* I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book *

‘Queen of Roses’ took me by surprise with its gripping tale of a cast-off princess, Morgan Pendragon, set against a kingdom teetering on the edge of war. The story unfurls as Morgan, driven by a desire for freedom from her predetermined fate, embarks on a perilous quest to retrieve a legendary fae weapon.

The dynamics between Morgan and Kairos, the dark and enigmatic warrior leading a group of outcasts, injected an enthralling sense of angst into the narrative. Their complex relationship added depth to the story, entwining romance with the looming threat of a reawakened fae kingdom. The unraveling of the fae world, laden with secrets and dangers, lent an air of suspense and intrigue, complementing the characters' journey.

While the setting and writing were commendable, particularly within the realm of fantasy romance, the inclusion of Vesper felt unnecessary. His presence seemed more like a distraction, and the plot could have thrived without his involvement. Moreover, Morgan's initial characterization wasn't entirely likable, making it challenging to root for her from the start. Although engaging, a slightly tighter narrative could have enhanced the pacing and overall impact of the story.

Overall, ‘Queen of Roses’ presents a promising start to an action-packed series, boasting a blend of magic, danger, and a slow-burn romance. With a richly woven world and the promise of intricate character development, this book caters to fans of Holly Black, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Sarah J. Mass.
Despite some minor hiccups, the book leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next chapter in Morgan's enthralling journey. I really hope Net Galley approved my request to read the second book, I can’t wait!

Goodreads Review posted 12/15/2023
Tik tok video will be posted either 12/16 or 12/17/2023

2 Stars
Pros:
a quick read that has easy to comprehend world building and doesn't overwhelm with a million different characters that one cant follow - especially if you're new to fantasy, it was easy to understand

MMC - I enjoyed Draven and personally never found anything he did to make me mad, or make him seem villainous or "enemy" of the like. while we don't know much about him, his actions so far have all been pretty grand to me. Morgan's perception of his actions was wrong (in my opinion haha but I don't know much about him so maybe im ignoring red flags)

a great cliffhanger ending- i also respect a book that regardless of how it began, the ending made me want to keep going bc it truly started to pick up in the plot and just left me hanging....

Kaye- that sweet poor boy is the only one i care about

Cons:
it felt like more attention was often given to the details of what the food, decor and buildings looked like, rather than the actual characters and scenes. I would often be able to see the picture but feel lacking in the plot for many of the bigger scenes.

Florian - this storyline really bothered me from the start- we're told via Morg he is evil, yet were not given ANY context or details. no back story, no explanation as to why he is so fixated and it really annoyed me that the bedroom scene was essentially left to our imaginations. WHAT HAPPENED IN THERE??? Also his death should've been drawn out more. I felt zero feelings about his death solely bc I knew nothing about him to feel any in the first place

Morgan - gahhh nothing annoys me more than reading from the POV of a clueless and too easily trusting MC that ignores all red flags (Vesper was COVERED in them from day one) and lacks any situational awareness. She also did literally nothing the entire book, she just sort of existed

Overall, the book starts out very slow and is lacking in a strong plot. I understand it is a part of a series and with the cliffhanger i would definitely keep reading because it felt like it could've gotten really good, but it ended before it really started.

Not that I need to start another series (I know how many ongoing series I have, I just don’t want to know) but I liked this! It was a good start to a series and kept me engaged throughout. I hope I get approved for the next ones because I definitely want to carry on with them.

I loved the Arthurian inspirations! It was fun and I liked the addition of the Fae – a genre I’m happy to be exploring more of. I liked that Boleyn focused on Morgan and not Arthur as most retellings/inspired books tend to do. She’s a strong character, wants to prove herself, and she wants more for herself. I always root for the characters who have this fiery need to prove themselves.

I’m thanking Boleyn a ton because she added the line: “who did this to you line” to the book. Instantly I wanted to read it quicker because that line will always get me to read a book faster. The line comes from the other main characters and while he seems to be your “typical brooding bad boy”; of course you find out he’s much more than that. I always enjoy seeing the path that a character takes and specifically how he ‘ll walk his path. Plus I get to see the romance blossom over the series 😁.

