Kiss of the Basilisk Spicy Book Review: A Romantasy With Off-The-Charts Spice That's Not Paranormal Romance

But is it worth the read?

🔥Expandable Spice & Violence Level Key⚔️  

🔥 Spice Level 

Innocent: Closed-door or fade-to-black romance; kisses and longing only.

Tempted: On-page intimacy with moderate detail; spice supports the story.

Wicked: Explicit, open-door sex scenes with sustained sexual tension.

Unholy: Graphic, kink-forward, or taboo sexual content.

⚔️ Violence Level 

Tame: Minimal peril; violence occurs off-page or is lightly referenced.

Savage: On-page fights and injuries; some blood.

Brutal: Graphic violence, gore, torture, or war.

Relentless: Sustained cruelty, extreme trauma, or prolonged suffering.

Well, to answer that question, let me take a minute to gather my thoughts, because Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube is not my typical read.

I picked it up expecting spicy paranormal romance. Basilisks are shifters, after all. Creatures who have been around in myth and history for a long time. And according to Amazon’s ever-questionable categories (a-hem), this book ranks high in Paranormal Werewolf and Shifter Romance.

But guess what I discovered: Kiss of the Basilisk is not paranormal romance. It’s romantasy. And knowing the difference matters to many readers.

Fantasy Photo by Alice Alinari

What's the difference? Paranormal romance is set in the real world, where supernatural elements exist alongside it. They’re often hidden and sometimes accessed through portals or layered realities.

Romantasy, on the other hand, takes place in a fully fictional world with its own rules and political systems. It sometimes aligns more closely with dystopian or epic fantasy, with romance at its core.

That distinction is important for me as a reader. I don’t gravitate toward romantasy. Many of the FMCs in the subgenre tend to lean toward being younger, which comes with immaturity or indecision. Not always, but enough that I notice it.

That said, I finished Kiss of the Basilisk, so I'll give it a fair review.

Book Summary

Temperance Verus enters a royal matchmaking ritual as the underdog, expecting etiquette and a shot at royal favor. Instead, she ends up bound to Caspen, the dangerous Serpent King. As he pushes her to unlock strengths she didn’t know she had, their connection deepens into something more powerful and more dangerous than court politics.

What Worked

The Spice

Somehow, Straube pulled off something I don’t see often—an erotica-heavy book with an engaging plot.

I'll be honest, most erotica is light on story. No judgment. Just the truth. I love good smut. I just need story with it. And here, the erotica actually becomes structural. That's hard to pull off. But it's the key distinction. Strip the spice out of Kiss of the Basilisk, and I don't think there'd be much of a story left. It makes up at least seventy-five percent. But it’s amazingly integrated into the power dynamics and worldbuilding. It’s bold, and to be honest, it feels like something that could become a trend if other authors managed to pull it off.

Both MMCs

Straube did a good job developing Caspen and Leo. They’re both swoon-worthy. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how she was going to pull off a sexy snake. But she did it. And man, I'd love to see Caspen in his Basilisk form. Hot, hot, hot! But that serpent is rough. I’ll just leave you with broken pelvis.

Kiss of the Basilisk. Off-the-charts-spice.

What Didn’t Work

Character Frustration

Nothing pulls me out of a story faster than a character whose core trait is indecisiveness. Tem isn’t whiny, which I appreciated (because that tops my list), but her constant back-and-forth gave me a bit of reader whiplash. If she didn’t want to do something, that’s fine. But the moment Caspen told her not to do it, she’d do it out of stubbornness. That kind of tension can work, but here it didn’t raise the stakes enough for me. It just made Tem feel reactive rather than in control, which, for me, weakened her character. (See the reason I don't care for romantasy marked immaturity.)

Not at all a paranormal romance. (Vitaliy Shevchenko photo)

Relationship Dynamics

I’m a fated mates fan. That’s my lane, and I’ll die on that hill. So the growing sexual dynamic involving more than one person didn’t work for me. It didn’t bother me, but it also didn’t hook me. Unfortunately, it also didn’t make me eager to continue the series. If you love why choose or love triangles, though, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Worldbuilding Gaps

There were moments where the rules felt a little loose. For example, if sex equals power for a basilisk, and Caspen asserts dominance with Tem during a council meeting in a public way… what’s stopping anyone else from doing the same to gain power? It’s implied that his status gives him the edge, but that power structure could have been more defined.

Antagonist Clarity

There are multiple antagonistic forces, but none felt fully anchored. They appear inconsistently, which made it harder for me to lock onto a central threat.

Lack of Violence

I wanted more gore. That's it. There’s implied violence, one solid fight, and then finally, at the end, I got all the blood and gore I’d been waiting for. But it takes a while to get there. (And yes, I'm a little dark. Not everyone is.)

Final Thoughts

Regardless of my personal preferences, Straube is a talented writer. I don’t give star ratings in these blog reviews, but if I did, it would still be pretty high. Art is subjective, motivated by the perceivers’ preferences and experiences. What doesn’t work for me may be what another reader is looking for. In fact, many of the elements that didn’t quite hit for me are the reasons others love this book. And in the end, Straube wrote something new and refreshing that many love.

If a love triangle, high spice, and romantasy are your thing, Kiss of the Basilisk is worth picking up.

Who Should Read This?

Recommended for readers who:

Want erotica-heavy romantasy

Enjoy love triangles

Are fans of sex-driven power systems

Don’t crave violence

Not recommended for readers who:

Want paranormal romance grounded in the real world

Prefer fated mates or a single love interest

Want fierce heroines

Need consistent and graphic violence

Comparable Reads

Well, gee, this one is tough for me. Like I said, I don’t read a lot of romantasy. And this is erotica with high plot, which is hard to find. So, how about you tell me in the comments?

POV: Third-person, Single POV with Leo’s as a bookend

😈 Final Verdict

Sin Index: 🔥 Wicked | ⚔️ Tame

• Explicit spice

• Minimal violence

• Reader discretion advised

• High heat. More than one mate.

Get it on Amazon.

Amazon's Description:

From internet sensation Lindsay Straube comes the first in a searing romantasy series where survival demands submission, and desire is the most dangerous game of all.

Temperance Verus has never been kissed—not exactly ideal for a girl competing in the palace's most closely watched matchmaking ritual. Every year, a select group is invited to bond with the realm's magical basilisks and train in the art of charm, poise, and influence. The prize? A chance to win the prince's favor—and a life of privilege.

Tem expects rules, gowns, and etiquette.

She doesn't expect her assigned partner to be Caspen—the Serpent King, commanding, mysterious, and anything but safe. As he pushes her to unlock the strength she never knew she had, Tem finds herself drawn into something deeper, stranger, and far more powerful than royal approval.

But not all bonds are built for the court, and some secrets are meant to break them.

Readers call it "feral, spicy, and unforgettably bold." For fans of morally grey monsters, slow-burn fantasy romance, and stories that subvert the fairytale script.