What do you think?
Rate this book
Trial of Gods
Princess Ayla of Galina was born with the gift of light — a power that could have kept her crown if she’d known how to use it. But when her parents are mysteriously murdered and she is framed for the crime, her uncle seizes the throne. Exiled to the dark and mysterious kingdom of Malefic, Ayla seeks the aid of its cruel king to reclaim her throne. But the price of his help is steep — her hand in marriage. As Ayla trains to master her unique gift, she must navigate a dangerous world of magic, betrayal, and secrets that threaten to consume her. A tale of betrayal, sacrifice and longing desire.
406 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 14, 2025
164 people are currently reading
1362 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 21, 2025
The plot was interesting, and I did stick around to see what would happen. But the writing seemed one dimensional, there was a lack of emersion that could have helped to flesh out the story and characters further. The depth needed to help you really see and feel from the character's perspective was missing in most of the book. One of the MMC's describes how he went from never wanting love to suddenly being infatuated with FMC, "But somewhere along the way it became more." That's it, there was no lead up, no angst, no emotional revelations to get to this point, it just suddenly is given to the reader just like that as to how the MMC's attitude changes. FMC, you never get a true sense of her character. Is she a strategist? Is she cunning? Does she love deeply? She never receives any MC defining moments. Trials for her and the other characters are short lived and almost insignificant.
October 1, 2025
I had high hopes for this book since I follow the author on TikTok. I am not dissatisfied or disappointed though. I’m very excited for the next book but I do think this one should maybe be rewritten? It’s the author’s first book which you can tell and my issue with it is I NEED MORE. I wish we got more descriptions on the setting on this grey world vs the colorful one. I wish we had longer scenes showing her love with Xavian but how she welcomes Emrys as well. A lot of information in a short amount of time just kind of felt scene after scene without placing the setting fully. The War scene was very confusing as well felt like whiplash. I will be reading the second book and I am excited as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2025
Disappointment is an understatement. There was no depth of the characters, the fmc seemed plain and more robotic than anything else… Throughout the story I somehow felt like the whole book had been written by an extremely bad KI. The plot was interesting at first, then it got boring. The love trope was poorly written and way too fast, there was love before any character development which makes straight up no sense. Sadly, not only the FMC but also the MMC/S badly disappointed… these days every romantasy sounds the same, it is truly getting boring
December 20, 2025
3.5 it was okay and why’d they keep hurting my bit xavian
October 21, 2025
Can't wait to read the next one! For a debut it was really good
November 6, 2025
Tried so hard to get into it because booktok. It’s quite disappointing:( The videos/edits the author posted was fire, but this book has no depth. Lack of description to things so it’s hard to picture settings, lack of transitions to settings. Hard to fully get a movie going in the head when you don’t have much to go on. Just felt a bit confused.
I feel like this would be so much better if there was more background to certain things. Just A LOT of details missing.
The dialogue is fire though, the magic/devils,gods etc love that part
Just wish it was written a little better because it would be hard to put down.
I’m only 63% done on kindle but I’m not going to finish.
I feel like this would be so much better if there was more background to certain things. Just A LOT of details missing.
The dialogue is fire though, the magic/devils,gods etc love that part
Just wish it was written a little better because it would be hard to put down.
I’m only 63% done on kindle but I’m not going to finish.
September 23, 2025
I don’t usually write reviews, but wow—this book surprised me in the best way. I was first intrigued by the author’s TikTok art for this book, and I’m so glad I picked it up. It has the little quirkssss you sometimes find in a debut so keep that in mind, but I’m still impressed by how much this indie author has accomplished on their own and I’m excited to see their journey!
Can we PLEASE discuss the fact that we were just handed not one but TWO morally gray brunette men who control shadows?? My dark little heart is thriving. There’s a clear winner between them, but honestly…I can’t even hate Emrys (probably says something deeply concerning about my taste in fictional men, I’m well aware).
My sweet, tortured Xavian. Nothing gets me like a man whose entire brand is “I will ruin myself just to be worthy of you.” My man is out here saying:
“I’d endure every form of torture in the world if it meant I could call you mine.” I AM SAT. Where do you find men like this in real life? Oh wait, they don’t exist so my standards are going to continue to be unimaginably unrealistic. Cool.
“I’d do anything for you, including laying down my life if it meant getting you what you desired.” SAY NO MORE.
“I’ve been yours since the moment we met. You own me, princess. The darkest corners of my soul, my body, my mind—this wretched heart I didn’t even know could feel anything like this. And I don’t care how ruined I am. I’ll try. I’ll try to be what you need and what you want. I will never stop trying for you.”
The groveling. THE SACRIFICE. The sheer commitment to bad decisions in the name of love. Which devil did he sign a deal with? What exactly happens in The Pit? WHO CARES. Hand him over. I’ll take him, royal blood or not.
And that ending? No. Absolutely not. I need book two immediately. I’m clearly unwell. GET MY MAN XAVIAN OUT OF THE DAMN DUNGEON. He’s been tortured enough 😭 I also need to learn more about Ayla’s background!!!
Can we PLEASE discuss the fact that we were just handed not one but TWO morally gray brunette men who control shadows?? My dark little heart is thriving. There’s a clear winner between them, but honestly…I can’t even hate Emrys (probably says something deeply concerning about my taste in fictional men, I’m well aware).
My sweet, tortured Xavian. Nothing gets me like a man whose entire brand is “I will ruin myself just to be worthy of you.” My man is out here saying:
“I’d endure every form of torture in the world if it meant I could call you mine.” I AM SAT. Where do you find men like this in real life? Oh wait, they don’t exist so my standards are going to continue to be unimaginably unrealistic. Cool.
“I’d do anything for you, including laying down my life if it meant getting you what you desired.” SAY NO MORE.
“I’ve been yours since the moment we met. You own me, princess. The darkest corners of my soul, my body, my mind—this wretched heart I didn’t even know could feel anything like this. And I don’t care how ruined I am. I’ll try. I’ll try to be what you need and what you want. I will never stop trying for you.”
The groveling. THE SACRIFICE. The sheer commitment to bad decisions in the name of love. Which devil did he sign a deal with? What exactly happens in The Pit? WHO CARES. Hand him over. I’ll take him, royal blood or not.
And that ending? No. Absolutely not. I need book two immediately. I’m clearly unwell. GET MY MAN XAVIAN OUT OF THE DAMN DUNGEON. He’s been tortured enough 😭 I also need to learn more about Ayla’s background!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2025
I love this book so much!! In my opinion it was a very decent flowing pace. Some books are so slow in the beginning and that makes people dnf.
The yearning I have already to go back and read again 😣
If you’re reading this and you haven’t read this book…. GO READ IT!!!
The yearning I have already to go back and read again 😣
If you’re reading this and you haven’t read this book…. GO READ IT!!!
December 22, 2025
(4.5 stars not 5)
It took me about two weeks to get through this book...I’m a college student in the middle of finals and I’m also a slow reader (don’t judge 😭). That being said, I actually really liked the book.
1st of all I’m a Xavian girly through and through so maybe I'm being bias when I say I felt like Emrys genuinely started to care for her toward the end of the book but it seemed like he was still wayyyyy too focused on wanting to own her almost like a trophy because of her magic and how good she'd look beside him? That part rubbed me the wrong way. The 18+ scenes with Emrys were 10/10 however so I have to give the author that.
I also would’ve loved to learn more about Galina but still the world building kept me interested. I’m a big fan of dark fantasy, so the mature and darker themes were right up my alley.
Now, about the writing itself. The author is only 19 and doesn’t seem to have any formal writing degrees (at least from what I could find) but I still didn't mind the writing. This luckily wasn't one of those high fantasy books where you constantly have to flip back pages to understand what’s even happening. I only don't mind that if it's lord of the rings. The pacing does feel a little uneven at times though. Some parts move really fast while others move a bit slower. But I’d love to see that become a bit more consistent in the next book along with the personalities of some of the characters/ the way some scenes go. I have a pretty big imagination, so I was able to fill in those gaps myself. Still, just some constructive thoughts for book two.
