Is “A Tribute of Fire” a must-read for romantasy fans?
If you’re a fan of romantasy books, don’t miss my book review for A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson to see what I think of this fantasy romance about a strong, young heroine out to save her world.
Lia is the princess of Locris, a dying desert nation cursed centuries ago by an earth goddess—one still worshipped by the thriving and adversarial nation of Ilion. Every year, Ilion offers the goddess a sacrifice: two Locrian maidens forced to compete in a life-and-death race to reach her temple. In a millennium, no maiden has made it out of Ilion alive. This year, Lia is one of the hunted.
An education in battle gives her a fighting chance, but the challenges are greater than she feared: Lia’s beloved but untrained sister Quynh has been put in the path of danger. The winding streets of Ilion itself have been transformed into a labyrinthine maze of countless choices and dead ends.
And if the risks weren’t significant enough, Lia is reluctantly drawn to the commandingly attractive Jason, an Ilionian sailor she loathes to trust and desires like no man before.
The tribute game is on. It’s up to Lia to lift the goddess’s curse, restore Locris to its former glory, and change the fate of every young woman destined to follow in her path.
I love how romantasy is becoming the latest craze in the romance book world, and that Sariah Wilson is dipping her feet into it with a really fun, suspenseful story that will have you hooked from the first moment you meet Lia. “A Tribute of Fire” follows the tried and true formula for romantasy books that just works. You get a strong female heroine whose apparent only usefulness is an arranged marriage. However, before that marriage can come to be, she sacrifices herself for the good of her dying country by ensuring her name is chosen for the annual sacrifice that risks two maidens in a life or death race that has never been won in a millennium.
And you don’t have to wait long in the story to see Lia take this risk and hope that she can survive the labyrinth race to the Goddess’ temple—only the story doesn’t end there.
From this point the story does slow a bit with world building and the introduction of other characters at the temple, but what really keeps you glued to the pages is the appearance and reappearances of Jason – a sailor she met on her way to the maze who she has instant chemistry with and then some. I loved the back and forth between these two and only wanted more. You know that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Jason who shows up at the most interesting of times for Lia but you don’t really understand what he’s all about until the very end of the story with a jaw dropping revelation. Plus, you know that more is brewing for Lia as well. She also forms sisterly bonds with a few other young women whom I hope we will see more of as well.
This is definitely a must-read for romantasy fans that will keep you glued to the page and eagerly awaiting book two which drops next year. This was one of my most anticipated, new romantasy books of late 2024 and it did not disappoint.
What are your thoughts on “A Tribute of Fire”?
Do you think Sariah Wilson’s novel will become a must-read for fans of the genre?
*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.