Black Salt Queen is a good royal intrigue book. It was fast-paced and a fast read. However, there just wasn't a lot of substance to the characters. As some other reviews said, we were told a lot and not shown. I did not feel an emotional connection to any characters. I am not sure if we were meant to like anyone or not. There was a lot of background plot we weren't given, like walking in at the end of a terrible divorce and being told to choose a side, not knowing anything about anyone. All that being said, I did enjoy it. It just wasn't as great as it could have been.

I really enjoyed Black Salt Queen! I found it atmospheric, filled with gorgeous descriptions and details. Samantha Bansil has created a lush, vivid and bustling world, and I will definitely be picking up the next book(s) in the series to see what happens next. Please note that I found the ending of this book very satisfactory. It really stands on its own (except, of course, the epilogue which opens the door to more adventures). I am happy that there’s more to come, but it was refreshing to have closure already.

What I loved about the book:
*spoiler alert* I loved what I have decided to call the reversal of the love story. It’s one of the few books that I read that starts with the protagonist being in love and in a fulfilling (for sure sexually, but I think emotionally as well) relationship, and that ends with the protagonist realizing that it was NOT true love and tossing the ex-lover down a cliff. Loved it.
I loved the magical system. It was very clear who could do what and why, and the descriptions of how the magic works (with the hands wrapping around the bonds of energy) were very clear.
I loved the political intrigue and the betrayal. Political fantasies are my favourite, and this really delivered.
*spoiler alert* I loved the battle scene. It had great avatar the last airbender vibes, it was extremely well written and cinematic, and despite being short, I really got the feeling for how tumultuous it was, and of the crowd and the chaos.
I loved the lore. I don’t think I ever read a book inspired by Filipino culture and history and, though I picked up on the critique to colonialism, I must admit I have no idea of the myths and legends the book is based on. I love mythology, and I am excited to dive into the Filipino pantheon.
I loved the fashion. There are AMAZING description of gowns. I can’t wait to see more illustrations.

Finally, a personal comment. I see that the Violetear Books has ‘a type’: romantic fantasies where the (morally grey) protagonist is a woman that can in some way wield or weaponize water, and where there is an antagonistic figure that can wield or weaponize fire. I have no issue with either Black Salt Queen or Inferno’s Heir, and I think that both books are amazing in their own right, but I would love to read something outside of this format in the future!!

Bindery is absolutely killing it with all their books and this is no exception! I love the premise of the story and the execution didn't fail. I was so invested right from the start and it kept my interest, making it hard to put the book down.

absolutely epic! i really loved the characters, especially the dueling queen and matriarch, and the magic felt well-integrated and logical. the book gets better and better from its already great start. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Okay, first of all, this was entertaining. It might lack a bit more action or adrenaline, but it definitely did not lack drama 😂 I was entertained all throughout. And while the book focused largely on the political aspects, I think love and humanity are at its core. Without spoiling too much of the book, I have to say that loving and being human was a big motivator for a lot of mistakes and decisions made by the characters. Love (whether it be toxic, wholesome, familial, romantic, guilt-based) fueled them to act—to betray, to protect, to exact revenge. Laya, Duja, Imeria...these characters were so obviously flawed, passionate, and hurting. And I rooted for them anyway. Because they were compelling, they were tragic, they were real.

The plot was not too complicated (two families vying for the throne, one forbidden romance in the past, one forbidden romance in the present, a betrayal and revenge forming, magic and gods are also involved). However, it was a page-turner for me. Again, I think this is largely due to the characters and their drama. There was a lot of history and secrets to uncover, and reading the journey of each of the characters was fascinating. Sometimes I did feel like some plot and character details were lacking, which can be confusing at times, too.

I also loved that there was queer rep in the book! Two of the main cast are bi and were in a sapphic relationship (which was a big part of the plot! Expect romance, tragedy, betrayals! Rhaenicent vibes!), and one minor character was ace! (the ace character happens to be my favorite, and it's a shame she didn't have her own chapters 😆)

I liked the precolonial Filipino setting. The writing of it was lush and rich, and I loved seeing bits and pieces of Filipino folklore and legends embedded into the world-building of this book. I do wish there was a bit more? Like maybe specific customs and food and tradition maybe? However, I know the author can't put everything in one book of course. So I liked it enough. I have to say though, southerners and capital people having a rivalry? That I can very much see in modern-day Filipino society unfortunately 😅 I've seen people from Manila (usually rich socialites) insult, look down on, and use harmful stereotypes against southern Filipinos (particularly Visayans [and I take offense too because my parents are from Visayas, we're Ilonggos]). It's this type of simple ignorance that divides modern-day Filipinos. And to see this particular detail reflected in Black Salt Queen was definitely interesting. Maybe if there's a sequel, this will be explored more? Fingers crossed!

