Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
Ugh, I really wanted to love this, but I struggled.

First off, I struggled with liking Morgan. I felt like she had so much potential to grow into herself and become this strong, powerful leader. But I felt like instead, she got whiny and almost childish. And while I also wasn’t a fan of Draven (and did not love him keeping SUCH A BIG AND IMPORTANT secret from her), I felt that often she was just blaming him for problems she didn’t even attempt to fix. I feel like she completely disregarded her own kingdom, until the end when she realized she can’t really rule two kingdoms. I felt like her time in the third trial helped show her in as a strong and powerful FMC, just for her to immediately regress when it came to defending the castle. (Which also that entire scene was weird? Was it the Valtain? The dead children? I’m still confused…)

Like I said, I didn’t like Draven. I felt like we got very little of him in this book. And when we did get something of him, it turns out he’s been keeping the literal biggest secret ever of all time From Morgan. Which doesn’t even make sense, because he’d previously been encouraging Morgan to rule her kingdom and usurp Arthur. Just to turn around and be like “justttt kidding you must now take the throne in MY kingdom :)”. Ugh. I loved Draven in the first book. But it’s going to take a lot in book 3 for me to come around to him again.

It took more than half of the book for anything exciting to happen. Most of the beginning was dialogue that I struggled to get through, mainly because as previously stated, I found it repetitive and childish coming from Morgan. I also sensed a strong ACOTAR influence (trials, especially a riddle trial, the descriptions of the Umbral Throne/Noctasia was giving Court of Nightmares vs Velaris, even what Morgan wore to the pre trials gala was almost an exact description of what Feyre wore to the CoN, the court of Draven gave Inner Circle vibes, the if you die I die bond, even some of the quotes, etc.).

For me this was not nearly as strong as the first book. I’m interested to see what Morgan does in her own kingdom in regards to Arthur. Also the cliffhanger at the end has me intrigued. I wish there was more about Excalibur since that was the entire point of the first book and then we heard nothing about it. I’m also really interested in Morgan’s actual past and who she really is. I’m read the next one because I have a lot of unanswered questions, but I did think the first one was much stronger.

This is the second book in the Blood of a Fae series by Briar Boleyn. Court of Claws picks up where Queen of Roses leaves off, making it important to read book one first. Morgan finds herself in another royal court, on a new continent, filled with a species she thought was purely myth. This book revolves around a contest for the new Emperor/Empress, in which Draven is participating. The spice drastically increases in this book. While there are amazing adult scenes, they are expertly woven into the storyline. There is not smut for the sake of smut.
Briar Boleyn builds yet another amazing world within this book. The character development is impeccable. There are new friends, enemies, and some to be determined. I love that the characters come in all forms and with all preferences. If you enjoyed the first book, you will love this one. So much more happens between Morgan and Draven. The ending will have you waiting, impatiently, for the third book. I know I personally cannot wait for it. I read this book in two days.
Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Queer characters, Grumpy meets Sunshine, Found Family, Diverse Characters, Hidden Magic, Magic
Triggers:
This is a dark romance story. There are elements of abuse, kidnapping, animal abuse, infertility, violence, and death.

Right from the get go this book was told at a much faster pace than book one. I was hooked, I couldn’t quit reading it.

While this book is a loose retelling of Morgan, King Arthur’s sister, I felt this book had similar vibes to The Hunger Games & An Ember in the Ashes series. The scenes flowed so smoothly and I could picture everything in this book, and at times I didn’t want to. Dang, Briar can really write some gory scenes!

I am once again OUTRAGED AT THE CLIFFHANGER! I have to wait till November for the next book?!? I am not okay with that!

Thank you Briar Boleyn and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thought Queen of Roses was a strong start - however, Court of Claws is EVEN BETTER!!

The world building continued to go from strength to strength in this book and I really loved the little intricacies thrown in. I've got so much respect for the emotions and the need to KEEP ON READING that this author instilled into me. It was wonderful. I also loved that the hunger style games that feature in this book were actually pretty brutal, this author is not afraid to shy away from the action!

Again, I really love the Characters in this book. The twists and turns were amazing. Even emotion was triggered in this book, and the ending has left me ITCHING to read book 3 (seriously, I NEED IT). I read this book in ONE DAY. I Just could not put it down.

The deceit, the characters, the story, the world, NIGHTCLAW. I JUST LOVE IT.

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for any ARC of the third book - and I think I saw a whisper of hardcovers?! (THESE WILL BE AN INSTANT BUY). Can't believe how quickly this one flew into my favourites. Fairyloot should pick it up and make a special edition out of it!!!

I loved book 1 in this series and I was not disappointed by the second. Great fantasy story, fin, fast paced and exciting to the end.

I enjoyed this one more than Queen of Roses but I also had things that bothered me. First off, I loved how feisty Morgan was in this book. That was a huge improvement for me. But Draven honestly felt like a different character. Maybe that was on purpose since he was in his court and had to play a certain role. I really enjoyed learning more about Morgan's past and all the battlecat/training montages. The trials were a little meh for me. Especially the last one. It seemed like it was over too fast. The ending was a shock. Morgan's reaction to everything was very childish. I thought she had outgrown this streak but apparently not. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to book 3.

