"The Orchid Throne' is the first book a new series fantasy series by Jeffe Kennedy. Interesting start; Queen Euthalia has spent years avoiding marriage to her fiance, King Anure; only to marry Conri, the Slave King in secret in an attempt to defeat King Anure. Kennedy creates a world of fantasy and hidden magic that is intriguing. The ending does leave you hanging; and definitely creates anticipation of the next novel in the series.

The Orchid Thone is an interesting fantasy romance that moves rather slow. Don’t get me wrong, it was interesting, it just takes forever to move from one thing to another. I am willing to read the second book though.

For me, The Orchid Throne was a middle-of-the-road read. I was a little bored during the first half, mainly because a) there was a lot of wordiness and not much real action, and b) it all felt so familiar and formulaic. My interest did pick up in the second half as things started to happen, and I found secondary character Ambrose amusing. Two overall problems I had were that I didn't feel the chemistry between Conrí and Lia and that the villainous emperor remained something of a cardboard cutout. We were told about him but got no real sense of him. Granted, that may well improve as we move into book two, but for now he's a bit of a non-entity, which makes it hard to drum up any real fear about him and his wrath. In the end I am giving this three stars. For fans of the genre, it ticks all the trope boxes and will meet expectations. However, I found it predictable. It offered nothing we haven't seen before. That said, this was a slow starter, so things may well pick up on that score as the series continues. As such, I'd be willing to give book two a try.

(My review will go live at the link provided on 30 Sep.)

Although it took a few chapters to get into this book, it was quite enjoyable.
I really loved the characters, although at times it was hard to figure out which chapter each person was about. It really didn’t take away from the story, it was just confusing at times.
Overall, the story was filled with excitement and adventure, and I would recommend to anyone who loves a good fantasy.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This novel was an enjoyable read for the first in the series. Things are never what they seem. Masks cover true intentions. Magic has been told to be a falsehood, but a prophecy that brings two people together can potentially stop the evil emperor. Euthalia, the Queen of Calanthe, has been promised to be the emperor’s bride, one she keeps pushing off, using her cleverness and intelligence. She will do whatever is necessary to protect her people, but needs to find something first before she puts her final plans into action. Conrí, the former Crown Prince of Oriel, escaped from the mines and currently leads a rebellion, and is know as the Slave King. Con will do whatever it takes to kill the false emperor, for he is determined and needs the Abiding Ring. Lia and Con do not start off on the best of terms, each having their own reasons for their decisions and choices. They do not trust most, let alone each other, but concessions must be made. They are drawn to one another and know the battles are just beginning to defeat the false emperor. I am looking forward to the next novel in the series!

I will say the first few chapters were hard for me to get into, but then it finally clicked. This is a bit different for me and more of a slow burn on the romance part. I also wished during the pov changes, the character's name was mentioned, because at the beginning of each chapter sometimes it wasn't easy to tell who was talking. There are still questions I have on what's going on though. Overall, this is a good start for a trilogy and I'm curious to see how the next one plays out.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.