3.5/5

Set in a world with Greek/Roman vibes but with magic and blessings from the gods, A Tribute of Fire is a decent introduction to the fantasy romance genre for those who haven't dipped their toe into it before. As I understand, Sariah Wilson is a contemporary romance author and I would imagine that her audience would appreciate the ease of the fantasy elements without feeling out of their depth.

It was an easy to read, easy to follow story with twists that might or might not be guessed at early. My star rating is purely from a personal standpoint as I am not a big fan of couples acting on insta attraction so quickly. This is not a slowburn romance, but rather one where our FMC is smitten from the second they meet the MMC (although I don't necessarily blame her). I'm interested to know how the reveals at the end of the book are going to play out in book 2.

Thank you to Wilson & NetGalley for the opportunity to review A Tribute of Fire early.

First off, this survey loves spicy dreams 🤣 this was an enjoyable book but there were some big plot holes that I am confused on. Not to mention that I felt like I didn't really get to know the love interest. I will probably read the next book, but we will see.

The story revolves around Lia Princess of Locris, a dying desert nation cursed centuries ago by earth goddess - one still worshipped by the thriving and adversarial nation of Illion. Every year, Illion offers the goddess a sacrifice : two Locrian Maidens are forced to compete in a life- death race to reach the temple. In a millennium no maiden has made it out of Illion alive. This year, Lia is the chosen one. She has trained hard for this day, but things don’t go as planned when she learns that the other chosen one is her untrained sister. Together, they must reach the temple, but the journey is far more challenging than it seems. In the midst of it all, she finds herself drawn to a man—Jason, an Ilion sailor. The irony stings, as she despises the Illions so deeply that she’s willing to kill them rather than accept their help. Attraction, or even love, was unthinkable. But fate has other plans. Lia and Jason’s relationship is captivating—at times almost too flirty to handle, with plenty of teasing and playful banter that keeps things interesting. The story becomes even more intriguing when Lia reaches the temple, where she discovers friends who feel more like sisters—each willing to go to great lengths to support one another, their bond rooted in deep understanding. There are many secrets waiting to be revealed as the story delves deeper. However, the story’s pacing is uneven; it starts slowly, gradually building tension before abruptly accelerating, which can be jarring for readers.
The cliffhanger at the end leaves us hanging, intensifying the suspense and excitement. Just as the plot reaches its peak, the sudden ending leaves us craving more. Despite the pacing issues, the overall story is enjoyable, filled with engaging characters and thrilling twists.

I highly recommend this book to fans of romantasy and Greek mythology. It delivers an emotional rollercoaster that keeps readers eager for the next installment.

4.5 rounded up to 5 ⭐️

Female empowerment & girl bonding??? YES PLEASE.
I ate this book up like it was my last meal. It had everything I love. A deathly trial, found family, female empowerment, and forbidden romance?!?
Lia is the embodiment of strength and sacrifice and she's willing to put herself on the line to save her homeland but she turns to absolute putty in the hands of the ever cocky Jason who she can't seem to stay away from. She's got strong family ties (both blood & found) and I loved all the relationships built in this book. The magic was vast ranging from water dragons to mythological gods and I was intrigued while learning about it.

I've really enjoyed this author's romantic comedies, so I was thrilled to check out her new book in a genre I adore. This is author Sariah Wilson's first foray into the fantasy genre, specifically "Romantasy".

The story centers around Princess Lia, who lives in Locris, a dying desert kingdom. Each year, two young women are chosen as tributes to the Goddess to atone for a mistake made over a thousand years ago. While being hunted by the Ilion men, these maidens must hurry to the Goddess's temple to survive, but no one has ever made it back alive. Lia believes it’s her destiny to save Locris by being chosen to race to the temple, find a relic of the Goddess, and then return to restore her homeland.

Things don’t go as smoothly as planned, even though she’s trained to fight back. Writing this review without
revealing too much is tough, so here’s a quick rundown without spoilers.

-Lia encounters the charming Jason, who tries to win her heart.

-She builds strong friendships within a devoted sisterhood.

-The plot is full of surprising twists.

-The story draws inspiration from Greek Mythology.

-Lia is a stubborn and determined main character.

-There are hidden identities that lead to a big cliffhanger.

If you love Greek Mythology, fated mates, strong female leads, and intense situations,
this new Romantasy should be your next pick.

This was another great read by Sarah wilson! Captivating romance, a strong female lead, and everything you could ask from a fantasy romance story. Lovable characters and a fun read. 4\5 stars

This was a good start for a new fantasy series! There are so many moving parts to this story that it feels like there are quite a few possibilities for how this series could continue, which is fun! I felt like the pacing of this book was quick, which made it easy to jump into the story and get hooked into what was happening.

