sorry this is straight up AO3 shifter porn 😭 no air to breathe just straight into it! i have no idea what i was expecting but i mean i thought it said “spit or swallow novel” so honestly thats on me

Seeing this being trad publish is AMAZING and our lemon queen deserves it!! It’s 700+ pages (and I’d eat up more tbh) of unhinged, swoon worthy, smutty, amazing shifter romance that I could not put down. The plot was plotting and the basilisk was…well I’ll let you read it and find out 🙂‍↕️😌
#teamcaspen

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Bloom books for this eARC!!

EDIT FEB 25: i received an ARC copy of Kiss of the Basilisk from Bloom via NetGalley. i haven't reread the entire thing (yet), but i did read leo's epilogue and I MISS HIM SO MUCH. and there is some closure in there about tem's parents, which i appreciated! still some unanswered questions, but that's what book 2 is for!! and lindsay's little snippets of leo's letters to tem give me the strength to wait.

EDIT FEB 22: i’m giving this five stars. i think about this book almost every day. i still stand by that i am caspens NUMBER ONE HATER. but i love this book. and lindsay is so cool.

ORIGINAL REVIEW OF SPLIT OR SWALLOW FROM SEPT 28 - beware spoilers:
if caspen has a million haters i'm one of them
if he has one hater it's me
if he has zero haters i'm dead

gaslight gatekeep girlboss caspen

i honestly don't know what to rate this one. i was having such a great time until the end. even though i HATED caspen for most of it, i loved hating him. on the flip side, i LOVED leo.

i just ... really didn't like the ending. like i have not been so upset with an ending since season 4 of veronica mars and i cried for days about that.

i was on board until tem crested leo. she could have crested LITERALLY anyone else, but she crests leo?? because caspen tell her to?? and then she sends leo away to find evelyn?? WHAT IF EVELYN IS DEAD?? WHAT IF SHE'S WITH SOMEONE ELSE?? WHAT IF LEO DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT?? tem could have said "i want you to go find evelyn IF YOU WANT TO". she claimed she was bestowing agency on leo after he spent his entire life without it, BUT THATS NOT GIVING HIM AGENCY!! telling him to DO something knowing he literally cannot deny the request is not giving him agency.

and then what else happened? what happens to tem's mom and dad? are her and caspen king and queen of both 'kingdoms' together? what about the other quiver? does the village just automatically accept tem as queen after treating her like literal shit all her life? do they know she's a hybreed?

don't get me wrong, i did enjoy this book. i recorded myself reading the last half of it because i knew it was going to be insane (basically from the ritual onwards). it was a fun and wild ride until the wedding.

i'm glad lindsay included the challengers scene because that's my canon ending until leo gets his happy ending. and honestly, it doesn't even need to be with tem because by the end of it, i kind of hated her too.

I knew I had to pick this up after hearing all the hype around it. Plus look at that stunning cover!

Kiss of the Basilisk is truly unlike anything I've read before. This one is definitely for the monster romance girlies. I can honestly say I have never read a basilisk romance. I found the story to be really unique. The plot is similar to The Bachelor which makes it easy to follow but still interesting since it is set in a paranormal world. The characters are compelling too.

The spice was on a whole other level for this book! I knew it was spicy but goodness this was piping hot! I am going to need a few books to recover from the smut I've just read. The spicy scenes were really well written and different.

Go into this book blind, you're going on a wild ride! Perfect book for monster romance & smut lovers!

Oh my spicy romance loving heart! This was such a delicious treat to read from the plot to the spice it packed a punch. It's such a unique read and I don't want to spoil anything, but definitely pick this one up if you want something different that packs the spice!

Interesting concept. Much more detailed than o was expecting, but was quite good. Tem was a little annoying at times, but overall enjoyed it.

First thing to say about this book is that it is seriously unhinged and I enjoyed it very much. Seriously spicy and the plot was good as well....with that being said I'm still not entirely sure what I feel about how it ended. I know there is supposed to be a next book and I need to know how the story proceeds from where it left off. I have in my mind where I want it to go ( actually more like how I need it to go) but we will see. I will definitely read book.2 when it comes out!

I read Kiss of the Basilisk in its indie format first and it was one of the most unique and out of pocket things I read all of last year, and that's exactly what I expected it would be. Holy guac. It was the perfect book for a buddy read where we could react to the insanity together.

Despite the page count, the ending felt a little rushed, and I felt like some characters didn't get full closure, but we are getting another book! I wish that the bonus chapter at the end was part of the actual story! iykyk. The new bonus chapter for this traditionally published release makes me so excited for the next book. I can't wait to see what Lindsay gives us next!

