Top Ten Green Book Covers

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. This week's topic is Top Ten Green Book Covers

1. Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, # 3) by Sarah J Maas
2. Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle
3. The Gentleman's Confession (Matchmaking Mamas, # 3) by Anneka R Walker
4. A Whimsical Notion by Jennie Goutet
5. Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent
6. Rule of the Aurora King (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 2) by Nisha J Tuli
7. Sir Andrew and the Authoress (Clairvoir Castle Romances, # 3) by Sally Britton
8. Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson, # 4) by Darynda Jones
9. Fate & Furies (The Legends of Thezmarr, # 3) by Helen Scheuerer
10. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Harry Potter, # 6) by JK Rowling

Which books have you read that feature green book covers? Let me know!

Tale of the Heart Queen - Review

Tale of the Heart Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 4)

By: Nisha J Tuli

Publication: November 26, 2024 by Forever

672 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fae

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--After Lor makes the biggest mistake of her life, she finds herself on the run from the Aurora King and decides it's time to end this, once and for all. But when a new enemy emerges to claim her freedom, the entire fate of Ouranos comes to rest on her shoulders.

As the land continues to rebel, Lor must admit she is the key to saving the continent, whether she likes it or not. To fight for Nadir, she must lie, steal, and do whatever it takes to hunt down the remaining arks. Growing more and more desperate, she worries her actions are turning her into something she doesn't recognize, dooming her to repeat her grandmother's mistakes.

When the Aurora King finally comes for her, Lor ventures into the Underworld's shadowy depths, where, once again, she finds herself at the heart of another deadly test. Only this time, she’s competing for everyone's future, not just a crown.

The only thing Lor ever wanted was to be free, but she may soon find she was always destined for a cage.

I was torn on even wanting to start Tale of the Heart Queen. If you haven't read the previous books in the series, be warned that spoilers for the previous books will be involved in this review.

Lor and Nadir start this book separated. Lor thinks she's killed Nadir by accidentally striking him with her lightning power that she can't control while trying to strike his father instead. Nadir is kidnapped by Zerra and held for ransom to get Lor to steal some objects that Zerra needs from one of the other kingdoms. Lor has to go on a mission to find that object. At the same time, Zerra plans to marry Nadir herself as a replacement for Herric, who hurt her many years ago. 

Gabriel is also a narrator. He's left in the Aphelion to pick up the pieces after exposing Atlas for stealing the crown from his brother, Tyr. Tyr isn't in a place to be the king after his ordeal. Yet, he is still the reigning king. Gabriel is needed for the support of the kingdom as well as stability for Tyr. He has a romance building with Hylene, but there isn't too much time spent on that. His story was in place mostly for resolution for the Sun Kingdom, which is where a large portion of the story takes place over the series. 

I have enjoyed Nadir and Lor's story, but when things went to a higher level to include Zerra, Heric, and Lor's grandparents, I lost interest in that part of the story. I thought the series probably would have been just as enjoyable without the higher level of conflict. Had Nadir's father just been evil and attempted to steal Heart's power for himself to become a more powerful king than the others in Ouranos, I would have enjoyed that more. Zerra and Heric were particularly unnecessary in my opinion. Lor's grandparents' story could be arguably necessary because it adds to the conflict of Heart regaining its power and Lor and Nadir being Primaries over their respective territories. 

Now I need to discuss Rion, Nadir's father. I don't want to spoil anything for readers who haven't read this book yet. So highlight for spoilers: I'm all for a redemption story. But this happened way too quickly. Nadir's father has been built up as the pinnacle of evil throughout this entire series. And all of a sudden, we find out that it is really because he had his heart broken. He was in love with a woman, Rachel. But he slipped up and got another woman pregnant, Nadir's mother. He ended up marrying and bonding with Nadir's mother for his crown, despite not caring for her at all. And he proceeded to hate her over time, as well as the two children she bore him. He tortured Lor for years while she was in prison. Yet we learn he's been prodded by Herric all this time. And he basically loses it in this book. He goes from the ultimate bad to a sniveling pawn. Again, I'm all for a redemption story. No one is incapable of being redeemed. Everyone is capable of change through Jesus. Yet this happening was so jarring and out of character development that I couldn't get on board with it. I can't believe the path Nisha J Tuli chose for him. It didn't feel honest. It didn't feel authentic. It felt like a convenient plot hole filler. 