Thank you to the author and Starwater Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh. My. Goodness. This book just like the first caught me within the first few pages the last one I finished within a 24 hour period this one didnt even take me that long. I could not stop. The plot twists and the spice make this worth reading. Before reading hunker down with some snacks and drinks because if you start you wont stop either. This one also like the first ends in a cliffhanger but luckily the third and last book of the series comes out November 15th, 2023 and extra bonus all three will be on Kindle Unlimited! I highly recommend reading.

Well! If you thought Morgan had a lot on her plate in book 1 - get ready for a bigger plate in book 2!

She's lost one of her best friends, she's having weird, extremely vivid dreams and she's pretty sure she died at one point. But here she is awake and somehow hundreds of miles and cross the ocean from where she last was!

Morgan was taken to the Court of Umbral Flames by Draven as a last gasp measure to save her. But now he's got politics and his very own tricky family to navigate. His step-mother is right of a fairytale, his sister in law hates him for saving her and his people seem to be split in whether they are happy he has returned or not!

Morgan's reeling from a lot of new information about Draven, the Siabra, Valtain and her place within all this. Oh and the slight matter that Draven told everyone she is his mistress! He says it's to keep her safe but what is his real agenda?

The pacing in book 2 is a bit quicker but no less detailed. The romance is NOT lacking either. Draven is on a mission to cement Morgan to his side, whether to his advantage of hers. He's still not very straight forward with her but you can see that his motivation isn't about control and possession but more about protection and love. He is the epitome of "touch her and die" vibes, lol.

Morgan's walls go up again and again. But as her history unfolds, we can see how some of these walls were not of her own making. She really does have a problem about trusting the wrong people and just when I despaired things were going to go pear shaped she does a truly noble thing. As much as she matures in this book you can still see slices of her naivety and you have to remember that she's not quite 21 yet and dealing with A LOT.

I'm super intrigued to see how book 3 is going to tie up all these loose ends in my head. I mean that last chapter or so - WTH! Now I have to wait to see Merlin and Co fit into the finale.

3 ⭐️

✨Deadly Trials
✨Court Politics
✨Magical Creatures
✨Slow Burn
✨Relationship of Convenience
✨One Bed
✨Found Family

This book was definitely better than the first. I enjoyed the plot and storyline so much more. The idea of the Blood Rise to compete for the empires next ruler, I thoroughly enjoyed.

I also really enjoyed the new characters that we meet in this book and the found family that they have created.

Draven is a total hottie and the fact that Morgan kept denying herself of him for so long is insane to me! I will say though that some of the back and forth with them became a bit long winded.

Some downsides to this book I would say are:

- some things are not fully fleshed out or explained
- there is ALOTTTTT of typos
- a lot of sentence/word/phrase repeating
• the amount of times the FMC said “what do you mean?”
in the last two books is insane!
- the pacing was a bit off for me

Overall I did enjoy this book. It was a very easy ready and I found it very entertaining.

**thank you to the author and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this ARC**

This book wasn't for me. I am not a big fan of the miscommunication trope, which played a pretty big role in this book. The plot also wasn't working for me: it dragged on in the first half of the book, and felt rushed in the second. Also, the MMC is horrible (justifying child abuse, what??). It also reminded me a bit too much of ACOTAR.

Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for providing me with the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

<strong>NOW THINGS GOT SUPER INTERESTING!!!</strong>

This book was la crème de la crème. Briar Boleyn kept all the good parts in the second book!!! Genuinely loved how Morgan grew up in this novel, not only as a person with power, but as person who would become a great paramour to an emperor and it’s people (regardless of her denying it). Draven and her falling even more was amazing and the smut was wonderful. The ending of the trials really was super fast paced and it felt like I was getting whiplashed. Rychel and Beks threw me for a loop and Sephone in some form of way too. I genuinely loved the writing at the end, I could feel the desperation, the longing and grief. Morgan is super annoying, but I understand. I am SO excited for the 3rd book!!!

Morgan Pendragon has now found herself on a new continent within the kingdom of Sorega, surrounded by a new kind of Fae she never realised existed, the Siabra. She is learning many things about this new court, including their prince Draven who had been in disguise while traveling with her. Morgan is desperate to get back to her own court, which her elder brother has turned violent, but in Sorega an internal fight has begun and Draven refuses to free her just yet.
This sequel to Queen of Roses is a beautiful romantasy retelling of Camelot. I found myself submerged in the story, and I love Briar Boleyn's writing. With Morgan in a new environment, I love that we learn things about Sorega and the Siabra at the same time as her. There are some elements of this sequel I didn't enjoy as much as the first book, including how manipulate the love interest is however that's my personal preference as the world and character building is once again amazing. I definitely recommend this series to all my romantasy girlies.
Once again there are graphic themes, so please check content/trigger warnings.
Thank you so much to Briar Boleyn, Netgalley and Starwater Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book 1 was a little slow for me but book 2 made up for all of that! This was a phenomenal read. It had a great slow burn romance with tons of court politics, adventure, and battles. There were quite a few twists and turns and it kept you interested with something new on almost every page.

