I received this book for free from Orbit UK in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King's heart.

Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King’s rule. Her only desire is to escape and pay him back for every moment of misery she's endured.

When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of queen. If she wins his heart, she'll 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 was freed, 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 removed from the competition, permanently.

Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she'll be returned to the evil—and now vengeful—Aurora King.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive the beautiful paperbacks of the first two books in the Artefacts of Ouranos series. (Thank you Orbit!) I had heard about this series before, but since my TBR is never-ending, I didn’t think about it much again. But seeing this gorgeous looking book on my TBR trolley, made me want to start reading ASAP. And I did.

In ‘Trial of the Sun Queen’ we meet Lor. Lor has been imprisoned and tortured for many years. The only thing that keeps her going is her thirst for revenge. When Lor finds herself being sentenced to the Hallow, a hole in the ground close to a forest no one ever returns from, she feels like things might never end up getting better. But then she is taken, and soon find herself in the Sun King’s kingdom. Now she is one of the tributes, fighting for the role of the future Sun Queen. Everything is new and different for Lor. A big contrast to the world she grew up in. And she honestly doesn’t know what to think or who to trust. But to survive, she needs to fight and beat the other tributes.

Some books grab your attention right from the very first page. And this book definitely did that for me. I started reading, and didn’t need any time to get into it. I was just hooked right away and I loved every minute of it. I honestly almost read this book in one sitting, it was so good!

Lor was definitely a very interesting character. She was fierce, had a temper and was easily roused. But who could blame her after having been imprisoned and tormented for many years?! Honestly I was rooting for her temper at times, because some of these characters definitely deserved her anger. I loved how she adapted to being one of the Tributes. And although everything and everyone seemed to be against her, she kicked butt.

This book was exciting, at times romantic and above all addicting. Although I was way more distrusting then Lor towards the King, I enjoyed her interactions with him. And also those moments between her and her warden Gabriel. But most of all I loved how we learn more about this interesting world and especially the Fae. And then there is the mysterious Nadir! There’s just something about him, and I can’t wait to learn more about what his role will be in Lor’s life.

‘Trail of the Sun Queen’ was an amazing read! I’ve read some bad reviews about his book, but honestly I disagree completely. The author was able to pull me in right from the start. And although I might have suspected some things, it didn’t bother me at all. I loved getting to know this world, and it’s characters and I can’t wait to start reading book two.

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About 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.

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Maureen Bakker

Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always!  Facebook | Instagram