This is the horniest book I have ever read, and that is really saying something.
I read this as it was coming out in chapter drops on the authors instagram (yes, I do brag about this. I am an OG SOS fan) and I am so incredibly delighted that I found this book, and that it has gotten the love it absolutely deserves.
I love every single thing about this book. The political intrigue, the magic, the world building, the sex as plot… this book really has it all.

I will scream about this book from the roof tops for as long as I live honestly.

Love this book, it’s so unhinged and chaotic. Everything you are missing in life is right here. Already placed a preorder for the next book in the series.

I’m not fully certain how to review this book because it was truly unlike anything I’ve ever read and I went into reading with ZERO knowledge of the plot and… WOWZA, I was unprepared for this wild ride.

Was it interesting? Absolutely. Was there spice in every chapter? More spice than I could have imagined. But, while entertaining and engaging, the characters, especially Tem, fell flat and were very one dimensional. The whole time I felt like she didn’t quite know her motivations for being in the competition, what she wanted in the end, or who she was. I wanted more emotion and grit from her character.

Overall, I was entertained and will never look at a claw machine the same way again.

4 star read with good plot and 5 chili pepper ratings! The spice was spicing in this book!! Full of tension and angst.

LOL so let's start with how absolutely wild the entire premise of this book is, but how it becomes a romp of FUN! I absolutely could not put this one down for the life of me, and I want a million more with the same audacity!

If the selection and nightlife had a baby it would be this. Annnnd excuse me broke her hip? His father. I about spit my drank out, but of course I stayed to finish it! Barely any plot but good environment, and characters that I stayed. I will not forever read everything from this author, bought the physical copy to be pretty on my shelf.

This book was a wild ride, and I loved every moment of it.
I went in blind not knowing what to expect, and I am glad I did. This was such a fun, sexy, unique read, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I went into Kiss of the Basilisk with pretty low expectations, but it completely surprised me in the best way. This book is wild—like, several times I caught myself going, “What did I just read?” and I mean that in the most entertaining way possible. The plot takes some unexpected (and occasionally unhinged) turns, but that’s part of its charm.

The spice? Oh, it was absolutely spicing. It didn’t hold back, and it definitely added to the chaotic enjoyment factor. That said, the pacing and structure sometimes felt a little uneven, which is why I’m not giving it a full 4 stars—but it’s a strong 3.75 for me.

Will I read the next book? 100% yes. But only if we get more in the tone and style of that bonus chapter—because I refuse to believe this series isn’t setting us up for a full-on why-choose situation. And honestly? I’m here for it.

This why-choose romantasy attempted to present a strong, sexy heroine and a dangerous competition for a crown, but it missed the mark on both. Tem is rarely confident in choosing both the prince and the basilisk, and the resulting lack of sexual tension is not enough to justify all of the intimate scenes. Tem presents more as a clueless, and therefore reckless characters than a woman worthy of all of the special attention she gets. The prince reveals himself to be the most complex character but doesn't get enough screen time.

A wild ride--there were so many parts of this book that took me completely by surprise! I'm excited to handsell this to readers who are looking for true fantasy erotica. While the world-building and character development could have been flushed out more, this had excellent sex writing and readers looking for something much spicier than Sarah J. Maas and Fourth Wing will enjoy this book!

I don't think I want to hear the word claw ever again......
Kiss of the Basilisk (fka Split or Swallow) is a one-of-a-kind experience I won't soon forget - for better or worse. Following Temperance, the poor daughter of a chicken farmer as she begins the tradition of sex training with basilisk shifters to become the future queen. Yes. That is actually the plot of the book.
Okay, I know I sound like I'm being harsh about it, but I actually did enjoy my time reading this, it is truly a fun ride.
The initial plot of Tem beginning sex training was a very small portion of the book, as the plot swiftly advances to higher stakes, which was enjoyable; although it did feel very long. I think this book could have been cut down maybe 200 pages and we wouldn't have missed out on anything integral.
I also am slightly salty because this girl is team Leo all the way, and I don't forsee my dreams coming true *sigh*
Regardless, this novel delivered what it promised - sexy snake smut, and it did it well! I will be continuing with the sequel when it comes out.

