Decent start to a series, but I never felt a connection to the characters or plot. I felt it set things up well enough to read book 2, though.

I was unable to download this in time to review it, but I have since been able to. This was an alright epic fantasy novel. I liked the plot and characters. Thank you for the chance to review this book!

This was fairly typical epic fantasy with a couple of cool twists. The world building was solid and the plot was decent. I found the main character compelling enough but some of the supporting characters were a little thin. I don't want to damn with faint praise because this really is a decent debut. Maybe nothing really blew my mind here but I still had a good time reading this and I'm interested in what the author produces next.

This book was unique, I'll give it that! 3.5 Stars

I love multi POV books. I feel like we get so much more from books that have multiple POVs. That being said, this one was a little slow paced for me. Maybe it was all the world building and the exposition. I haven't read a straight fantasy in a while and maybe that's why. I can see how this would be a great fantasy.

I would consider picking up this book again when my life is a little less hectic and I could immerse in the world building.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I started this book but it was so worth the ride. What a beautiful, well written, and descriptive captivating story. I loved how the author built this fantasy world that we got to be a part of. The action scenes had me so enthralled.

The storyline was filled with twists and turns that helped me blow through it in no time. I can’t wait to read more from Greg Keyes.

Dark, Epic and complex. I will definitely do a reread when book 2 comes out. Recommended for fans of epic fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for sending me an audiobook arc of this title.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced listening copy of the basilisk throne. this was such an interesting fantasy book. a whole world on its own and world building was great I just didn't love the narrator.

This was a solid piece of debut fantasy that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It had an incredibly strong start, giving me A Song of Ice and Fire vibes. The rest of the story was good, but I felt it fell a little short of it's potential. The characters would be good, but certain characters were lacking in development. That being said, I still had a great time reading this one. I usually don't love the action parts of epic fantasy but those scenes were so exciting and vivid that they completely pulled me in.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I would highly recommend this epic fantasy stories to readers looking for a new, slightly gritty, story filled with action and intrigue.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Unfortunately I did not download this title in time so I will not be able to review it. Thank you for the opportunity.

TW: Sexual Harassment, Rape, Misogyny

There are three human empires that have been subjugated by the inhuman Drehhu who rule from the Basilisk Throne. Crespin finds himself sailing with a fleet slated to attack the Drehhu head on in hopes of damaging their power. Chrysanthe finds herself sent by her father as a “guest” to the capital city where she is supposed to spy for him while being held hostage. Ammolite is a slave to a powerful sorcerer who finds herself swept up in a quest that may spell the end of the war. Their stories are brough together as humans struggle against their overlords and each other, hoping to emerge victorious against the Basilisk Throne.

The worldbuilding in this book is astounding. There were so many different cultures, environments, and people introduced into the book that were all unique and fascinating. This story was told from multiple POVs (four, I believe). These characters came from different backgrounds, empires, and cultures. The breadth of this world was well incorporated, and the author was able to convey details of the world without relying on info dumping. I think the characters suffered a bit from this though, as they weren’t easy to engage to It was a lot to take in at first, but as the book continued, it was completely immersive. I also enjoyed the political intrigue that was incorporated into the plot, which added a whole new level of complexity.

Sometimes you can just tell that books are written by men. This is one of those cases. While there were enough female characters in the work (and some of which actually had agency), they spent a lot of page time being sexualized by the male characters around them. I get that this is necessary sometimes to show just how difficult/dangerous the setting can be for the female characters. But there were two characters whose interactions almost solely consisted of the male asking, “Can I sleep with you yet?” and the woman still not being interested in the slightest. We get it, let’s move on. And there was a lot of misogyny – again, I don’t mind this in books because it is a part of life and can create some meaningful dialogue and conflict. But when it’s included in a work so casually, and the “heroes” are also grossly misogynistic and constantly sexualizing women without any repercussions or pushback, that’s when it starts detracting from my enjoyment.

I listened to the audiobook version of this work and the narrator did a fantastic job. However, this is the kind of book that you need to be able to refer to a map while reading. And many chapters began with a date, and since my memory isn't stellar, I had no idea what order things were happening in and had no easy way to refer back to the dates.

