Incredible. Magical.

The best series to get your fae fix and emerge from the post ACOTAR reading slump.

Queen of Roses retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of Camelot as the setting of a multilayered Fae fantasy adventure.

Themes I loved

1. Strong female main character
2. Main character finds out she’s more powerful than she realized
3. “Who did this to you” scene - why was I giggling so hard?
4. Only one bed / tent scene - the tension!!! I could cut it with a knife. I wish we had more tent sharing scenes.
5. Hinted fated mates? I have to read book two to see if it pans out.
6. Enemies to reluctant Allies to possible lovers hiding their feelings - the enemies part was written amazingly. And the begrudgingly starting to care for each other is just *chefs kiss*.

More thoughts

This was a slow burn and not very romance focused, but that tension is absolutely there. I love how Draven and Morgan don’t immediately fall in love and that their relationship really was built step by step.

The first 5 chapters were a little slow with the world building but once that’s out of the way the story feels like we are questing along side the characters. The descriptions are so vivid I could picture the Fae arches and the little towns in my head so clearly.

Truly enjoyed this book. I definitely have high hopes for Court of Claws and will be hoping for more action now that the premise has been set up in the first book.

I wasn't expecting the an Arthurian retelling that reframed Morgan(a) as the MC and also as a fae!

I will admit, fae books are often a miss for me than they are a hit but I've tried to not let it influence my opinion of this ARC too much. The fae elements to the story weren't *too* prominent in this story which made it a better read for me, though I can see why someone who is expecting a lot more 'fae' parts could feel it lacked. I like the world building of Camelot and the neighbouring kingdoms. Arthur's character through Morgan's eyes were really well done too as I got a good sense of the sinister aura that came from her younger brother.

The story moves *fast*, faster than I would have preferred, which left me feeling detached to the romantic elements of the story. Also, with the journey that Morgan embarked on, I didn't truly get a sense of how much of an undertaking it was due to the various time skips (I understand the author may not have wanted to bog down a reader with the mundane details of the trek but I always find that with an adventure story, part of developing an attachment with the characters is often in those scenes) but there were some enjoyable moments.

In summary, maybe not a book for me but I can understand why other reviewers have rated it highly!

Thanks NetGalley for access to QoR!

An Arthurian retelling with a twist! Arthur is a less than desirable king, his sister loves their people, and Excalibur is real?? In Queen of Roses, book one of Briar Boleyn’s fantasy romance series Blood of a Fae, we follow Morgan, King Arthur’s sister on the beginning of an epic journey. This journey is one of danger, discovery, betrayal, friendship, romance and so much more. Morgan is the less than loved sister of King Arthur, she is a pawn in his greater scheme and is sent on a quest to retrieve Excalibur, the mythical weapon that may or may not even exist. Merlin is a high priestess, is she on Morgans side…or Arthur’s? Her traveling companions on this quest are a strange, morally gray bunch that she doesn’t know if she could or should trust. But she will have to trust someone to survive on this journey, who will it be? Oh, lets not forget, two of them are absolutely gorgeous!

I didn’t know how I would feel about this book because I generally have a love/hate relationship with retellings. I’m happy to say I enjoyed this one. In fact, I read it in 5 days instead of studying for my national board exam! There is magic, friendship, sparks of romance, multiple love interests, mystery and suspense. It is written in first person and is a relatively fast paced book that will keep you turning the pages! I like the twists of this retelling, the plot was great and kept me interested. Some books you can easily guess what will happen next, this is not one of those books! I LOVE the mythical creatures that we encounter along the way and the world building as the journey progresses. P.S. Did I mention the slow burn?

Now, what I would have wished to see more of. I enjoy epic fantasy so would have been very happy to have a longer book with more in depth world building, character building, etc. There were several times that a lot of information was given that was just scratching the surface of what I wanted to know. This was especially true in the beginning and end. But the fact that I wanted more kept me reading to see if I could figure out the answers later on in the book. I think I would have liked to see a little more depth of emotion in certain situations from some of the characters as well. I especially would have loved to see more depth in Arthur, how did he become how he is? I also would have loved to see more depth in or FMC as far as emotions, same could be said for MMC. Lastly, I would have loved more depth on why the Fae are hated so much.

