Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shelby – ☆☆☆☆
I read through this book two times in hopes that I'd be able to find the right words to convey my feelings on this story. This method did not help, and I'm still at a loss. I truly enjoyed the story (both times), and as any book does, it has its highs and lows.

We are transported to a world where magic has been deemed illegal. All the royal families have been slaughtered or taken as slaves, and the "emperor" has found a means to control the world. All the old lands are controlled by Anure, with the exception of one: Calanthe.

When the slaves revolt from Anure's clutches, the story begins.

What I loved:
Sondra is my, hands down, favorite character. The ever loyal friend of the slave king, she has a sharp wit and sassy mouth, not to mention a skill with weapons.
The worldbuilding is fantastic and I felt like I was present in the scenes: I was there after the battles and subsequent victory, I envisioned the beauty of Calanthe, and the Queen, and I was able to picture Leuther in all his smarmy "elegance."

What I didn't love:
The story took an awful long time to progress. I understand that we need the buildup for the story to take root. We need to learn the backstory to cheer for the main characters, but sometimes the scenes took forever. I understood Con's position, but I didn't really understand him (until the end).
I also knew, from the beginning, how this book was going to go.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to continue the series. I need to see Oriel avenged. I need to feel the victory of slaves over the Empire. I need to see Anure suffer.


Erica – ☆☆☆
Spoiler-Free Review

The Orchid Throne is the debut in a new fantasy series, Forgotten Empires, and Jeffe Kennedy is a new-to-me author.

Intriguing fantasy worldbuilding, surrounding political intrigue, structured beneath a monarchy ruled society, where autonomy isn't a right, even for the queen herself.

To be quite honest, I struggled at the start, as the reader was inundated with necessary information that didn't exactly flow fluidly for easy digestion. It was the introduction to the world-building, their way of life, and the characters themselves, but it was done in such a manner, that I wasn't sure I could remember it all, let alone process it. Info-dump. But I did what I always do in this situation, I just rolled with it, knowing cues within the story would spark recognition as I read further along.

While I would love to say the story flowed at a rapid rate, engaging me page after page, that wasn't the case. I've tried to explain this in other reviews and to my fellow readers when discussing books... The Orchid Throne, while interesting, it read longer than its page-length, drawing the pacing to a crawl with description, dialogue, and monologue, and sometimes redundancy. This is individualistic to the reader, whether or not they enjoy that, as some love a wordy novel, wishing to extend the journey as long as possible. With me, I felt the lack of depth of the story couldn't support the page-count.

Between the third and halfway point, the novel's pacing picked up, to where I fully immersed myself and was able to read the last portion in one sitting, no longer fearing that I'd struggle to lose myself in my quest for an entertaining escape. So if you're reading reviews, do note that eventually the pacing quickens.

Queen Lia is intelligent, calculating, and witty as she tries to avoid her fate, betrothed to an infamously cruel emperor, where she uses the guise of naivety to protect herself and her people.

The slave king and a prince stripped of this throne, Conri seeks the engagement ring on Lia's finger to stop the tyrant usurping his land. This is the intriguing setup to The Orchid Throne. There's forbidden, love-hate vibe between Lia and Conri, which is infectious to read yet borderline insta-love. While there is a ton of quirky situations at court, the romance is shipped pretty hard, not leaving much room in the heavily padded novel for plot nor character development.

Another area where I struggled is how this is dual point-of-view, where there was nothing to denote when the narrator switched, and sometimes Lia and Con sounded exactly the same, where I had to reread passages based on what was being thought or said to determine who was currently narrating. This also led to redundancy in the monologue.

I'm curious to read the next in the series, but not necessarily to see what happens next. Jeffe Kennedy and I may not be a good fit, reading-wise, and I'll discover if it was my mood during this novel while reading the next to determine if I finish out this series.