This was an epic fantasy read that was highly enjoyable despite the few issues I had with it. My thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

For transparency, I received this book for free from Netgalley but that didn't influence my review.

The beginning of the book made me feel like I was hopping into the middle of an already established story, but quickly got me comfortable and fed me information I needed to follow the story. The narrator did a pretty solid job, maybe a little juvenile in their delivery but not enough to take away from the story. The author does a nice job of zooming into what is happening to different characters in different parts of the world. This can sometimes be jarring but I did get used to it. The pacing and delivery of the story reminded me a little bit of the first Witcher book. Overall a good read for anyone into fantasy stories with a bit of mystery.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 /5

I received an audiobook arc of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The first few chapters were a bit confusing for me I think for that reason alone because the povs kept changing and the audiobook narration had no mention of that. Besides that it was a good read for me. Tho it was a bit dark at times.
The plot building takes its time but eventually when it starts to make sense the reader is pulled into this magical world full of magic (ofcourse), action , mystery, amazing plotline and well versed characters.

Right off the bat, I have to say that if it wouldn't be for the amazing audiobook, I would not finish this book. Nothing against the story, but it was demanding in terms of focus and its audio version helped me big time. Overall the story was amazing, tho I would love to see a little bit more world building. It seemed at some points that stakes are exaggerated. But characters were vibrant and brilliant, which each having their own set of skills and personality. The premise is simple, we have a kingdom with an enemy and some internal problems that stops people from prospering. The head of one of the prominent families decides to take matters in his own hands and involves his family to help make things right. I enjoyed the trip and adventure, and I'm absolutely shocked that it has so little reviews on goodreads, but I hope it'll change soon because it is worth anyone's time.

Fantastic start to a new series. This has a great narrator. I really enjoy this author and always have.

The Basilisk Throne is a very unique fantasy adventure and I recommend it for plot driven readers. The concept was really interesting. The prose was very descriptive with very detailed world building. There were several large info dumps throughout the story. The characters felt like they were missing something. I couldn't emotionally connect with anyone which made me easily lose interest in the story. Overall this book was written well but it just didn't hold my interest like I'd hoped. But if you like a slow building plot in a detailed fantasy world you'd love this!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

"The Basilisk Throne" was a rather captivating read! The world-building in this book is very interesting, with a lot of rather minute details that paint a vivid picture. The characters are also well-developed and their motivations and actions feel authentic and relatable. The writing style is engaging and flows smoothly, making it easy to get lost in the story. This story has multiple POVs but I never found myself wishing to hurry through one to get to another. They were all rather well balanced.

One of the aspects that stood out to me was the complex political intrigue and the power struggles that were at the center of the plot. It kept me guessing and invested in the outcome until the very end. The magic system in the book was also unique and well thought out, adding an extra layer of depth to the story.

Though the pacing can be slow at times, I found that it allowed for more time to fully immerse myself in the world and get to know the characters. Overall, "The Basilisk Throne" is a good addition to any fantasy lover's bookshelf, and I highly recommend it.

The plot building is slow but consistent, which provides an engaging read for those who love epic fantasy. Magic, betrayal, treachery-this book take a very, very dark turn so please be aware of content warnings before proceeding. Subjects such as slavery and rape are described (although not exceedingly detailed) may cause discomfort for some readers.

This was a well paced adult fantasy novel that I enjoyed. It was a bit hard to follow at times, but overall was a great story read through. I found myself constantly reading and rereading parts because of POV changes, which made things difficult to keep track of. That was the only real problem I found myself having while reading. The character development and world building was very immersive and an absolute pleasure to dive into headfirst. If you're looking for a wonderful and captivating fantasy that demands 100% of your attention, then this is definitely the book for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an advance reader copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t like this book. I wanted to because the premise includes everything that so love. However at found that I didn’t care about any of the characters, and I also found that it was an inauthentic story because the author is a whole male writing about a clearly Caribbean fantasy world.

I went into this totally blind…. and I really enjoyed it. The story and characters gripped me super quickly. What a wonderful surprise. To be honest there wasn’t a ton I found hugely original about it. Still, it was super fun and really well told story wise.