Thanks to the publisher for this ARC of Queen of Roses!

This is the perfect series for someone looking to fill the hole while waiting for the new ACOTAR. A fast-paced romantasy with excellent world building and a brilliant enemies-to-lovers love story. I am very keen to read the following sequels in this series.

Between the cover and being about fae, I was automatically sucked in. Then it was a Camelot based world? Yes. The story was amazing. I could catch a few hints of Throne of Glass inspiration and it was off-putting at times but didn't completely take me out of the story. I had hopes for a badass heroine however she fell short on expectations. She trained bow and sword but once she was faced with real life scenarios, she froze or fumbled. The story was heavily pushed along solely by the 'chosen one' trope. That being said, I couldn't stop reading it. I wasn't even done before I borrowed nooks 2 and 3 on KU. There was a lot predictable and it all worked though. I need to know what happens. Does she beat Arthur? Does she save Kaye? Merlin? Probably a 3.75 stars but rounding to 4.

✨It's important to take a moment to review the trigger warnings before diving into the book. The story may take you on a journey of self-discovery and growth, but it also contains some dark and twisted elements that may be difficult to process as you embark on this literary adventure.✨

"Queen of Roses" is a dark fantasy romance that combines the timeless allure of the King Arthur legend with a fresh, fantastical twist. With its slow-burn romance and enemies-to-lovers trope, the novel will keep you on the edge of your seat, filled with magic, mythical creatures, tension, banter, and unexpected twists. It's a story of self-discovery, love, betrayal, and adventure that will inspire you to keep turning the pages until the very end. Despite the book's impressive world-building, character development, and plot, I couldn't help but wish for a little more excitement. However, I remain optimistic that the next book in the series will deliver the thrill I'm searching for. The cliffhanger ending has left me on the edge of my seat, and I can't wait to continue on this journey of discovery. Overall, I was captivated from beginning to end, and I'm eager to see where this adventure takes me next. 🥀

This book was fantastic and gave me the best vibe of Jennifer l armountrout and holly black it was a fun book to read and I loved itv

I love a good romantasy but I think authors need to start thinking more originally about the works they are putting out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn.

I really loved this book!

A fae spin on The Sword and the Stone, we follow Morgan on her mission to aquire Excaliber.

Some spice, some untrustworthy folk, and some enemies-to-hopefully-lovers, Queen of Roses had it all.

I also loved the concept of Morgan's heritage. I really enjoyed that she knew who she was, rather than thinking she was human and miraculously changing like a lot of fae fantasy.

P.s, F**k Florian

I enjoyed reading this novel. The pace was well kept, I enjoyed the plot, and I did enjoy the characters, too.
The romance was a slow burn, setting us up nicely for book two without the relationship feeling rushed, to me. I definitely plan to continue the series.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory editing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for honest review.

For a debut fantasy novel i thoroughly enjoyed this one! I was hooked right from the start.

If you like:

• Enemies to lovers
• Slow burn romance
• Forced Proximity
• Morally Grey MMC

then this one's for you!!

The book was full of plot twists, mystery and a whole lot of action. Definitely a must read for those romantasy lovers!❤️

This book was a fun, quick read. It's full of guilty-pleasure tropes, and if you can overlook some flaws in the writing style and craft of storytelling, it's a positive addition to a kindle-library full of steamy romance for a rainy day.

This is a new to me author and though not a debut author I believe this is her first book in the fantasy genre it managed to draw me so easily into a dark deadly and fascinating world. A dark fantasy read with plenty of action, intrigue and with a slow-burn romance building subtly in the background. This one is predominantly plot-driven and has some truly excellent world-building that managed to captivate me the more I read. Don’t be expecting much yet on the romance front but it’s definitely sizzling away on a slow-burn so I’m sure we will see more of this in book two.

The way the Arthurian legend has been reimagined and cleverly interwoven into a totally new direction was sublime this was Camelot and the Pendragon’s but not as you know it and though it is loosely based on the famous characters it also felt so fresh and totally different.

This is the first book in a trilogy and centres on Morgan Pendragon, because of the Fae blood that runs through her veins Morgan feels the need to prove herself constantly the differences she feels she has inherited from her mother set her apart and she tries her hardest to blend into the background not wanting to draw added attention to herself. Arthur the king and her brother is somewhat of a despot and Morgan now finds herself tasked with a dangerous quest venturing deep into a ruined Fae landscape all for a mysterious Fae relic that will prove her loyalty to the crown.

On this journey, she is accompanied by the mysterious and dangerous Draven a royal guard with a dark reputation these two manage to rub each other the wrong way from their first encounter, now thrown together along with various other individuals the two have to learn to trust each other. We have betrayals and danger and some truly unexpected reveals before everything then comes to its thrilling conclusion in a delicious cliffhanger.