DNF at 26%

I’ve never not finished an ARC before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. Fantasy romance is one of those genres that I absolutely love reading, but don’t read enough of because most fantasy books tend to be YA. When I read the synopsis for The Orchid Throne and found out that it was an adult fantasy romance, I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy. Unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to finish this boo for a variety of reasons.

I’m sure this book will appeal to other readers, but the writing style and the pacing are just not up to my standard. Jeffe Kennedy is a fine writer and I have no issues with her prose. But I simply do not have the patience for the overwhelmingly detailed descriptions of gowns, crowns, etc. The concept of this world is great, but I fear the execution is just not to my liking. The plot gets so easily lost in all the unnecessary details. There are barely any dialogues and too many repetitive monologues. I did appreciate that the book is told in dual POV, but the chapters don’t indicate whose POV we’re reading from, which confused me in the beginning. I also skimmed further into the book and found out that the hero and heroine don’t meet until 42% into the story. That’s way too late for a romance novel.

It always takes me a while to adapt to fantasy because of the world building, but the great thing about fantasy is that it almost always grabs my attention to the point where I feel completely immersed in the world. This book is already slow-paced, which is not an issue for me. But it is filled with too many unnecessary details and repetitive monologues that slow down the story even further. I simply can’t bring myself to dedicate more of time to finish this book.

As the queen of the island Calanthe you might think Euthalia is in charge of her own life but she is just as under the tyrant emperor's control as everyone else. Her father agreed to an arranged marriage between them in order to keep Calanthe's independence but it was just another type of chain. Since her father's death Euthalia has done everything in her power to keep the emperor at arm's length and to protect her people but she knows time is running out and soon she will be forced into marriage with a man she despises.

Conri was raised as the crown prince of Oriel but when the emperor invaded his country was destroyed and his people were sent to work in the mines as prisoners of war. Con has been plotting revenge for years, slowly building an army of freed slaves and taking back land from the emperor. According to prophecy if he can gain control of the Abiding Ring he will succeed in his goal to destroy the empire but the magical ring is connected to Euthalia and can't be removed until her death. Both Conri and Euthalia have similar goals but can they trust each other enough to form an alliance? And even if they do will their rebellion have any chance of success?

The Orchid Throne is the first book in Jeffe Kennedy's new fantasy romance series and it does a great job of introducing us to a new world. This is a world where magic is forbidden and those with power have to keep it hidden, a world where to defy the emperor means certain death. It is extremely dangerous for Euthalia and Conri to even discuss rebellion but fate sometimes has a way of forcing your hand and sometimes you have to take the opportunities that come your way.

As the first book in the series this book takes the time to introduce the main characters separately before they are introduced to each other. We get to know them both and see just how their lives have been affected by the tyrant emperor. Their lives are very different but they've both had their own struggles to deal with and are united by the need to protect their people against a common enemy. I love it when you get a slow build romance and that's exactly what happened here, when you're reading a series you don't want everything to happen too quickly or there is nothing to look forward to later on. This had just enough romance to keep me happy and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Euthlia and Con's relationship in future books. I also can't wait to see how they continue their rebellion against the emperor. This was a great start to the series and it's definitely left me ready for more.

The Orchid Throne, by author Jeffe Kennedy, is the start of the Forgotten Empires series following Lia, the Queen of Calanthe, and Con, the fallen prince of Oriel and King of Slaves, as they join together to take down an evil emperor. The story alternates narrative between the two characters. Queen Euthalia (Lia) is determined to defend her island of Calanthe, the only kingdom not violently conquered by the Emperor, by other means. Euthalia's power lies in both magic and political cunning.

Lia assumed the throne of her flower island after her father died, and has been successful in keeping the emperor distant, since she is fated to be his virgin bride. Maneuvers that are getting trickier by the day. Especially with spies around her court keeping an out for any rebellious activities. With the magic of the Orchid Ring on her finger and Calanthe herself sending her visions and dreams to guide her way, she will do anything to protect her kingdom. Even marry the dreaded Con who is obnoxious, brutish, and arrogant.

