This story was very unique and well written. This book is more fantasy and world building driven. Unfortunately, the world building took up 60% of the book until we get to the actual story and action for the last 40%.
I am glad I pushed myself in the beginning to continue on because there were some moments when I thought, maybe this story just isn't for me and I should stop. I was disappointed to hear about King Anure and how evil he is but we never encounter him at all during this book. At the end there were still lots of questions unanswered and no resolution besides with Conri and Euthalia joining forces at the end in hopes to ending the rule of King Anure.
I feel like there was too much world building and not enough time to fully layout the plot which just left me little unsatisfied as a reader at the end.

In the Forgotten Empires magic is forbidden, dreams are destiny, and love is the greatest power of all…

Well this book sounded interesting but it's not in a genre that I normally read and I should have known this for the red flag that it was. I did not like the book or the characters. It was just too far out there for my taste and just not my cup of tea. I could barely find it readable and will not be interested in reading more of this series.
I gave this far out fantasy 2.75 of 5.0 stars.
I received a complimentary ARC of this title. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued when I spotted this one...the cover is gorgeous, the blurb written so that it would pull you in. And in truth, there are definitely certain times that I am pulled down the fantasy bend and never want to leave it.

That being said, this was a good book. However, it was very SLOW to start and there is a bit of a what happens next, going on. The author does have a good handle on the fantasy handle in general, however...the pacing at the beginning just seemed exceedingly slow to start. 4 stars

Not a book I would normally read, but the description was interesting. This is a fantasy romance filled with court intrigue, magic and revenge. I found the story slow to start but then parts would hold my attention. I didn’t really get a connection the the characters, they may need to be fleshed out a little more. Their development may happen in the next book. Though I’m not sure I liked it enough to continue the series, but someone else will absolutely love it.

Queen Euthalia of Calanthe, a magical isle of flowers and beautiful people, will risk all to keep her people safe from the tyrant King Anure who overthrew the surrounding countries years ago. She is destined to be his bride, but Lia has been planning for years to thwart that inevitability. Lia’s orchid ring gives her the authority to rule over Calanthe, and though magic has been banned, the Abiding Ring hides many enchanted secrets. Lia herself has had to develop a politically savvy mind and hard edge beneath all the glitz and glamour. Her elaborate dresses, wigs, and makeup are a type of armor that Conri at first, does not recognize for what they are.

Conri was raised as a prince of his Kingdom Oriel until his father was overthrown after which, he at a young age, and many of his people were sent to the mines as slaves. After escaping to lead a rebel army determined to destroy the emperor responsible for so much loss, Conri finds he needs Lia to fulfill that destiny. They have both been raised under the same brutal and harsh regime though Lia’s life appears from the outside to have been peaceful and lovely on her island. But as everyone knows, looks are deceiving and in Lia’s case, in very many ways. This beauty and beast tale of two people who would do anything to protect their people finding love in the most unexpected of places has much to offer.

As this story is first in the series, quite a bit of the story is taken up with the establishing the background and current situations of Lia and Con separately with dual first person POVs. Fans of High Fantasy will enjoy the lengthy progression while those anxious for the romance will have to be a little patient but will be rewarded for it. Readers will get to know Lia and Con quite well before they finally come together for their common cause. Ms. Kennedy’s writing always has a depth and quality to it that will draw readers in and hold them in her thrall.

Title :The Orchid Throne

Series : Forgotten Empires #1

Author: Jeff Kennedy

Pages : 384

Genre: fantasy Romance

September 24,2019

St.Martin's

Rating:3.4

Welcome to the world of Forgotten Empires from award winning author Jeffe Kennedy that begins with The Orchid Throne.


A PRISONER OF FATE


As Queen of the island kingdom of Calanthe, Euthalia will do anything to keep her people free—and her secrets safe—from the mad tyrant who rules the mainland. Guided by a magic ring of her father’s, Lia plays the political game with the cronies the emperor sends to her island. In her heart, she knows that it’s up to her to save herself from her fate as the emperor’s bride. But in her dreams, she sees a man, one with the power to build a better world—a man whose spirit is as strong, and whose passion is as fierce as her own…


A PRINCE AMONG MEN


Conrí, former Crown Prince of Oriel, has built an army to overthrow the emperor. But he needs the fabled Abiding Ring to succeed. The ring that Euthalia holds so dear to her heart. When the two banished rulers meet face to face, neither can deny the flames of rebellion that flicker in their eyes—nor the fires of desire that draw them together. But in this broken world of shattered kingdoms, can they ever really trust each other? Can their fiery alliance defeat the shadows of evil that threaten to engulf their hearts and souls?


