I love a story where our hero isn’t afraid to get messy. And that is definitely Black Salt Queen. Can’t wait for book two.

I really like how this story is woven together. It follows mainly the female royals and their antagonist. The relationship of the queen and her companion affects and sets the stage for the events that happen in the present moment. It took me a while to warm up to Laya, the princess who this story follows the most. She ultimately grows a lot because of what she goes through. Eti and Ariel were my favorite characters. I love how Ariel protects her and how she helps her family. The story has political intrigue, elemental magic, spice, and lgbtqia+ representation. It does end in a bit of a cliffhanger, but it's not a huge one.

Black Salt Queen by Samantha Basil
Series: Letters from Maynara, book one
Genre: Fantasy
Setting: Pre colonial Philippines
Length: 416 pages
Release Date: June 3, 2025

Thank you coloredpagesbt, bindery_books, and sam_bansil for the gifted copy of the arc.

“There can be no victory without betrayal.”

Black Salt Queen is a powerful and moving debut with themes of the fight for power and what one might do in pursuit of it. I was pleasantly surprised that this was the author’s first novel, the prose is so beautiful. The plot is one of political intrigue, magic, revenge, and all within the setting of the pre colonial Philippines. This novel is a multi POV that has two central romances: one is a sapphic relationship between rivals and the other is a heterosexual relationship that encapsulates young love. The pacing is slower as this is a character driven story and it is slower action wise. Bansil wrote a beautiful story that leaves room for nuance and I appreciated that she gave room for the reader to come to their own conclusions. Every plot device was done with intention and those twists! In and wait to see what’s next from Bansil.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC of Black Salt Queen.

This is a sharp, ambitious debut that delivers court intrigue, tragic love, and generational power struggles with style. Set in a lush, precolonial Philippines-inspired world ruled by women and shaped by gods, the book’s magic system is both beautiful and brutal—especially as it slowly drains the queen’s life. I appreciated how unapologetically messy the characters were: power-hungry, petty, grieving, loyal in all the wrong ways. Laya and Imeria’s toxic rivalry-romance might be my favorite dynamic in the whole thing. It’s political, it’s dramatic, and it’s not afraid to get a little ugly.

If you’re into flawed heroines, high-stakes betrayal, and morally gray sapphics playing for keeps, you’ll want this on your shelf.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC copy of this book.

In this book, you are following a few different characters which can get a little confusing, hearing from all the different POVs. The only problem I had was growing a connection with characters because of how often it was changed.

The story is magical and powerful. I felt it was a little rushed towards the end and the plot twist we receive on the epilogue is mind blowing and I can't wait to read the second book.

Laya and Luntok remind me of Romeo and Juliet, two lovers who can't be together due to family history. But it gets much more complicated than that. There is so many different plot twists and surprises throughout the book.

I would recommend to anyone looking for a drama filled story.

Interesting novel full of cultural richness and interplay of characters. Didn’t quite gel for me and I am confident it will have a strong market presence. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

this was great!! I absolutely loved the story and world building/backstory and the characters were very lovable. it felt very magical and I would definitely recommend to friends and my audience! the writing is beautiful and the plot kept me intrigued. I also absolutely loved the lgbtq rep in this!! it was so beautiful.

Thank you Bindery Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

I love this book. I just cannot encapsulate my thoughts into how I feel. It's so beautifully written and I feel like trying to explain my enjoyment is like explaining a candy bar. It's better to savor the moment that explain the taste.

- political intrigue
- bi4bi sapphics
- matriarchy
- filipino folklore
- powerful complex women
- forbidden love
- 3rd person multi-POV

OKAY I NEED BOOK TWO RNNNNNN GIMMMMMMME. GIMME. GIMME. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?????

I love how Laya and her sisters have such distinctive personalities?? In fact -- that can be said of all the characters: they are so multifaceted and the development is IMMACULATE. So much drama like all hell breaks loose and things don't go the way I want them to and like akjsgnfksjgbkfgbkjf
Love love love those tidbits of Filipino folklore sprinkled throughout and can't wait for more of this magic in the future books of the series. The prose is enthralling and immerses you in the world, it is so beautifully penned that it stays with you for weeks. LOVE fuels everything, and Black Salt Queen is a commentary on the dual fragility and strength of love, of how it can on one hand morph into betrayal and vengeance; and on the other into belonging and power. It has you rooting for the latter and then have your heart pulled out of your chest when that doesn't happen.

