Title: Rule of the Aurora King (artefacts of Ouranos #2)
Author: Nisha J. Tuli
Genre: Romantasy, Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Forever Publishing
Publication Date: August 15, 2023
Format: Kindle Unlimited
Length:  514 pages

Read if you like: The Bachelor but fantasy, competitions to survive, forbidden magic, fiery FMC, The Hunger Games style society, fae court politics, heavy spice

Rating: 

Thus far, I have loved everything that I’ve read by Nisha J Tuli. I originally came to her through her Nightfire Quartet series, though I know many have come to love her through the Artefacts of Ouranos. I’m still catching up on that series, which includes Rule of the Aurora King.

When I read Trial of the Sun Queen, which is the first book in this series, I thought the combination of a Hunger Games-style competition with The Bachelor premise to be a ridiculously entertaining combination. I felt like the book had set up a really promising setting and cast of characters for future growth, and Rule of the Aurora King really delivers on that promise. 

By the time I got to the end of this book, I was rapidly flipping pages and keen to learn where things would end up going, which is an addictive quality I’m always chasing in a book. This has been such a thoroughly entertaining fantasy and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. 

The Book Synopsis: Rule of the Aurora King by Nisha J. Tuli

“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 she can trust him. All she knows is she won’t fall for another royal fae’s promises again.

With the Sun King determined to reclaim her, Lor must keep on the move, but nowhere is safe. Not until she destroys him and the Aurora King. But she soon learns that the future of Ouranos depends on much more than avenging her shattered legacy.

The Review

Wow what an addition to this series! I felt like book one had held a lot of promise, and this instalment takes that promise and runs with it.

First off, I enjoyed getting to see Lor and Nadir develop as characters. Lor was a bit naive in book one and while the harder, more stubborn aspects of her personality remain in this book, other aspects of her nature are better drawn out and she becomes more multifaceted. The same can be said of Nadir, who initially feels like rage incarnate but evolves into something more interesting as this story goes on. I still found Lor had a long way to go but given that there are multiple more books in this series I assume she makes the trip at some point (or doesn’t, I suppose we’ll see!).

The world-building and plot development were also well executed in this book. I felt like I had a better grasp of both the setting and the stakes, which in turn had me super invested in where things were headed. I particularly liked the introduction of Serce’s perspective and how it was slowly sprinkled throughout the book. Her story unlocked more and more of the major mystery as time went on and I felt like it perfectly intertwined with Lor and Nadir’s progress. She was also a fascinating character, I was still trying to decide whether or not I liked her when everything began to implode spectacularly, and honestly, I still haven’t decided yet. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t also note that I absolutely love the universe this story is set in and the scope of magic included. Utilizing the Aurora is a fun twist on elemental magic, and I have really enjoyed seeing the various ways that magic manifests in people from different realms. Each book has focused on a different area, which I think leaves some very cool potential for future books to explore. 

The smut was a little gratuitous for me at parts but that’s just personal preference, and given that this is a romantasy, it was definitely to be expected. 

I liked the first book in this series, but I loved this one. I’ll definitely be continuing on to the next book soon.