Con is the Prince turned King of Slaves. Conri's power lies in brute strength and reluctant leadership. Con had been a slave working to mine the toxic substance called Vurgsten that allowed the Emperor to destroy his kingdom and kill his family. He organized a slave rebellion and, with the help of a wizard and two trusted comrades, they set out to take back territory from Emperor Anure. Ambrose, said wizard, tells him he has to marry Euthalia to defeat the Emperor. But, Lia has been engaged to the Emperor for years.

As this is the first installment in the series, the author tries to fit as much information to introduce the world she has created. I thought the first half of this book was rather slow. The two character don't meet until around this point. Once the two of them meet, the banter between them escalates. Lia isn't going to stand for anyone invading her island and push her around into surrendering everything she's fought for. Thankfully, cooler heads in the form of Ambrose seem to control the two overachievers so that they don't continue to butt heads. Otherwise, this would have been a one trick story and there would be nothing more. And, who can forget the sex scenes. Welp, if you love sex scenes, you're all set.

There were many things to like about the way this book takes a fairly template tale of a princess who falls for a noble rebel while trying to avoid marrying odious emperor and makes them new and interesting, particularly when it comes to the female protagonist. For one thing, said protagonist, Lia, is actually an adult - she is twenty six years old! That is such a refreshing change from sixteen, or nineteen if the author is particularly daring. And Calanthe, the land over which she reigns, was not a generic almost-China. To my mind, it was more like a technologically advanced version of Hawai`i, and the mindest of its people regarding bloodshed and the solution of problems was truly a breath of fresh air: Conri was captured utilizing effusive gestures of welcome rather than overt displays of strength or excessively contrived cunning; there exists an unstigmatized night court for pleasure seekers; and Lia's knowledge and exploration of her own sexuality within the mandatory confines of remaining a technical virgin includes nonromantic physical gratification. So, yes, there is a lot to like about Lia and her people.

Conri, the other point of view character, is harder to like, despite being given a sympathetic backstory (former nobility, displaced and forced to work in a mine while everyone he knew and loved died horribly around him until one day the wrong person died and he rose up in successful rebellion with the scattered remains of his people and the other unjustly press-ganged miners). Truly, author Kennedy works really hard to make this fellow seem likable, or at least relatable, but somehow all efforts toward this end just seem to fall flat, or feel obvious. The guards he kills are bad guys (of course), he is sexually inexperienced (possibly because of the trauma he experienced and observed during his captivity, although this falls by the wayside when faced with Lia's ballgown, naturally). Perhaps one of the things that irritated me about him was that within a few pages of his introduction he rips off Dune, saying "He who controls vurgsten controls the empire."

The book is not without its tropes: Lia experiences Significant Dreams (TM) presaging Conri's arrival (probably because she is Something Else) and Conri describes Lia as "foolish" and "obstinate," which everyone knows are adjectives only applied to love interests. Nevertheless, Kennedy does a good job subverting them. Lia's ballgown is described as being extremely revealing, but she is not uncomfortable wearing it or whining about how awful it is to have to dress up, as heroines so frequently do. Additionally, Conri was the less experienced sexual partner, which is certainly unusual, and when sexytimes happen, they do not go according to the Sex Scene Script (TM). Additionally, Conri prefers to wield a bag of rocks rather than a sword, because that is a weapon he knows how to use. As someone who has trained for years to manage "not looking like a moron" levels of weapon proficiency, I cannot help but appreciate that.

It is clear Kennedy is leaving this book open for a sequel, as many, many loose threads are left dangling. I, for one, will definitely seek it out.

The Orchid Throne is the first book in the Forgotten Empires series by Jeffe Kennedy. The Forgotten Empire series is a fantasy series and the first book, The Orchid Throne totally knocked my socks off. I loved this book so much! And the romance…oh the romance. The Orchid Throne was everything that I look for in great fantasy romances. This marks the second 5 star read of mine on the blog this week, which is huge for me! I don’t give out 5 stars too often, and hardly ever to two books in a row. But both The Orchid Throne and Shadow Frost have topped my best of the best in 2019. If you are a fan of fantasy reads, The Orchid Throne needs to be on your TBR list.