I WILL be picking up the next book. Very very excited to see more world building, new characters, and more growth. And…even more Xavian screen time in book two? Please? 😛
It took me about two weeks to get through this book...I’m a college student in the middle of finals and I’m also a slow reader (don’t judge 😭). That being said, I actually really liked the book.
1st of all I’m a Xavian girly through and through so maybe I'm being bias when I say I felt like Emrys genuinely started to care for her toward the end of the book but it seemed like he was still wayyyyy too focused on wanting to own her almost like a trophy because of her magic and how good she'd look beside him? That part rubbed me the wrong way. The 18+ scenes with Emrys were 10/10 however so I have to give the author that.
I also would’ve loved to learn more about Galina but still the world building kept me interested. I’m a big fan of dark fantasy, so the mature and darker themes were right up my alley.
Now, about the writing itself. The author is only 19 and doesn’t seem to have any formal writing degrees (at least from what I could find) but I still didn't mind the writing. This luckily wasn't one of those high fantasy books where you constantly have to flip back pages to understand what’s even happening. I only don't mind that if it's lord of the rings. The pacing does feel a little uneven at times though. Some parts move really fast while others move a bit slower. But I’d love to see that become a bit more consistent in the next book along with the personalities of some of the characters/ the way some scenes go. I have a pretty big imagination, so I was able to fill in those gaps myself. Still, just some constructive thoughts for book two.
I WILL be picking up the next book. Very very excited to see more world building, new characters, and more growth. And…even more Xavian screen time in book two? Please? 😛
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2025
⭐️ 1 star
I really wanted to love this book, but from the very first chapters it was obvious that the writing feels heavily AI-written or AI-refined. The language is flat, generic, and never once pulled me into the story.
Which is honestly a shame, because the idea itself has a lot of potential. In books like Throne of Glass or Harry Potter, the world feels alive. You can picture the creatures, feel the magic, and actually believe you’re there. Here, that never happens. Instead, a lot of pages feel like filler added to reach a word count rather than meaningful world-building.
The story reads like a rough draft rather than a finished book. The characters are inconsistent, the chemistry feels random, and the romance has no buildup at all. One character is against love and then suddenly in love with no real development in between. It’s rushed, unconvincing, and lazy.
What really drops this to one star is the writing style and lack of originality. There are way too many dashes, the prose feels overly processed, and several lines and ideas feel far too close to other popular books to ignore.
I pushed to around 40% before DNFing.
That one star is purely for the ideas. The rest didn’t work for me at all and needs a lot more editing, rewriting, and development. I hope the author keeps writing, because the ideas are there, but this was not ready to be published.
I really wanted to love this book, but from the very first chapters it was obvious that the writing feels heavily AI-written or AI-refined. The language is flat, generic, and never once pulled me into the story.
Which is honestly a shame, because the idea itself has a lot of potential. In books like Throne of Glass or Harry Potter, the world feels alive. You can picture the creatures, feel the magic, and actually believe you’re there. Here, that never happens. Instead, a lot of pages feel like filler added to reach a word count rather than meaningful world-building.
The story reads like a rough draft rather than a finished book. The characters are inconsistent, the chemistry feels random, and the romance has no buildup at all. One character is against love and then suddenly in love with no real development in between. It’s rushed, unconvincing, and lazy.
What really drops this to one star is the writing style and lack of originality. There are way too many dashes, the prose feels overly processed, and several lines and ideas feel far too close to other popular books to ignore.
I pushed to around 40% before DNFing.
That one star is purely for the ideas. The rest didn’t work for me at all and needs a lot more editing, rewriting, and development. I hope the author keeps writing, because the ideas are there, but this was not ready to be published.
November 5, 2025
this was a great debut novel! fantasy is such a tough genre to tackle, and for the author to pull it off on their first published book is quite the feat. the story had all the elements of a great fantasy—dragons, magic, morally grey MMCs—but i did feel that the plot’s development was sometimes lacking. at times, major plot points seemed to be stated outright rather than developed. for example, Leander’s betrayal caught me off guard. i initially thought his attempt to kill Ayla was due to him slowly going insane, not because he had been plotting against her all along. the reveal felt a little sudden, especially because everything before pointed to Leander just going crazy. also, we never got closure on the whole bell jingle mystery... still, for a debut novel, this was really impressive. i was hooked from the start and constantly wanted to keep reading. I’m excited to see what else this author has in store!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2025
I went into this knowing it was the author’s debut and honestly I loved it. You can really feel the heart the author put into it. The characters were easy to get attached to lol. I keep catching myself thinking about them
Yeah there are a few spots in the story that were not perfectly polished, but nothing that messed up the experience for me at all. It actually made me more excited to see how the author grows from here. I love getting to follow someone at the start of their writing journey and I can already tell their future books are going to be even better.
