As a huge fan of anything Arthurian, I jumped at the chance to read this one, especially knowing it was the start of a trilogy.

It took me a little while to get used to the gender switches and Arthur being the villain. They worked; I just have other versions too ingrained.

Queen of Roses had a lot of potential, and was an interesting start to the series. I feel it set things up well and has paved the way for the rest of the trilogy to be stronger.

Morgan was a solid main character, but she doesn’t develop. While her technical skills appear, her thoughts and behaviour remain the same throughout. Magic aside, she doesn’t grow.

The almost-love-triangle was predictable. The steamier scenes came out of nowhere and the tone jarred with the rest: they were fast paced and full-on; the rest of the book, less so. Also predictable was the direction the relationship would take – partly due to the prologue – and the way it was executed felt repetitive to an earlier attack.

The pacing was slow. Morgan’s time at court sets up the world. With more characters at play, those scenes were more engaging. Once the journey starts, the endless travelling takes over. It’s hard to write a quest book without travelling scenes, but there either needed to be more world-building, or character/relationship development. The rules of the magic also would have benefitted from clearer explanation: magical arches to get a character into position felt convenient.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It has a lot of potential and the story kept me engaged. It’s an intriguing beginning and I look forward to reading the remaining books.

Morgan is half-fae princess overlooked by her father to be the next queen. Instead her fae-hating brother, Arthur becomes king. When Arthur sends her on a quest to retrieve Excalibur she must go with the new captain of the Royal Guard Draven leaving her best friends Lancelet and Galahad behind. After learning some things about Draven, she doesn’t know who to trust. Will she find Excalibur? Will her brother kill her first? Will she stop hating Draven? Will the overgrown cat eat them?

This book is compulsively readable. I had a hard time in the beginning with one of the plots due to some triggers (read the trigger warnings).

The writing is easy, the flow and plot moved at a good pace. I found it predictable in some ways; however, I still wanted to know what was going to happen!

Thank you NetGalley for the copy.

I loved the fierce Female main character. I highly enjoyed the world building and look forward to Briar's other books.

This book was exactly what I needed to shake off the book hangover from The Ashes and the Star Cursed King. It was a rollercoaster of twists and turns, keeping me on the edge with just the right mix of nerves and happy vibes. This new take on Camelot flips the script on the usual hero vibe we get from Arthur. Morgan, our main girl, is not your typical flawless heroine – she's relatable in both the good and the bad. If you're into Aelin and her crew, you're gonna love Morgan. She's fierce, loyal, and had me glued to the pages.

My heart went through the wringer – I cried, I laughed, and I couldn't put the darn book down. Now I'm itching to know what's next! I'm diving headfirst into Court of Claws as soon as I can. Bring it on!

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book.

I truly think that the idea is great, but for me it just didn't have that banter and the plot had fallen flat a few times. It has taken me awhile to get through this book and I hate that becuase I truly did want to love it as it has been on my TBR for some time now.

I enjoyed reading this book. From fae, magical creatures, assassins, gods, some romance, and a dangerous mission, Queen of Roses gave a great mix of the Throne of Glass series with some King Arthur references. The world-building is fantastic Briar Boleyn did an excellent job of starting the series. I can imagine everything in my head, from how the places look to the character’s descriptions. The romance in the book is somewhat spicy (a 2.5/5), like TOG, as it mainly focuses on the characters and their mission. The main symbol, Morgan, is beautifully written. as it lets her character development easily take place throughout the series. I love that she is a strong female character and gives me, in some way, Aelin from TOG, my favorite character from that series. Like the TOG series, this series has a tyrant for a King who will do anything to get more power. The best twist is that it is her step-brother, Arthur.

I do not want to spoil anything in my reviews, as this is a series many should pick up. Especially, if you have read any of Sarah J. Mass’s books.

#QueenofRoses #NetGalley

Wow, I. Am. Obsessed. Queen of Roses is a great addition to the fantasy genre. I hadn’t personally read any spins on Camelot before this, so this was a really refreshing story for me!

The world building was honestly SO good, and I can’t wait to start the next book! I didn’t feel like there was any info dumping like sometimes happens in fantasy books. The world building was offered in very digestible bits and pieces. The pacing was really great as well.

As far as characters go, I really enjoyed Morgan and Draven’s dynamic with one another. Even from their first meeting, I was sucked in to their relationship. The snarkiness they have with one another is just *chef’s kiss*. I really can’t wait to see how their relationship with one another grows and inevitably evolves after the events of the last chapter of Queen of Roses. Also, Vesper grossed me out right from the jump, and that’s all I have to say about that. 😂 I’m excited to learn more about some of the side characters, like Merlin. Especially after the reveals about her later in the book. I honestly didn’t think I would like her character at first, given the way Morgan had spoken about her in the early chapters, but I found that I actually started to like her even before Morgan set off on her journey with Draven.