Lia was such a refreshing FMC! She was a strong and capable fighter which made her such a believable character for this story. You also really do want the best for her and believe in her cause. (Even if sometimes her plans were a little misguided)

I loved her friendships in this book! To see her find little pieces of home in this “enemy” territory and see the people as real people made the plot feel so much more believable. (Sidenote: I am really interested to see how some of these friendship dynamics play out in the next book?? )

I will say that although I really enjoyed how quick paced this book was and how much was going on, I think there were definitely some moments that felt rushed and/or not fully explored. And I’m sure this will get fleshed out as the series continues! It just kind of took me out of the book with how many things popped up and moved on. I also feel like the romance was a fun element - but it was a little hard for me to believe?

Overall, I thought the ending brought everything together in SUCH an interesting way, and it is going to be a series I definitely want to keep up with!

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to start a new fantasy series that has chosen one vibes! 🫶🏻

I really enjoyed book. The story was unique, and the characters were well-developed. The magical system universe were very well developed in all planned out. I enjoyed the conflict that was the main thread throughout the book. And I found both main characters to be ones that are easy to fall in love with, but also had great development with the plot and their magical system.

🔥 Book Review 🔥

A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson
🔥
If you love Greek mythology and want a fantasy retelling with a strong heroine who will do anything to save her kingdom, you’d love this one. Lia is a princess of Locria and she’s been secretly training and sword fighting in order to survive being a tribute to the neighboring enemy kingdom of Ilion. Every year, two women from Locria must compete in Ilion in a deadly race to reach the goddess’s temple. They are dropped off at the docks and the men of the city hunt them through a maze and they are killed if they’re caught. The book follows Lia through her flight through the maze and what comes after. It’s packed with action, danger, magic, prophecy, revenge, betrayal, secrets, and forbidden romance. A large portion of the book is spent in worldbuilding, character development, and setting things up for the next book, so by the end of the book, I was completely invested in Lia’s story and I need to know what happens next! I’m intrigued by this series and can’t wait to see where it takes me.
🔥
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️
🔥
Read if you like:
▫️Greek mythology
▫️deadly gauntlet
▫️gods, goddesses, and magic
▫️enemies to lovers
▫️found family
🔥
Thank you to Sariah Wilson for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺! 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 & 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Definitely a roller coaster of a romance! I was enthralled by the ever-shifting sentiments between the MCs — it’s dynamic up until the 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐞 at the end. And I must say, Sariah excels at making make-out sessions steamy! But I especially loved the 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 (𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐋𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬!) which kept the tension & emotions building between the MCs in such a creative way!

The 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤-𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 backdrop & the documented Ancient Greek history the author pulls from for the “𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐞” lent color to the plot. I enjoyed that vibe!

I had a hard time connecting with the characters unfortunately. While the FMC, Lia, is young & out of her element, she is too naive & impetuous to authentically pull off the things she does in this story. She seems to succeed mostly because of conveniences & easy-outs written in. Lia basically wings it & often gets lucky or gets helped. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 “𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦” 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦. The only characters I enjoyed were the MMC & Lia’s mentor Demaratus. The other characters simply didn’t make a significant impression on me.

My biggest frustration with this book is 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵. However, they don’t affect that this is a good start to a potentially great series overall. The romance aspect & the cliffhanger have me invested, and I do plan to read book two!

Honestly I looooved the concept of her leaving for her lover and there’s dragons, heavy romance plot points, the fmc is so likable and relatable, the sailor is hot and the villain feels like an actual villain. And that cliffhanger omg!

This book was not for me. I never understood why this trail was even a thing. The magic system wasn't explained well why the goddess was even mad and forcing them to be in this trail. Lia pays for her name to get picked which sounds like a death sentence even though she has had all this supposedly training. Her sisters name is picked too. Instead of them doing anything about it they just go ahead and enter the trial and her sister dies. We then are brought to this temple and everyone there is rude or confusing. I have no clue why they went through all that to be there. It makes no sense. And Lia has no solid plan. There's too many things this book wants to be. It wants to be a trail book, a magic fantasy book, and romance somewhere? Didn't get far enough for the romance but man it seems like all the women in these books with the arranged marriages have horrible future husbands. I don't see how anyone could be a good love interest or how we get to that point with her stuck in this sisterhood. Overall a lovely cover but not so great writing. This book needs to figure out what story it wants to be and stick to one thing.

Greek mythology inspired fantasy ? A curse? A deadly hunt? Sign me up!!!