Don't let the cover fool you this book is full of feminine rage and uncutesy vengeance -- but if you squint it looks like a rainbowwwwww so :3 also this is forbidden love squared cause you get 2 forbidden love pairings from rival kingdoms weewoo

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of an honest opinion.

I liked the book and the story has definitely so much potential, but the writing seemed off at times. It felt way too descriptive, from places to the characters feelings.

It has a bit of everything, political schemes, magic, romance, but my favorite part was how the Filipino culture was part of this mix too, which you don’t get to see very often in a fantasy book.

Even with this, I often felt like I was forcing myself to finish this book, that’s the reason why I’m rating it a 3.75, since it never fully captured my attention, even when it has all the things that I like.

Dang, Bindery. You’ve seriously got the magic touch this year. Yet another incredible author and story!

Black Salt Queen is an absolute powerhouse—lush, emotionally charged, and unapologetically complex. From the very first page, I was completely hooked. The world-building is wonderful, the setting is vivid, and the story had me in a chokehold.

But where this book really shines? The characters and their relationships. They are forces: each driven by a mix of duty, passions, trauma, and very human desires. No one is good. No one is evil. They're all complicated people making impossible choices. Their relationships—fraught with tension, betrayal, love, and generational trauma —are incredibly well-written. They have been shaped by their experiences and you can understand why they make the decisions they do - even if you don't like them. These people feel real and they're as complex as we all are.

If you like your fantasy emotionally intelligent, female-led, and dripping with betrayal and power plays, this one’s for you. Truly unforgettable.

Thanks so much to Bindery, the author, and Colored Pages Book Tours for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

4.5 stars
I absolutely loved this book. I just finished reading the ARC and I will be immediately preordering the book.
The characters were fantastically well developed with ample backstory. The world building felt rich and realistic. There was a good bit of political manoeuvring. There never felt like an obvious choice for the characters to make when pushed to make decisions between families and love.

Thank you to Bindery Books and Colored Pages Book Tours for the ARC of Black Salt Queen by Samantha Bansil.

I’ll be honest...I had a hard time connecting at first. Laya, our first point of view character, is sharp-edged and frustrating in the most intentional ways. But this book is like quicksand. You think you're on solid ground, and then it starts shifting. You keep going, just a few more pages, just until you understand what this character’s deal is, and then suddenly you're consumed, completely immersed in this lush, dangerous, and devastating world.

This book is full of complex women. Powerful women. Heartbroken women. Women who betray and who love and who claw their way toward survival. Each of them is written as whole and complicated, and as I read I found myself shifting alliances, sympathizing with people I thought I hated, and questioning what justice and loyalty even meant in this world.

The multiple points of view were absolutely the right choice. Each one pulled back another layer of the world, of the characters, of the political and divine structures that govern Maynara. Every choice felt deliberate, every revelation earned. The result is a tangled web of power, faith, and identity where no one is innocent and every action has weight.

The world building here is phenomenal. Inspired by precolonial Philippines, the cultural roots of the setting feel tangible and rich with meaning. Samantha Bansil’s homage to that legacy is not just present in aesthetics, but woven deeply into how power moves in this world, divine magic tied to the elements, legacy passed through blood and politics, and the looming shadows of colonization, even if unnamed.

There’s also something to be said about the prose. It’s lyrical without being distant, evocative without sacrificing clarity. I found myself rereading sentences not because I was confused, but because I wanted to sit in them a little longer. It’s the kind of writing that makes you feel like you're being pulled deeper into a story that’s been waiting to be told for centuries.

This is a book of ambition. A book where love and loyalty are dangerous, and where the cost of power is always, always steep. I won't say anything more about the ending other than: I am still reeling. Thank the gods there’s more to come.

Follow me on socials: Instagram | TikTok @mythicalreadsreviewer

“A queen made of salt, sorrow, and secrets—hauntingly beautiful and fiercely unforgettable.”

Samantha Bansil’s Black Salt Queen is a lush, atmospheric fantasy that sinks its teeth into you from the very first page. Set in a world where the ocean holds secrets and power pulses beneath every wave, this story masterfully blends dark folklore, political intrigue, and slow-burn romance.

