I think the concept was great but it lacked some depth and development, wether it came to the world building, the relationships, the plot, etc. It wasn't bad just too shallow for me and I would've liked more from this story. 3 stars

The writing is solid, creating a vivid atmosphere, but the plot is a mix of captivating moments and predictability. Characters are well-developed, though some lack depth. Pacing fluctuates, making it a decent but not outstanding read.

If you like Throne of Glass, and are in need of something better written and a bit lighter on the heart, this is for you. I didn’t realize how many depressing books I’d been reading until I read this book, and it really lit me up inside.
When I read the synopsis on NetGalley, I was instantly drawn in, and I’m glad I applied for this ARC.
The prose is amazing. In the beginning, the introductions and backstories felt a little info-dumpy, but I didn’t even care because it was still so well paced and engaging.
This book is chaotic and hilarious with heartfelt moments shared between characters that I grew genuinely attached to. I was sad when I finished the book. I wanted it to keep going. I wanted to live in this literary world. I will never stop recommending this book! Thank you endlessly for this ARC!

This one is one of the most hilarious romantasy books I’ve read in a while. From the beginning you will be laughing with Selene, she is the best! Iliana and Marduk will give you googly eyes, they are so cute. And Prince Belisarius will have you curling your toes.

Poisoned Empire – Mages of Oblivion Book #1 - Review
 
Couple: Selene & Prince Belisarius
 
Author: Elyse Thomson
 
Tropes: PNR, fantasy retelling, morally grey FMC, dark romance, NA romance, Beauty and the Beast retelling, mage romance
 
Review: A new twist on the age-old tale of Beauty and the Beast. In this multi-POV romance, Elyse creates a world where magic and crowns are intertwined.
 
Selene is a poison master and dark poison mage who on the run from her family. The way Elyse creates the tension between the nobility and Selene was perfect and I loved how she was unabashedly her. The friendship between her and Iliana was a huge selling point for me since they both are very “girl gang” goals. The differences between the two also make for the perfect conflict when they are caught impersonating nobility at the Prince’s ball.
 
Belisarius is the “beast” in this novel and I was intrigued with his character and how his powers and past unfolded in this book. The animosity he feels towards Selene at first made me laugh since I could sense the tension between them upon meeting. I also thought that the growth of his persona into a true Crown Prince was epic. His friend in this book is Marduk and also happens to be the love interest of Iliana. The sly way the two friends set up Belisarius and Selene was crafty and I enjoyed the deviousness of it.
 
The best parts of this book was the friendship between Selene and the King. The family-like bond they had really made me enjoy the banter between them and I felt like it added a layer to Selene’s character. I also LOVED how the King encouraged Belisarius to go after his heart and chase Selene.
 
While this book is full of dark wit, banter and angst. I loved how Selene and Belisarius grew to care for one another. The mystery about who was betraying the Prince unfolded in a way that I could not tell who the true betrayer until the end was. When it all comes out, I wanted to shake Belisarius for not going after Selene. I was happy with the HEA and hope to see a sneak peek if their future in future books.
 
Rating: 5/5, a twisted Beauty and the Beast retelling!

4 stars

I found this book enjoyable and will be reading more from this author. I found the world and magic interesting. I enjoyed the political aspects and was kept engaged throughout. I would have liked less jumping back and fourth between characters for ease of reading, but that might just be a me thing. I very much enjoyed how strong the female characters are and would have enjoyed a little more development in the romance area.
I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes this story next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Two Laurels press for the early read. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

4.5/5 Stars + 2/5 Spice

- New Adult Fantasy Romance
- Multi-POV
- No Cliffhanger
- TW: Please see warnings at beginning of book before reading

“He wanted all her brazen, wicked recklessness, all her smug grins, her every cry of pleasure, every insult, every fight and every moment of peace she allowed him.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Two Laurels Press, and the author, Elyse Thomson, for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

“She was going to make a necklace of his bones. She would drink out of a goblet made from his skull.”

This book, the story, the characters, the relationships, are entirely captivating. It has court intrigue, politics, romance, mystery, and spice. And to top all of that off, it has some incredibly strong female characters, an enviable female friendship, and some incredible character growth from all.

“He hadn’t invited a woman into his scheme—he’d unwittingly recruited a demon.”

It is honestly difficult to believe this is a debut novel, it is truly fantastic. I absolutely loved having multiple POVs. There were numerous main characters and each one offered something so compelling to the story it felt truly hard to pick a favourite. But if you had to make me choose it would be Marduk. I’m Team Marduk for sure.

“Shy and bold, beautiful and brilliant—and everything he’d never dreamed he could have.”

There were moments of humour interlaced in the story that were perfectly placed and genuinely made me laugh out loud.

“Never had a more cruel torture been devised. No poison, however painful or paralyzing, was a match for what had befallen Selene. Tea time.”

I truly loved this story and the world that was built, I can only hope to be able to return to it soon.