It reads like The Selection took a wrong turn into a late-night fanfic rabbit hole, where character development and plot coherence were gleefully sacrificed at the altar of bizarre, over-the-top smut. Tem, the protagonist, is somehow both painfully naïve and gratingly smug, while the men exist solely as anatomy with no discernible depth. The book lurches through absurd plot twists, jaw-droppingly strange sex scenes, and shifting motivations that defy all logic. While it may be entertaining in a “how did this get published?” kind of way, the relentless parade of toxic dynamics, uncomfortable “romance,” and anatomical nonsense left me more bewildered than amused. If this is your kind of chaos, power to you—but for me, it was two stars and a long, deep sigh.

I’ve been follow Lindsay’s chapter releases on her website since she started releasing them and have been captivated since. I would wake up and first thing reach for my phone to read the next chapter that had gotten posted. I was addicted instantly. It has been so fun to read and i’m so sad for it to be over!

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL to have thrown her pub day and her join us out our book club!

Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straude is an erotic fantasy that certainly knows how to turn up the heat, but unfortunately, it falls short when it comes to delivering a solid plot or emotional depth. With its sizzling chemistry between characters and steamy moments, the book will appeal to readers looking for a quick, passionate read, but those hoping for a well-rounded story may be left disappointed.

While I enjoy the way that sexual elements were incorporated into the narrative and the worldbuilding, the protagonist make me confused with this book.

I feel like Tem is two separate characters in the separate sections of the narrative. Her behaivor depending on what characters are around make it hard for me as a reader to get a sense of her personality.

It starts off strong and I enjoy her insecurity but I feel like there are moments with the prince that are bizarre and unlike the personality that Tem has to begin with.

Damn haha what an unexpected book!!! I was absolutely enthralled by the story and smut the first half and couldn’t put the book down.

While I still super loved the second half, I got a bit of emotional whiplash from Tems emotions and her general personality. Not my fav FMC haha, so knocking off a star for her 😂. Absolutely can’t wait to find out what happens next though and that extra challengers chapter left me breathless 🥵

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

When I'm in the right mood for it, I'm a big fan of an unhinged book. Kiss of the Basilisk did not disappoint. I think a lot of the off-the-wall details in this book were created for the shock factor rather than it being relevant to world building, but hey, if it works, it works. Lindsay Straube has figured out how to get people talking about her book and whether you like it or hate it, you're still probably going to finish the book and then start a conversation about it. I did not have a problem with any of the extremely weird stuff in here, though it did have me making faces at my kindle. I will say the weird was so hyped that I expected more--but maybe I feel that way because I accidentally read a spoilery review and kept thinking there was more coming.

Leo is, hands down, my favorite character, which I did not see coming from the very start of the book. It seemed like what you see is what you get, but that was not the case. I kept wondering is Straube was going to create some sort of throuple situation, but in the end I'm very grateful she didn't. Why? I do not like Caspen or Tem. At all. I don't know if I can read another book with those two as the main characters, and they're the sole reason I couldn't rate this book higher. Caspen is absolutely awful, they kept having the same conversation over and over again for 500 pages, and there is nothing exciting about Tem to warrant her having two princes completely in love with her. There's never even a statement of why they love her or what they love about her, and honestly, I really needed that explanation because I couldn't find it. And shame on her for taking away Leo's free will, convincing herself she won't do anything, and then STILL giving him an order that he can't refuse. Just because you think he wants to do just that doesn't mean you should force him?? He's a king. He has responsibility now, supposedly.

Anyway this was a wild ride. I genuinely have no idea what a sequel would be about, but I'm hoping that Leo is the main character and Tem and Caspen continue to live in their cave and not care about anyone else because I'm not sure I can handle another 500 pages about them.

This book is just everything! I salivated for it. It was everything I could hope for and more. It was one the hype was there and did not let me down at all. I devoured it and savored it at the same time. Everyone needs this beauty immediately! A million stars.

Phew - I feel like I may not have been the right audience for this book! To be fair: I don't mind some spice in my books, especially when it is done in a tasteful way and lends to the plot/character development. I did NOT get any of that here. The smut was SMUTTY and really random and far-fetched. Point being: the smut was way too distracting and not my cup of tea. Thank you, NetGalley!

I thought this book would be right up my alley. It sounded intriguing and like something I would be interested in. I made it 72% before deciding to DNF. I thought as a character Tem was flat and Caspen was weird and borderline abusive whenever Tem did something he didn’t like. I have seen no reason why either character loved the other because all they did was have sex—they never talked. And I get it, it’s a smutty book, but the smut wasn’t even that good either. I hate to be so critical because I really wanted to like it. I follow the author on instagram and she’s so funny, I hate that I didn’t enjoy her book. But it was just so bland.