan of Lia's. She's tenacious and loyal, and the trial was amazing. Jason (our gorgeous, mysterious stranger) is also incredibly headstrong and just what Lia needs! I really enjoyed their bantering, and the dream walking scenes are just the right amount of spice. 🌶
The sisterhood aspect was done so well. I love that the author gave each one their own personalities and back stories! I feel like too many authors focus solely on the MCs, and the side characters end up falling flat, but I felt genuine attachment to her adelphia 🫶

I gave this book 5 stars because the spice was done so well, I hurt when our FMC or her Sisterhood hurt, and I didn't want to put it down so I read it in two sittings! I can't stop thinking about the cliffhanger, and I can't wait until book 2 is released!! A Tribute of Fire is a must-read!!

Thank you so much, Literary Media Tours and author, for the digital review copy ❤️‍🔥

If you enjoy Greek mythology, girl power, characters being bonded and having shared visions, and The Hunger Games, then I think you will enjoy this story as much as I did! It felt like a mixture of Circe (content/writing) and Percy Jackson (adventure). I felt like I was watching a movie. The story hopped from place to place, plot point to plot point, and I thought it worked really well.

The sister relationships/friendships in A Tribute of Fire were soooo sweet. I liked how supportive the girls were of one another, and I want to know more about the goddess' magic that bonds them.

My one quip with this novel is that I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be--young adult or adult. The ages of the characters make me think it's new adult, but much of the inner dialogue of the main character felt juvenile. The non-uniformity of the voice took me out of it sometimes, but it wasn't hard to find my way back in.

I saw the cliffhanger ending coming from a mile away, but that didn't make it any less HEART WRENCHING. I know the "what" but I still need to know the "WHYYY."

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, what a ride! There are so many enjoyable characters, with great attention to detail and impressive world-building! I really loved the first part of the book so much. It slows down a bit in the middle, which led me to skim some sections, but it picks up again. I did want more from the main characters because I LOVE them 🥵 ! But I’m sure we’ll get that as the series continues on.

I've been a long time fan of Sariah Wilson, so after learning that she is coming out with a romantasy, I jumped at the chance to get an arc.

In A Tribute of Fire, we meet Lia, princess of Locris, a dying desert nation cursed by an earth goddess. Every year, the nation offers two maidens as a sacrifice to the goddess. They are forced to participate in a life-and-death race to the goddess's temple, and this year Lia is among the chosen. Then, there's Jason, an Ilionan sailor who she is both drawn to and hates. Jason offers to help Lia, but she does not want to trust him.

The survival aspect definitely gave "Hunger Games" vibes, and Lia is a strong-female lead. She is fierce, smart and a fighter. She also may be sometimes be tempted by a certain man, but honestly, Jason is so brooding and a flirt that any maiden will be tempted. On another note, I appreciate that this book is based on a Greek mythology that does not center around the gods of Mount Olympus.

If you're looking for:
> Greek mythology
> Enemies to lovers
> Trials/ survival
> Sisterhood/ found family
> Low spice

Locris was cursed by an earth goddess centuries ago and is now a dying nation. Lia, a princess of Locris, vows to save her nation by winning a life-and-death race to the goddess's temple in Ilion, finding the eye of the goddess, and restoring life back to her nation. But when her untrained sister is drawn as the second maiden to race, Lia has to decide between protecting her sister or trying to save the nation she loves.

The beginning of this book felt a bit like Hunger Games meets Maze Runner meets the Trojan War. I loved the premise of the book, and I honestly wish we'd gotten to spend more time with Lia while she was training for the race and participating in the race.

While I was rooting for Lia and Jason's relationship, I did feel like it was a bit forced at times. I completely understand being physically drawn to someone while feeling like you shouldn't be (especially since she considered everyone from Ilion an enemy), but the physical draw felt overplayed and didn't make sense in some of the moments where she acted on her desire.

One of my favorite aspects of this book, though, was the incredible sisterhood that Lia found at the temple. They took vows to protect each other, and despite their differences in background and personality, they grew to love each other. I honestly think they would have protected each other with their lives even without the vows.

Overall, this was an interesting start to the series and I'll be interested to see how the next book plays out.

Read if you like:
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn romance
Death trial
Found family
Greek mythology adjacent
Hidden magic

Thank you to the author and Literary Media Tours for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

I was intrigued by this story especially since there was real historical precedence for the concept of the tributes of maidens from one region to another for the sins of their ancestors - Got to love the Greeks for some really messed up stories.

I read this slowly over the period of 9 days, but never lost interest. This is a long book, with a lot of characters, especially once the main character gets going. Lia puts herself in a position to become a tribute to help save her dying country but there's distractions and feelings that she needs to deal with, and a found family of women that she bonds with even with all her lies.

I saw a lot of the twists coming, but that didn't disappoint me because the over all plot was well done. I really enjoyed Lia's situationship with Jason, but I really look forward to seeing what happens next.