My thoughts

Would I recommend it? yes

Will be going on with the series? maybe

Would I read more by this author? maybe

The genre says its romance but it has a touch of fantasy to it, which speaks of prophecy,magic, beauty, and war .And while the premise does have huge potential and did in fact piqued my interest , there was times i was at a lost at what was happening because of how wordy the author has it, which means I had to go back and re read sorting parts of it , but on the other hand the world building was great and that helped some what and made me want to keep on reading it and finding out more about the island kingdom of Calanthe and its young Queen as well as its people , even though it was slow going though out the story. Another thing i liked about it was how it talked about a prophecy which also kept me reading it because it reminded me a little bit of the Lord Of the Rings. Plus another thing it has going for it is that its the first time I've ever read a fantasy romance .With that said I want to thank St.Martin's and Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

This book took a while to really engage my attention. At first, coming back to it was a chore. Like war...political intrigue...war...makeup in court...blah. However, I'm glad I stuck with it because by the end the two lead characters had fully stolen my attention.
It's not a traditional love story, which is fantastic. There is no fawning or fainting. It's two independent, like-minded people who know being together is smarter than being alone in the political upheaval. That they make a great pair feels to the reader like it does to the characters, like pure dumb luck. Interesting.

Lia, Queen of Calanthe, has spent the last few years of her life playing a dangerous game. Her island nation is one of the few who has not been taken over by the brutal Anure and his Empire. Lia is supposed to marry Anure, but she has been skillfully putting him off. She knows time is running short, and she is desperate to find a way to protect Calanthe, regardless of what happens to her. Con led a revolt of slaves against the Empire, and he arrives in Calanthe hoping to further his cause. Lia and Con are drawn to each other, but neither particularly trusts the other. Lia has to decide whether to throw her lot in with Con or give in to the Empire.

There is a LOT happening in this book. Kennedy has created an incredibly rich world, and for that reason this book has some info dump in it. Normally, too much of that bores me, but here I was fascinated. It helps that the world of Calanthe in particular is gorgeous and mysterious, making you want to hear more about its secrets. I was particularly (and surprisingly) engaged by the political games Lia must play. In many ways Con’s accusation that she has lived in luxury while people in the world are dying at the hands of the Empire is completely justified. Calanthe has been spared the cruelty everyone else experienced, and most of the residents are either unwilling or unable to acknowledge that privilege. Lia believes she's doing the right thing, but you can see the other side of that argument too. However, that safety has come largely because of Lia’s own sacrifices in recent years. She deeply understands the expectations her subjects have of her, her role on the political stage, her role as a potential wife, and how to use subtlety, charm, and ruthlessness when necessary to get what she wants. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her weigh her options, work behind the scenes, and use all her available resources to save her kingdom. She has been sheltered, but she is also very, very good at being Queen, and everything she does, she does for her kingdom, not for herself.

Con and his people have experienced a LOT of trauma (and CW for talk of abuse, torture, rape, and slavery), but somehow he is still a kind man. He is particularly sweet and vulnerable in his interactions with Lia, and it was both heartbreaking and lovely. His life has been so horrible--you just want to see things go right for him for a change. You can tell he is still growing into his role as a leader, and I can’t wait to see where he goes in the future.

I didn’t realize before I read the book that this isn’t a finished story, nor would I quite categorize it as a romance (maybe just the first installment of a romance). While Con and Lia do have some great sexual tension and do end up together (and have some very hot sex!), it doesn't happen until the very end of the book. By the end, there is some tentative trust and agreement between them, but they aren’t fully a team yet either. Really, this book is set up for the world and the conflict, but it doesn’t resolve anything. Not knowing that, I was very disappointed when I got to the end and realized there would be no resolution. That did temper my enjoyment of the story a bit.

I did love this world and these characters, though. I want to see Lia and Con grow into true partners, and I want to see how they can fight against the Empire. I will be waiting with baited breath for future books in the series.

Grade: 4 out of 5

This is one of those slower build adult fantasy romance books, but let me tell you it’s so worth it! Yes the beginning as that tad bit of world building and introducing characters and I’m guessing some foreshadowing we are all going to miss until its smack in your face. I really can’t wait to see more of this world and how its all going to play out.