I would definitely recommend this book to others that love epic journeys, slow burn romance with spice on the way, magical worlds and Fae (of course!) I can’t wait to read the next one, but I told myself I must wait until I take my board exam so that I (hopefully) get some studying in! Overall I would give this book a 3.5 star and 1 spice rating!

**Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this book**

I found the book quite enjoyable, and it was a quick read. I read it in about 4ish hours. I found the retelling of the story of Excalibur and King Arthur an excellent spin on the story, filled with fae and a believable world! I'm pretty interested to see where this story will go and the story of Morgan (who I totally did not call Morgana more than once).

The relationship between Morgan and Darven was interesting. Still, I did not see a spark of romantic tension between them, which was fine as I got so interested in the world and the story of the fae I forgot this was a romantasy (romance fantasy) book.

Without going into spoiler territory, I enjoyed how Arthur was in this! I loved seeing his arc and change throughout the book, which also helped me like Darven as an excellent comparison.

Morgan Pendragon is a cast aside Princess, promised to a life she never sought, and controlled by bloodthirsty men. She embarks on a life threatening journey at the demands of her brother, risking life and limb with her fierce enemy, Draven.

Queen of Roses is a loose retelling of Authorian rule, with tantalising world building and forbidden Fae. Refreshingly, the Main Characters grew with the plot, teasing at their complex pasts and future narratives.

I found myself saddened whenever I had to put the book down, desperate to see where we were going next; trying to guess which twist was going to unfold next. Most of all, I found myself anticipating Draven’s reactions. I have developed a soft spot in my heart for the MMC; drawn in by his brazen attitude and yet tender care.

As enamoured as I was with Draven, I did feel that there were a few characters whom were reintroduced/introduced too late in the novel to bring weight to the plot. This took away slightly from the plot at times for me, shattering my focus. Saying this, I could understand need to introduce the new characters; but not the reintroduction of old, other than to progress plot explanation which could have been tidied over in a more creative way.

I did like that romance was not the main focus and that there was not much focus placed upon the love triangle. As the romance was not primary focus, it did mean that when it became presented as a large premise in the next addition to the series, I found myself even more interested in character dynamics between the MCs.

Overall an enjoyable read with strong narrative plotting. I am excited to read more.

Genre/Type: Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Series?: Blood of Fae Book 1

Tropes and Themes:
- Slow Burn
- Enemy to lovers
- Who hurt you?
- Touch them and die

Triggers?:
- Death
- Physical Harm
- Poisoning

*Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing with this book in exchange for an honest review*

Oh my God you guys this book!!!! 🤯 It was sooooo good that if I hadn't gotten approved for the other two I would have read it again. And again. And again. It's a king Arthur reteeling but do it with fae. I say what???

World building? Excellent.
Plot? Amazing.

I literally couldn't put it down. Best read of 2023! For sure! Man that cliffhanger made me want to throw my kindle to the wall. Don't worry, I didn't. Read it.

This was better than I expected it to be. It was interesting and entertaining enough. Some things I didn't like and the dialogue felt super stiff and flat at times. But overall, this was a fun read and I'm interested in continuing the series.

I don't know what drugs Briar Boleyn magics into her writing, but OMG I physically couldn't put this book down! I finished reading LATE last night and ended up waking up early this morning to buy and begin reading the second book before work; I literally cannot stop thinking about it.

I had so much fun. The morally grey-ness of it all is so well written. Each of the characters are fleshed out enough to make them believable, but not so much as you feel you know everything they're going to do/say.
The friendships are written SO well; and I adored the casual queerness of Lancelet and Galahad.

I must say, when i first began reading I did roll my eyes a little bit at all the obvious connections to the Legend of King Arthur (I admit, I was hoping it would all be a little more subtle), but that VERY quickly surpassed once we got into the swing of the story.

Like all romance books, there is a level of predictability, but as a fairly seasoned romantasy reader, I really don't mind that. I will say, however, this book is next level slow burn and there is a very teeny tiny small amount of spice - though I have had a flick through the second book and can see that there is more on the way, so I think Ms Briar is being a bit of a tease and showing us what we're signing up for very slowly ;)

The only thing I'd say I was a little disappointed about was that it's marketed as a Dark Fantasy Romance; with this first book, I wouldn't necessarily say that was quite correct. Maybe I've read some things that are much too dark and so I was just expecting a bit more darkness, but for me (I would say it's definitely on the edge of a Dark Fantasy), but it's not quite there yet. That said, having read things like ACOTAR in the past, I can understand how these types of stories can get darker and darker over their writing and so, again, maybe this was just a preemptive warning and we'll get darker as we go further into the books.
I love that the trigger warnings are in the back of the book (with notice in the front letting you know they're potential spoilers, but should you wish to know them, they are there for you to see); and the TWs were very accurate.