The writing is poetic and immersive—every line feels soaked in salt and magic. Bansil builds a world that is both beautiful and brutal, with rich cultural elements and a haunting sense of place. The protagonist, with her fierce determination and deep vulnerability, is the kind of heroine you root for even when the tide turns dark.

What stood out most was the way femininity, power, and myth are woven together. There are themes of sacrifice, rebirth, and the tension between duty and desire that give the story emotional depth. The romance is subtle but simmering—perfect for those who love tension-filled, slow-burn dynamics.

If you enjoy stories like The Bone Season, The Priory of the Orange Tree, or dark ocean fantasy with morally complex characters and lyrical prose, you’ll devour this.

Thank you so much @coloredpagesbt @sam_bansil @bindery_books for giving me the opportunity to read this beautiful, heartwarming and whimsical read. 🩵

What an incredibly refreshing and unique debut fantasy! Black Salt Queen was a riveting political fantasy with unlikable protagonist and a vibrant cast of characters.
Laya's development throughout the book from a selfish princess to a strong, determined queen was so admirable. I especially loved watching her learn to rely on herself, especially at the end during her standoff between Luntok and Imeria. I also like that the different POVs brought more depth to the characters and story as a whole. I'd love to hear from Bulan more in the future, as I found her character fascinating.
I also really loved that the romance(s) weren't the main part of the story. The plot didn't suffer as a result of too many romantic tropes, either. The romance that was in the story served to develop the characters and their toxic inclinations!
The worldbuilding in terms of location was really great. The author did a great job crafting a scene of wealth and luxury, as well as a commentary on the risks of imperialism. I do wish that there had been a stronger sense of place within the story, though.
The ending left me so excited for the next book. Readers of fantasy don't want to miss this incredible debut fantasy by Samantha Bansil. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the eARC!

I’m so thrilled to see more Filipino voices emerging in the fantasy genre—finally getting the recognition they deserve! Out of the recent releases, I’m pretty sure this one has become my favorite. This book stands out even among the Bindery titles I’ve read, showcasing how they’re curating some of the most exciting and innovative work in the genre.

The prose is stunning—rich, detailed, and exactly what I crave in fantasy. It's everything that immersive world-building should be. And can we talk about the lesbians? Yes, please!

Thank you Colored Pages book tours, NetGalley, Bindery Books and the author for this opportunity.

Overall i liked the book for what it stood for and the cover is gorgeous. For me, the beginning and the end most definitely delivered. Unfortunately, i didn’t feel much of a connection to the characters to get deeply connected. There were some quotes and moments that grabbed my attention but that was about it. The world building and some of the love connections/feelings were done well.

Wish the author much success.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy!

I was immediately intrigued by the idea of a political fantasy set in a magical Philippines! This is a solid debut from a talented author, and I appreciated the setting, the cast, the queer representation, and the family drama. If you're looking for something action-packed and very plot forward, this probably isn't for you. If you're interested in political scheming/alliances and family tension, I would recommend!

While the world itself was lovely, I found the worldbuilding in the first part of this book to be a bit clunky and the pacing ground down while the reader was talked at. I think pacing in general was not the book's strongest point.. I don't mind a slow-burn book, but I found it quite slow in the first half. It does pick up in the end, but things could have accelerated 50 pages earlier. I think that overall the book leaned more on the tell-don't-show side of things which I didn't love. Whether it was world building, character relationships, or otherwise, it didn't feel quite organic at points.

Overall an enjoyable read, despite my notes.

What a wild ride! This had a little bit of everything that I enjoy reading: romance, magic, political intrigue, family drama, betrayal, and angst. The prose was so soothing and beautiful to read. The world-building was extensive that illustrated a lush and tropical setting. The plot was compelling and kept my attention throughout the story as it had a mix of political conflict, relationship dynamics, and consequences of a past event with hints of a lurking threat from a Western entity. The characters were diverse and complex who make very human decisions and mistakes and who each tug at your heartstrings in their own ways. The book depicted many different types of sexualities and they all felt very natural in relation to the characters. If you enjoy diverse fantasies with strong and ambitious women, queer characters, intense political plotting, family drama, and nuanced romance, this is the book for you!

Black Salt Queen is an amazing debut novel. It combines a rich world with complex characters and secrets that have yet to be uncovered. This book is an absolute page-turner, I didn't want to put it down while I was reading. Each character POV is well balanced and leaves you wanting more from the story. The ending will have you begging for book two before you know it. This is an excellent read!