DNF – Kiss of the Basilisk

I really wanted to like this one! But it’s just… how do I put this?

***Content Warning: Explicit Language***

This world was different. I can’t say it is unique but it does have its own twists. 

There are two races, human and snake. Of course they are at war with each other, but it didn’t start out that way. Oh no, the snakes basilisk are seducers of a higher power. They know how to get your pants off in 37 languages and two of them don’t even have audible words for humans to detect. 

They woo’d the humans for the first number of years sharing this planet, but that was until their true form came out. Their snake form. Humans are unable to look at them without dying, their magic is also at its peak in this form.

This led to a great war between the two races where humans found out the basilisk can not look into a mirror without turning to stone. Now armed with that edge the humans won the war, but as punishment the basilisk had to ‘train up’ the young maidens of the village for the prince to choose a wife.

At first I liked the idea that being a virgin was actually a problem. A twist on women being prized for their virtue.

Our FMC, Tem – terrible name that I never ended up liking – was an outcast and a virgin. She was a farm girl with no experience but was born in the same year as the prince and would be sent to the caves to be trained and offered to the prince as a potential bride.

Her mother never tells her what to expect or about sex itself which doesn’t line up with the importance of being experienced before you get to the prince’s bed. This was the first misalignment of the plot that I told myself just to get over and keep reading.

Tem enters the caves along with about 10 other girls and is told to choose a room. She just so happens to choose the room of the Serpent King, Caspen, the basilisk who has trained the last three women to be chosen as queen. 

This is great news, unfortunately the basilisk seems to have an instant connection with her and un-be-knownst to her crosses a line on the first night. 

No they don’t have sex they just have a really intense co-masturbation moment. This results in Caspen turning his cum into a dildo of sorts and asking Tem to put it where it belongs and leave it there. 

I felt this was another red flag. I get this is fantasy, but no woman is leaving a dildo in for days on end! It’s just not relatable.

Nevertheless, Tem agreed and left it in. Days later it starts to vibrate as Caspen thinks of her, as well as hears him in her head like a one-way mating bond.

She runs into another girl going through the training, a bully so to speak. But she tells Tem the basilisk didn’t even touch her nor does she know his name. So right off the bat we can see Caspen is treating Tem differently. But maybe this is just his training process.

For about a week Tem visits the cave every night, and each night the two learn to pleasure each other just with their hands. Tem is frustrated it’s taking so long and feels ready to just have sex but Caspen is making her wait. 

Again, we discover this is not the case by her school yard bully, and they have been fucking every night. This upsets Tem infinitely. 

Before she can confront Caspen she is called to dinner at the prince’s mansion with the other girls. This allows the prince the first look at all the tributes.

Now we are told the end goal is to be chosen to marry the prince, so you would think you’re rooting for the prince in this. But of course, Tem doesn’t want to marry, she just wants to make it to the other side, maybe landing in the top three.

Okay, fine. So maybe we should hate the prince?

I literally didn’t know what to think the entire book (or at least the 31% that I read). She has great chemistry with the prince. She is defiant, but not rude. Something the prince is overtly intrigued about after having everyone around him bend to his beck and call. And of course she is total knockout but just doesn’t see it in herself. Curving in all the right places, dark features and soft skin.

He is also chivalrous, he could force her into a room, to strip for him, to kiss, to stay the night. But he does no such thing. He respects her space and teases her, and walks away leaving you wanting more!

During her visit she hears another voice in her head. Not Caspen this time, but a basilisk calling for help. However she doesn’t know how to speak back and loses the connection before anything can come of it.

The goal of this first interaction was to kiss the prince and Tem was last to do so. After a few words she shared with him, challenging his idea of choosing a wife and how women should behave around him, he ranks her dead last as the ‘ugliest’ there.

This is a bit of a blow and puts her on the chopping block of being cut from the competition, but she knows it’s just because of the conversation she had with him, not his actual feelings.

By the time she goes back to Caspen she’s forgotten that she is mad at him for not having sex yet.

Instead of continuing with their scheduled training, Tem breaks the rules again and asks Caspen just to talk. He could say no but he doesn’t and they end up talking for hours about interests and past lovers (his only), and some insight on basilisks (nothing important).