In all, this books was so enjoyable and I really can't wait to see where this story takes us next!! All I
can say is ROLL ON BOOK 2!!

I'd like to say a big thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book through NetGalley to help celebrate the release of book three in this series. <3

Thank you to Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for allowing me to provide this review!
Review Posted:
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Queen of the Roses is the first book in the Blood of a Fae series. It is fantasy, romance, and adventure. It has potential to be something great with a few edits. However, I have a feeling that book two is going to be amazing, now that we have a background and a focal point to follow, I think the book will grow as it is written more.

My only major critique is that I wish the main character isn’t as naïve in the second book. There were parts where it made sense to be naive but the whole reunion chapter when they were in the blood lands really put a sour tase in my mouth. How can you be so worried about sleeping and not want to hear everything that you have been missing out on!

Also booooo Vesper, he deserved a longer more brutal ending. Glad he’s gone

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and may finish the rest.

Ok….so….what?!? 🤯
That cliffhanger!!!
Read this in two sittings and struggled to put it down to go to work, Story has consistent movement through adventure, slow burn and twists and turns which kept me gripped the whole way through.
It was a really nice fae twist on King Arthur mythology
So excited to start the next part and see how the story unfolds and how the characters/romance 😉 grow.

I loved reading this! The pacing of the story was just right, with plenty of action and excitement to keep you hooked and wanting to read on. Loved that it was a re-telling of King Arthur and Camelot. I can't wait to read the rest of the series, such a great first book, would thoroughly recommend to all.

I love how Briar Boleyn has woven the characters of Arthurian Legend into a great fantasy novel! These well-loved characters told in a new story is refreshing and exciting! The book took me a few chapters to really get into it, but once I was invested in Morgan I was hooked.


I flew through Book 1 and Book 2 in less than 24 hours, already working through book 3!

WHAT WAS THAT ENDING??????
It was confusing, epic, heart-wrenching. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I just know I am going to have to read book 2.
It’s not even a want at this point, it’s a definite need

Let me just start this review by saying I went into this book completely blind
I have heard of the author in passing and I love the cover
But I wasn’t expecting anything
And let me tell you I was pleasantly surprised by this book
Both by the depths of the characters, the King Arthur storyline, the amazing engaging dialogues and the world-building that I love
This is not high fantasy — or at least what i count as high fantasy — and it’s so easy to get into this book from the get go that i just couldn’t put this book down

Is it just me or does the character reminds me so much of Fourth Wing character?
Morgan with the silver-hair and Violet Sorrengail
But more than anything I think Kairos Draven is like an older, deadlier, more sarcastic and outspoken, more arrogant version of Xaden Riorson
And I love him okay!
The fact that he’s always been very honest with his expression, the fact that from the get go he cared about her enough to harm the people who harm her! Swoon
He always came to her rescue even when she’s being mean to him too.
And he helped her without her asking, and he never gloat about it afterwards.
Kairos Draven is the blueprint for a new perfect book boyfriend!
I’m surprised I’ve never heard of him before.

Some memorable Kairos Draven quotes:
“Not even a thank you, Princess? I’ll miss you too.”

“His voice was loud and angry as he cursed everything and anything he could think of.”

“My apologies. Should I be more polite because you’re royalty? Pardon me, Princess. And here i thought you enjoyed being treated as an equal.”

“I suppose a princess does not need to eat like other mortals.”