I really loved Conri, like hes going to be one of my new favorite men I can feel it. The way to had to fight for his life and the people he had left. Hes a total brute, but in that aw I see softness inside you secret hufflepuff!

Euthalia was so interesting! I loved the sexual representation of her land. It’s all so open and was interesting to see esp Conris poor reaction to it all xD How she handed her being cornered by the evil king, but keeping her people her main concern. I’m so so interested in seeing how she is going to handle the court, Conri and the upcoming battles!

Also Ambrose is without a doubt such a show stealer! I loved his dry humor esp about magic and how he basically shoved Conri who had no clue about how to do anything, but fight into wooing a woman. You don’t get the romance until the end, but it doesn’t disappoint that I can promise!

Reading this book was just so great! I really enjoyed this world, it was so interesting with magic that reportedly doesn't exist, and this emperor dude who conquered and lied and was just plain awful! I can't wait to see him taken down!

These two characters were so awesome to read about! Lia was so politically savvy, I really enjoyed the way that her mind worked! She was in such a precarious position, and yeah, she was really quick on her feet. Conri was broken from what he went through in the caves, but he's strong and wants vengeance. He was also a leader, whether he wanted to or not. And the sparks between them, wow, they were intense!

Lia's in a hard position. Her land is soft, the land of pleasures. And blood can't be shed in violence, or else the land is negatively affected. And she's between Conri and the Emperor, and both dudes want to use her against the other. Yeah, that's not an easy position to be in!

So there's two things that I want for the next book. One, is a map, which might be in the finished copy of this book, but it would be really great to see where everything is located. And secondly, what did the bad guy do that lead to Lia's dad dying? I'm really curious to know!

Loved reading this book, it was such a fantastic read!

If I could take the first half of this book and edit it down by 50%, I think I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more. The second half of the book would’ve earned 4 stars but the first half barely 2.

The beginning was all plot with no personality. Euthalia was intolerable, a useless coward and a horrible strategist. Then all of the sudden, she changes her mind based on a very flimsy excuse and she’s much more palatable as a character but I’d have never known had I given up the book like I wanted to multiple times. I found myself skimming through her chapters but actually reading Conri’s until she improved.

The book ends rather abruptly and now I’m left wondering what exactly happened. I could condense the plot into maybe 2 sentences and you wouldn’t really miss much.

The Orchid Throne (Forgotten Empires, #1)by Jeffe Kennedy Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. That said I would give it 3 stars...it slow starting and I had to make myself read on. It was not really for me ..but that doesn't me someone else will not love it. Also it doesn't feel like a stand alone.

I ended up really liking this book. I thought it had a pretty slow start but then everything just exploded and I couldn't put it down. There is also a little mystery throughout that helped keep my attention with the discreet references. I cannot wait for book two!

The Orchid Throne tells the story of two rulers—Lia and Conri—who are as devoted to their lands and causes as much as they hate the current emperor, Anure. Swoony, with excellent world-building, watch an enemies-to-lovers relationship unfold between the Flower Queen and the Slave King.

I love their dynamic. She had spikes like thrones with just the right amount of vulnerability to make the reader care about this lone ruler. Though Conri's rebellions has its heart in the right place, Calanthe sits at a political crossroads with the Emperor. She takes him prisoner, and the way the world-building unfolds is just so layered. I liked how flowers melded in with Calanthe, and especially the consistent disagreement about the presence of magic among all the characters was also well done.

The only thing that I wasn't the biggest fan of was how abrupt the ending was. I am completely aware that there is more to come, but the cords had been wound a bit too tightly. Definitely not a stand-alone, but I look forward to what's to come.

I love Jeffe Kennedy's writing - she has such a talent for worldbuilding, giving vivid descriptions of places, people, and the politics of the world she has created. That being said, I found that this story was just not able to hold my attention. I tried to put it down, give it some space, and then come back to it, hoping maybe it was just my frame of mind. However, I think ultimately Jeffe just started the story too slow, and I found myself having a very difficult time finishing it. The romance was very bland to me, not much spark between the two main characters, and the scene where they finally consummate their love was very...anticlimactic. Ultimately, I feel this was a case of just being a book that was not for me. It's definitely something I can see friends of mine reading, family members too, but it wasn't what I enjoy reading. I need a faster pace story, with more romance.