Overall, I think the Blood of a Fae series has really strong potential to become a favorite of mine. I can’t wait to dive in to Court of Claws next!

Thank you so much to Briar Boleyn and NetGalley for the copy of Queen of Roses in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own!

Book review time!!
Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn
This was such a good read!! It was somewhat a retelling of king Arthur and Camelot but with a twist. I loved how the author completely turned the character of Arthur around. Arthur has always been portrayed as this hero and even romanticized, except in this book Arthur is portrayed as cold and wicked. The author also did such a good job of provoking emotions. There were times where I was grinning between conversations with certain characters, scowling and grumbling with actions of some characters, and then to gasping. Loved how descriptive the world building and characters were. Except I will say that I did not like several characters (which I think was intended.) Especially Vesper! I got the ick as soon as he showed up. The plot was just muah 🤌. And Draven... I was already falling for him as soon as he was introduced.
Overall 4 stars
Spice 🌶

Queen of Roses is exceptional. I was an skeptical about another King Arthur retelling. However, I must admit I was blown away. The mystery,, world building and storytelling is so well done I am completely blown away. This book was sooooo good I am definitely diving right into book two m! If you haven’t already read this book get it now you won’t be disappointed. I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley and Briar for this ARC for an honest review.

This was a Solid 4.5⭐️
I really really really enjoyed it’s probably one of the first ARCs I’ve really fallen in love with.

I live the whole Camelot retelling in a fae/human world I think that given such a great edge.
The plot so far is really good
The characters all compliment each other so well.
One gripe, Vespa!!!!! all I’m going to say without spoilers is……. REALLY!!!!
When your rooting for one person then that happens and then the other thing happens it’s like GRRRRRRR!!! What are you doing to my emotions Briar 😂
(Sorry if you don’t get that but everyone who has read this book will understand me)

And the cliffhanger, like what the actual F !!!!!

If I didn’t have the 2nd book waiting for me as a ARC I would of purchased the next book for sure.
So excited to follow the journey.
Well done Briar!

I have never found a reimagining of Camelot until now and it did not disappoint! This was a book I did not know I needed, it was so exciting and creative. Oh how it left me NEEDING book 2!!!

Skip this book if animal cruelty is a trigger.
Content Warning: domestic violence (verbal, physical, cheating, m*rdering spouse), child of domestic violence, child watches m*rder of mother, graphic execution of child, graphic slaughtering of wild boar, FMC dr*gged and tied to bed then has word cut into her skin, stalker/unhealthy obsession, assault, attempted r*pe, strong language, explicit dream, deceased plague children attacking the living, unaliving said children, betrayal, s*x under false pretenses, animal cruelty (Ch 15- mother cat/lion and cubs m*rdered senselessly, mother's head mounted to tree separated from body; Ch 17- m*rdering a horse in cold blood, throat slit)

Book reminded me of Jennifer Armemount style fantasy but with Victoria Aveyard flair of graphic writing.

Tha k you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. This review is voluntarily written, and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

A solid fantasy! I enjoyed the characters, although the plot dragged a little at some points. I don't think I'll be immediately reading the rest of the series, but I still enjoyed my time reading this one. The writing was easy to get into and the story itself was interesting.

I was originally drawn to this book because I saw a review saying how this book gave the same feels as From Blood and Ash and while I do have to disagree, that's not to say that Briar Boleyn does not gives us an enticing and enjoyable story from start to finish!

I loved the pacing of this book and was engaged the whole way through! It wasn't quite unputdownable but it was close! This is only the second Arthurian fantasy I have truly finished and I can say that it definitely changed my mind about the retellings in general.

ALSO, the slow burn was just :))))

This is a dark fantasy romance inspired in the Arthurian legacy and the quest for Excalibur with a touch of the Fae world. It’s a slow-burn romance with a lot of good things such as mythical creatures, tension, magic, betrayal, and unexpected twists.

The world building of this book is very good, and the character development is very well achieved. The plot is so captivating, and I couldn’t stop reading since it is a fast-paced book with action and magic and twists.

I really liked the fact that the book was focused on the action and the intrigue of the plot and let the slow-burn romance happen in the background of the story. I really like the Arthurian legend and the way it was reimagined and bought to light in such a new way was impressive.