Thanks to Bloom and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

I need someone to get this girl some salve and hydration packets immediately (IYKYK). Now, I am typically someone who does not mind smut or what have you but will skim it or skip sections if it happens too much, drags on longer than I like, or I just am not feeling it. But despite it having a lot going on.... the way Straube was able to weave in longing and tension so beautifully had me reading every page.
Maybe it is because I have been reading fantasy for 20 years and have been in deep the fanfic world for the same amount of time, but everyone kept saying how unhinged it was and aside from the AMOUNT of "experience" the FMC goes through and one scene where a certain appendage is ripped off... I didn't bat an eye, so take that as you will as well.
Freaking loved it.

This was a wild ride and I enjoyed it. The spice within this book was well written and allowed the plot to still shine though. It was an addicting read.

Could not have enjoyed this book any more. It is literally a MASTERPIECE. For the sheer amount of smut it has, it has a shockingly AMAZING PLOT. Seriously, I’ve never read something so intriguing on every level (politics, romance, conflict) while simultaneously being the filthiest literature I’ve ever had my eyes on.

The LOVE TRIANGLE?!? Done so well where you don’t even know who to route for.

I will be rereading this book for years to come because it is brilliant & beautifully written. An ode to the woman afraid to ask for what she wants— NO MORE OF THAT GIRLFRIEND.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Okay okay listen.. was this a wild ass ride? Absolutely BUT did I have a blast while reading this shit? Yes... yes I did 🙂‍↕️

I have never wanted nor needed a book to become a MFM scenario more than these three because I'm down so bad for Leo yall it's not even funny like Caspen is cool and all but something about Leo just does it for me 🫣

Thank you again bloom books & NetGalley for the e-arc I'm foaming out the mouth now impatiently waiting for book two 🫶🏼

WTF Lindsay. WHAT 👏 THE 👏 F 👏

This was the wildest, craziest, weirdest, grossest, hottest fever dream we've ever experienced.

THIS is how you write a fantasy. Make it FANTASTICAL and semi unbelievable. Make it where the readers have to put the book down and say "did I really read what I think I just read?". Make it unpredictable. And most importantly, make up supremely UNFORGETTABLE.

Again, WTF Lindsay 😅

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Netgalley for the early copy!

I went into this completely blind and ready for the wild ride.
This indeed was a wild ride, it was messy and full of smut.
The smut was 90% of the plot.
I'm not complaining because it was hot but if that's not your jam then this book is not for you.

It's well-written and the actual storyline was entertaining but completely unhinged. There's a love triangle. Tem has to choose between the human royal prince and the basilisk prince. Expect lots of chemistry and banter with both male leads.
I only wish this was slightly shorter. It felt like it was dragging around 60%.

I'll be itching for the next book in the series since he was my favorite.
Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The smut IS the plot in this book. There are some interesting plot twist but not enough to keep me captivated or wanting to read the next in the series.

Temperance, Caspan + Leo

-basilisk shifters
-love triangle..? vibes? (i hope not)
-royal prince + basilisk prince
-student x teacher
-virgin fmc

okay...for real i started out with this book really questioning things...cause its in 3rd person...which i typically hate..but its written in a great way & then i got SO INVESTEDDD that i barely noticed!! the story is so intriguing...the relationships started getting SOOO MESSSYYYY...the spice be spicingggg...& i seriously just needed to know what the fuck all this meant!!!

& for reallll if the challengers bonus chapter doesn't become reality...i will straight up yeet myself off a bridge!!! WHAT THE HELLLL!!

Whoo boy. This was a fun read but it was also a mess. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I wish many times that I didn't have to keep reading it because the plot/writing wasn't great, also yes.

If you're looking for wall to wall smut, this is your book. If you're looking for a coherent fantasy novel with a romance plot, turn back now. The love triangle was awful. The characters made absolutely no sense and the ending was not great. But it was fun.

This was way more emotional than I thought it would be and I am here for it!! I expected it to be fun but the plot is plotting too. There is so much unhinged content that will have you giggling and cringing in the best ways.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book! It was a spicy good time!!!! Snake shifters and a sexual magic system?! This book is an erotica/fantasy lovers dream!

3.5 stars

Temperance has lived her life as an outcast, never been kissed, never had a guy interested her, and mocked by her peers. But now she is part of the 13 girls who are competing to marry the prince. They are assigned to a Basilisk, creatures of seduction and sensuality who are to train each girl in preparation to become a potential wife.

Temperance is given the Serpent King, Caspen who has a track record of having his girl win the prince's heart, and she believes she stands a chance. But things in the kingdom are tense, the basilisk's and human have been at war for a long time, and secrets are in abundance, and her affections for both men grow and she will be forced to make choices she didn't know she would be forced to make.

This book was a crazy ride, I inhaled this book. It was so readable and I truly didn't want to put it down. There was so much going on, the love triangle, the political intrigue, the sexiness, etc. I truly didn't want it to end cause I was so in the book and I am so ready to see where this series goes in the next book. My major problem was how whiney Temperance was she so entitled, and a typical not like other girls. She punished characters for wanting things but she wanted to have her cake and eat it too