Lia is the princess of a desert nation cursed centuries ago by the earth goddess. Nothing grows on her land of Locris, and her people rely on imported goods to survive. The adversarial nation, Ilion, still worships the goddess. As part of their ritual and the goddess’s curse, two maidens from Locris must compete in a life-or-death race to reach the temple. No woman has survived. And this year, Lia is one of the chosen. She is not entirely unprepared, however. She believes that the key to freeing her land from the curse lies in Ilion. So she has trained for the task at hand. What she didn’t plan for was her beloved sister Quynh to be the other maiden. Nor for a handsome and alluring Ilonian sailor, Jason, to distract her along the way. Now Lia must somehow survive the race, ensure her sister’s survival, and find the mysterious item that can return her land to its former glory. A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson is a high-stakes fantasy novel in which Lia must overcome her enemies, escape death, and learn the truth about how to save her people.
Book
Being from a royal family, Lia is more educated than other women of her nation. She can read, and she has resources to train with her royal guard. In fact, the book opens up with Lia running through a maze as part of her training. And while A Tribute of Fire would have readers believe that the maze was the main focus, it’s actually only the beginning. Lia does in fact make it to the temple, but then the real quest begins. She must say her vows to serve the goddess, fulfill her duties in the temple, and receive lessons from the priestesses in charge. All the while hiding her true identity as the princess of Locris. But the more she learns about the temple’s origins and teachings, some things don’t quite add up.
And while she searches for the truth and the artifact in question, Jason tends to show up at surprisingly helpful moments. They have a connection so strong it can’t be ignored. Aside from the fact that he shamelessly flirts with Lia every chance he gets. But they each have duties to their roles – and Lia cannot afford any distractions. The future of her nation – and its women – depend on her success.
Review
Wilson successfully steps into fantasy with A Tribute of Fire. The world-building was easy to follow, based on Greek mythology with unique subplots woven in. Lia is a likable character, consistently warring with herself while growing throughout the story. The attraction between her and Jason felt believable and natural. But some of the intimate scenes lasted too long for not going anywhere past first base. I also enjoyed meeting her temple sisters and wanted Lia to trust them with her true intentions. This book loses points for redundancy and lack of momentum in the middle. But once we get to the third act, the plot twist and cliffhanger will have readers waiting for the sequel.
Sariah Wilson joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about entering the fantasy genre and what readers can expect in the next book. Keep an ear out for the interview and pick up a copy of A Tribute of Fire, available now.