This one was hard to like. Great concept, in fact days after writing the draft of the review, it does stay with you, but I don’t like first person POV and the couple doesn't meet until more than half way through the book. Once they meet they are enemies, then  they respect each other, then enemies again, then married. The next morning they are all of a sudden soft and supportive and affectionate towards each other. There was no build up of the relationship. The conflict was him coming and taking over, not something they had to solve together or survive together. The book ends with too much unresolved so there is going to be more books, however the only conclusion of this story is that they will fight together. There wasn’t enough romance or build up. I liked the characters and plot concept, but would have preferred the book have more of them together and a different POV. I can’t say that I liked this book, which is a shame, because again the plot concept is really good. It just wasn’t executed well for my reading tastes.

Note: I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

"The Orchid Throne" is a fantasy romance with some original points but also some frustrations. The gist of the book is this: In a world (dramatic voice, of course) where there are several empires, our hero is the so-called "Slave King," who began a rebellion in the mines, and has gone on to steamroll over other territories. Little does the world know that the "Slave King" is in fact the lost prince of a former kingdom crushed by our Big Bad. Naturally, the Slave King wants vengeance for his father, and in so doing, he's put on a collision path with the "Flower Queen," a young woman who rules an island that is all by appearances dedicated to nothing but hedonism, and who is the unwilling fiancee of our Big Bad.

So, what's good? The book has an interesting set up, and there are some hilarious moments in the book. (A wizard character and his raven in particular steal almost every scene they are in.) If you like lots of lines dedicated to costume/dress, you're going to be happy, too. (That's not a critique; we find out very early that our Flower Queen uses dress and appearance as a kind of armor, much like Padme Amidala in her first Star Wars appearances.)

What's iffier? It's clear from the start that we, the readers, are waiting for our hero and heroine to meet up and move the plot forward. It feels like forever before that happens, however, and once we do, there's a lot of recounting of plans, what feels like a lot of treading water plot-wise. In addition, the heroine appears to be a bit too certain she's on the right path--yes, she needs to be steadfast as a ruler, but she's still too young to have this perfect confidence.

Last but not least, yes, this is a fantasy romance, so we know where the story is headed. (Trust me, that's not a spoiler.) The characters' actions here are rather surprisingly fast (and sometimes logic-deficient), as if the book needed more work to build on the characters' connection.

One word of final caution: This book is clearly built to be part of a series and while it can be read as a standalone, the book's plot feels a bit flat if one takes the book just for itself. So, if you aren't interested in committing to a series, keep that in mind.

The Orchid Throne by Jeffe Kennedy is the first book in her new Forgotten Empire series. We meet our heroine, Euthalia (Lia) the Queen of Calanthe, as her maids prepare her daily ritual in meeting with island residents or political cronies. Lia keeps herself safe from the Emperor and his cronies who watch over her from afar. When her father dies, Lia assumed the throne of her flower island, and has been successful in keeping the emperor distant, since she is fated to be his virgin bride. All Lia cares about is keeping Calanthe safe from the evil emperor, and at the same time hide her ability to use magic, which the emperor frowns on.

Conri, our hero, is the former Crown Prince of Oriel, and a former slave imprisoned by the evil emperor, when his land was overthrown. Conri and his friends, managed to escape, and he becomes known as the Slave King, building his army to fight the Emperor. Conri is told by his wizard, Ambrose (who was a great character), that he needs to get help from the Queen of Calanthe, as she has a powerful ring that would help them defeat the emperor; but prophecy says he needs to wed the queen to be able to use the Orchid ring.

As we learn all of this early on, the POV of both Lia and Conri went back and forth, being somewhat confusing, and definitely dragging a bit. I understand in many first books of a fantasy series, the author tries to fit as much information to introduce the world building. I thought about 30% of the beginning was slow at times, until Conri arrived on Calanthe to try and deal with the Queen, only to be put in prison. Once the two of them meet and the banter between them escalates, we now become totally vested; making us happy as the rest of the book was a pleasure to read.

What follows is a slow build romance between two unlikely people that are pushed together despite the odds, and once they get past their dislike of each other, it was fun to watch them act the parts and then eventually join together in order to defeat the enemy. But first they had to convince themselves, as well as consummate their marriage, which was more fun then anticipated.

To my surprise, this turned out to be an enjoyable read, once we got past the early beginning. The Orchid Throne centers around Conri and Lia, and the upcoming battle to defeat the powerful emperor, who will surely be coming for them, as he certainly couldn’t be happy that he lost his virgin bride. To tell too much more would be spoilers, as you really need to learn all about Conri and Lia and see them evolve. Be warned though…it ends in a cliffhanger, as the battle has yet to begun. If you like fantasy romance, captivating couple and an evil villain and don’t mind a slow start to introduce you to this world, then I suggest you read The Orchid Throne. I know I will be reading the next book.