In the Orchid Throne we meet our main character, Queen Euthalia, or Lia for short. I love reading a story from the perspective of a Queen, and Lia is a fantastic character. She is witty and fiercely protective of her people and her land. This is the first book I have read by Jeffe Kennedy but it will not be the last by a long shot. Her writing is so lush and descriptive. She transported me to the land of Calanthe, where Lia rules. I felt everything that the characters were feeling. I was right there beside them, and it was easy to get swept up in their story and in their romance. The plot is excellent as well. There is plenty of court intrigue, politics and adventure to be had. The pacing of the story was fantastic. I never fell into a slow lull or found myself hoping to flip pages faster to get to the next part. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this novel.

And speaking of romance, that brings me to our other main character- Prince Conrí. Conrí is Lia’s opposite in many ways, which made their pair all the more interesting. I loved the wittiness of their banter. They are so clearly intellectual equals of each other, and that was a big draw for each of them, which is exactly the kind of slow burn romance I love watching unfold. I want to read the Orchid Throne over and over again. One time way simply no enough for me. I cannot wait to continue on with the Forgotten Empires series. If this book was not on your radar, it should be. It is one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year.

Don't normally read books like this one, and I did struggling with almost the first half of the book but the world build and the writing were so good. Haven't read anything else by the author, will keep it in mind for the future.

The King Of Slaves escaped and is seeking revenge against the tyranny of Anure. Conri was once royalty now he lives to avenge his family and his lost homeland. With his childhood friend, Sondra, and the wizard Ambrose he is battling the troops of his Imperial Majesty. He is preparing to finally face his enemy, but things get complicated when he is taken captive by the Orchid Queen. I was impressed by Euthalia. She's skilled in diplomacy and deception. She's promised to Anure, the butcher, but she despises him and what he stands for. She admires Conri for his courage. However, she's willing to sacrifice him for the safety of her people. I felt the attraction between these two characters. They seem to be opposites. Can the work together to defeat their common enemy. I'm glad that they joined forces through marriage. Together they make a powerful opponent, Anure? I was pulled into this exciting and romantic adventure. The setting was beautiful and deadly. I wasn't sure who could be trusted or what would happen next. There were unexpected twists that kept me off balance. Be aware that this story ends with a cliffhanger. I can't wait to see what happens next. I want victory for the rebellion!
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

Huge thanks to Miss Natalie of St. Martins Press for inviting me to join the blog tour for The Orchid Throne.

The Orchid Throne is a fast-paced story that enables the reader to captivate the beauty of a slow burn romance. It is the kind of story that has a low impact in the beginning. But venturing through the rest of the story, you will find yourself engaging your time reading it.

Reading the book, you will find yourself reading a contemporary rather than a fantasy. Fear not as it doesn't affect the story but makes it more unique and a one of a kind story.

One aspect of the story that made it written beautifully is the characters. It is a two perspective point of view that makes you know who's who. You can distinguish who is doing his POV even without the name at the beginning. With the personality of the character, you're aware that he is the one who's having the POV.

The characters' relationship is the one that hooked me. I love it specifically Con and his companionship. They act like they are family despite having no blood relationship. Every time it's Con's POV, I don't find any dull moments. I always look forward to his part. Lia's part is also good but not as Con's. 

Funny how in the end, I found that the big event that I'm looking forward to didn't happen. But still, find it hilarious as an unexpected "BIG EVENT" happen between the two main characters.

There are things in the story that didn't give answers, nonetheless, it's okay as it makes the reader thirst and look forward to the upcoming book. And find out what will happen next to Lia and Con's story.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story started out a little slow, but things started to change around the 40% mark for me.