If you like romantasy and supporting indie authors, I really recommend picking this up.
Yeah there are a few spots in the story that were not perfectly polished, but nothing that messed up the experience for me at all. It actually made me more excited to see how the author grows from here. I love getting to follow someone at the start of their writing journey and I can already tell their future books are going to be even better.
If you like romantasy and supporting indie authors, I really recommend picking this up.
December 10, 2025
4.5 stars! Sooo I finished this book in less than 3 days. Im obsessed with this story the only thing I would say is that at some points it was fast paced but I hope to see more in the next book that will expand on what is already there.
Would 100% say I’m on team Xavian right now but I’m just a sucker for knights x princesses so that might have something to do with it...and they were childhood lovers??! In my opinion Emrys is putting her through tooooo much out of his jealously that her attention is on mainly Xavian.
I have seen that this author is young so I’m waiting to see what else they’ll write later on. whether it's in this book's world or in other books/ different series
Would 100% say I’m on team Xavian right now but I’m just a sucker for knights x princesses so that might have something to do with it...and they were childhood lovers??! In my opinion Emrys is putting her through tooooo much out of his jealously that her attention is on mainly Xavian.
I have seen that this author is young so I’m waiting to see what else they’ll write later on. whether it's in this book's world or in other books/ different series
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2025
for a self published debut and the author being so young, this book really surprised me. the tension is sooo good. i’m obsessed with the world and you can tell the author poured a lot of heart into it.
there are a few small flaws here and there, but once you immerse yourself in the story’s you honestly stop noticing them. i already can’t wait to see what the author does in the next book
there are a few small flaws here and there, but once you immerse yourself in the story’s you honestly stop noticing them. i already can’t wait to see what the author does in the next book
November 5, 2025
3.6 I really wanted to LOVE this but it fell a little flat. I think the concept is great and I really like the characters, but they were a little surface level for me. Along with the romance and the world building, but I’m excited to see what else this author puts out.
December 23, 2025
I still trust TikTok with my book recommendations Kept stealing this book from my sister until she finally bought me my own copy as an early christmas present!!!!!!!!!!! love love love this book so much
September 22, 2025
AMAZING, this book completely took me out of my slump, the magic in it is phenomenal! I picked it up thinking it was a completed series but now im just on the edge of my seat waiting for more !
Read
November 14, 2025dnf @ 51%
November 23, 2025
I loved this book, I could not put it down! I am so excited for the second book!!!🖤
December 4, 2025
I really enjoyed this book can’t wait for the next one hopefully it comes out soon!
December 14, 2025
It had potential. The main character Ayla is so insufferable she ruined the book for me.
December 21, 2025
Don’t mind me…….patiently(not actually) waiting for book 2. 🙂↔️
December 22, 2025
I got this book while Im stationed and will probably end up taking it with me on deployment soon. It helped pass the time. I’m not to hard to please when it comes to what I read
December 24, 2025
You like reading about obsessed and moody shadow daddies? Want two of them? Get this book 📖
December 25, 2025
Hope the author adds more of Emrys in book 2. I desperately need that man + Kobael
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2025
Ending felt like a lot, yet really quick.. Love obedient men though so I will be back for the next book ☝🏼
October 21, 2025
Wow really enjoyed this piece
October 16, 2025
Veryy Intriguing
Really enjoyed the plot and I feel like there is so much potential no matter the direction the storyline goes. New characters coming into the picture makes me excited… I need book #2 already.
Really enjoyed the plot and I feel like there is so much potential no matter the direction the storyline goes. New characters coming into the picture makes me excited… I need book #2 already.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews