Title: The Heart TrialsAuthor: J. Elle
Pages: 400
Publication Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Synopsis:
In a world where love is forbidden, one girl must fight for her heart and freedom through deadly trials in the first book of a new dystopian romantasy duology from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J. Elle.
Welcome to The Heart Trials.
The prize is love.
The cost is everything.
In Ethyria the highborn may love; the lowborn may only feel what the Benevolent allows.
Saltblood lowborn Axira Merreri survives the decaying districts by keeping her heart locked tight, couriering goods by day — and smuggling the ruler’s euphoric Heartfillers to the highborn by night. Until a drop goes wrong and her execution looms.
When she strikes a dangerous bargain to steal something from the Tournament of Hearts, a ruthless dating competition for highborn citizenship, she enters. Not for love. For freedom. But as the twisted allure of the competition turns deadly, an unexpected connection cracks her defenses, forcing her to confront a truth she In a regime built on engineered happiness, the most dangerous weapon she has is her heart.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J. Elle delivers a breathless series opener that is bold, bone-chilling, and wholly original. For fans of the cutthroat competition of The Hunger Games, Love Island, and Powerless, this dystopian romantasy explores what happens when the heart becomes the empire’s sharpest blade.
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The Heart Trials was not quite what I expected going in, but I really enjoyed it. I went in expecting something a little more fun and competition-focused, but this was much darker and more brutal than I anticipated. It definitely has Hunger Games vibes, but with the added twist of a Love Island-style competition where finding love comes with some very high stakes. The trials themselves were one of my favorite parts of the book. They were brutal, vicious, and heartbreaking, and emotionally cruel, and I never really knew what was going to happen next or who would survive. There were several moments that completely caught me off guard, and I actually cried more than once over some of the things that happened.
I really loved Axira’s story. She was smart, resourceful, stubborn, and incredibly determined, and I liked the way she handled everything that was thrown at her. As an orphaned smuggler, she has been through so much, but she never stops fighting. Her love for the people around her and her determination to protect them gave her a lot of depth, and I found myself really invested in her journey. I also really liked the found family aspect of the story and how much it motivated Axira. Considering love and emotions are forbidden, Axira has an abundance of both.
The romance was good, too, although there are some love triangle vibes going on, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that. I definitely want to know about both men, as they both seem to be holding back. The main romance in the book has so much potential, so I’m hoping we get more of their relationship in the next book.
The world was another part of the story that really intrigued me. The idea of a society where the ruling class controls who is allowed to love and what emotions everyone else is permitted to feel was interesting, and I wanted to know more about how this world came to be and how some of its rules actually worked. There were a few things, particularly the forbidden nature of love and touching, that didn’t always make complete sense to me, and I felt like the worldbuilding could have gone a little deeper in some areas. I also think some of the different places we see throughout the trials could have been explored more, and hopefully they will be in the next book.
Overall, I liked The Heart Trials. It was darker and more emotional than I expected, and the trials kept me totally invested in the story. And I really liked the twists in the last 20% of the book. Whew! There were a couple of things that I didn’t expect at all, and it definitely left me wanting to know where this story is going.
- forbidden love
- forced proximity
- deadly trials/competition
There is comfort in sitting with the truth and not saying anything and letting it fill the air. Like we’re holding the space for it together.
“I know this island like I know the beauty mark on your face and the one on your neck. I study the things that matter.
J. ELLE is the New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle-grade fantasy fiction and a 2022 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth and Teens. Her work has been translated into three languages. The former educator credits her nomadic lifestyle and humble inner-city beginnings as inspiration for her novels. When she’s not writing, Elle can be found on the hunt for new desserts sans Chocolat, looking for literally any excuse to get dressed up, and road-tripping her way across the country with her two dogs in tow.
