This was such an amazing book and I'm just gonna start this review by saying how EXCITED I am for book 2!!
This story is kind of a retelling of Camelot with the famed characters like Arthur, Galahad and Merlin. I loved the fact that some of these famed characters she made women!! The world building and character building was absolutely phenomenal. I had the best time picturing this world and all the creatures and adventures. And can we just talk about Kairos Draven?!?!? I can't wait to read where is his and Morgan's story goes. I'm so sad to be done with this book.
I received this ARC ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is like a wonderful mix between Camelot and Throne of Glass. It was riveting right from the beginning. The slow burn was very well written, and you get to know the characters in a way that you grow emotional attachments to. And it has a giant, friendly kitten, so that itself is incredible. I live how the female characters are all styong, independent powerhouses! Can't wait for the next book!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and was super excited for this book. This novel definitely sparked my admiration for Arthurian lore. It was a fast-paced and fun story that made for an enjoyable read.
It felt more like an inspiration rather than a retelling of King Arthur with the heartfelt takes on Camelot classic characters like Lancelot, Galahad, and Merlin. Merlin was my personal favorite and I wish there was more of her. However, it is divorced from typical Camelot stories, so don’t go in with those presumptions.
While I enjoyed the physical journey Morgan and Draven went through was not as strong as their emotional. Considering how it ended I would have liked to see more bond between the two.
Another thing that left me a tad confused was the use of Slavic gods rather than the creation of an original Pantheon. Specifically, Perun. It could have just been a similar name, but with the connection to lightning and warriors it felt intentional.
If you liked From Blood and Ash, this is its better-written older sibling. It was a great, entertaining read during a very hectic finals week.

A ruthless King Arthur who holds a hatred for the fae. A female Merlin who may have ulterior motives. The would-be queen who is part-fae. Queen of Roses is a Camelot retelling that changes the idea of who the hero is and what the quest for Excaliber entails.

Queen of Roses tells the story of Morgan a part-fae woman who has born to rule but was denied the throne so that her younger brother Arthur could be king. Morgan is part-fae in a world where the fae are executed simply for existing. When Arthur tells Morgan she is to go on a quest to retrieve Excalibur she agrees so that she can prove her loyalty to her brother. Morgan is joined on this adventure by Kairos Draven the new captain of the royal guard who has secrets of his own.

This retelling is a slow-burn fantasy romance with plenty of excitement. Betrayal, war, and various twists and turns Briar Boleyn delivers with this story of Camelot and the characters everyone believes they know.

What probably would have ended as a 4.5 ⭐️ read turned into five because of the cliffhanger. I know most readers don’t like them and I am right there with them. But this cliffhanger is right up there with Karina Halle’s River of Shadows cliffhanger to me. Left me wanting more.

I read other reviewers who mentioned the pacing and while I do agree that the first half was trodding along the second half really picked up. The first half I did appreciate being slower because it gave me an opportunity to feel those connections Morgan had with those she loved and cared about.

you want a Camelot retelling with fae, slow burn, magic and truth seeking, then I recommend giving this a try.

Had potential but failed to live up to the premise.
This is a very loose Camelot retelling. Predictable plotpoints.
Hopefully It improves better in the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Angry ankles.. ew. Hard DNF for me! Maybe it would have been interesting if I could get further in but I can't really excuse the nonsensical writing right at the beginning.

I recieved an e-arc of this book and these are my honest opinions.

I would give this book a 3.75. I hadn't realized this was a King Arthur based book and was a lovely surprise when reading. It is a na dark fantasy romance, the love interests are very cliche but I had issues with the "villian" it's very high school way of dramatizing the situation and seemed a little over done and annoyed me to no end reading those scenes.. the story it self was enthralling to read and I was really into the world and the play on king Arthur and other characters remade. There is some spice and it was interesting to.see the romance play out. I will definitely read book 2 to see how it goes!

Was a good book, a kind of retelling of Artur I really love, the way that how Morgana is a good person and had more participation kept me reading.