While I'm in spoiler mode: what about the innkeeper that Nadir and Lor stayed at. Is that not Rachel in truth? Rion believed her to be dead, but I wondered if she were really alive and if Herric was lying to him about her being in the Underworld. Nothing was said about it, so either this was left unaddressed on purpose, this was a hole, or I was reaching.

Another thing I want to address is a pet peeve of mine. I don't drink alcohol. It feels like I'm in the minority when it comes to like the entire world, although Google says only 32% of the world population drinks (how they know, I have no idea). But I get so frustrated in literature when drinking alcohol to forget or escape problems is used. I suppose there are times when we are discussing alcoholism where this would make the most sense to include, but it's mentioned so often in books in this way that I feel like the world has begun to believe that this is how one handles one's problems. Escaping through alcohol and/or drugs. It isn't healthy. And I'm kind of tired of seeing it in books. Is this a case of life imitating art or art imitating life? Do people drink to drown their problems because that's what's natural to them, and thus, people write about it? Or do people do it because they've seen it so much on TV and in literature that they just do it because that's what they're told is supposed to be done? Getting off my soapbox now.

Only to hop back on. I have always struggled with books that focus on diversity for diversity's sake. I suppose this can be done in a way that isn't as in-your-face, but this series checks nearly every diversity box available. If this is something that bugs you, I thought you might like to know. If you like this to be in your books, now you know. 

Tale of the Heart Queen was okay. I am glad that I finished the series. I did prefer the first two books in the series over the last two. It wasn't without problems for me. I felt like the conflict was forced in some areas and would have been better served to have been simplified a bit. Even though I love a redemption story, Rion's character path was so jarring and felt inauthentic with his journey up until this book. I still rooted for Lor and Nadir. Overall, Tale of the Heart Queen gets 3 Stars. Have you read Tale of the Heart Queen? What did you think? Let me know! 

Can't Wait for Tale of the Heart Queen

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Tale of the Heart Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 4)

By: Nisha J Tuli

Expected Publication: November 26, 2024 by Forever

672 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fae

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--After Lor makes the biggest mistake of her life, she finds herself on the run from the Aurora King and decides it's time to end this, once and for all. But when a new enemy emerges to claim her freedom, the entire fate of Ouranos comes to rest on her shoulders.

As the land continues to rebel, Lor must admit she is the key to saving the continent, whether she likes it or not. To fight for Nadir, she must lie, steal, and do whatever it takes to hunt down the remaining arks. Growing more and more desperate, she worries her actions are turning her into something she doesn't recognize, dooming her to repeat her grandmother's mistakes.

When the Aurora King finally comes for her, Lor ventures into the Underworld's shadowy depths, where, once again, she finds herself at the heart of another deadly test. Only this time, she’s competing for everyone's future, not just a crown.

The only thing Lor ever wanted was to be free, but she may soon find she was always destined for a cage.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Fate of the Sun King - Review

Fate of the Sun King (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 3)

By: Nisha J Tuli

Publication: June 4, 2024 by Forever

556 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fae

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The highly anticipated third installment of the steamy Artefacts of Ouranos series journeys deeper into the glittering fae world as Lor puts both her life and her heart on the line in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance.

With the Heart Crown now in her possession, Lor must navigate the dangers of being an heir on the run, knowing more than one power-hungry ruler is after her blood. When she returns to Aphelion to unlock her magic and recover her family's legacy, it becomes clearer than ever that all that’s gold doesn’t sparkle. No stranger to battles, she continues to fight her attraction to the Aurora Prince, understanding this might be the one she finally loses.