He does tell Tem not to trust the royal family. Overall not that crazy seeing as his race are basically sex slaves living under the city in caves.

Again Tem is required to go to the castle to meet with the prince again, this time to spend 5 minutes alone with him. Basically 7 minutes in heaven.

Once alone the prince is drunk but still doesn’t cross a line she is not willing to give. He makes her go last and never starts the clock. They have a few words and then a passionate make-out session but she leaves the room before anything scandalise could happen.

The prince ranks her first. Winning her a one on one date the following night.

On this date she meets his family. They are all pompous and stuck up, except his sister who is sweet.

His father, the king, is the worst of all. He treats Tem like dirt, even though it is the royal family’s tradition she is holding up by entering the competition – also a misalignment of the plot!

The date with the prince is good and again left me feeling uncertain of how to feel about the love interest. 

Again she hears a voice calling for help. This time she is able to speak back to it, not well but the voice tells her not to trust the royal family just like Caspen did. 

When she is leaving the castle she overhears the prince and his father speaking. The king does not approve of Tem and doesn’t want the prince to choose her as queen. The prince likes her though and pushes back on his father. It comes off to Tem like a toddler throwing a fit and choosing the hard path just because their parents don’t want them too. 

Her view point is childish and obviously wrong, but we are told to believe it too because that is what is written. Again, another red flag, this time for just lazy writing.

Back in the cave Tem and Caspen are getting pretty spicy but still not going all the way. Tem tries to push Caspen but he loses control over his human form and falls into his snake form which is scary for Tem because she could die.

However she doesn’t feel scared. She keeps her eyes on the ground like Caspen keeps yelling at her but she won’t leave. After a few minutes Caspen reclaims control and turns back, only to kick her out of his cave.

They spend a few days apart but Caspen visits her mind and gets her off with the dildo – yes she is still wearing it!

One day she is walking home at night and is cornered by two boys. They tease her for visiting the caves and for being trained by the basilisk and want to see what she’s been learning. They hold her down and start to take off her dress but she is able to kick them in the nads and run to the caves.

She runs straight for Caspens cave but she’s not expected tonight so its a gamble. Thankfully the boys do not follow her and Caspen is in his cave, in his human form. 

He is startled by her but takes her to his personal chambers, deeper inside the cave system. 

Once in his personal room he enters her mind and shows her what he sees when he looks at her. Utter perfection, sex, bliss, love. Tem is awestruck. 

And I stopped reading.

Maybe this is an example of being told what you’re reading rather than seeing it unfold through the characters eyes.

I didn’t feel like Tem and Caspen had a connection, but was told that Caspen was infatuated with her.

I was told the prince was a douche and not to be trusted, but he gave me no reason on page not to like him. 

There is a bit of a mystery to unravel with the royal family and the mysterious voice in the castle, but not enough to keep reading.

I kept glancing at the percentage of the book too. “Wow, only 11% in and all this is happening.” “No way, only 23% and there is chemistry with the prince.” “Hmm 30% and we’re still here?”

It was a mix of everything happening way too fast, and nothing happening at all. 

I feel like I can guess the rest of the plot and if I’m wrong I don’t really care.

At the end of the day, being attracted to a snake is a bit of an ick. I get Fae, sure. But I draw the line at animal hybrids.

Again, I don’t feel like I need a specific list of reasons to DNF a book. Sometimes it’s just a vibe. But this book was just putting up too many red flags and inconsistencies. It wanted to be too many things.

Overall  ⭐.5 | 🚫 DNF at 31%  | 🔥 MA – Mature Audiences (Ages 18+)

Spice🌶️🌶️

Worldbuilding🗺️🗺️🗺️

Ick Factor 🚫

Fangirl Moments – None

Errors/Plot Holes ❗❗❗

Tropes: Fantasy, Romance, Dark Romance, Smut, Erotica, Monsters, Shifters, Royalty, DNF

Title: Kiss of the Basilisk

Author: Lindsey Straube

Genre: Romance

Series: Split or Swallow #1

Format: Kindle

Length: 519 pages

Published: February 25, 2025 by Bloom Books