Morgana is half fae and all her life had to hide her true nature and and grew up in fear of his true nature thanks to his father hating all beings with magic.

I connected with Morgana because she seemed real to me in terms of her feelings and impotence, but at times I wanted to give her a couple of pieces of advice on self-esteem.

The male character was intriguing and I felt that we will know more about him in the next books.

I give the book 3.5 stars because for me the story was a little slow and I got bored sometimes. It is a page-turner, I finished it one day but I will expect that the second book will be better.

Thank you NetGalley, Briar Boleyn and Starwater Press for the advanced reader copy of Queen of Roses.

Before my review here’s a quick synopsis of Queen of Roses.

Synopsis:

A doomed love, a dangerous mission, and a kingdom on the brink of war...
A cast-off princess…

Born into a life of duty and sacrifice, Morgan Pendragon’s destiny has never been her own. Rumored to carry the tainted blood of the fae in her veins, her birthright is stolen from her when she is a mere child. Growing up in the shadow of her brother the king, she has been promised to the goddesses when she comes of age. So, when her brother commands that she seek out a fae weapon of legendary power, Morgan seizes the chance to break free from the chains of her fate.

A dangerous temptation…

As she travels, Morgan finds herself drawn into a strange group of outcasts, led by a dark and enigmatic warrior whose sharp wit and fierce beauty set her heart ablaze. But while Morgan struggles to reconcile her desires with her duty, she and her new comrades discover dangers that await them beyond anything in their wildest nightmares.

A slumbering kingdom awoken by blood…

Believed to have vanished generations ago, a fae kingdom dreaded by mortals is ascending once more, bound to reclaim what was lost by violence and bloodshed. As the fae world, with its intricate web of lies and mysteries, is slowly revealed to Morgan, she is led to the terrible realization that the secrets she carries in her blood make her a greater threat than she could ever have imagined.

Review:

Queen of Roses is a different telling of Camelot. I thought the book was a little slow in the beginning and Morgan reminded me a bit of Poppy of From Blood and Ash. I wish there had been a little more interaction between Draven and Morgan. I look forward to book two since I have a feeling it will be a dual point of view. Overall, this was a great fae fantasy and I look forward to book two in June.

Queen of Roses is Fae mashed with King Arthur and yet reinvented with a twist, all from the perspective of Morgan (King Arthur’s half-sister). Honesty check, there was a moment of hesitation when I read the book description and I had to set aside my bias and a giant mountain of skepticism to read the book. It’s because King Arthur has been done so many times and ways, both written and on television. How can you make it still engaging?

Happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. There are some moments where I could predict what would happen (and I may have been grinding my teeth at the FMC choices), but some foreshadowing is expected. It does have a cliffhanger, so if that is not your thing you may want to wait until the series is complete. I, too, tend to cringe when the end has more questions than answers, but this one pushes me to be curious.

Excellent writing and a solid book. Fair warning it includes intimate scenes and I’d rate it PG-13.

This was so fun omg 😭 I kinda went into it blind, so the whole Merlin/Pendragon based characters was such a pleasant surprise! I specifically liked the twists on each particular character (Merlin as a middle aged magical priestess? Arthur as a wicked 19yo king? Genderbent Lancelet as a queer knight in training? All of these and more 😭). And I LOVED that this is a story about Morgan(a), I frickin love her so much. She was such an amazing MC, and her narration was so good.

The whole plot was well paced and gripping, with lots of emotionally gratifying moments, and the ending was cliffhanger was just 🥲 like I need book 2 okay.

TWs - violence/gore, assault, sexual assault, domestic abuse of wives and children by an alcoholic parent (described in detail), one scene where the MC is incapicitated and physically scarred with a knife by an enemy, poisoning, kidnapping

-- ty to the author and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

The premise really drew me in, and I was excited to read this, however, I was only able to get through about 75% of this book before I had to give up.