Anyway, this is it for now. I don't want to ramble too much or spoil too much. I'm part of a book tour and a longer review will be posted on my blog on my tour date!

Thank you so much to Bindery Books and Colored Pages Book Tours for sending an e-arc my way! This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

Quite a slow paced, introspective fantasy with a heavy focus on politics and personal relationships, both familial and romantic. It’s not necessarily a huge page turner for those looking for something action packed, but I really enjoyed the gradual build up - it made the turning point that much more dramatic, and the emotional fallout more effective. The characters are so multi faceted that I’m still not sure who I’m rooting for, looking forward to book 2 so I can delve even deeper into the lore.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC!

This was a unique story and beautifully written. The characters were well formed and the story has good pacing.

Black Salt Queen is rich in imagery and Philippine pre-colonial culture. I loved the world building, the intricacies between each characters, and the layered plot of the story. Although I loved Laya and Luntok, I really enjoyed the the dynamics between Imeria and Duja and their love/hate relationship spanning the last two decades.

I was surprised to be so invested in Ariel Sauros' character... he reminded me a bit of Milo Thatch from Atlantis.

I thought the first half of the book was a bit slow, with the second half taking off with action. I had hoped there were more interactions with the characters to give a more "show not tell" feeling.

I can't wait for the next book into the series and see what's in store for the characters.

This is a political fantasy the brings in Filipino mythology to create an interesting world for this story to take place in.

The Kingdom Maynara is ruled by Hari Duja who is blessed by the Gods to have the power of manipulating the earth. Her second daughter and heir, Laya has the ability to manipulate air and her youngest Eti can manipulate metal. Her oldest Bulan is a skilled sword fighter. Their family dynamic is complicated and plays into some of the issues that arise as the story progresses and the political unrest becomes more prominent.

Oposite this family is Imeria and her son Luntok. Luntok is in love with Laya and determined to marry her. Imeria and Hari Duja have a long history that has cause Imeria to maneuver her way closer to the throne and the potential downfall of Duja’s family.

There is a lot of political maneuvering to gain power and control of the country of Maynara and debate on who is best to lead. I believe that as a reader you have mixed feeling toward Laya and what she believes about her place in the world through most of this story. She is hard to love up until the end of this story. I feel like Imeria is portrayed as a great politicking mind but toward the end there are some comments that make it seems as though she got there through pure vengeance with no mind to the politics.
4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Bindery Books and Samantha Bansil for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to Black Salt Queen because of its description. I enjoyed the world building, magic system, and the character’s abilities.

However, I was not necessarily invested in the relationships among the characters. Laya and Luntok’s relationship fell flat for me. Because of my indifference to them, I didn’t have any emotional reactions to the events that transpired between them. I liked the complexity of Duja and Imeria’s relationship better, but it still didn’t hit the mark for me.

It became more engaging towards the end. Overall, it was a good book.

Black Salt Queen is such a good story. I couldn't stop reading this book for a bit. I rate this story 5 stars because it's that good and the characters are perfect!

I clever well written story! Interesting and captivating- and different in a good way :)
The vibes and worldbuilding were nicely done. Great work for a debut.

I liked the idea of this book, but the set up took entirely too long. By the time I thought, oh the actions getting started I realized I was 40 pages from the end. Seems like it’s setting up for a sequel, but I thought the world building and personal relationships just took too long to set up.

This was my most anticipated read for 2025! The complex relationships and morally gray characters made this story so intriguing. The twists, political alliances, and magic makes this everything I want in a fantasy. I especially loved the nod to a precolonial Philippines.

Loved this. If your favorite genre is "two people talking in a room" (I devour it in spades) with political intrigue and fraught interpersonal relationships, this is the book for you. Absolutely loved the thematic parallels between Duja and Laya, and how generational trauma affects the relationships we build with each other.

I didn't really buy the reason why Duja and Imeria fell out, but it's a small detail in an otherwise stellar book. It's beautifully written and has a great sense of place. An incredibly touching read.