The reader was able to see the plot thickening and adding more depth into the equation. My only other complaint is that the chapters weren’t labeled from the protagonists’ perspectives. Generally it didn’t take very long to figure out who it was, but there would be more fluidity straight from the beginning of the chapter if this was added.

I love how detailed Kennedy was in her descriptions of the different location throughout the novel like Euthalia and Conri…I felt like I was experiencing the setting with the characters.

The Orchid Throne is a great enemies-to-lovers novel. Readers will fall in love with the characters, enjoy remarkable world-building, and experience the slow-burn romance despite loss and suffering.

It took me a bit to get into this story, but I enjoyed the dynamics between Lia and Conri. Her strength and his determination brought a lot to their relationship. Through Ms. Kennedy's words, I could see the world around them, the good, the bad, the beautiful. This was a good story overall, and I look forward to the next installment.

I received an ARC of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

I don’t usually read books like The Orchid Throne, so I think that’s why I struggled with some aspects of it. But I had found myself craving a little romance with my SFF, and since I’ve heard such great things about Jeffe Kennedy, I decided I would give the first book of her new fantasy series Forgotten Empires a try.

In a world ruled by a tyrant, only the island nation of Calanthe remains unbowed. But now its ruler, Queen Euthalia, is under pressure to marry the bloodthirsty emperor, and while she is willing to do anything to protect her people, that doesn’t mean she is content to go meekly to that fate. Following the guidance of her magical ring that was gifted to her by her father, Euthalia seeks to play a dangerous political game in order to avoid the marriage.

However, threatening her plans is Conrí, the former Crown Prince of the destroyed kingdom of Oriel who is now known as the Slave King. He is no fan of the brutal emperor either, but instead of scheming in the shadows, Conrí makes his intent to overthrow the empire quite clear by building an army for his rebellion. To succeed though, he will need the help of a powerful artifact known as the Abiding Ring—the very ring Euthalia relies upon to guide her actions and to save her people.

Still, neither of them can deny that their goals are aligned. And when the two rulers eventually meet face-to-face, more than just their passions for rebellion are inflamed. Euthalia and Conrí know that they will need to work together in order to safeguard the future of their kingdoms, even if it means putting duty before emotion.

Told in chapters that alternate between the two protagonists’ perspectives, the plot takes us through multiple stages starting with the initial setup of the world and its history. The first half of the book is admittedly very slow as the narrative meanders back and forth between Euthalia and Conrí’s POVs, taking a very lackadaisical approach to establishing the story. I also had a hard time getting used to the writing style, which was very stark and to-the-point. The opening chapters from Euthalia, where she lays out her plans to outwit the emperor’s emissary, read more like a directive rather than anything coming from the character’s heart. I suspect the reason for this might be the fact she spends so much time scheming and thinking to herself, whereas Conrí’s chapters fared a little better, due in part to the strong, interesting companions he has by his side, like Ambrose and Sondra.

I was also surprised how long it took for two protagonists to finally meet. When it happened though, that was when the story really picked up, which was good, because by then I’d been prepared to write the entire novel off as a total borefest. Euthalia got to be a more engaging character once she had Conrí to play off of, and their personalities meshed well in a way that created opportunities for fascinating conversation, not to mention lots of delicious tension. I also finally got to see why Jeffe Kennedy is so beloved for her romance. She certainly does have a knack for developing a sexy and sensual love story, where character emotions come across as genuine and convincing.

Still, on the whole, I didn’t enjoy The Orchid Throne as much as I expected. I was surprised how dull it was for much of the first half, especially since I’d been anticipating a lighter romantic fantasy, and given the genre, this one took an inordinately long time to get off the ground. Still, the second half went a long way in making up for it once the romance entered the picture, jazzing up the political intrigue and subterfuge. I also liked that the ending hinted at a lot more to come. While I’ll probably adopt a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the sequel, I think if you end up enjoying the characters and world-building, this series will be worth continuing.

