The Mortal Trials by Megan Shunmugam Review| A Dark & Scary Fantasy Which Will Keep You Turning the Page
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Quick Book Details
Title:The Mortal Trials
Author: Megan Shunmugam
Series:The Isle of Wrath #1
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date: 14 July 2026
Pages: 304
Genre: Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Dark Fantasy
Synopsis of Book
Every decade, the Elven cross into the mortal world and take thirteen humans back to their kingdom to compete in the Mortal Trials. Survive, and you win immortality, but winners are extremely rare.
Lirah, a servant girl in a governor's house, is swept up as a competitor through a case of mistaken identity and suddenly finds herself fighting for her life in a world she knows nothing about. Standing in her way, and somehow also in her corner, is Killian, the elf hosting the trials and one of the people responsible for bringing her there in the first place.
Who I'd Recommend This Book To:
Fans of fast paced romantasy with deadly trials.
Readers who love slow burn, enemies to lovers tension.
Anyone who wants found family at the core of their fantasy.
Review
This is not a slow burner. The action starts almost immediately! The romance however, is a different story. It's a proper slow burn, enemies to lovers, forced proximity tale that takes its sweet time to get going. Which for me, is great!
Lirah is sharp, witty, sarcastic and knows how to hold her own. She's also fooling no one but herself about how she feels about Killian, which led to some genuinely funny moments.
Killian is the perfect ying to her yang. He's in control of his emotions, keep things to himself however, he clearly cares more than he'd admit, which makes the moments he drops his guard pretty satisfying to read.
The world building had enough detail to make the setting feel established, but I never felt buried under the lore. The stories primary focus stays on the characters and the trials themselves rather than getting lost in any subplot or filler. Which is always a major pet peeve of mine.
As with many a romantasy, there is a twist to reveal, which I guessed part of before it happened however, it didn't affect my enjoyment one bit!
This was an excellent short to mid read that was very entertaining. I was completely hooked from start to finish!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You can but this book on Amazon (Affiliate Link): Paperback - https://amzn.to/4v1PHNy