This didn’t work for me in many ways. The pacing, for one, was so off. The plot is completely stagnant until over halfway through, and even then, it’s not exactly complex or interesting. My biggest gripe, though, was the characters. None of them showed much depth, or any kind of growth, and one in particular was annoyingly vapid. I think we were supposed to like her? I did not. And in the end, I couldn’t tell you the point of the story being told.

This book had such an intriguing premise, and its setting in fantastical precolonial Filipino was the nice cherry on top that pushed me to request this book. Now that I have read it, all I'm left with is a simple shrug while saying, "Yeah, it's alright."

Let's start with the positives, such as the worldbuilding. The magic system is the strong undercurrent that moves through the book's landscape, from the political turmoil to religious beliefs. The driving conflict between the Gatdulas and Kulaws spans at least two generations, and the history between them is rich and complex. The conflict between Duja and Imperia especially was drove me to keep reading.

The downsides to the book are primarily its writing and characters. There were a lot of exposition dumps about the worldbuilding that halted the story too often for my liking, and it didn't help that the tone got a bit dry as well. It bogged down the pacing; I was kind of over it even when the pace sped up in the last third when all that buildup finally was paying off.

The POVs in this book are primarily Laya, Duja, and Imperia, but there are also random dashes of Luntok and Laya's littlest sister that didn't feel very necessary. Laya's POV, particularly, suffered a lot because, despite the narrative telling us how smart and powerful she is, her thoughts and actions made her out to be immature and stuck up; she didn't really grow as a character until the story forced her to at the very end. I also wished we got to see the conflict between her and Duja more, because I never really felt the animosity of their relationship other than what the narrative told us.

All and all, a fine read, but not quite what I wanted from it.

Island fantasy with family dynamics, politics, and romance? Sign me up! It gave Island Game of Thrones.
I'm not going to lie, the first half of this book was slog. As the characters were introduced and the plot starts to form, the pacing was very mid... but the ending MORE than makes up for it! Will definitely recommend this one this year. I'm so glad I stumbled into this publisher's works this year; Every single title/work has been a hit!

Black Salt Queen had me hooked from the start! I will be waiting ever-so-impatiently to continue my adventure with the Gatdula sisters. This story had everything this fantasy reader could want, magic, royal court politics, secrets, romantic relationships that fit into the larger story, and an ending that had me reaching for a tissue. A seriously strong debut!

"Black Salt Queen" is an engaging story that interrogates how a desire for power influences love. This book takes place within a world where one family, the ruling line of a small nation, possess god-like powers which they can use to protect their people from the threat of imperialist forces which are expanding in the region. The book follows three main perspective characters. Duja is the queen, and is reckoning with declining health, doubt in her daughter Laya’s ability to take the throne, and growing tension with Imeria, her childhood lover and greatest enemy to her reign. Laya, a princess of Maynara and heir to the throne, is navigating both the judgement of her mother and a desire to be with Luntok, the son of Imeria whom she is forbidden from marrying. Finally, Imeria seeks the throne for her son, questioning the power of the ruling line. The story interrogates how a desire for power shapes the relationships between these and other characters, and how this intertwines with the politics of the nation.

This book is the first of a series, a does a great job setting up the world. I enjoyed the magic system a lot—while the royal line are thought to be the only family with otherworldly powers, other families are said to have once possessed their own, and seek to reawaken their lost abilities. The characters and their dynamics are also really interesting: Laya, Duja, and Imeria are all strong characters with unique views on power and relationships. There are also a cast of strong side characters with really interesting stories and motivations. I really enjoyed the world this book developed and look forward to reading more within the series.

My main issue with the book is that the scope is so broad that some characters and ideas felt unexplored. Bulan is the oldest princess, but was born without power, making her ineligible to rule; her relationship with Laya and anger at a world which denies her her birthright is super interesting but just not able to be explored in much depth in this book. Ariel, an alchemist from a neighboring land which has been conquered by foreign enemies is similarly super interesting but underdeveloped simply because this book is doing so much. There are many other ideas like this; characters with really compelling plots that the book just doesn’t have the time to explore. While this does help set up future books, it leaves this lacking some impact because so many ideas are not given as much depth as I would have liked. Moreover, by covering so much, even the main three characters’ stories lack some depth. It felt to me as though this book tried to do too much.

I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. I strongly suspect that I will love this series as more books come out. I am definitely hooked—the characters and their unique perspectives and goals are all super compelling and definitely motivate me to read more. However, this book suffered a bit from doing too much, and thus felt a bit surface-level at times. I look forward to reading more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!