Synopsis: “Lor has endured twelve long years of torment locked up in the Aurora King’s prison. Her only goal is to get out and pay him back for every moment of misery. When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes for his hand in marriage against nine other tributes. If she wins, she can earn her freedom and finally get her revenge. But Lor doesn’t belong in the Sun Queen Trials. Not only does she not understand why she’s been freed from prison, she isn’t a citizen of the Sun King’s court. The other tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is wiped of the gameboard, permanently. Now Lor must do everything she can to win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she’ll be sent back into the hands of the Aurora King.”
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance
Date of Publication: December 6th, 2022
Publisher: NJT Author
Length: 400 pages
My rating: 4/5
Review:
My thoughts before reading the book: I like the cover, and the concept is definitely intriguing. I’ve never tried anything by this author before, and a fantasy book with a little romance might be a nice change of pace.
My thoughts halfway through the book: The two points of view are interesting, although a bit disconnected so far. There is a lot more “romance” in this than I was expecting (not a bad thing, just surprised me!).
My overall thoughts: I enjoyed the way the story progressed overall, it was well paced, and the switching points of view did work out well in the end. Lor was a fun (and sometimes quite frustrating) main character to follow. While Lor and Nadir are fairly developed characters, I will admit a lot of the side characters feel pretty one-dimensioned characters. Some parts of the book do get dark, and I would recommend checking Storygraph for content warnings before diving into it.
Trial of the Sun Queen is a nice quick read, and I think it would be a good jumping off point for anyone who enjoys fantasy but would like to try something with more romance. I would describe Trial of the Sun Queen as a mix of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Hunger Games, but with a lot more swearing. Personally, I enjoy swearing in books, but it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I’m looking forward to the second book in the series, Rule of the Aurora King.