The world is very interesting and there is a lot to unpack with its history and how magic plays into it. While this is all well and good, I just felt like nothing was happening and that the story was moving at a snail's pace. The characters felt interesting too for the most part, but again it just felt like nothing was really happening.

I also struggle with calling this a retelling. While some of the names are taken from Arthurian legend, I feel like if those names were changed, I would have never connected it.

The pacing was ultimately what was my issue with this book, and it just wasn't for me, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the author for approving me to read this book! I am so eager for the next one!

Even though the FMC was frustrating at times with how trusting she was, I still loved her and her story.

Some other favorites from the book:
•I love that her and her mom both loved to read. I hope, if I have a child one day, that they’ll also share my love of reading.
•King Arthur similarities. I honestly have read or watched many Arthurian pieces, but I know a gist and of course the big names. Loved this little twist on the legend.
•Draven.
•I just love an enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn trope. Burning for that second book now!

Least Favorites
•So cringe with Vesper. I guess because I want her with Draven. Too trusting of Vesper too quickly. But then it all made sense.
•Ifound it very frustrating that she just does what she’s told, like drinking the medicine or when Whitehorn was kidnapping her. Even beginning her journey for Excalibur knowing how horrible her brother was, and hearing how worse things got from Lancelet, she still wants to bring him the sword?! She’s truly a naive character, thinking she can just talk to her brother and change his mind, or that things will go back to normal after the mission. WHAT!?

Overall, I still really loved the book and can’t wait for the next one and more Draven 🥵

"Queen of Roses" by Briar Boleyn is a captivating and romantic story that had me hooked from beginning to end. While the pacing was a bit slow at times, the characters were well-developed and the writing was beautiful. Overall, a solid read for fans of historical romance.

4 ⭐️

Talk about a slow burn plot reveal! The way this story unfolds in the most unexpected manner… pair that with the slow burn romances taking place - this book just got better and better as the pages turned.

Queen of Roses is a Camelot retelling with a twist - and it is so fun! The FMC Morgan starts the book repressed and is forced on a journey of self discovery with more than a few hiccups along the way.

Our MMC is the typical grumpy main man, a man of few words, and in Morgan’s words “the definition of handsome”.

Throw in a cast of human, Fae and creatures alike and this fantasy novel will have you continually guessing where this story will end. I promise you, you won’t see that last chapter coming.

Tropes:
- Hate to Friendship
- Fae/Magic
- Insta love (with a twist… you’ll see)
- Grumpy x Grumpy
- forced proximity
- (elements of) Destiny


Thank you NetGalley & Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to receive this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ll admit this book started out INCREDIBLY slow, the character progression was grating an S not moving for a long while, you didn’t really have a lot of info on anyone. I found some scenes were incredibly lacking in detail while others had so much it seemed to just drone on and I honestly thought about abandoning this one.

But! The second half of this book the author found her mark, the storyline became addictive, the character development kicked in, the plot twisted and turned, you fell in love with characters and the story redeemed itself!

I look forward to reading book two!

Okay I’m gonna be honest (because that’s what this platform is about) and say that I just found this one to be average. It was good, and I’ll still recommend, but there just wasn’t that wow factor I look for.

This was described as perfect for fans of Holly Black, Jennifer L Armentrout and Sarah J Maas, and I have to agree. This book gave me From Blood and Ash vibes but the MMC did not quite suck me in th way Hawke did.
I enjoyed the play on the king Arthur legend and gender-bending of some of the characters and how the female characters were just as strong as the males.
I did wish there was a bit more chemistry between Morgan and Draven. I felt like it was building up nicely then another character was thrown in the mix and then everything that was building up was gone.. But I do feel the next book will remedy that.
All in all a solid first book and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
I want to say thank you to Netgalley for the book and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I saw a King Arthur retelling and I was all in. This first book was definitely world building and setting the stage for the next book. I honestly enjoyed this book. I liked that got to see the world before jumping into any major conflict. I’m excited to learn more about the characters and hopefully watch them grow in the next book. I just reviewed Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn. #QueenofRoses #NetGalley