#poisonedempire #NetGalley #arcreader #arc #fantasy #romance #review #BookReview #bookreviewer #booktok #tbr #recentlyread #book #ebook

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

I was super excited for this book since it was pitched as being byzantine inspired, but I saslt ended up a bit disappointed, as i just couldnt get into it.

Promising book, however the execution felt a bit too inexperienced for me.

The plot is absolutely promising, the main characters interesting. On top of this, Cinderella retellings are my favourite kind of fairytale retellings. But when both girls go through very similar things in almost the same way at the same time, the execution falls a bit short for me. In my opinion you can really feel this is a debut novel. This manifests itself in the execution on the one hand, but also in the writing style on the other hand. It feels a bit clumsy at times. Notwithstanding that, the story does read smoothly and you are absolutely enthralled and want to know how it continues (even though some plot twists are really predictable). The storytelling could just use some more polishing and editing (like for example, certain events feel mostly like filler, or a way of resolving a loose end, with no further added value). However, I absolutely adored the flirting, the banter, and the originality of the main characters. I’m curious about where the next book will lead us, since this one doesn’t end on a cliffhanger.
3,5/5 ⭐

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC.

Loved this book! The world building was well constructed and easy to get in to. Selene was amazing. It kept me interested and hooked.

Another instance of a book I wished I had enjoyed. Nothing inherently wrong with the writing or story, it just didn't captivate me. Would still recommend for others, just not for me.

Poisoned Empire is book 1 in a new series called Mages of Oblivion. It is also the author's debut novel! I absolutely love fantasy romance and this hit most of my marks! Elyse Thompson did a fantastic job world building and with her character development. I loved the romance pieces. While the plot could have been a little stronger, it kept me engaged and I'll be reading books 2 when jf releases.

This is a solid start to a Romantasy book. I enjoyed the friendship between Selene and Illiana but other dialogue in the book felt forced to me. I also wanted more character development so I really felt for some of the other characters. The magic system was a cool concept and I enjoyed the Roman Empire influences. I’m curious to see how a sequel to this story could build on it. Thank you to Netgalley and Two Laurels Press for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op. This book started off great but lost me as it progressed. I was hoping to like this series but honestly I just couldn’t get into it. I really liked the friendship between Selene and Iliana and the romance in this book had its moments. I enjoyed the characters but wasn’t all that invested in the storyline.

This was a good first book in a series, and definitely has potential - but it could have been more developed, in many ways.

I enjoyed the characters, however I felt that neither of the 2 main relationships were developed enough. The romance felt a little shallow, with hardly any intimacy, other than sexual attraction and some banter.

The dialogue also felt unnatural to me, and maybe that's why I didn't really connect to any of the characters. There were just too many long speeches.

The world this author created has great promise and I liked the magic system, but overall it was all a little flat for me, and I couldn't find myself feeling excitement for this story.

Let me start by saying I loved the premise of this novel. It felt a little more like New Adult than Adult to me; the spicy meter was lacking. Selene and Illiana are a beautiful example of what friendship should look like. The romances are both cute, but I would've enjoyed it more I think if the novel focused on the development of one and there's a follow up with the other.

Selene and Iliana are bastard daughters of important Magistri who are nobles that command the elements. However, Selene and Iliana do not command the elements but have 'inferior' skills. Ha! Inferior my @ss!! Being poison and metals mages are amazing skills and both Selene and Iliana are very good at wielding their talents. However, when they are kidnapped by their estranged fathers and sent to court to woo the prince, a dark game of court politics commences.

Belisarious (Beli) and Marduk are out for blood. They know there are traitors within the Magistri rank and so they launch a marriage competition for all the Magistri daughters in the land. While Beli's father is still alive, he reigns in his stead with the help of his Strategos, Marduk and advisor, Nicephorus. Each have their own skills that will come in handy. How will Beli cope with all these women in his castle and will there be someone who sees beyond the beast to see the man?

Two love stories! One sweet and one fraught with tension and angst. There was witty banter, a couple of marriage proposals, running away and coming home. Selene is funny, sarcastic but deeply hurt. Iliana is too pure and beautiful for the world she lives in. Beli has lost hope in his father and is mourning his mother. Marduk is strong, dependable and sweet. The spice was great, the politics were delightful, and the twists were well written. While this is one in a series there is no cliffhanger and can be read as a stand alone novel.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Two Laurels Press and Elyse Thomson for this ARC.

I really really loved this one! It was both heartfelt and action filled from start to finish!

I liked the romance and also the magic system, as well as the world-building and characters.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be an ARC reader!

DNF @ 20%

I am having a hard time getting into the story and I think that is on me more than the story. I am just in a funk I believe. The book has a lot of great tropes, like secret identities, and I would like to get back to it at some point when my mood allows it. There is definitely a lot of potential for this one and so if it sounds good to you I would check it out!

This one was slow to get into, but really ramped up. I over all enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to see what the rest of the series has in store.