There wasn’t a lot of action as they were in the castle for the first half and travelling for the second. But what action we did get I liked so I want to see how Boleyn might do in a big battle. Usually with Fae there’s magic involved and we got a glimpse of that here and I want to see how she writes more magic.

I liked that we’re slowly getting to know more about the Fae through someone who doesn’t really know much about them – so we’re learning along with the main character. I like that the Fae “lore’ (so to speak) changes with the various books as different authors decide what to keep and not in their respective books. Some books might keep the same characteristics here and there, but Queen of Roses proves to be more subtle and different than the common (not that it’s a bad thing) wings and pointed ears.

Thank you, Briar Boleyn for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. Queen of Roses was wonderfully written. I can't wait to finish the rest of the story in your next books.

***SPOILERS***

Queen of Roses is a different take on the traditional King Arthur and Camelot. It's told from his sister Morgan's (or Morgana) POV. It is the first book in the Blood of a Fae series.

I enjoyed the fast paced aspect of the story. Most people are familiar with Camelot, so there wasn't a massive need for world building there. But as the Fae sides started to merge, the world building took hold and was explained so well that I could actually visualize where everything was.

I was NOT expecting King Arthur to be a paranoid and evil King. One that is hungry for power. One that does not trust his family, nor his closest advisors or guard.

Morgan, on the other hand is such a strong soul. After watching her mother die at the hands of her father, most would expect her to run or live in constant fear. But she used that hate to make her strong. She used it to try and protect her brothers. However, as Arthur grew up, she saw she didn't protect him well enough. He became his father in all the wrong ways.

As Morgan sets out on this journey Arthur sends her on, she realizes that all is not what it seems. She learns of her Fae side and that it isn't ugly, but wonderful and beautiful. She also realizes that she holds a power she never knew of and makes her think of her mother and what else she was hiding from her.

The story ends with us learning her traveling companion isn't who we all think he is and I CAN"T WAIT to read Court of Claws (Blood of a Fae, Book 2)

Morgan is rumored to have fae blood in her veins from her mother, which is punishable to her father. At 20 she watches as the people in her kingdom are suffering and has to witness her brother Arthur rule from the throne that was supposed to be hers. As things begin to get worse and she begins to question everything, Arthur sends her on a quest to seek out a fae weapon of legendary power giving her the chance to break free from the confines that she is living in.

During her journey she begins to get close to her guard Kairos Draven, but she knows she can't trust him, or can she? And when they meet a handsome stranger on the road that causes her to feel new things, she thinks that maybe there will be more out there for her. Along the journey she begins to question who she really is and what that means. More importantly, can she hand over this magical weapon to her brother and watch him drive their kingdom into the ground?

This is the first book in the Blood of a Fae series and what an entrance into it. After finishing it, I immediately wanted to download the second book and continuing reading Morgan and Kairos' journey. The abuse that Morgan has been through in her life has caused her to be submissive and timid in her interactions and in her ability to express what she wanted. Throughout the novel she begins to grow into herself and develops self-awareness into what it is she wants.

Kairos is a strong MMC and is written in a way, (especially at the end!!) where you want to know more about him. He is a mysterious character that we really don't know much about, but things start to slowly be revealed throughout the book. He is morally-gray but always respects and defends Morgan in a way that she has always needed from someone, which makes him all the more endearing.

The story is a slow burn, and it is very slow. This novel is a true enemies to lovers, but they are not lovers in this novel yet. The romance is slim to none in this book, and I would have loved more in it, or at least more tension between Kairos and Morgan. I feel like this book may be leaning more New Adult because of the triggers, but the romance level is more YA. The cliff hanger at the end of this book is *chef's kiss* and sets up the second book nicely.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to those that like fantasy books and retellings. The book is generally fast paced and the action begins to really take place in the second half of the book. I would definitely recommend that any potential readers check the trigger warnings on this book before reading it though.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Queen of Roses is a good first book in the Blood of a Fae series. Inspired by the stories of King Arthur with a Fae twist, the book has some solid world building and a great introduction to the politics.
Briar Boleyn does a great job at making me hate some of these characters and I really enjoyed what I got of some of the side characters like Kaye and Lancelet as well as the gorgeous
Very slow burn which I wasn’t aware of before reading but it definitely worked and I’m looking forward to seeing how the relationship between the two main characters develops!
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me this eARC in return for an honest review.

Okay so I was very excited by the blurb of this book, Arthurian legend but make it fae and magic with gender-bent and queer side-characters but for about the first 16% of this book I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it, I wasn't quite gripped. Then once the adventure away from the castle started I couldn't PUT IT DOWN! I was talking myself into reading a chapter in between every other task I was doing. This is a slow-burn in every sense of the word but it still manages to give you teases of Romance and spice (with a Sarah J Maas touch of not trusting certain love interests). Once the quest began, and I was in the world, I really enjoyed watching as Morgan began embracing her true self. The work is filled with tropes I love such as forced proximity, found family, who did this to you and this has set a good base and interesting world-building that I am looking forward to seeing develop in the rest of the series and I can't wait to see what happens next after that cliff hanger! I'd give this book 3.5 stars as the initial base (rounded up to 4 stars because I couldn't put it down then).

A King Arthur inspired** fantasy with a fae twist?? Sign me up! (**inspired - do not go into this book expecting a retelling, because that is not what it is!)

This book is filled with everything popular in the romantasy space right now - a grumbling bodyguard, a princess cast out by her court, and a seemingly impossible quest. I think my favourite aspect of this book is the extensive creatures within this world, I’m excited about the existence of powerful creatures beyond fae. The first half of this book is slow, but provides a lot of backstory/world building for the FMC. I’m extremely hopeful that the series only goes up from here, this book was a pretty solid start to what could be an amazing story.

I would have loved to see a little more character progression for the MMC, as well as a little more growth from the FMC (less self-loathing about her appearance, for example). Again, I’m hoping this all leads into everything I was missing being in book two. I really enjoyed the book overall, and if you’re someone who enjoyed FBAA and the like this is definitely worth the read.

E-Book copy of this book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! ✨

First off thank you NetGelley and Briar Boleyn for giving me a chance to read this!!

This novel sucked me in immediately, it was so descriptive with the fantasy elements I felt like I was a character! There was a certain character who had me second guessing multiple times throughout and I loved that I couldn't call the ending, but that cliffhanger though...
I loved the book and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!!
Will be recommending this to others for sure!!

This is a solid debut novel, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. There were some flaws and wasted opportunities, but I feel like the author was carefully placing her pawns for the rest of the series—and that it has tremendous potential.

Pros
World building and evocative descriptions
Side characters and the fluffy sidekick (aww!)
Cliffhanger ending

Cons
Weak FMC
Some predictable plot twists
Unnecessary violence and animal deaths

Plot:
I love epic quests with reluctant companions and slow-burn romance. The flow was slightly inconsistent at first, but once the characters embarked on the quest, the pace picked up and it became compelling and hard to put down. But the SLOW BURN. I loved how it was all attraction and repressed feelings rather than a tedious series of near misses. Authors often opt for the latter strategy and it drives. me. nuts. I can’t wait for the spice, hehe!

Note: this is NOT your typical Arthurian retelling! As someone who grew up OBSESSED with all things Arthur, I was slightly taken aback by the way things were reimagined. Also make sure to read the trigger warnings, as there are many and things get pretty dark here and there.

Characters:
Morgan. I didn’t dislike her, but she was way too naive and submissive to my liking. Some of it was understandable, given the many traumas she experienced, but other times she only felt immature and, well, slow-witted. This made it hard for me to care about her and her struggles. I feel like there could have been more character development, but we still have 3 books to go, so I’m hopeful.

Draven. Okaaaaay I love an enigmatic badass MMC with dark hair, a chiselled jaw, and top-tier sword skills who is also a cinnamon roll. Can’t wait to see more of him.

Vesper (spoilers). I loved him and I feel like his character could have been used in another way. I had strong doubts about his motives and truthfulness, but I really hoped I’d be wrong and we’d be treated to a “Why Choose” trope. Oh well.

Writing:
The world-building, the place descriptions, the banter! I enjoyed reading this and thought it was well written (except for the couple of typos I found that made me cringe).

Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5
Queen of Roses is an Arthurian retelling centered around Morgan Pendragon. In Camelot, King Arthur rules with an iron fist. When he tasks Morgan with finding the legendary sword Excalibur, she ventures into unknown lands accompanied by two dangerous guards. But royal guard Kairos Draven is not what he seems, and Morgan finds herself inexplicably drawn to him. She hopes retrieving the mythical sword for Arthur will strengthen the trust between them, as he despises her fae heritage. Morgan faces many dangers on her quest, but the worst of all would be returning to Arthur empty-handed.

I enjoyed the worldbuilding and retelling the most. The setting is in Camelot with the typical Arthurian characters but they are spun in a new light. One of the strong points of this book for me was seeing Arthur slowly descend to madness. I wish the book showed more of Morgan navigating Arthur and his court. Both the King and Florian were genuinely scary characters. Morgan is more childish than I typically care for in a main character, but I’m trusting that there will be character growth and her tone will mature in the next two books. Honestly enjoyed this book and excited to see where it will go! Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the advance reader copy.

**Thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review!**

Did I stay up until 2am to finish this book? I most certainly did.

Queen of Roses is the first book in the Blood of Fae series. This book follows Morgan as she journeys across the country to find the fae sword, Excalibur, for her brother Arthur. While traveling, she learns more about the secrets of fae culture while being left with more questions about herself and her brooding mysterious bodyguard.

This dark fantasy is inspired by King Arthur's story and keeps you on the edge of your seat! This book is action packed, full of twists, and has a slowwwwwww burn romance. It ends with QUITE the cliffhanger.

You might like this book if...
+ You like the new adult fantasy genre, but want something different than the typical romantasy plot
+ You like plot lines, character arcs, and slowwwww burn romances that span over multiple books
+ You enjoy strong female main characters
+ You like twists and turns that keep you guessing

Please keep in mind that Queen of Roses has some themes that might be triggering for some readers; content warnings can be found in the back of the book.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Tropes: Found Family, Enemies to Friends, Baddie FMC, Diet Spice
Star: 5/5, I cannot wait to read book two

Whatever you think you know about the story of King Arthur and Camelot, prepare yourself for having everything turned upside down and put in a blender and combined in literally the very best way possible. From the first pages of the book, you find out that this version of the story is from Arthur’s sister Morgan’s perspective, and that Arthur is a villain. Morgan is the eldest child of Uther Pendragon, and is purported to be partially Fae, through her mother’s side. This makes her a mixed-blood offspring and not ideal for succeeding her father. Additionally, she is forced to regularly consume a potion to suppress any Fae characteristics that might manifest. Her best friend in the court is Lancelet, a female knight, and Merlin, also a woman, is the high priestess at the temple. While there is quite a bit of world building and backstory involved at the outset, it is interwoven very seamlessly and does not detract from the current timeline of the book. Arthur sends Morgan on a quest with escorts that include his newly appointed captain of the guard, Draven, who is a newcomer to the kingdom but has a reputation that precedes him. There are many revelations during this quest, the world building is steady without being heavy handed, and well-interspersed in the action, and the twists and turns in this story just come at you one after another. Within the storylines, you learn more about Morgan’s past, and meet new characters, and find out more and more about the mysterious stranger, the captain of the guard, that is accompanying her. She has been sheltered at court her whole life, and thought her future was certain. She didn’t like it, but had resigned herself to it. And during her quest, she has to process a lot of information about her history, her court, and herself. Morgan gains courage and confidence, and the skills she has learned both from sparring with the knights, and studying with Merlin, develop and blossom as the story unfolds. There is not much at ALL that is predictable in this book, even though I have some familiarity with the legend. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, and I was so glad I could read the next book in the series right away. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark fantasy, fairy tale retellings, morally grey characters, found family, forced proximity, slow burn romance, strong female characters. This series will be a part of my personal library in both physical and digital copies, and I’m already tempted to re-read it and take notes. It’s so jam-packed, compelling, and intensely emotional. (Warning: Familiarize yourself with the possible triggers for this book before you read!!!)

🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟

🌹Queen of Roses🌹 by @briarboleynauthor

Available to Purchase now.


✨️This is book number 1 in the Blood of A Fae series and is a twist on the legends of King Arthur. It follows the story of female protagonist Morgan and the perilous Journey Arthur sends her on to retrieve Excalibur.

✨️Review✨️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have so many good things to say about this book it was fantastic. @briarboleynauthor immerses you into a world full of magic, myth, legend and romance. What more can you ask for! I was gripped by this story from the get go, the world building was fantastic and I absolutely adored the concept for this book. As a history nerd, you mention King Arthur and Excalibur and I am in. This story surprised me in a very good way, the retelling of this legend was done in a fresh and new way I haven't encountered before and it worked seamlessly. It was really interesting to see this story told with Arthur as the villain instead of the hero he is known to be. The character development was excellent and the book covered numerous complex issues and did it well.

The writing style throughout the book enabled you to fully engage with the characters whilst also allowing the story to vividly come to life in your mind. I really enjoyed the relationship development between Draven and Morgan in this book and I am excited to see where things go in book 2. The cliffhanger at the end!! I am still recovering, thank god book 2 is already available 🤣.

I would highly recommend this series to anyone it was a spectacular read and I devoured it in a day.

#queenofroses
#excalibur
#kingarthur
#romantasy
#slowburnromance
#briarboleynauthor #netgalley

Manually added to goodreads as netgalley said isbn couldn't be found

I really enjoyed this book. This book is about Morgan and Kairos. Sometimes it was a little to slow for me but overal it was a great book! I really did love the character building!
This book contains:
- Touch her and .... vibes
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Slow Burn
- Spicy fantasy romance

Epic fantasy adventure - a creative and fresh refresh of the story of Camelot with new takes on Arthur, Morgan, et al. Action, betrayal, secrets, wars, and a bit of slow burn make this a must read for fantasy and Aurthurian fans alike!

The plot starts out exciting and compelling. I was immediately immersed in the story and was completely hooked until the end. The whole idea and world building is incredible. It reminded me a lot of From Blood and Ash, but I don't think that's a bad thing. The book has so much more to offer. I think it's really great how the Arthurian saga is cleverly incorporated and reinterpreted.
The world building often surprised me. I love the intrigue at court, the dark places on the journey and the creatures we meet. I especially like that they are not the "typical" creatures and monsters, but more unusual ones.
I immediately fell in love with Morgan and Draven. I love their dynamic and how casual they are with each other. They are refreshing characters who have yet to reveal all of their secrets. One thing is foreshadowed, not only Morgan is good for some surprises and hasn't revealed her true nature yet ;). I'm looking forward to learning more about both of them and following their development.
I am absolutely in love with the story, the world, the creatures, the protagonists... .... I highly recommend this book. It's a lot of fun to read and the beginning of a great, exciting journey. I look forward to finding out more in the next volume.

This Arthurian-inspired story immediately drew me in. It is a very slow-burn, slow-paced first book in the series, and this definitely allows for fabulous character development.

Morgan grows from a plain, forgotten princess into a strong woman who is beginning to embrace her heritage. King Arthur is no hero in this version but a cruel and jealous brother who will stop at nothing to feel superior.

With a will they-won't they that never quite reaches its climax, I am eagerly moving on to the next book in this fae-themed romantasy series!

3.7 stars. Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for this e-book in exchange for an honest review. Queen of Roses is giving a hybrid of fae and King Arthur and it's a pretty good time. Put this into your dark romantasy circulation if you enjoy enemies to lovers, slow...and I repeat SLOW burn, great banter, friendship and magic, it's just not the spicy book I thought it might be. But that's okay because the world building is fun and there's a great cliffhanger ending to get you into the next book.

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is a dark fantasy in the current trend of fae romantasy. ❤️ With a bit of spice. I found myself pleasantly surprised to be meeting characters named for those in Arthurian legends, but while I expected more of a retelling, it was more loosely inspired by. I think it still helps to speed up world building. I felt like more relationship building between our 2 MCs was needed and there was a lack of depth in the characters, but this is just the start of a series. The dialog in casual moments felt unnatural, which may have something to do with the author's more formal tone.
Overall an entertaining read and I appreciate the Arthurian spin. Fans of ACOTAR, TOG, and FBAA should check it out.
It would not allow me to check the "post to Goodreads" button but I did leave a Goodreads review.