I’ve had some occasional exposure to Jeffe Kennedy’s work through fantasy anthologies, but this is the first full-length book I’ve read. Judging by how well The Orchid Throne turned out, I have a new fantasy author to add to my TBR shelf.

Sixteen years earlier, a despot rose to power in the kingdom of Ackis. Using a dynamite-like material called vurgsten, he proceeded to conquer all neighboring kingdoms, enslaving their people in his vurgsten mines and amassing great wealth for himself. The world changed as Emperor Anure rose to power; lives were lost and magical heritages forgotten as one land after another fell to Anure. Two people who grew up amidst this turmoil were Lia and Conrí, Princess of Calanthe and Prince of Oriel respectively. They come from different kingdoms and have walked very different paths, but The Orchid Throne brings the two together on a path toward marriage and a shared destiny.

Conrí, like many other people in the defeated kingdoms, was sent to the vurgsten mines when Anure took control. His father fought hard to keep Oriel independent, but only delayed the inevitable. As a child in the mines, Conrí grew up amidst ash and bitterness. Vurgsten is a toxic substance when burned, so every miner suffered a scarred throat and weathered skin, in addition to brutal treatment by the overseers. After watching his friends and eventually, his father, die from the brutal conditions, Conrí built up enough rage to fight back. He formed an army with the other slaves, and together they retook control of the mines and started a rebellion. When the book opens, Conrí has had a taste of success and is making plans to overthrow the emperor.

Lia’s goals are in direct opposition to Conrí’s. Unlike all the other royals, her father, King Gul of Calanthe, welcomed Emperor Anure with open arms when he came knocking at the door of their island nation. Gul was canny, however. He managed to charm the emperor into allowing Calanthe to remain an independent nation, in exchange for Lia’s hand in marriage (as his third wife). A decade later, Gul is dead and Lia is a virgin queen, continuously coming up with new reasons to delay her wedding. A desire to keep her people safe would be reason enough for Lia to play nice with Anure, but beyond that she must protect the land of Calanthe itself. There is a dangerous magic associated with Calanthe that makes it vital to keep bloodshed away from the soil. So Lia engages in this endless dance, friendly enough to keep Anure from attacking her, but cold enough to hold him at bay.

Unsurprisingly, Lia is none too happy to find Conrí and his people on her shores, upsetting this delicate balance. While – theoretically -  she would like to see Anure overthrown, she has no interest in actually being a part of the war. Yet Conrí demands she help him. His seer - a wizard who joined his rebellion - told him that the war’s success depends on his marrying Lia and using the Orchid Ring. Unknowing and uncaring of what difficulties it might present, Conrí waltzes into Lia’s life and insists she marry him so that they might fight Anure together.

To say that I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series would be an understatement, and it should be clear why. Kennedy has managed to create two extremely different characters who nonetheless come across as a perfect fit. Both sharp thinkers who are devoted to their people, it was clear to me from the first that Conrí and Lia had a lot in common. Yet they come from such different points of view that at times they struggle with each other. Conrí is very open and demanding, while Lia is quietly, almost secretly strong. Watching them meet and struggle to find a path forward was much like seeing an unstoppable force meet the proverbial immovable object. Sparks fly, and in a way that makes me excited to see how their relationship develops.

Aside from the characters’ suitability, I also loved the setting of this book. Kennedy is clearly experienced with worldbuilding, laying out the setting in a way that is understandable but never boring. This is a land on the brink of war, but I can’t tell whether that will be solved by battle or politics. There’s also magic woven throughout the story in ways that will likely come back into play in the future, but it is tempered by the political power each character already wields. This can often be trouble in a fantasy book - too much magic makes it seem like the characters can’t determine their own destiny. Kennedy seems to have gotten the balance just right.

All in all, this looks to be an exciting start to a new series. And I will definitely be looking into Kennedy’s backlist while I await the next book.

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I received an advanced digitally galley from the publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

This is the start of a fascinating series in a world where magic is real, a viscous person has become Emperor after unfairly seizing land and destroy many lives, particularly the majority of royalty who have either been killed or turned into slaves.

