This was a little slower read for me, but the content was written well. I greatly enjoyed the characters and world and look forward to continuing the story.

Title: The Orchid Throne
Author: Jeffe Kennedy
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Format: ebook from Netgalley
Series: Forgotten Empires (#1)
Star Rating: 4 stars

tw: terrorism, parental death, sexual assault, blood, violence, forced labor

A special thank you goes to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

This book was another book that has been on my Netgalley shelf for far too long. It’s from my favorite publisher, St Martins Press, and I’m pretty sure they have sent me eARCs for the whole series. So needless to say, I shouldn't have neglected this book for so long. I had every intention of reading this book when I got it but I think I had a Kindle that was dying on me and I was switching to a different shift at work that wouldn’t allow me to read nearly as much as I wanted to. Oh well. The point is, I read it now. I am being a good noodle.

I really struggled with the first half of his book and I’m really not sure why. This book reminded me of Mistborn in a small way. So I should have really liked it more than I did. The two main characters, Euthalia (Lia) and Conri were the examples of opposites attract. You knew that once they met face to face it would be explosive. And it certainly was. I think the problem was that it took too long for them to meet. We had to get a long backstory about the history of what happened and for everything to fall into place for them to meet.

One of the reasons I gave this book four stars instead of three was because of the sex scene. Holy cow! Not only was it one of the hottest scenes I’ve read in a while but it was written perfectly. Lia was amazing in showing Con just how to do it and how to make her feel good. Con was always checking in, making sure she wasn't getting hurt, and asking her what felt good. It was literally perfection.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I’m not sure if it was the right time for me to read it. I do want to continue with the series. Maybe I’ll enjoy them more since I’ll get more time with Con and Lia. I might end up changing my rating or at least my feelings on the first book once I read the second one. Overall though, it wasn’t a horrible book.

I was super excited to read this book and this should have been a slam dunk kind of book for me, since it is what I enjoy to read most. Sadly, this book fell flat and from the very first chapter I had a hard time connecting with the story and the characters and this just got worse as I read on. Also, this book moved so slow that it was hard to not get bored or want to skip ahead. I ended up finally calling it quits about 30 % of the way in.

I was really excited for this book due to a couple of reasons:
1. The synopsis was really intriguing! The heroine sounded really powerful and we love a woman who can Make Moves.
2. High praise from some great authors.
3. Fantasy romances are my WEAKNESSES.

But this book failed to deliver. With a narrative that is centered on dialogue and exposition rather than action, the storyline of THE ORCHID THRONE dragged tremendously. There is a LOT of potential written in the plot, and yet the burden of dialogue and trying to establish rapport between characters makes it so that the potential is never met. At the end of the story, I felt like almost nothing was accomplished, plot-wise. The chemistry between Lia and Conrí was popping, but not enough to keep the plot going.

I was really excited to read this book based on the summary and the cover. It seemed like it would be right up my alley. Sadly, I was disappointed and kept trying to love this book, but just couldn't.

I was initially confused with the swapping POVs every chapter as they're not marked in any way to identify which Character's POV you're reading. Then I just could not connect with the story or characters. I felt like everything moved extremely slow and at times there was just too much description/facts thrown at the reader.

Euthalia is such an interesting heroine, and Calanthe is a majestic and beautiful place that I would love to spend some time in. I love the elaborate outfits, but I can't imagine having to be sewn into gowns and wigs daily.

Conri is one of my favorite types of heroes, the conquering barbarian warrior. It will be interesting to see if he can conquer Lia's heart, but he is making good strides. Conri is not invulnerable, so it will also be interesting to see if Lia can plug some his wounds as well.

Great kickoff to a new series.

I received this book from NetGalley for review.

A great start to what is sure to be a thrilling fantasy series. I enjoyed the fantasy tropes of this novel and the world building. It’s very dialogue heavy which at times can be a little slow, but it works well. Romantic Fantasy is fast becoming a favorite of mine and I am happy this one is in the adult genre as opposed to YA Fantasy. I will continue with this series.

Slow to start with lots of info dumping puts you a little into brain overload mode. I did find the information useful to the full understanding of the story and the main characters, though. Very much a slow burn romance. You’re in for a wild ride!

A romance filled with fantasy between two exiled rulers. The slow build up was positively worth it since it pulled the reader into a world they could only imagine.

This is a very, very slow going book. It takes a long time to build up. The characters are strong enough, and there is romance, yes, but the pacing is super slow. There is a ton of world building, so you will not be lost in what things look like. There are questions that aren't answered. I'm sure they are waiting for the next book in the series. There is good, and evil, and magic. So what made this book feel like a flop to me? I didn't want the sex scenes. They were not needed, they were not good, and they wrecked the story, Everything else was going for it, then that was tossed in like it had be there to make it sell. It ruined it for me.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. This review is my own. This is what I thought about this book.

I tried really hard to get into this book and it's completely possible it was just my mindset at the time. I can see myself enjoying The Orchid Throne at a later date but right now, it just wasn't for me.

The Orchid Throne is one of those books that gives me trouble when trying to write a review. I didn't dislike it, but it also isn't one of my favorites. The story was a bit slow and dragging. And while I normally love dual POV, I had a hard time really getting into this one and found it often confusing and taking me out of the flow of the story. Overall it was just an average read for me.

Loved this story! Interesting, engaging, easy to read, page turner... what will happen to Lia and Conrí?
Found a new favorite author!

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

A lovely fantasy romance from Jeffe Kennedy. The main characters are interesting and the magic is easy to see. I cannot wait to continue with this series.

This book was a great read. The world building was so well done that you felt like you were actually there. I loved the politics in this book and the battles were what kept the novel interesting. This book was a little slow paced because of all of the descriptions and the world building but it was worth it.

A painfully slow novel with a ton of info just dumped on the reader. I really struggled to get interested or involved because the characters seemed similar.

DNF
At this time, I am no longer interested in reading this title. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title and I apologize for the inconvenience.

The cover is so beautiful and the synopsis grabbed my attention but....... I just couldn't get into it. I love the author and I'm just so sad that this one was not for me.

I'm totally obsessed! I LOVE books like this! High fantasy but in a fun modern way. It's a great cross section of my favorite genres and I hope there are lots more.