The Orchid Throne (Forgotten Empires, #1)

by Jeffe Kennedy

[Melanie]

4.5 stars

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

The Orchid Throne is the first book in a new fantasy series by Jeffe Kennedy. I’ve read several fantasy stories by Kennedy in the past. I’ve always enjoyed her work, so it was an easy decision to try this new series. I originally grabbed the NetGalley eBook and read it on vacation. Then I saw that it was going to be available on audio, so I had to grab the audiobook version and did a revisit via the audio.

The world is set in a fantasy world where magic exists, but the newly risen emperor claims that it doesn’t and kills any wizards he can find. He’s also taken over every kingdom around and enslaved or killed the former royal family. That is every kingdom but Calanthe. The king of Calanthe betrothed his young daughter to the emperor. But how long can she keep him as fiance before he insists on taking her as his bride in truth.

Euthalia, or Lia, plays herself as a debutant queen, now that her father has passed on. She goes through all the rituals that are expected of her. She stays completely away from the lush, extravagant parties that her island kingdom is known for, to ensure her reputation as the virgin queen. She’s also extremely sly with many spies feeding her information, not only in her kingdom, but throughout the empire. She’s much smarter than she lets on.

Conrí, or Con, is a former crown prince of a now non-existent kingdom. He was forced to work in vurgstun mines, bringing out the explosive rock which helped the empire rise to power. The work in the mines have made him strong, but also did a number on his lungs as he breathed in the dust. He and the other miners stage an uprising, and where he becomes the new Slave King, of no kingdom, set on revenge for his family.

This is a great start to a fantasy series. I’m extremely excited to see what happens in book two. I really love the characters in this series. Not only Con and Lia, but many of the side characters including Sondra, Con’s childhood friend, and Ambrose, the wizard who found him. I also have to mention, Merle, Ambrose’s raven (or I should say that Ambrose is Merle’s wizard). I have always been a fan of pets in stories, even more so when they are more than just pets.

Narration
This is my first time listening to Elizabeth Brook. I have to admit that I really like her voice. I didn’t even mind her different character voices. The issue I had with her, was that I had a hard time telling which POV she was referencing. There was no difference in tone between Lia’s POV and Con’s. Part of me thinks that this would’ve been better with dual narration and had a man read Con’s POV. That being said, I would totally listen to the next book in this series.

**I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.