Queen Euthalia has spent a good chunk of her life trying to protect her people and little corner of the world which just happens to be a beautiful tropical nation that has many interesting temptations though has worked hard to keep blood from being shed in violence. She has been engaged to the Emperor for quite some time and has tried to elude him the best that she can with some rather clever wording and hopes eventually to figure out a way to get out of the betrothal. Then she is tasked by the Emperor with holding a group of rebels until they can be sent to the Emperor himself and all of her careful plans start to fall apart.

Conri is the former Crowned Prince of Onri whose world was turned upside down when the Emperor showed up and was sent to the mines to work as a slave along with his Father and former subjects when he was just a boy. He has fought hard to get out of the terrible conditions he spent most of his childhood and teens in particularly after his Dad passes away from a combination of heartbreak and the terrible side effects of inhaling the fumes from the mine. He is determined to put an end to the Emperor's tyranny by killing him and hopefully freeing others who are under his domain. Conri is joined in the quest by many loyal people including Sondra who is like a sister to him and the mysterious Ambrose who is a wizard and has a bird familiar. Just when things seem to start looking up for Conri, he finds himself a prisoner in Euthalia's court and is about to have quite the changes in life yet again.

These two unlikely but powerful people have come from very different backgrounds and yet both have been under the tyranny of the Emperor in different ways. They will have to work together if they can hope to get out from under the rule of such a terrible person which will involve a marriage of convenience that could very well be the key to freedom. That is if they can come to a compromise and learn to get along.

Full of surprises, adventure, court intrigue, a dash of magic, the power of friendship and the determination of two people to protect those who follow them, it was such a pleasure to read this book. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book and what surprises may be in store!

I was drawn to this book by the lovely book cover and than the premise of this book. You could say that this was one of the books that I was really looking forward to reading.

The world that Ms. Kennedy built for this story is wonderful. It is a big reason that I did stick with this book as long as I did. When it comes to the characters; that is another story. I was not feeling them as much. The characters kind of came off as juvenile.

Another factor about this book that didn't do it for me was the very slow pacing. I don't mind descriptions about characters and the world to start out the story but there is a difference between the right amount and too much. In this case; I felt it was the latter. While, this book was not for me, other readers did enjoy it

The Orchid Throne by Jeffe Kennedy
Forgotten Empires #1

At first I was bored...but...after awhile I became interested and by the end I was eager to read book two in this trilogy. Why was I bored? I found the introduction long and windy without seeming to tell me anything. A bit like the opening words to a Star Wars movie perhaps but without knowing the plot or players I was lost. I began reading and did not connect with either Lia, Queen of Calanthe or Conri, former crown prince of Oriel. Conri spent most of his time bashing people a bit like a Berzerker and Lia seemed a painted doll living in a gorgeous garden that was there to please her and those living on the island paradise.

So...I skimmed and read and then finally I hit the part where Con and Lia meet. She was still cold and calculating and he was a bit of a loose cannon. And I waited and read and wondered. I wondered how the two would eventually be bound together and why and what kind of relationship they could possibly have. And...I think we find that out in book two.

Why do I want to read book two if it took so long to actually get to know and care about the characters? I am not sure. I believe it is because the story grew on me and I want to see how the couple will move forward. I want to find out what will happen to Ambrose the wizard and Sondra the warrior. I want to find out if Con and Lia will find common ground other than providing an heir and taking down the tyrant Anure. And I want to find out that there is more to Con than the oafish warrior he seems at first and if there is warmth in the cold painted doll that Lia seems to be.

Did I enjoy this book? Eventually
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Several years ago, I used to read fantasy novels, but my biggest complaint with them was there wasn't enough romance in them! So, when I was approached by the publisher to read a romance set in a fantasy setting, I was very excited by the prospect! Unfortunately, this book fell very flat for me!

