Thank you NetGalley for giving me a eBook in exchange for an honest review. I have been intrigued by this author for some time, having encountered her name in various reading lists. This particular work is a dark fantasy romance loosely inspired by the legend of King Arthur. It encompasses elements of magic, mythical creatures, enemies-to-lovers dynamics, tension, forced proximity, love, betrayal, and self-discovery. Additionally, it unfolds at a very gradual pace. Readers who appreciate these aspects may find this book enjoyable. I understand that it is part of a series comprising four books.

In my opinion, Morgan's character development was particularly well-crafted. She was portrayed in a relatable manner, which significantly contributed to the overall appeal of the book.

The writing style is straightforward and easy to follow, making it an accessible read. While it is the first book in a series, I am inclined to be optimistic about its potential, as many series tend to improve in subsequent installments. However, I believe the author could have exercised greater discretion in selecting moments for world-building. Elaborate descriptions of every room, for instance, can detract from the central narrative. World-building should be approached with finesse, rather than being applied indiscriminately.

Overall, I found this book to be an entertaining read, and I am likely to explore the other books in the series. However, it does not rank among my highest priorities.

This is a Camelot retelling but not as you know it. It's a great twist on the classic story. I started of unsure about this one but then realised it was me and my style of reading that wasn't gelling. SO I forced myself to slow down and enjoy the world building and descriptions. I am glad I kept reading because I ended up really enjoying it. The mfc grew on me and some of the plots twists and turns were unexpected. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

I really wanted to like this book, but ultimately ended up choosing to dnf it at 15%. It was really hard for me to get into this book and I felt that as I continued to read it I just got more and more confused. You are presented with a lot world building early on, but there is little to no explanation about some things. In the end, I just felt no connection to any of the characters or the story as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for the e-ARC.

This was a fun read! It was a struggle to get into at first but about a third of the way into the story started picking up for me. The FMC seems to figure out and accept who she is by the end though. I swear though, this poor woman has the world’s worst judgement in men. There’s an interesting cliffhanger so I’m headed to headed to see how that’s resolved now, thanks for the read!

Queen of Roses is an Arthurian-inspired dark romantasy that is the first book in the Blood of Fae series. From the start of the book I was interested, some of the chapters dragged on but overall I loved this book! Morgan is a very strong independent FMC and I loved reading the book in her pov. Draven is a grumpy MMC but will do anything for Morgan if needed. This book is a rollercoaster that’ll leave you wanting more.. the ending was crazyyy. If you love dark romantasy, fae, grumpy MMC, strong FMC, touch her and you’ll die, slow burn, driven books you’ll absolutely love Queen of Roses!!

Upon seeing the cover, title, and description of Queen of Roses, I was immediately intrigued and decided to give it a chance despite not being familiar with the author. The author's unique take on the characters and storyline was quite enjoyable.

The initial world-building phase, leading up to Morgan's journey to find her brother was a bit slow-paced. However, as the story progressed, the pace picked up and became more engaging, making it difficult to set the book aside. The ending left me hanging, eager to delve into the sequel, Court of Claws.

The romance in the story develops slowly, with only a few intimate scenes, making it a mild read in terms of spice level. I am looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds in the next book.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Starwater Press for the opportunity to review this book. #BloodofaFaeSeries #NetGalley.

I really loved the twist on the Camelot tale, which has always been so interesting to me. I thought the world-building and characters were great. Ultimately it was a little too slow of a burn for me, but I really enjoyed the story overall.

I know they say not to judge a book by its cover but the second I saw the cover & the title, Queen of Roses I knew that I wanted to give it a shot!

I went into this fairly blind, I have never read anything by this author and didn’t even realize it was loosely based on King Arthur & his court until I started to notice A LOT of similar names. For the most part I like what the author did and the way she flipped the script on some of the characters.

There was a lot of world building before Morgan sets out on a journey for her brother King Arthur. It was a little slow going but then as the journey continued things started to pick up and it was hard to put down. It ends on a fairly big cliff hanger making you want to dive right into book 2, Court of Claws.

