Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos)

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It made absolutely no sense to me how you can spend chapters building up an independent, hot-headed, non-trusting h, to just have them immediately fall head over heels over someone who quite frankly, was disappointing in all the ways that mattered. every time i read “continent of Ouranos” or anything with “ouranos” , in my head it sounded like “your anus”. 😭😭😭 First, I'll start off by saying something that actually worked in this book's favor because it needs the brownie points for what I'm gonna say after. Characters: resilient and strong FMC. A kind and stupidly good-looking Sun King. Irritating (but kinda funny) Captain/escort. Curious and mysterious Prince of Aurora. didn’t mag or healers question her prison brand on her shoulder? or was it normal for some umbra citizen to have those?

Writing: The writing was so immersive! The world building was just perfect, the descriptions of their surroundings and the character profiles were amazing. The writing really captures your attention and sinks you into the story. When reading about Lor enduring the trials, I was on the edge of my seat, eyes wide, feeling the panic and the fear with her. A really easy and fast-paced read, short chapters. Just everything you would want from an adult fantasy.

if atlas was master of illusion i wondered if he made his super fancy appearance and in reality he’s very repulsive like his personality (the truth about which we will learn only later🙄🙄🙄 we indeed learned it later). he was sleazy with his complements, they had bad aftertaste. The Bachelor meets the Hunger Games. Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King's heart.

The plot was so intriguing that I couldn't stop reading! I had to find out what was the truth behind the Trials and Atlas. Everything is very mysterious and the author drops little clues then and there... Atlas gives me King Midas's vibes, golden and yet hiding many secrets. The real love interest is not clear, but I have a suspicion... 😏Atlas, the sun king, is the mmc Lor is trying to win the affections of. I was on the fence about him at first, but then he says stuff like, “You’re mine. You’re going to be mine. This one was like a weird mix of 'The selection' by Kiera Cass, and 'Throne of Glass' by SJM- that tried to pull an 'A Court of Thornes and Roses' in the end. In theory it sounds like it should work, but this was not what I thought it would be. Endured 12 years under the Aurora King. Lor wants to get free and make him pay for every torment he's done. But then she finds herself kidnapped and enters a deadly contest to win the Sun King's heart. But Lor doesn't belong in the Sun Queen Trials. She doesn't understand why she was freed, and 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 off the gameboard, permanently.

Lor is a prisoner in the Aurora Kingdom where she lived for years. Lor is very, very determined and strong headed. She will fight anyone ( literally, the amount of hair pulling and punches thrown by her🫢) who disrespect her, BUT she will also fight tooth and nail to protect her loved ones.Yes, I understand that Atlas was supposed to be the villain, but that still doesn't take away from how underwhelming the romance was in comparison to the rest of the book. Saying that the characters 'felt an immediate connection' with one another, and adding in a few smut scenes doesn't add up to a good romance 😭😭😭. I genuinely don't get where this book was going, because the reveals at the end didn't even reveal anything 💀. if the sun king was getting to know all the tributes and smooching them in dark corners of the castle then how this book was different from the bachelor?? but thankfully i’ve read everything sjm written i so i didn’t invest in him. I’m unsure if this is a debut by the author or not, but there’s a definite unpolished and stilted quality to the character development and the dialogue was cliche and made me cringe way too often. The obvious villains and heroes of the book kind of fell flat because they were caricatures instead of truly fleshed out characters that would make me want to learn more about them. Like I said, I’ve read them five or more times in the past.

I’m drawn to this Fae whenever he’s in the room. He’s a flower and I’m a bee searching for nectar.” In terms of the other side characters, they weren't amazing- but I still would've preferred to have read about them. Imagine if The Selection was spicier and darker, but with fae and a touch of Plated Prisoner series! 🔥🖤 We have the Sun King Atlas. He's a stunning and kind high fae who's drawn to Lor right from the beginning. His words are sweet, and his actions are SWOONworthy and panty dropping 🫳 He's very genuine. Or is he?Lor is an amazing fmc. She’s intelligent, resilient, and a totally bad ass human in a game full of fae. While she was a little naive, I loved watching her grow and get stronger and stronger throughout this book. i was getting TOG vibes. prison, cruel ruler, deadly competition, always there guard, secretly not a plain human but a long lost queen.