The Queen of Cursed Things

Serpents and Kings Trilogy, Book 1

By: S.M. Gaither

Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky

Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Decades ago, the High King of Sundolia waged a war that vanquished the Serpent clan and drove them out of the empire, reducing them to nothing more than legends spoken of in occasional frightened whispers. But they did not leave peacefully. Their parting gift included curses that now rest within the empire's soil, beneath the shade of its jungles, treading through the waves of its seas. Growing more and more dormant as the years pass under the rule of that increasingly tyrannical high king.

Until Alaya - a young woman with a hidden Serpent mark who shouldn't exist - accidentally wakes one of them up. Then another. And suddenly she finds herself exiled from her adopted village and left with no choice but to seek the truth about her lost clan and the so-called curses they left behind. About her true home. About a power, stolen from the Serpent goddess herself, that is supposedly resting in that home. It is the sort of power that could help her overthrow a king, expose the lies he's told, and put a stop to his wars.

The crown prince of Sundolia claims he wants to put a stop to those wars with her. That he only wants to help her find that power so he can undo the horrors his father has created. All they have to do is find a way to trust each other.

©2019 S. M. Gaither (P)2020 Tantor

awesome

This series is amazing. It has everything you are looking for in a series. A little bit and alot of everything

Saved by the Last Chapter

This was a SLOW story. I took a months long break just because I completely lost interest due to the pace. It starts off alright but then you just have to slog through the middle. All of the elements of intrigue are there but it some how lacks the urgency and tension required to hold a person's attention. I'm still a bit confused as to how/what her powers are but admittedly I spaced out quite a bit listening to this. After finally getting through to the end there's a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm far more tempted to move on to the next book than I would have thought.

Great beginning

I absolutely loved the beginning of the Serpents and Kings series! I found myself quickly drawn into this world with the characters! I have read the ebooks, and was super excited to have them brought to life. I feel like Jesse did a great job capturing the emotions and suspense, and drawing me in further. The only reason performance didn't get 5 stars was that it was difficult to differentiate between some of the character's voices until she said who was speaking. Overall, I LOVE the story and really enjoyed listening to it be brought to life. Now, on to King of Burning Skies.

It’s complicated

This book is quite the adventure. Alayna is an orphan who grew up in strife and hiding a secret about who she is. There is an evil king who has been killing his subjects and one day Alaya gets picked up and is taken to the palace where she meets a rebel prince who intrigues her. The story is about her chasing her identity with surprising findings . Anyway, the story is a little bit of everything ; mystery, romance , magic, gods, dragons, enemies to lovers , betrayal and action. Sometimes it felt too much that I needed a break but not enough to quit. I was a bit thrown off when the voice switched to side characters- why them?
On to the next book. I need to know more about this complex world beautifully crafted by the author.

Decent but slow

Hard to stay in tune.. I understand why the narrator read the way she did but I had to speed her up.. she kinda drug it out a little too much.. story itself is decent but was missing something to keep me as engaged as I wanted to be.

I finally found my people!

I'm not sure where to start! I've been looking for a book that draws you in and doesn't have unnecessary angst. And I took a chance on this book.

The author definitely took time and thought through her plot and the characters arcs. This book never seemed to have an out-of-place moment between characters, and there was always something being uncovered each chapter.

I also love the narrator of this book, this is my first listen to her work and I enjoyed the emotion she brought with her telling.

I was genuinely sad when the book ended. But! The next book is available!

great narration.

The female characters felt too young (either emotionally or just in general) for the type of epic. Though the males worked with their ages. It made the story feel kinda disjointed.

such a good read.

I'm am always looking for my next read/listen. This is the first book I've read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. I'll definitely be looking into more books written by her. the story is so good and the reader is fantastic. The authors writing style is perfect. loved everything about it.

Absolutely breathtaking

Totally loved this book. The world building was well done with the reader being transported to a brand new place full of Rooks, Doves, serpents and clan less people’s. The Empire is being led by a tyrant how can a group of four change there world for the better. Highly recommended.

Skip it.

Skip it don’t get it. It is boring the main character is whiny. I gave it a star only for the cover.