As the past mixes with the present, Lor uncovers the truth about the Artefacts and their role in shaping her destiny. Now, her future hangs in the balance, leaving her closer than ever to getting everything she's ever wanted... or losing it all forever.

I did it again. I finished Fate of the Sun King nearly two months before writing my review. So sorry guys. I've got to find a better system for getting in front of the computer regularly.

Anyway, Fate of the Sun King starts with tension between Lor and Nadir. They had a moment in the previous book and Lor freaked out. She's determined that she will never "belong" to another man. And Nadir has to back off his pursuit of her until she's ready. In the meantime, they're trying to find the crown of Heart and then return to the mirror of Aphelion. But the mirror is in the Aphelion throne room and Atlas is still searching for Lor. Even though the mirror rejected her as the next queen of Aphelion, he hasn't given up the idea of bonding with her and tapping into her power.

We have some additional narrators in Fate of the Sun King that we didn't have in the previous two books. We still have Lor and Nadir. But now we also have Gabriel, Cloris Payne, Zerra the Sun Queen (flashback), and King Herric (flashback). Cloris Payne's storyline ties into Lor's grandmother's storyline. And then Zerra and Herric go back to the formation of the "world" that the books are set in. Cloris's storyline makes sense in connection with what we've been exposed to previously. Zerra and Herric were confusing and left me wondering how exactly their stories were connected to the future events of the series. I'm sure we'll find out, but I didn't enjoy their pieces or storylines. I have some critiques of the storyline, but at this point, those would be spoilers, so I won't address them beyond saying that it reminds me of my previous complaints about this series.

Gabriel was the best new narrator. He shared a lot more information about what was going on in the Sun court with Atlas, and his own limitations due to the bonds placed upon him. I can't say I love everything about his storyline or character, but I'm intrigued to see more.

I mentioned in my review of Rule of the Aurora King that I was somewhat reminded of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. There was one line in this book that I thought could have been a nod to that series as well, but I might have been reading too much into things.

I also mentioned in my previous reviews that weak writing presents easy conflict or conflict resolution in this series. I found myself questioning the same when the characters show up at The Woodlands on the run but decide to participate in a big party being celebrated. How does this make any sense?

Fate of the Sun King gets 3.5 Stars from me. I do think this was a better installment in the series overall. I have a few irritations and a couple of things I'm uncertain of where they are going. But overall, I read this book quickly. I wanted to keep reading, and I enjoyed the characters' development. Overall, I am looking forward to continuing the series. Have you read Fate of the Sun King? What did you think? Let me know!

Rule of the Aurora King - Review

Rule of the Aurora King (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 2)

By: Nisha J. Tuli

Expected Publication: March 19, 2023 by NJT Author

272 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Fae

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--“ I am not his conquest. I am not his to claim. I am my own castle.” Freed from the golden clutches of the Sun King, Lor now finds herself in the hands of Nadir, the Aurora Prince. Convinced she’s hiding something, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her talk. But Lor knows the value of secrets—she’s been keeping them her entire life—and she’s not letting hers go without a fight. When Lor and Nadir team up to search for a lost item that holds the key to her past and her future, she isn’t sure if she can trust him. All she knows is she won’t fall for his promises and make the same mistakes again. Lor also hasn’t forgotten her vow to destroy the Aurora King. As Atlas hunts her across Ouranos, Lor plots to bring down the Imperial Fae who took everything. But she soon realizes that the future of the continent is about so much more than just her shattered legacy. The Rule of the Aurora King is the second book in the Artefacts of Ouranos series and combines romance, intrigue, action, and adventure. If you love enemies to lovers, fated mates, and fake dating, don’t miss this exciting next installment!