I do not wish to discuss the plot here because i do not want to spoil things for anyone.
I highly suggest just going into this book blind because I did and it was such a delightful surprise; the whole journey of reading this book was.
But if you’re so incline to know I’ll give you some key notes.
The tropes:
- Princess x bodyguard
- Touch her and you die
- Morally grey MMC
- Fae!
- King Arthurian legend

PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS BOOK
I SWEAR YOU WON’T REGRET IT
Five amazing stars for the Queen of Roses

Thank you to Victory Editing, Briar Boleyn, NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book and can already tell I will love this series. I love the spinning of the King Arthur classic characters with the high fantasy fae and other creatures. Although the story was a bit slow to start, this clearly was building up a world and characters that are only truly starting to emerge at the end, and this left me excited to read the next book.
This first book is pretty low on spice, so if that is what you’re looking for, this first book may not be for you, however I could see that changing in the next books.
I love seeing the FMC coming to grips with her realities and her true self, and hope to see her continue to grow in her strengths.
I also absolutely adore the battlecat and Dravan, and also hope this wasn’t the end for Lancelet!
This is a very unique and interesting world, and I appreciate that it feels unique, even for someone like myself who has read ALOT of fantasy that starts to blend together after a while.
All in all, I would highly recommend this and cannot wait to continue the series! This book deserves much more hype!

The beginning of this book was kind of a drag for me. Nothing really happened. It really shined towards the ending towards the end of a journey the characters were on. From there on it got really action packed and you felt invested in learning what was going to happen next. A few twists and turns, and it ends on a cliff hanger wanted you to read book two.

The FMC grew on me throughout the book. Some dark scenes but tame for most dark romance books. Lots of brooding from the MMC. Overall I enjoyed it and read it in a day.

Well this book had all my favorite troupes...
Forced proximity
One bed
Found family
Touch her/you die
Slow burn
Enemies to lovers

I mean that's all I could ask for.
I think one of my favorite things is almost the awkwardness of Morgan in the spicy scenes. It makes real people feel seen and safe.

I loved the world building and beauty of this book.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

Okay who doesn’t love a great retelling of Camelot, I know I do. I have been let down by another book that was a retelling of Camelot this year, so I went into this book a little bit scared but holy smoke! I loved it.

This author took this story and made it her own. I loved the way that Boleyn writes, it’s so easy to read, captivating, great attention to the right amount of details and no info dumping. I was hooked from the moment that I read the first page and I wanted to know more and more about what was going to happen, so I finished this book in one day. I loved the action, drama, the adventure, the romance, and finding oneself through heartbreak and death, and the plot twists. The character development was well done, and I loved that all the characters had a way of getting under your skin or just loving them right away.

Morgan, I absolutely just adored her. I loved that she was loved and cared for by her close friends Lancelet and Galahad. Most especially with her younger half-brother Kay, that relationship is so heartwarming. I found Morgan to be a great FMC for this book. She was relatable and easy to connect with because she is just so likable. I found her to be a strong and determined young woman and I loved that she didn’t want to give up and truly wanted what was best for her kingdom. Her other half-brother Author is a DICK, trust me you will not like him as much as I don’t.

I thought Kairos was an interesting character at first but the more and more that I learned about him I found myself wanting to yell and shake Morgan for not seeing what was right in front of her the whole time. I liked that he was a big bad scary guard but deep down inside he was still protective and really let’s be honest we all know he likes Morgan… I hope... (nail biting). Oh, and can we talk about that slow burn romance!! I need more.

I really wanted to just jump right into book two, but I wanted to write this review first. If you like reading books with slow romance, enemies to lovers, retellings, great characters, and overall great fantasy books; you really need to give this book and the others a try.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, NOW I am off to the second one.

Do you enjoy retellings? I just love retellings! Especially when you add some slow burn romance and sprinkle on some magic! A perfecto recipe to escape into storyland with a royal court, priestesses, and an adventurous mission.

Can you guess what the mission is? That,'s right! To find Excalibur and bring back to the King with the hopes the King doesn't have you killed while on the mission or when you return with what he wants!

Join Morgan and Kairos as they head out for a journey of finding the famous Excalibur and possibly that one true love along the way in Queen of Roses!

Thank you to Briar Boleyan and Netgalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review! I loved the story telling and how Briar Boleyan was so descriptive in how she built the world and characters. It was like being transported right there with the characters! Already moved on to Book 2! 🥰

I was quite impressed with the interesting take of Arthurian legends and I really enjoyed how the author changed up stories that many people know. The plot was interesting and I enjoyed the world building throughout the book, too. There was so much that was added that made everything very immersive and enjoyable to read.

I feel one drawback for me was the main character herself. I felt she was far too naive at times when she really should not have been, and at times, villainized characters for doing the same thing as she praised another one for. It took me out of the book several times to question her before reading on.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I may pick up the rest of the series in the future but I am currently not in a great rush.

I would like to thank the author and Netgalley for the ARC!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.