Kiss of the Basilisk Review: The Most Ridiculously Spicy Book I've Read

There are books you recommend because they’re beautifully written, books you recommend because they make you feel something, and then there are books like this one. Kiss of the Basilisk belongs in a category of its own. It made me occasionally wonder what on earth I was reading….More times than I can count…..But I couldn’t stop. Sometimes you just need to be thoroughly entertained, slightly scandalised, and left wondering how an author even came up with this in the first place.

Kiss of the Basilisk is an outrageously spicy fantasy romance that throws twenty-year-old Temperance Verus into a competition for the prince’s hand in marriage. There are fourteen contestants, seduction lessons, a rather unconventional training partner, and Caspen, the Serpent King, who might just be the most unexpected love interest I’ve encountered.

Blurb

THIS BOOK IS NOT SAFE TO READ AT WORK. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

Twenty-year-old Temperance Verus has never been kissed. But that’s what the basilisk is for.

Along with thirteen other contestants, Tem must train with a basilisk to learn the power of seduction and win the prince’s hand in marriage. When Tem is matched with Caspen, the Serpent King, she realizes she might actually stand a chance. But with tensions rising between the basilisks and the humans, Tem is suddenly torn in two directions. As her bond with Caspen deepens, so does her connection with the prince. And when she uncovers a terrible secret about the royal family, Tem finds herself caught between two neither of which she can survive without.

Guaranteed to make you blush (and then some), Split or Swallow is like if fanfic Draco Malfoy went on the Bachelor and had to compete with a snake. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? That’s because it is!!

Genre

Some amalgamation of Fantasy, dark romance, and something else 😅

Characters

Simple characters with too much time on their hands

Tropes

Love Triangle
Magical Training/Competition
Forbidden Love
Court Intrigue
Deep Politics
Enemies to Lovers(potential)
Coming of Age
Bonding with the Monster
A war between races is brewing

My Review

I was not ready for Kiss of the Basilisk. I like to consider myself that I can read anything spicy and it won’t stun me (perks of being a dark romance reader) but this book did STUNNED me into speechlessness. I was reading it, and I was like, WHAT THE WHAT is happening, man. And when I would be like taking a breath, thinking, okay, everything is fine now we can proceed to the next chapter, and something else more whiplashy, twisty, stupid (not really) type of thing will happen in the next chapter.

To sum things up, it was way too spicy. The angst that I wanted to read about was not there. The one Male lead had no personality at all, even though he is portrayed to be someone dangerous and hot. He was plain as hell… The other main lead showed promise because there is a dynamic to his character. I like him, tho I do not like that type, but I still like him. The female lead has a shortage of brain cells. She cannot think; she cannot make a decision; her whole life revolves around losing her virginity like it’s some kind of holy thing she has to do, and comparing herself to the most trashy person in the town. There it is, I said it. She annoyed me so much.

Overall, the plot is okay; it could have been much more, but it works as the first book in the series. I am thinking it’s gonna be better in the next book, and maybe the Female lead will show more of her character. She has an important role to play in politics. I hope she is up to the task. If you are a lover of heavy spice, this book is for you. GO read!!.