I jumped right into Rule of the Aurora King after finishing Trial of the Sun Queen. Lor rejected Atlas, the Sun King, and was thrown in the dungeon. But Nadir came to rescue her and held her prisoner himself until he could figure out what his father wanted with her. That's where we pick up. Lor refused to talk until Nadir brought her Tristan and Willow. And that's where things start.

I was almost immediately annoyed that Nadir and Gabriel's behavior toward Lor was similar. Gabriel used to call her Tribute as a means of putting her in her place, and Nadir called her Inmate. Maybe this is meant to be funny or attractive in the bad-boy sense. But I think it's the author trying to make Lor stand up for herself. 

Lor and Nadir are at a standoff. He finally gives a little by bringing Tristan and Willow to her and so she decides to trust him with some of her secrets. She is the long-lost descendant of the ruined Heart Queendom. The three siblings have been hiding their Fae bodies by appearing human. Willow only has enough magic to do that, but Tristan has a little more. Lor has a lot of magic, but it's locked deep inside her. She can no longer access it. She can still feel it, and it responds to Nadir in a way that no one else has ever triggered in her. That leads me to believe the two might be mates, but none of that is revealed in this book.

Regardless, Nadir and Lor share a common enemy: Rion, the Aurora King, Nadir's father. Nadir hates him for being a terrible ruler and most of all for the trauma and abuse he's put Nadir's mother through leaving her a shell of herself. Lor hates him because he killed her parents and had her and her siblings thrown into prison as children and everything they have suffered since has been his fault. He also abused Lor to get her to reveal her magic to him...which she did not.

But that reminds me, Lor blames Nadir and Amaya, and basically anyone and everyone else, for the trauma that she experienced being in prison for no reason. She claims that Nadir doing nothing to stop the imprisonment of people who have done nothing wrong is unforgivable. She specifically states she can never forgive him for his part. This was starting to bug the snot out of me. You don't know what you don't know. And you can't be held accountable for something you don't know. You can't even ask the right questions when you don't know there are questions to be asked. How could he have known? Perhaps if he'd chanced upon the right question? But even still. We should all do the best we can with whatever information we have and when we know better then we can do better. But no one can be held accountable for what they don't know. This was a character flaw that I was beginning to think should be attributed to the author more than to the character. 

Almost all of my highlights were frustrations or incongruencies I noticed. How can someone who has been locked in prison for twelve years and has fought over a bar of soap know how to do their own makeup? The random LGBTQ comments that weren't as common in this book, but still existed with zero plot enhancement. And what? Does the main character believe in socialism? Or should I say, does the author believe in socialism? That seems to be a common theme. How can anyone possibly be rich when they are poor people suffering? How can someone sleep in a soft bed when others don't have a bed at all? How can someone have jewels and go to parties when others are being tortured for no reason? It isn't the purpose of my book review to actually answer all of these questions, but I noted this as an annoyance. Also, she comments about Nadir needing to work through his issues by himself without offering him comfort when he needs it. Of course, we all are responsible for working out our own issues, but none of us exists in a vacuum. We can be plenty influenced (and helped...aka encouraged) by the comfort and a kind word from others whether they can empathize or not. 

One of my biggest complaints about Trial of the Sun Queen is that Lor abruptly turned on Atlas after the last challenge. She did such a 180 from where she was that it felt jarring. She went from pursuing a relationship to "I never want to see you again." And she did the same thing with Nadir in Rule of the Aurora King. So maybe this is supposed to represent a character flaw...impulsiveness? But it feels more like a writing flaw--like a quick and easy way to create conflict or even conflict resolution. More polished writing could make the necessary transitions without feeling so jerky. It's like being a passenger in a car where the driver has never driven a manual transmission before. The shifts are jerky and rough, but an experienced driver can make the transitions between gears seamlessly so the passenger might not even notice what is happening. 

I also have to note the trigger warnings. There's sexual assault and trauma--not specifically written on the page, but implied and discussed in the past tense. There's also physical abuse and trauma. Sexual content is present in the book, as well as quite a lot of language. And I already mentioned the random LGBTQ scenes that were brief but unnecessary. 