Overall, it was such a good read and I’m starting the next book right away since this one ended in a cliffhanger and I’m too anxious to find out what will come next in this story. I really recommended to everyone who enjoys a fantasy book that focus on the fantasy part and brings such a popular legend back to life in such an innovated way.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

If you are a fan of Arthurian legends and always secretly thought Morgana was the better character this one is for you.

A twist in the classic story from Morgana POV, gender swapping and some well written queer characters make for an interesting and gripping read.

There’s a dark and brooding male lead but don’t be mistaken in thinking this princess needs saving she’s pretty bad ass herself.

Loved the writing and story an epic retelling of a classic story.

Very much enjoyed this spin on Arthurian legends, lots of gender bent characters with Morgan (Arthur’s sister) being the main character. I really enjoyed the added element of fae and their relationships with humans explaining magic wielders like Merlin. There’s also some LGBTQ+ characters!! There’s definitely some darker elements to the book and I have to say I didn’t enjoy Vesper’s character but other than that I loved the characters and thought the plot was an interesting twist. Definitely interesting to see where the story goes

Okay Ms. Briar excuse me but WHAT WAS THAT ENDING IM SOOOO CONFUSED WHAT IS HAPPENING! And what is a SIABRA!??? Okay but seriously this book was so good it was unexpected and I can’t wait to start the second book of the series so I can understand that ending! This book is so different from all other fantasy books. This is a King Arthur retelling with Fae thrown into the mix. I loved it! I found myself screaming at Morgan like have some common sense! Stop trusting so blindly. I found myself blushing hard a couple of times! And I was so damn happy when Florian got what was coming to him. I’ve already recommended this book to a friend before I even finished it. The ending of the prologue hooked me from the start, I was ALL IN! This was a great read #briarboleyn #arcreview #netgalleyreads #arcread #QueenofRoses #NetGalley

In exchange for an honest review, I received an E-ARC copy of Queen of Roses from Briar Boleyn.

The Blood of a Fae series begins with Queen of Roses. It is a slow-burn romance with a Fae twist and includes solid world building and an introduction to the politics of their world, inspired by King Arthur's stories. As Briar Boleyn introduces the characters, I have to admit that some of the characters are making me love/hate them. It ends with a crazy cliffhanger in this first installment. It will be interesting to see what happens in the rest of the series.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Thank you to NetGalley, the author Briar Boleyn, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.


I didn’t know what to expect going in and I was so pleased - I really enjoyed reading this and am already starting the next one!


“I was born to be a queen. But even queens could be set aside and forgotten. Or worse. Remembered but relegated to shadows.”


What to expect:

Dark fantasy retelling of Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend

Fae, human, part-fae, and other creatures such as exmoors

FMC in early 20s

Queer representation

Slow, slow burn

Morally grey MMC

Enemies to lovers trope

Epic quest


Author provided trigger warnings: “Abduction, Abuse, Alcohol Consumption, Animal Death, Assault, Child Abuse, Child Death, Deceased Family Member, Domestic Violence, Drug Use, Poisoning, Sexual Assault, Violence / Gore”


*Do NOT read past this point if you want to avoid spoilers*

The plot of this book essentially follows the half-fae Morgan Pendragon on a quest to find a magical item in order to aid their kingdom in an impending war as ordered by her younger brother, King Arthur, whilst being guarded by the morally grey MMC, Draven Kairos.

I don’t know what it says about me - and let’s agree to not look into it too much - but, I loved that it started with five year old Morgan having the misfortune to watch her father beat her mother to death. It just gave the book awful, dark vibes it needed from the beginning; it was just the beginning of many things she would need to overcome and survive. On the same note, the characters in this book that are written to be horrible people are SO easy to hate - I won’t give details on who and why as that gives away too much. Just know that I viscerally hated some and got creepy, gross vibes from others.

From what we’ve seen of Morgan so far, she is portrayed as having some conflicting traits - such as naive yet strong - but, I do think that is for the best. No one is only one thing and everyone has flaws. Her naivety makes complete sense - she was isolated and sheltered because she was a discard royal; and she seemed a bit privileged because - again - she is royalty.

My favourite thing so far isn’t the somewhat predictable plot nor is it the well-paced adventure of the quest. It is the BANTER and the SASS. I LIVE FOR IT. My only hope is that the romance picks up a bit in this next book - I appreciate building a platonic relationship first and am not a fan of insta-love in books. But, I have a feeling the romance is going to be top tier!

Huge props to the author for managing a book that is a fae-meddled retelling of an Arthurian inspired story that ALSO has child zombies without any of it seeming out of place or poorly done. I’m having a great time and would recommend others join in!