Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, 1)

A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Fourth Wing in this pulse-pounding, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance--with fae magic, high-stakes trials, and a dark prince--from Booktok favorite author Nisha J. Tuli.

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.

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Published Sep 12, 2023

400 pages

Average rating: 7.2

256 RATINGS

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brueckta

Oct 29, 2025

9/10 stars

I really enjoyed this book! From the very beginning, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see where the story would go. The pacing was excellent, there wasn’t a single moment that felt slow or unnecessary. The characters and plot kept me fully engaged from start to finish. I’m already excited to pick up book two and see what happens next!

PawsAndPagesLaurin

Oct 23, 2025

10/10 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Nisha J. Tuli at a book convention earlier this year, and little did I know I’d end up completely addicted to her books. Trial of the Sun Queen is an easy five-star read for me. I’ve heard it described as “reality show meets fantasy,” and that description definitely hits, and I ate it up. It’s fast-paced, dramatic, and bingeable in the best way. Lor’s story grabbed me right away. She’s been through so much, surviving years of captivity and cruelty through sheer determination, and seeing her thrown into this deadly trial to become queen just made me root for her even harder. I love that she’s fiery and bold, but what really hooked me is that she refuses to play the game. She doesn’t bend or scheme the way everyone expects; she fights back on her own terms, and I loved her sassy attitude. The side characters are fantastic, too. They are entertaining and layered, and each one adds something to the story. The world feels rich and dangerous, with just enough mystery to keep you flipping pages late into the night. In typical Laurin fashion, I immediately ran out and grabbed books two and three because I already knew I was going to love where this series was headed. If you’re into fantasy that mixes high stakes, magic, competition, and a fierce, unbreakable heroine, Trial of the Sun Queen is one you’ll want to devour.

Bronte

Jul 05, 2025

7/10 stars

Pretty light and easy.

Jennmarie15

Jul 03, 2025

10/10 stars

The bachelor meets Hunger games meets ACOTAR🥰

BookishColvin

Jun 20, 2025

10/10 stars

Ok, so firstly it took me a minute to get into the book. I was listening on audible it was going good but I could tell it was going to get better. The visuals are amazing the story is told well, by the end I could not wait and got the second one and started it right away. I literally used my only credit left to get the second book instead of the last portion of the last ACOTAR book that is how good this series is. 10 out of 10!!!