Tropes that I enjoyed:
-hidden royalty
-found family
-dragons (minor appearances but I think this will be a bigger part going forward)
-women with magic
-women learning to fight

Recommend to those who enjoyed Five Broken Blades (everyone lies), The Wren In The Holly Library (special skills), and those who like stories based on Greek myths/stories but done in a new way.

Where to start with a review that doesn’t have spoilers???

🏛️ I really enjoyed this tale, drawing on what happens to Locrian maidens who are sent as tributes to pay for Ajax the Lesser’s 🍇 of Cassandra after the Trojan War - why is it women who have to suffer and pay for a man’s crime?? It was a creative reimagining of how the Locrians make it to the temple, and I enjoyed the Easter eggs along the way to other myths.

🐍 I knew someone was a traitor from the start based on the name 😂 it made me think of… #nospoilers but a revenge tragedy that I love, and the major twist relating to this character wasn’t that surprising imho - although I was gasping throughout the last quarter or so of the book. This is why I don’t (or shouldn’t!) read when out in public 🤣

⛰️ Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger 😩 I can’t wait for Book 2!! 🥹

I ATE THIS UP! I loved the FMC (somewhat naive but confident and strong and looking to trust others) and and MMC (playboy vibes but seemingly ready to give up his ways for the FMC). The supporting characters were also phenomenally written and though I feel like I know them - there’s still so much more that I’m questioning and just know there’s more to uncover. And hello, cliffhangers! When I realized I was nearing the end of the book I was so mad because everything was just ramping up! I cannot wait to read the next book to get some dang answers!

Thank you, Montlake for the full eARC. My opinion is my own.

Book Review
A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson

What Its Got
✅ Greek mythology, Gods and Goddesses
✅ Magic, Curses, prophecy
✅High born royalty vs acolytes and Priestesses vs lower born
✅ Search for The Eye of the Goddess
✅ City built into a labyrinth
✅ Women sent to laughter in the name of sacrifice
✅ lost history, creatures of myth and legend
✅ arranged marriage
✅ found family
✅ female empowerment

Characters
Jason- pirate, saucy sailor with swagger , he keeps popping up when you least expect him
Lia- heroine in training, a determined princess who is willing to sacrifice herself in hopes of saving her people from a centuries old curse
Sisters - these women of the temple become like family, but not all are what they seem

Overall
This is my first from this author. I love a good Romantasy and this one checks all the boxes. I cant wait for the next instalment… Wilson has left readers on the edge of their seats!

Thanks to the author, @netgalley and the publisher for my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are
My own.

Unfortunately, for me ,this story broke the cardinal rule of show not tell. I couldn't get past the writing which fell extremely flat for me and gave me none of the excitement or engagement that I need to want to continue with a story.

I LOVED this book!!!!! It would have been 5 stars but I couldn’t get over the name of “Jason.” It’s honestly my only criticism. If you read this book you’ll probably understand why.

HOWEVER, strong female lead, romance, fated mate vibes, women’s rights and empowerment, sisterhood. CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!!

(3.75/5⭐️) 📚 Thank you Sariah Wilson and Netgalley for the ARC copy! I really loved the concept and was intrigued as soon as I started. The first 25% was exceptionally fast-paced. At first I was a bit concerned why the labyrinth was over so quickly, until I realised the plot hadn’t really begun until Lia had reached the temple. The synopsis didn’t spoil much so I had 0 expectations. I really enjoyed the characters introduced. It was quite warming to discover she had support and a new found family to rely on for her mission. It became clear that she would be the saviour of the prophecy but there was an element of surprise. I was very shocked to uncover who Jason truly is. I did wonder his significance and why there was an instant love between them. It’s a trope I’m not crazy about but I am glad Lia is not foolish, and didn’t give in easily. I’m really curious if any of it was real between them, and how this play into her mission? So many questions left unanswered! 1 thing I felt wasn’t developed enough is the significance of the dragons, the sea dragon specifically! To summarise, I liked this book and look forward to the next one!

A princess is determined to save her nation! Lia is one mighty young lady and she definitely has a battle on her hands. While at the same time trying not to fall in love with the enemy Jason. Wow! I am not a big fantasy reader but I have fallen in love with this romance / fantasy tale. I love the female friendships and the fact that they call themselves sisters just makes it even better. There is plenty of action and a tiny bit of humour. The narrative between the characters has me speechless and dare I say that this book is just as good if not better than Fourth Wing. Now don't get me started on the cliffhanger ending but I will say that I desperately NEED the next book!

Thank you so much to Sariah Wilson and NetGalley for the ARC! This is a wonderful, action packed book with a strong main character. Wilson is fantastic at writing engaging dialogue and witty banter as well! This book also has a strong beginning that will immediately pull the reader in ( It was hard for me to put this down since the first page). Without giving anything away, readers will absolutely fall in love with this book, I know I did.

Full review coming soon! Full review coming soon! Full review coming soon! Full review coming soon! Full review coming soon!