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.

The Orchid Throne was the first book of Jeffe Kennedy’s that I have read. The Orchid Throne is the story of Euthalia (Lia), the Queen of Calanthe, and Conri, the King of a destroyed kingdom. In this fantasy romance book, the kingdoms of the world have all been overthrown and the people enslaved by the cruel emperor Anure. Conri escapes the mines where they dig for the emperor’s secret weapon and unites the slaves in a rebellion. His rebellion and his wizard lead him to Calanthe and Lia. I enjoyed the storytelling and world building in The Orchid Throne, though like others I got a little bogged down in some of the descriptions in the first quarter of the book. The characters are all interesting and well-developed. This is a great start to a new series and I look forward to the next installment!
I received an ARC of The Orchid Throne by Jeffe Kennedy from NetGalley for an honest review.

I did not like this one as much as i was hoping i would. I would like to say it was me but i dont think it was.

Conri is the Slave King bent on revenge against an emperor who murdered his family, destroyed his kingdom and enslaved his people. Euthalia is the mysterious Queen of Calanthe, the last of the old royal kingdoms, and betrothed to the emperor who imprisons her with their contract. The emperor says that magic is dead, but when Conri and Euthalia finally meet it's undeniably alive. Can they work together to fulfill an old prophecy or will they destroy one another in order to save their people?

The Orchid Throne is a fantasy romance filled with blood, magic, sex and revenge. I don't know if you're into that sort of thing, but I am and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

I struggled so much reading The Orchid Throne at first that I almost couldn’t finish it, but I pushed through because I know there are some books that just pick up halfway or much later on. Such was the case with this book, which I thought was very unfortunate and is largely why I didn’t give this book five stars.

Until I got about halfway through, I was so sure this book would be getting only two stars from me because of a few problems I had with it. The pacing was extremely slow. Both the main characters didn't meet for a long time, and many of the chapters were spent on Jeffe Kennedy's beautiful but sometimes confusing world-building. I still couldn’t tell you everything about Calanthe even if I tried.

The antagonist, the emperor, didn't even make an appearance at all. I had a problem with him because he was talked up so much by the characters, Lia especially, for all the evil deeds he’d done, but I’m assuming we won’t know what he’s really like until the next book.

The book also didn't truly pick up until the last 20%. There was so much excitement there with the plot and the romance. It was actually because of this that I felt like I got to know both Lia and Conri much better as characters, and I got my first real taste at what the plot was trying to do.

I loved this last 20% so much though! Even after the struggle I had reading most of The Orchid Throne, it’s what happened at the end that makes me think I’d be willing to read the second book. I still want to know more about Lia and Conri and what the deal is with the emperor and one of the minor characters introduced.

While I didn’t love any of the book’s characters or its plot, Jeffe Kennedy absolutely nailed the ending and is so skilled at writing world-building that beautifully and fully immerses you. I can’t help but want to know what happens next!

*will be posted on my blog http://pastmidnight.home.blog on August 21, 2019*

**3.5 stars**

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

I almost couldn’t get into this book because of the prologue – it was straight info dump. 😩 It wasn’t what I was expecting and I wondered if that was how the whole book would be written. It was a curious way to start the book. Thank goodness I picked it up again after putting it down!

The kingdom of Calanthe is a mysterious paradise ruled by Queen Euthalia. Euthalia’s world is quite a spectacle. From the moment she wakes up and is attended by her maids and Morning Glories, down to the art of keeping peace with her fiancé, the ruthless ruler, Emperor Anure, it is all done to keep her reputation intact. Her only desire is to keep Calanthe thriving and she will do so no matter the cost.

What she doesn’t expect is news of a rebel, Conri, and his crew who want to take down Emperor Anure. But to get to the Emperor, they must go through Calanthe first and Euthalia can’t have that.

I loved learning about Queen Euthalia and Calanthe because it is a paradise island with a secret. The secret is revealed in the end and for me it was so unsuspecting, it leaves me even more intrigued. Everyone assumes Euthalia is a frivolous queen obsessed with beauty. Her night court has a reputation for indulging in all kinds of pleasures. She is a virgin queen saving herself for her fiancé but even then, she knows what happens in a bedroom. This is an adult fantasy with a slow burn romance, but eventually, near the end, there are some steamy scenes!

I loved Conri’s story. He was a prince to a slave, to a king of nothing and wanting his revenge on the man who ruined his world. He went through some things in the mines, saw some things in the mines that would give anyone nightmares and still he is a survivor and fighter. I love his relationship with his best friend, Sondra. He’s not much of a ladies man, but that’s what makes him and Euthalia getting together exciting though sometimes it was kind of awkward. 😅🤷🏻‍♀️

There are magic elements to this story, that I hope will be developed more in the sequel. I want to know how the true Calantheans work their magic! Also there is political intrigue, and just the mystery of Calanthe kept me engaged with the story.

Now the thing I struggled with sometimes is that it is told in dual perspective, which works great, except it doesn’t tell you at the beginning of the chapter whose perspective it is from. Each chapter is numbered naturally and alternated with Euthalia and Conri’s perspectives, but it was frustrating when I started a chapter and forgot if it was one or the other. So names for each chapter would totally help.

After a slow start with the prologue, I actually got into this story! I’m very curious to see what happens next and how Queen Euthalia and Conri manage to take down Emperor Anure.

"Corridors and halls opened onto breathtakingly beautiful gardens— from groves of fruit trees, to masses of flowering vines, to water gardens bursting with lily pad blossoms."- The Orchid Throne
So guess what, guess what? I was selected through #netgalley to review an #arc of #theorchidthrone and OMG!! 😍😍😍😍😱😱😱 I'm in love!!!! It's told in alternating POVs, you have a young Queen who'll do anything to keep her island kingdom from falling into the hands of a false emperor and an ex-prince who has risen from a mine slave to the leader of a growing rebellion...and guys! This book is insane! I don't even know to to properly say how much I love it! Who do I have to sell my soul to in order to be able to review book 2??? The amazing descriptions! The banter between the 2 main characters is just amazing! if you love fantasy, the whole enemies to lovers romance...ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR list ASAP!

Really loved the premise of this book and the idea of arranged marriage (I'm a sucker for this trope). The prologue immediately began with an info dump and wasn't very fleshed out, leaving me a bit confused. Everything seemed a little too wordy and over the top. The sentences were dragged out to make it sound elegant, but instead just bored me.

Luckily the characters redeemed this book. I loved Lia in this book who is trying to keep her people free. Conri was also another interesting character and I enjoyed the dynamic between the two as they joined together in an alliance to fight for their freedom.

Unfortunately the parts without dialogue left me bored and skipping around.