Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos #1), by Nisha J. Tuli
The Book
Synopsis:
The Bachelor meets the Hunger Games when ten women face off in a deadly battle, where only one can win the king's hand and ascend to the exalted throne of the Sun Queen.
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.
My Review
Trial of the Sun Queen is the first book in the romantic fantasy series Artefacts of Ouranos, written by Nisha J. Tuli and published by Orbit Books. Lor has been a prisoner in the Aurora realm for twelve years, but her life changes when she's kidnapped and brought to the Sun realm to compete in the trials to choose the new Sun queen.
Four trials against nine fae females, all to win the title and become bonded to Atlas, the Sun King. Trials that are more dangerous that they looked at first sight, in which Lor is in disadvantage, being a human competing against Fae; Lor soon proves that she's intelligent and snarky, more than would be advisable at many points, but which makes you connect with her and cheer for her as the underdog.
Personally, the same as I really liked Lor, I was more on the fence with Atlas, the male main character; at some points, he just seems to be playing with tributes, having non-revealed intentions that might include using Lor for his own goals. However, it is true that you can appreciate the great chemistry he has with Lor, and how they make an imperfect pair that you can love.
The trials are one of the central points of the plot, and one of the major strengths of the book, as they involve not only the test themselves, but the sensation of danger, the politics between the tributes and even the shenanigans behind the scenes keep you hooked while reading. Outside of that, in this first book, we mainly explore the Sun realm, a bit of the Fae society and some details about the Aurora realm, but Tuli leaves many hinted secrets that hopefully would be unveiled in next books.
The romance is not particularly spicy in this first book, closer to being a slow-burn relationship that goes from enemies to lovers, but having certain steamy moments that are perfect to ease the tension that appears between Lor and Atlas.
Trial of the Sun Queen is a fun novel, a book that you will devour fast because it's compulsively readable; you always need one more page to be sure Lor is safe and what the destiny has for her. Can't wait to see how Lor's adventures continue in the rest of the series, especially after this ending!
The Author/s
Nisha J. Tuli
Nisha J. Tuli is the bestselling author of Trial of the Sun Queen—the first in the Artefacts of Ouranos series—which became a BookTok hit thanks to her amazing fans. The originally self-published series was acquired by Forever Publishing and Orbit UK in 2023, and will soon be published in 15 other languages around the world.
She's also the author of Heart of Night and Fire, a South Asian-inspired fantasy romance and the first in a four-book series. Look for her rom-com debut in 2025 with NSFW (Not Suitable for Work), a workplace rivals to lovers rom-com publishing with Forever.
Nisha lives in Canada, where she spends most of her time reading and writing while enjoying travel, food, and camping with her partner, two kids, and their fluffy Samoyed, Mora.