Reviews with content warning for Classism - Trial of the Sun Queen

This is the first book I've read by Nisha J Tuli, and I'm absolutely delighted to have found this author. Her characters are very well done, and I especially enjoy the way that she mixes in lore and history of the world throughout the novel. I never felt like they're was an exposition dump.

The book is part of an unfinished series, scheduled to be completed this year. HEA is not at the end of the books, it seems like it will be the end of the series.

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karapillar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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ludmireads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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booksalacarte's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Trial of the sun queen- 3.75⭐️ 2.5🌶️

New Adult

High Romantasy

Romantic Fantasy

Dual POV

Bipoc

Fae Courts

Magic

Politics

Feuding Kingdoms

Secrets

Bride Trials

Rags to Riches

Slow Burn

🏳️‍🌈 Side Character Rep

Tw- adult themes, definitly check the trigger warnings.

The first line- “That bitch took my soap.” I was immediately invested in this FMC. I wanted to know her story, her hardships. The time in the prison made this story unique and compelling. I wish there had been more of the story developed there.

Thank goodness the trials in this book were heavy in the plot and revealed character growth. They took up space and were well laid out. There was a little bit of haziness around the 2nd. I was more than a little turned around on the obstacle course in where the competitors were in relation to each other. But I was relieved for them to be as central to the plot in how they were played out and not just that they happened. It helped with more than just the FMC’s character development, I feel like it really moved the side characters forward as well.

If the secret had been known, I feel like it would have added to the tension and stakes of the plot. Instead I felt left out and that the FMC was untrustworthy.

I found the romance to be very naive right off the bat, making it feel more YA. The FMC’s defined character from her time in prison immediately disappeared once she was in the trials. In the prison she was independent, untrusting, self-sufficient, with feminine rage for days. When she was in the palace, all of a sudden she had absolutely no self preservation or suspicion until further in the plot than you would expect.

I had a great time reading this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Gran Central Publishing) for an Advanced eReader Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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sarahyjackson's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A little too exposition, future installment reliant for my person taste!

Also sex happened off the page which is unfortunately unforgivable to me.

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katharina90's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

1.0

Uninspired and unconvincing. Felt like a jumble of ideas and concepts copied from various other books.

I didn't like any of the characters as most of them were incredibly immature.

Writing and editing? Not great. Why is one POV in present tense and the other in past tense when they're on the same timeline? Confusing.

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datskira's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Good pacing overall. Kept my interest. Interesting world building and Fae politics. FMC with the potential for strong individuality, but had several moments of stupidity and naivety. Semi-predictable plot and characters, but the book still ended with a lot of reveals left... unrevealed but hinted at.

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