My only complaint was that Rychel's events at the end seemed like weird timing. The book felt complete and then as if Rychel was tacked on there as an after thought. The fight scene would have been much better moving to the next book or earlier on then at this point. It just felt off. I skimmed through most of this because it just didn't read correctly where it was placed. It was a great idea but the timing kind of ruined that scene.

2.5 ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for the ARC.

Honestly I really wanted to like this book. I was enjoying the book up until the last 1/4. There is a lot of inspiration taken from other books in the genre. And while enjoyable at times, the book just didn’t do it as well as others I have read.

But the FMC just became insufferable. The MMC throughout the book shows her time and time again how he does care for her and all she can do is be angry and accuse him of lying. There is a real maturity missing from the FMC which made this book hard to read. The miscommunication between the two MCs is WAY too overdone. It was okay throughout most of the book but the end really solidified my low rating. I don’t think I’m going to pick up the third book in this series.

Thank you again to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for sending me this arc for free in exchange for an honest review! Please check trigger warnings before you read!

Court of Claws picks up where Queen of Roses left off. I loved this book a little more than the first one! This book was a slow burn book, I don’t usually like slow burns but this was worth it. There was more romance, drama, and action as you read more. This book did keep me on the edge of my seat because of so many twists and turns.

The only thing that made me a little upset was that there was so much miscommunication and secrets between Kairos and Morgan’s relationship, but after reading why I understood a lot better.

Also it ended on a freaking cliffhanger! Definitely recommend and a must read for fantasy lovers.

This was ACOTAR meets hunger games. Super slow burn. If I was Morgan, I’d definitely have dove right in to Draven. Probably back in book one to be honest 😂

I loved the competition and watching their relationship grow. There was a few times when Morgan got on my nerves and I just wanted to scream at her to get over it.

I’m excited to see where the story goes so bring on the next book!

So I totally loved book one in this series, book two was even better!

More action, drama, intrigue and romance as we see the story continue. And so many amazing contrasting moments.

Ones that melted my heart. Those that had my heart in my mouth in suspense. Some that had me glad I wasnt reading this in public. Some that had me cursing NO!!

I adore Draven. Taking morally grey to a WHOLE new level for sure. And seeing the growth of Morgan as a character was unreal in this book. She has definitely escalated to one of my favourite FMCs in this book.

While book one was awesome and slower burn, this was hot and action packed on so many levels.

Brilliant! Loved how the author created such a fantastical world on multiple dimensions and how she escalated the tempo of EVERYTHING in this book.

The cliffhanger at the end will definitely need you wanting more. This is definitely a series must read for all fantasy fans.

Once again thank you Briar Boleyn for giving me the opportunity to fall in love with Draven -- i mean for letting me review this book lol. Thank you Netgally as well!

This book is the second of a sequel and can I just saw... THIS BOOK was way better than the first one. You already know the characters and can we say how I love so much Morgan and Draven they are so fierce and stubborn and kind, it's all I want in MCs.

Court of Claws gives you suspense, laughter and spice --- a lot of steamy scenes that I adored. I devoured it in a day and I can't wait for the third book!!! If you enjoy the world full of different fae races trust me this is a great book to pick up.

Enemies to lovers, fae magic, fake dating-ish, spice & more!!!

highly recommendddd!!!!!

Thank You to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tropes
❤️‍🔥Slow/Medium Burn
❤️‍🔥Morally Grey FMC & MMC
❤️‍🔥Court/ Political Intrigue
❤️‍🔥Touch her and die
❤️‍🔥Forced Proximity
❤️‍🔥One Bed
❤️‍🔥Fated
❤️‍🔥Learning to use magic
🌶🌶🌶

In book two, Morgan, wake to find herself is a strange new dangerous court and her only protection is a man she despises. She discovers that she is stuck one a whole other continent with no means of escape while the kindgom she loves is being torn to shreds by her brother. As time rolls on Morgan learns more about her mothers family history, what her magic is capable of, and the love of a loyal mystical creature.

The relationship between Kairos and Morgan drove me insane 75% with all the secrets and miscommunication. But I understood after reading why. We learn about Kairos' past and what drives him. We learn he is part of a deadly competition as a way to regain his throne.

We meet so many wonderfully complex and interesting side characters throughout the story. There is so much more going on in the background (off page) that we have yet to understand.

This book kept me on my toes they entire time. Theres so many twists and turns you dont know whats going to happen next. I inhaled this book! Cant wait for book three!

Warning it ends on a cliffhanger!

🧐 my thoughts:
I definitely liked this one better than Queen of Roses, only for the fact that we got right into the story without the world building. I understand that we have to build the world first, I personally just don’t enjoy that (even though it is necessary), so I knew that I was going to enjoy this one much more.

👌🏻what i liked:
Right out of the gate you are thrown into a high stakes competition and the story takes off and keeps right on moving. For a slow burn of a book, there was so much else going on that the slow burn wasn’t unbearable. This book was action packed. I didn’t want to put it down! So freaking good! Can’t wait for book 3!

🥰 special thanks
Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!