There's an additional narrator, Serce, who is Lor's grandmother. Her parts were interesting, although I can't say that I looked forward to reading any of her chapters. 

All of that being said, I plan to continue the series to find out what's going to happen next. I want to find out if Nadir and Lor are mates as I'm predicting. I have enjoyed these two books and read them both quickly. But I don't think the writing is as smooth or polished as I would like. I had some glimpses of similarity to A Court of Thorns and Roses, but nowhere near the quality of writing as Sarah J Maas. Rule of the Aurora King gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Rule of the Aurora King? What did you think? Let me know!

Trial of the Sun Queen - Review

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

By: Nisha J. Tuli

Publication: November 15, 2022

400 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Fae

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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.

Trial of the Sun Queen has a slow start. Lor and her two siblings have been prisoners since they were children. Lor is the youngest sibling; she was twelve when imprisoned. Tristan, the oldest, and Lor, the youngest, have endured the most. Lor most of all. They are keeping their family bonds a secret. And Lor has done just about everything to survive. She's thrown into a pit outside, which is a form of solitary confinement when she's taken by the Sun King's court to participate in the Trial of the Sun Queen, which will determine who will be the next queen. Atlas, the Sun King, is interested in Lor from the beginning. She's the final tribute--usually a human from the slums, instead has been pulled from the Aurora Kingdom. Atlas promises Lor if she wins he will bring her "friends" Willow and Tristan to her. If she loses, she will go straight back to prison. 

Atlas appears to be kind, and he seems to have an attraction to Lor from the beginning. Her spirit and determination interest him. She shows herself to have queenly characteristics both from the trials she's conquered and their conversations. Atlas also makes it clear that he wants her. Even with all this, I didn't feel the connection between these two like you expect from two main characters in a romantic relationship. Plus there's Nadir, prince of Aurora, who also narrates. His narration had me thinking that Atlas is not a long-lasting love interest in this series. 

So even though I rarely seek out spoilers for a book, I've learned that occasionally spoilers do help me. That being said, I decided Trial of the Sun Queen was one I wanted immediate answers to some of my questions. Of course, since only book 2 (out of 4?) is available now, I didn't get too many answers. Just enough to continue moving forward.

Trial of the Sun Queen takes a very sudden turn at the climax of the story. Lor u-turns so suddenly that it feels jarring. I take this as a sign of weak writing. She was full-speed ahead on her course until what seemed like a small thing made her derail completely. It was necessary for the overall story of the series, but I think better writing could have made this feel more natural and less out of the blue. It wasn't a plot twist. I could see it coming, but it didn't feel authentic to the character or the story. It's hard to describe, especially without spoilers.

There are trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. There's sexual assault and trauma--not specifically stated, but implied and discussed in the past tense. There's also physical abuse and trauma. Sexual content is present in the book, as well as quite a lot of language. Add in the random LGBTQ scenes that were brief and unnecessary. 

Trial of the Sun Queen reminded me a good bit of The Selection series by Kiera Cass. It wasn't exactly the same, but moments felt very similar. The girls competing to become queen, having these trials, Atlas having to spend time one-on-one with each of the girls, and the jealousy that sparks between the contestants or tributes. 

Trial of the Sun Queen kept me interested only after I sought out some spoilers. I immediately picked up book # 2, Rule of the Aurora King. I didn't buy the relationship between Atlas and Lor exactly. Their interactions always fell short of what they should have in a way that's hard to describe. Plus Nadir's narrations indicated a piece of the puzzle still to come. Lor has bitterness towards just about everyone because she suffered for no reason, and either they didn't suffer, or they didn't stop her suffering. Illogical if you ask me. Trial of the Sun Queen gets 3 Stars. Have you read Trial of the Sun Queen? What did you think? Let me know!