This was well-written and imaginative I’m looking forward to reading the next book and finding out what comes next, especially with how we left things here. I definitely recommend reading this if you like dark imaginative fantasy worlds. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Queen of Roses (Blood of a Fae #1)

Thank you SO MUCH NetGalley and Starwater Press for access to this arc!!

5/5 stars!!

This book. UGH THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING!! The characters! The setting!!! The premise of a Fae Camelot!! I love it, I couldn't put it down, I cry, I'm going to be starting the next one asap 😍😍😍😍😍

This book had absolutely everything I love!! The dark fantasy, the spiciest spice and brilliant angst and atmosphere. Loved

Where to even start?! I loved every moment of this book and I really need the next one! Could not put it down!

This scratched the itch left by finishing Fourth Wing! I needed a fantasy fix and loved this one! Highly recommend for fans of the genre.

Fae retelling of Morgan Pendragon? Sign me up! I was super stoked to read this book when I read the blurb. Queen of Roses is a refreshing spin on the Arthurian legacy one that had its ups and downs when it came to characters, but for world building was fantastic. I loved how Briar described Pendrath and the Temple of the Three Sisters. I enjoyed the descriptions throughly and learning about the fae and the hatred humans have for them.
One thing I didn't like that much particularly in this book were some of Morgans actions. She seemed extremely submissive which sucked because I didn't expect that out of her especially towards the middle of the book. I loved Draven he's definitely one of my favorite characters.
I liked the romance, it was definitely a slowburn and that's a preference for me when it comes to romance so I enjoyed that!
Thank you to Netgalley and Starwater Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Big thanks to briar boelyn and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for a review.


The character and location names suggest a retelling of the sword in the stone stories, and there are a few elements to mimic that, but I would still very much call this a unique story.

There are fae, goddess and magic elements. The magic and fae (and the prejudices that come with that) are well written. They exist, they are acknowledged, there are consequences, good and bad, for them existing but no dramatics (..yet).
Decent level of steam, some fun, who-will-she-choose and and back stab or two.

I loved this. There's a strong growth from Morgan. Becoming her own person. Acknowledging the patriarchal limitations imposed on her and, making the best of those limitations.

5 stars. I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

My thoughts:
This was a decently fast paced Arthurian retelling with a fae twist. The world building was well done, the backstory was believable, the family dynamic was pure chaos, and the action-packed hero’s journey perfectly cues up a sequel. This wasn’t a dark fantasy in the way I was expecting, and I think lovers of Throne of Glass or From Blood and Ash would enjoy this book. I didn’t love the emergence of a sort of love triangle and found the romance component a little lacking—but that the ending leads me to think that will be remedied in the second book. The FMC was a bit timid/naive throughout the story, but that didn’t bother me as I think this is an intentional detail that will change as she grows throughout the series. MMC was *chefs kiss* and I’m excited to see what’s next for him/them.

Brief summary: Morgan Pendragon, a part fae princess trying to blend in, should have been queen. Instead after the death of her cruel father, the throne passed to her younger, equally cruel, human, brother who—with the kingdom on the brink of war—has sent her on an impossible quest to retrieve the fabled sword, Excalibur.

content warning: references to sexual assault.

I restarted this book multiple times but just couldn't stick with it - I wasn't a fan of the writing style and found myself annoyed with the characters right away. Loved the premise of the story and would still be open to seeing how this author's style develops in the future. I have to include a star-rating for this, which doesn't feel entirely appropriate. Though I gave it one star, it does not feel entirely appropriate or fair to the author as I did not read the full story and ended up DNFing it

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I am so happy you did, because I loved this book.

This is exactly the type of book I love - a fantasy with romance, magic, mythical creatures, wars between nations/races, and royalty/royal courts. It also contains some tropes that I really enjoy such as forced proximity and enemies to lovers romance. I also appreciate how family relationships and friendships are spotlighted. There is good representation on different ethnicities and sexualities, as well.

There are some trigger warnings for this book, but I felt like all these topics were handled in a very sensitive way, yet still gave a very realistic window into these sorts of situations.

The writing and plot line were well done. I did not perceive any gaping plot holes and felt the reading experience went very smoothly. I highly recommend checking this one out! I am anxiously awaiting the sequel and whatever else Briar Boleyn writes. Do not sleep on this one!

Camelot with a fae twist? YES, YES, YES!!

This is the first book in a trilogy and centers on Morgan Pendragon, because of the Fae blood that runs through her veins Morgan feels the need to prove herself constantly the differences she feels she has inherited from her mother set her apart and she tries her hardest to blend into the background not wanting to draw added attention to herself. Arthur the king and her brother are somewhat of a despot and Morgan now finds herself tasked with a dangerous quest venturing deep into a ruined Fae landscape all for a mysterious Fae relic that will prove her loyalty to the crown.

This book was an amazing journey, and I can't wait to read the next book!