My biggest complaint with this book is that it's too wordy, too much description! Frankly, I was quite bored with the whole book, so even when I got to the romance part of the story, I didn't care that the couple had finally gotten together! I had to force myself to keep reading, because I felt I would be letting the publisher down if I marked it as "Did Not Finish"! All that description made for some fantastic world and character building, but wound up burying the romance.

I hated the dual PoV between Lia and Conri! I was easily confused between who was "on stage" and who was saying what. I found myself having to re-read several passages to figure things out, making it a very tedious slog. When Lia and Con actually get together, it felt a lot like insta-love, a romance trope I absolutely hate, as it feels very unrealistic. Couple that with some very underwhelming wedding night scenes, and you have a romance that felt like a failure for me.

All things considered, this read was a definite miss for me. I doubt I will continue the series, but I do thank the publisher for the chance to read this book!

This is a heart racing, action packed, emotional and engaging adventure filled with secrets, danger, passion set in a magical and fantastically broken world... was a edge of your seat read from beginning to end. The charters are both exciting and relatable, storytelling and world building are excellent. Really enjoyed this journey!

The Orchid Throne is the first book in Jeffe Kennedy's new Forgotten Empires fantasy series. A fake emperor has overthrown all kingdoms claiming the lands, resources, and citizens for himself. All that is but Calanthe, the flower island, because he was promised Euthalia's hand in marriage - a marriage Euthalia has managed to delay time and time again. When a group of rebels break free from the their prison and slowly retake small kingdoms, the Emperor gives Euthalia both a warning - alerting her of the most recent takeover, and an ultimatum - when the band of rebels enters Calanthe, she either hands them over to him or becomes a traitor herself, to which he will have no problem dispatching his army.

Conrí is a former crown prince - now the king - of a long destroyed kingdom. Taken as a slave, Conrí wants nothing more than cold, hard revenge against his captor. To that end, Conrí and his band of followers overtake the fake emperor's kingdoms offering protection for loyalty or death to those who refuse. As his army grows, his wizard claims that they must go to Calanthe as part of a magical prophesy. He wasn't expecting a cold-as-ice Queen with an agenda of her own. He has very little time to convince her to work together before she hands him and his companions over to certain death.

I love both Euthalia and Conrí. They have endured so much in their short lives. So much death, destruction, and injustice and they both seek revenge on the tyrant that brought it all about. I was equally intrigued and horrified by the events that unfolded during the complete and utter destruction of the kingdoms surrounding the island of Calanthe. I enjoyed the author's slow path bringing Euthalia and Conrí together. Having Euthalia and Conrí in different phases of their respective plans then uniting them in an unorthodox manner allowed me to get to know them separately and then together.

With breathtaking imagery, heart-wrenching backstory, and a plethora of twists and turns, The Orchid Throne drew me in, captivated me, and kept me engaged. The book weaves together many other genres besides the fantasy element. The book also features paranormal and magical elements, romantic undertones, mystery, and suspense. I read this epic fantasy novel in two days in-between working full time and taking care of my family at night. The book was in my hands at every available opportunity.

The story remains open-ended but not with a mind-bending cliffhanger. Oh, I'm chomping at the bit for the next book, of course, but the author gave us a tasteful conclusion.

I was given a copy of this book to read.

This book was pure 5 stars story, but the author out of nowhere decided to add explicit sex scenes at the end. It was said once or twice that this place was frivolous in the end, but nothing had happened to rove that. I was taken aback by this. It hadn't fit with the rest of the story that was to me upper-YA.
The Orchid Throne is a MEGA slow story with a lot of details and descriptions that add a lot to the known world as it's told from dual POV - be warned POVs are not mentioned when changed.
The whole story was really intriguing and had captured my attention with the unique concept and with everything that was deeper than I first thought.
Characters were strong and real which made it a great pleasure to see how they changed thru the book - slowly but seeable, exactly what I love!
So I will be waiting for book 2 impatiently as book 1 had left me wanting more!