The author managed to grab my attention since the beginning with her beautiful writing and the interesting plot.
Lia is the princess of Locris, cursed by the Goddess for generations for a mistake one of her ancestors did. Every year, her nation is forced to sacrifice two maidens to Ilion, and they are hunted and killed unless they can make it to the temple of the Goddess…
This book has beautiful friendships and strong sibling bonds , two main characters that can’t keep their hands of each other, hidden identities, fated mates and interesting revelations.
I loved the characters even if Lia clearly can’t think straight whenever she’s in front Jason. 😅

Definitely One of my favorite reads of this year!

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for this ARC!!

“..𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓.”
“𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓.”

First off... THAT CLIFFHANGER?!? WHYYY? 😩 i'm saying this right at the top of my ereview so you’re AWARE of what awaits you, okay? AGH.

Anywayyyy, I absolutely loved this book! It’s got that perfect romantasy vibe for beginners: a straight to the point plot, a flirty MMC, a warrior FMC, and easy-to-follow world building.

The story follows Lia, who lives in Locris, where every year two maidens are taken as tributes to the Goddess and must race to her temple to atone for a mistake the Locrians made over a thousand years ago. Lia’s determined to save Locris, and the only way to do it? Survive the race and find an item hidden in the temple. Easy, right? NOT.

I thought the race would be the book’s peak, but wow, so many unexpected twists kept me on the alert while reading. Lia’s character development is amazing! You see her break, get back up, and fight on so many freaking times AGH what a fearless woman! 💪

And then there’s Jason our love interest and let’s just say the temple (where men are not allowed) does not keep him from getting close to Lia… wink wink. 🔥😉

Another aspect I LOVED? The delicious forbidden vibes! Once you hit a certain point, temptation is EVERYWHERE, and you’re gonna eat it up.

things I liked ˋ°•*⁀➷
- the sisterhood of the priestesses
- the tension between the main characters
- the cliffhanger at the end AGH
- a small plot twist that had me gasping

tropes
🗡️witty banter
🗡️forbidden romance
🗡️strangers to lovers

Thank you Sariah Wilson for giving me an eARC in exchange for my honest review

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚ ok im done with contemporary for a while... so... HI FANTASY!

I loved this story and how much the focus was on female empowerment, determination and found family. Plus, I’m not sure I’ve laughed so hard during a book before, especially the geese guarding the library!?

The character development was great, and the spice/tension kept things interesting and had me invested. Bonus points for the mythology aspect too, it’s super easy to overdo that sub genre, but Sariah did a beautiful job weaving a story that kept your attention, and kept you on your toes for the majority of the book.

I feel like this book flowed smoothly and the world building and character development worked beautifully together!

This book had a very interesting plot, and I enjoyed the writing. However, it didn’t keep me as invested as I’d hoped. Still, I think a lot of fantasy readers would really enjoy the story.

This book was jaw dropping, page turning, and a whirlwind that now has me begging for the next book! I loved Lia's strength throughout the trails she was constantly undergoing. The love for her country, family, and friends was at the forefront of her personality. The world building was executed perfectly, dropping you into a world that draws you and as a reader, you never want to leave. I pined for the slow burn romance that was brewing as the tension dripped off the pages. The ending left me shocked, coming in the middle of all the action, I could not believe the book was already over. I really just need book two now!

Thank you to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very very big thank you netgalley for giving me an arc of this absolutely wonderful book!!

Whew!!!!! What a book! I must admit I listened more than read and even with the computer voice I still enjoyed A Tribute Of Fire immensely. Lia and Jason is top tier. The chemistry and angst (I thought the poor girl was going to combust), left me grinning like an idiot and stomping my feet. Not to mention the banter and witty retorts. Lia is a complete bad a$$. Strong, determined and ready to sacrifice everything for those she loves, as she loves by the mantra, “One for the many”. Don’t get me started on Jason… he’s just ugh.. my Lord!!

Epic, awesome, fun, unputdownable are just a few words I would use to describe ATOF.

I love Greek mythology and although this was a loosely based on it, I had to take the leap and sign up for this ARC and it did not disappoint. This book takes you on a journey of trials and challenges alongside the female main character, Lia, as she is destined to save her dying country. The beginning of the book is a bit slow, but it is definitely worth sticking in and pushing through to get to the exciting action and heated romance. Similar to other Fantasy books, there are several characters that are introduced. However, it was still easy to follow along the main story line. The romance between Jason and Lia is entertaining with their witty remarks and banter that keep things fun and I love how well they connect together. I highly recommend this book to any romantasy lovers!