In the start of a new series, Nisha J. Tuli shows what happens when you mix the Bachelor with Deadly Trials:
Lor was sent to prison when she was 12 and she has spent the last 12 years irking out a "life" in prison, content that this is what her life will be. When one more violation ends her up in the hole (again) Lor does not think that she will survive this time. When she is surprisingly rescued and entered into the Trial to compete to be the Sun Queen, Lor knows she does not belong there. But Lor knows that she needs to win not only to stay alive but to get revenge on Aurora King, the one responsible for putting her and her family in prison.
This is the first book that I have read by Tuli and i found i was hooked from the very first sentence. Trial of the Sun Queen is fast paced, it kept me entertained throughout and I would have read it in one sitting if i could have. With that said was this book predictable at time, 100%, was this book groundbreaking in content or story, nope, but that does not mean that I did not enjoy the ride of the book.
I liked Lor as a character for most of the book. She is all hard edges and has to guard everything around her from her body, mind and soul if she has wanted to survive in prison. I appreciate that she is different from the other girls in the Trials (aka Deadly Bachelor) but that is the point of her, she is different and she thrives on it. I like that Lor is willing to protect those who she sees a weaker and her friends.
There is a bit of mystery thrown into this book around Lor and who she really is and what is it capable of. Plus there are some shady things about the Sun King that kept me turning the pages.
I think one of the things that would have made this book better is having another POV. I mean we get the main POV from Lor, with some POV of Nadir throughout the book, but I personally wished that there was a POV from Gabriel. I want to know what he thinks not only of Lor but the whole situation and some of the things that he has been forced to do in the past. I feel like Gabriel is a wealth of knowledge and maybe a main character in his own right.
If you are looking for a book that is like the bachelor but magical and deadly (they are okay if contestants die), then you should pick up this book. I know I'll be continuing on with this series as I found this entertaining, I just hope that the next book in the series is not as predictable.
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