For most of the book, I was enjoying myself. It was a different world where an absent tyrant emperor ruled after a lot of empires fell to him. There seemed to be one remaining empire where a queen could keep her title with the intent to marry the tyrant in the future. It was a delicate balance as the queen attempted to keep her empire safe. The former crown prince of Oriel, now a leader of a rebellion, had to cross into the queen’s lands to obtain a talisman that he was told he needed.

The plot was definitely interesting and I wanted to see where it would go.

This book definitely felt like a set up, without a full story arc, which was somewhat disappointing, but the build up to Conri meeting Euthalia was interesting enough to keep me occupied.

The only reason I’m not rating the book 4 stars, since I was enjoying it and eager to see where the story would go, was the romance. Usually, I’m all about fantasy with a bit of romance mixed in, whether YA or adult. But the sex scene in this book was just… weird. I was totally uncomfortable and it was kind of out of left field why it would be so graphic. Euthalia was supposed to be this virgin queen and suddenly turned into this vixen with specific instructions on how to please her. I read some pretty steamy romances from time to time, so if a sex scene jars me and makes me uncomfortable, I feel like there’s something wrong.

I feel that the book has a lot of potential with the themes and plot, but the pacing and descriptions should be better matched. It felt a lot like YA until the graphic sex kicked in, but if it was always supposed to be NA, then I feel that it could’ve been better peppered in throughout that it wasn’t geared towards YA audiences. Or the scene could’ve faded to black or been a little less.. how-to. Honestly, I really don’t want to read another sex scene by the author because it was so terrible, so I would vote for fade to black sex scene and call this a YA. It fits better with the rest of the book as well to do that.

The world of forgotten empires is a fantasy series about a princess held captive and a prince of a forgotten kingdom. Both have a similar goal: to face their common enemy, the emperor. But will they ever work together to meet this common goal? Jeffe Kennedy's novel is a witty high fantasy that's perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and those who enjoy reading novels with the "enemies to romance" trope.

The book starts with heavy world-building and various descriptions of what the main character was going through in her every day life. The reader gets a glimpse of Euthalia's world as well as her daily morning rituals and/or routines. It may feel as though nothing substantial was happening but the reader gets to read about Euthalia's inner thoughts. This helps the reader understand the inner workings of this fantasy world (Calanthe).

Then the pov transitions to a different character. It seems jarring because you immediately read details that didn't connect to the previous chapter. This pov if from Conrí, former prince. Everything that happened was kind of a blur and I frankly did not enjoy reading the first half of the novel so I decided to skim and hope for the best. It was just exposition after exposition. After reaching 50%, things starts to get interesting because Euthalia and Conrí finally meets.

What I liked least about this novel were the main characters (and the voice of these characters). I wasn't invested in any of their stories (their pov's). However, I liked the side characters (i.e. Ambrose and Lady Sondra). I admit that it almost felt like a chore getting through this book because the descriptions can be heavy at times and I wasn't enjoying reading about the main characters.

Additionally, this reads like a Sarah J Maas novel but with more descriptive details on the human anatomy. This had also been something I disliked about the novel because I prefer 'subtle' details. In this case, the portrayal of physical intimacy had been kind of cringey. It was a bit like a textbook and a bit smutty. I thought the flowery language can seem kind of silly when I got images of flowers, petals, and orchids while reading this book. And while I do like to read books with the enemies to romance trope, I'm not sure I liked the development of the relationship in this novel. I didn't feel as though I was completely sold with the romance.

But what I did like about this book was the concept of the story. It would be interesting to find out what the author has in mind for these characters. It felt as though not a lot has happened. A lot of time wasted in the first half and having it ended in a way as if nothing life-changing (or huge) occurred.

All in all, I thought this was an okay read but it just was not for me. I'm also not sure when this story takes place but the language sounded modern. There had been a character in this book that used the word "modern" as well and it just seemed anachronistic to me. Thus, I feel that there needs to be a little work done to clear some things out in the plot. There also needs to be a balance between the descriptions and dialogues. I felt that the story was just drawn out too long but it didn't reach a resolution where I felt completely satisfied, but perhaps I'm just not used to this type of book.


**Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press for access to this e-arc as well as inviting me to participate in the blog tour for this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.