Book Review: The Orchid Throne by Jeffe Kennedy

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Title: The Orchid Throne

Author: Jeffe Kennedy

Sub-genre: Fantasy

Anyone else feeling the intense need to live in a fantasy world these days? No? Just me? Well if the real world is a little too much right now (and it’s okay to stop and take breaks, by the way, everyone needs a mental escape during such intense and emotional times), then slipping into a fantasy romance might be just the thing you need.

Lia is the queen of Calanthe, an island full of beautiful things. Lia dons layers of makeup and wigs and fancy dresses every day, but her most important accessory is her orchid ring. She is engaged to the power hungry, tyrannical Emperor, but refuses to actually marry him and plans to kill him should they actually be wed. On the outside, Lia is a delicate flower, much like the orchid on her ring, but in reality, she is using her skills to try to keep her people safe. Conri is the prince turned king of a decimated country, destroyed by the Emperor. He’s forced into slavery, but manages to escape, gathering an army of other former slaves. They dub him the Slave King, and the group travels through the continent, conquering and freeing at the same time. Conri’s wizard advisor tells him he must possess the hand that wears the orchid ring, and so he and his people travel to Calanthe, where he convinces Lia to marry him. This book is the first in a series, so there isn’t a solid resolution at the end of the book, though Lia and Conri are happily married.

Alright, so the world-building in this book is fantastic. Calanthe in particular is so beautifully described, it made me want to visit (even if the people seem shallow and looks obsessed). The whole place seemed like a dream world. I also loved Lia. I’m very much into the girl who seems flighty and superficial but is actually a secret badass character trope, and that is Lia to a tee. I was also into Conri who definitely has that dark broody damaged thing going on (also a thing I am very into).

My only real complaint about this book is Lia and Conri spend very little time together. They don’t actually meet until the last third or so of the book. Since this is first in the series, the emphasis was on establishing the world and the characters, which was great, I just would have preferred them to meet sooner. But I will definitely be ordering book two because I want to know what happens next!

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars