Queen of Roses is a dark fantasy book that reimagines King Arthur with fae. Morgan is a half-fae princess and older half-sister to King Arthur. He sends her on a quest to find Excalibur and sends her along with two guards, neither she feels she can fully trust- with good reason.

This is my second fae series after the Maasverse and it didn’t disappoint! Boleyn quickly paces the book and the world building so it’s easy to jump in and get lost in the story. And then the cliffhanger of an ending! I’m immediately picking up the second book so that I can find out what happens next!

*There are content/trigger warnings for this book that are important to note before embarking on the adventure.*

A fantastical Camelot retelling. I had a hard time getting into it; the writing style was a little too simple and the old English speaking style a bit forced and inconsent. I almost DNFd every time I picked it up for the first 30%. Around 75% it felt like it hit its stride and the end was more satisfying than the start. Good enough to give the second book a shot.

Queen of Roses is a dark fantasy, Arthurian retelling with Fae.

This is perfect for people who enjoy:
●Slow Burn
●Forced Proximity
●Enemies to Lover
●Banter
●Betrayal
●Touch Her and Die

The story follows Princess Morgan, who is part fae. Her brother King Arthur decides to send her with two of his trusted guards, Draven and Whitehorn, on a journey to find Excalibur. Can she truly trust either one of them?

Draven is a mysterious, grumpy, morally gray character who is also protective. He made the story more interesting, keeping you guessing what he was thinking or what his motives really are. Throughout the book, I had so many questions about his background.

I strongly suggest this book, especially if you enjoy reading Jennifer L Armentrout. I got From Blood And Ash vibes. The beginning is a little slow and semi uncomfortable, but it quickly became captivating. I didn't want to stop reading because I needed answers. The ending only left me wanting more!! Draven is quickly becoming my next book boyfriend. I can't wait to read Court of Claws to see where Briar Boleyn will take us next.

Queen of Roses is the perfect book for any Jennifer L. Armentrout fans. It gave me blood and ash vibes while still being a completely different story. The world-building was great and nice and easy to follow. At times it felt rushed but never a slow part. Excited for the next book

I love the unwitting hero goes on an adventure trope. It’s a classic, I always enjoy it. It’s made better with a heroine. I do like the tension between Draven and Morgan at the start before they leave.

Really liked all of the gender norms being whatever they were. Merlin as a high priestess and Lancelet a queer almost knight. It was great!

Definitely a great kick start to a series!

Ummm, tell me why more people don’t know about this book and how awesome it is?!

This is the perfect story for people who love from blood and ash and a court of thorns and roses.

I did not expect a King Arther retelling but I am a sucker for stories like this so this book is right up my alley.

It is SO well written and keeps you wanting to turn the page as you get closer and closer to the upcoming revelations. You can tell this was a lot of (very well done) world building to get us into what I’m sure is going to be an epic story.

Oh my god the cliffhanger with which the book ended with can't even describe it in words
The book was awesome
I can't wait to read the next book in the series

An Arthurian fae retelling with all the deliciousness of the New Adult genre. As an English lit girl I'm a sucker for a good Arthurian retelling but mix in the promise of spice and a mad king Arthur. I was hooked from the prologue. If you like Scarlett St. Claire's Adrian and Isolde series you're bound to enjoy Briar's reincarnation of a classic.

This book was amazing. I loved the main character Morgan and this whole new take on the King Arthur legend. The slow burn and spice were perfect. I’m already on book 3 and it just keeps getting better. Those who love a good slow burn fantasy with spice will love this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and series for a review!

I liked it! It’s definitely a Romantasy that follows others in the genre but it’s decently written with likable characters and a plot that’s fun and easy to follow. I’m happy I got to read this series in celebration of book 3 being released this year. I am so excited to have more coming from this new genre and to see how authors are bringing new ideas to light. The Arthurian connection (I can’t really call it a retelling) is nice and I liked the blend of familiarity and newness in this series. I also see that there is more to come, so I will probably be doing a reread as new entries are released!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

The book started off slow, with a lot of story building but around the half way point I was really invested and loved the story. Some twists I expected, others I did not. With no spoilers, I’m rooting for the bond and hope forgiveness can happen in book two. Overall I really enjoyed the book and cannot wait to start book two.

Really enjoyable, excellent medieval/King Arthur but with bits of fae retelling. The characters needed more development, but hopefully that comes later In the series. But excellent pacing and a good plot. Loved the proper slow burn romance and the hint of spice. Morgan was excellent, and she's so strong can't wait for more of her. And the cliffhanger!? We get all the good tropes included enemies to lovers, forced proximity, found family, one bed. I imagine a lot of people would really love this.

DNF.

I tried and I really wanted to like this book. But I can’t. I feel like the story could’ve been great. it had potential but I felt like it was lacking so much. The characters all seemed one dimensional, the relationships seemed forced and undeveloped.

The main character is meant to be 20 but it reads like she’s much much younger. A lot of the focus is on her gray hair and the reader is reminded of it every few pages it feels like. Also, most of the city and a member of the Royal guard doesn’t recognize her but her hair is so unique for her?

The story feels choppy and repetitive. I only got about a quarter of the way through so I can’t say much for the rest of the book or the main plot.

This was a fantastic start to a multi book series, that seems poised to turn the legend of Arthur and Camelot on its head. The universe building is perfection, and the growing cast of characters well written and fully formed. That ending!!! I am on my way to find book two as we speak!

Overall rating: 4.5
Spice: 3

Trigger warning: brief mentions of domestic violence/abuse

Can we talk about a PROLOGUE. I was drawn in immediately, I never stood a chance against this book. Drawn in from line one, and held my attention for all 300+ pages. And the ending?? The conclusion took me aback in the best way possible, leaving just enough up in the air to make me need to read the next book. I genuinely really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced, exciting, had a great backstory, plot, setting, everything.

Character wise, I was intrigued by both Kairos and Morgan. I loved Kairos Draven, and can’t wait to learn more about him. He’s hot and dangerous, but still shows a level of emotional intelligence and empathy that’s greatly appreciated. I loved seeing all the facets to his personality—the strength, mystery, kind and caring, cat-loving aspects he shows throughout the novel. Morgan was interesting to me! I loved her character development from complicity with her brother’s reign to determined fighter. Briefly seeing her true past made me desperate to read more. I will say, she can sometimes be naive. Not locking your door when you know you have a crazed stalker in the same building? That’s a tad crazy. Seeing her mental, physical, emotional, and magical growth, however, is extremely rewarding.

Spice wise, there were graphic scenes, but not too many, and not extremely graphic. They weren’t brushed over, per se, but there were only 2-3 mentions of graphic content.

Things I liked
The slow burn between Kairos and Morgan has my heart. Technically, they’re friends, but it’s clear they find each other attractive, trust each other, and will kill for each other (literally). The banter is cute, and the amount of potential for their relationship gives me life. The tension is there, the chemistry is there, they just have to realize it.
Worldbuilding and setting. Boleyn does an excellent job of describing the physical landscapes and how they differ. The world is immersive and creative. Furthermore, the world has purpose and history. Not only city or landscape is overlooked, each having its own details and history/
The fae!! I swear I’ve never heard a backstory like this before. I want to know so much more because it’s so unique. Won’t go too much into depth because of spoilers, but it does seem to connect fae and magic with another dystopian-type genre..

Things that didn’t work for me
The (kinda) love triangle hurt my feelings! I’m usually a love triangle hater, and the development of this one was so unexpected. At first, it felt unnecessary, but it did ultimately advance the plot rather than remaining an empty point within the story, which I really enjoyed. Furthermore, I appreciated the lack of LOVE between the characters. Lust and attraction, sure, but Morgan is smart enough to recognize her excitement, delusions, and desires that fuel her thoughts and actions instead of falling in insta-love.
I literally cannot wait for Morgan to grow more into her character. Sometimes, it seemed like she just went along with things (life, bad situations, etc) without really thinking or questioning. She didn’t question Florian, or even Vesper, out of fear and lust respectively. She didn’t dig into her past and was extremely trusting of most characters within the novel. Granted, she is a princess, and it does make her character development stronger. Hopefully, in the next books, Morgan is proactive in the creation of her future and the discovery of her past.

Magic, romance, amazing world building, plot, and characters. What more can a reader ask for?

* I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Briar Boleyn and NetGalley for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued from start to finish! This book has excellent world building and character development in my opinion. I felt the author’s writing style was appropriately descriptive and provided great background information, so it was easy to follow along. I appreciated the slow burn romance and how it was more focused on the plot and world building than spice. I do, however, look forward to the spice promised to come in the next book! I planned to continue to this series anyways, but after that cliff hanger ending, I need to read on ASAP.

Trying not to give any spoilers, this is how I would describe the book. Morgan Pendragon, a part-fae princess has had a rough life. Her father was a merciless killer, and her younger brother seems to be following in his footsteps. As the fae seem to have left a long time ago, she has always felt different from her mostly all-human family and peers. All her life she has been treated harshly and told what to do. Passed over for the crown, her younger brother Arthur becomes King. Now he has tasked her with an important mission to retrieve a powerful fae weapon, Excalibur. Armed with only her blade, bow and two bodyguards she doesn’t trust, she sets out on her journey. A journey through struggle, danger, loss, love and most importantly, finding herself.

If you enjoy fantasy, magic and an extremely slow burn romance this book is for you!

**Check the trigger warnings before reading**

Morgan is tasked by her brother, the king, to accomplish a mission, but he doesn’t tell her exactly what. She sees unthinkable mythical creatures and encounters many obstacles along the way.

The book starts off slow, but since this is a series I can respect the setup of plot and characters. I don’t know if I had such a distaste for characters as much as Florian and Vesper. The book ends on a cliffhanger leaving you wanting more.

Thank you to Briar Boleyn, the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

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

There are two parts to this book, which the author, Briar Boleyn, helpfully sets out. And there really are two parts. One’s a bit of a slog, and the other is an exciting read.

Queen of Roses is a reimagining of the Arthurian legends. Just add in magic, the mysterious fae, and maybe even vampires (we'll see in the second book).

Book one was a bit of a slog if I’m honest. I found Morgan weak in the beginning. I can see what the author is trying to do. Morgan needs to evolve. She’s been told all her life that her true self is dangerous, so she has no confidence. But still, she was so empathetic it was to the point of self-sacrifice.

Once part two started things became more interesting. This was when she headed off on her mysterious journey with Kairos Draven. There’s an obvious sexual attraction there, but it’s a slow burn, enemies level for this book.

Morgan’s got a bit more spine in book two, although Kairos is the one who saves her from poisoning herself. She really finds her feet when her horse is attacked by wolves.

I enjoyed the sexual inclusivity in this world, which is quite different from what is normally written in Arthurian legends. Morgan’s best friends are Queer and it seems quite commonplace in this world that Boleyn has created.

The ending has a huge twist and definitely has me wanting to read the second book.

Queen of Roses is an imaginative take on the Arthurian legends told from Morgan’s point of view. It starts slow but really picks up in the second part of the book. It’s a journey into sexual tension and mysterious magic.

This was a surprising and thoroughly entertaining retelling of the Arthurian legends, centered around Arthur's sister, Morgan le Fay. It was interesting to see her journey from ignorance to embracing her true heritage, and I loved the supplemental characters around her. I particularly liked seeing the genderbent versions of Merlin and Lancelot! It was easy to see specific parallels to modern politics and society a number of assorted plot threads, and while I appreciated how skillfully those were done, it was a little difficult to read at times. Too real, I suppose. Morgan is a likeable character and protagonist, and I loved the slow (SLOW) burn building with the implied male main character. While I read an eARC, this is a title I will definitely purchase a physical copy of for my own collection, and potentially for my library as well.

I'm surprised that I enjoyed reading Queen of Roses so much. Lately, fae books have been hit or miss because so many are overhyped. Plus, I worried that the twist on the legend of Kind Arthur was going to fall flat. I'm happy to say that this was a good read, despite the main character being unlikeable -though, that is likely the point since she is a sheltered princess. I am giving it four stars instead of five because the ending was predictible (yes, all of it). I plan to read the next two books, and I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.