This is a VERY SLOW BURN for the romance, the spice scenes are few and far between and I would say it’s probably a 1 on the spice scale! Excited to dive into book 2 and see how this progresses!

Thank you to NetGalley & Starwater Press for providing this copy for review. #BloodofaFaeSeries #NetGalley

This book everyone!! As a fan of SJM and JL Armentrout I absolutely loved this one and I'm sure you will as well.
The book is a king arthur retelling but with faes and it has amazing world building, which I enjoyed a lot! The characters are amazing and I felt connected to them from the very beginning.
The writing style really stood out to me since the book was able to grab my attention from the very beginning and I usually need some time to get into it. The tropes are amazing (Romantasy Smut Lovers, this one is for you)

Thank you Saltwater Press and NetGalley for this ARC ( New Adult | Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy)

The Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is Book 1 of Blood of a Fae, and I am so glad to have been lucky enough to get books 2, 3 and 4.

The editorial reviews say that this series is perfect for fans of ACOTAR and the fourth Wing and they are not wrong.
Pub Date 15 Apr 2023 | Archive Date 25 May 2024
ARC provided by Starwater Press

If you are looking for a YA romantasy that has everything in it- witty banter , a slow burn romance and whole new wold that you cannot but fall in love with, some whom you will really dislike, but all uforgettable.

It tells us the story of Morgan who is the chief protagonist of the story, and her inner battle between what she wants and what is destined for her. All in this is set in magical fae kingdom where we are learning about the entire world, with the backdrop of magic, morally grey characters budding romance (enemies to lovers...) and who Morgan is capable of being (..a hint at her power)

I Loved Briar's easy writing style and practically tore through this book so that I could read the rest of the series. In my opinion, just on the basis of this book alone, I think that Briar is right up there with the high priestesses of fantasy Rebeca Yarros and Sarah J Maas.

I couldn't wait to read Books2,3,and 4

*This book was gifted by netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*
This was so good! First thing I will say is if you love From Blood and Ash you will love this. It gave me a lot of the same feelings as FBAS. This is about a half human half fae princess named Morgan who is an outcast in her family and kingdom. Her Skank of a brother Arthur sends her on a mission to retrieve the legendary sword of Excalibur so he can be all powerful. It’s a mission that for some undisclosed reason only she can complete.
SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!!!!!⬇️
For my review I got some notes to share:
•I love the sibling relationship between Kaye and Morgan and when she had to leave him behind and now doesn’t know when she will see him again it’s killing me. She loves the boy so much and I hope he’s okay and stays as sweet and kind as he was before he had to stay with Arthur.
•Florian is a Skank
•Arthur is the biggest Skank
•Vesper almost had me I almost rooted for him but he Tamlin’d me so now he’s also a Skank.
•The Exmoor situation had me sobbing the mama and then the baby both had me sobbing
•NOT LANCET MAN WHYYYY😭
•lastly the way I gasped finding out about Draven 🫣woooooah I knew there was something weird about him but I didn’t really think he would be one of the old fae



this review was posted on good reads and instagram as of May 2 2024

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book. I enjoyed the story and thought it was a great set-up book for the series. There is a lot of world building and some of it could be slow (similar to the first ACOTAR book) but I'm excited to see where the series goes and keep reading!

Thank you to briar, the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book, I’m so grateful. I loved this book! I was really blown away by how well this was written. It does start off slow but I loved the world-building and character descriptions.

An Arthurian retelling you say??? With enemies (sort of - they really don’t like each other at all, very slow-burn) to lovers and a mission? And a sassy, part-Fae princess that likes swords? Sign me up!

There are so many problems with this kingdom and I’m going to make a random guess and say that the garbage, narcissistic men in charge are at fault here. (I love an easy-to-hate character.) And I just love that Morgan is not blind to it AT ALL. She’s instantly suspicious and rightfully so. She’s a smart woman that wants answers. And I respect that.

We have a deliciously scrumptious classic…a “who did this to you” and that is really such a draw for any book. You get bonus points for that one! And so perfectly timed.

The story focuses a lot on the lore of this world, while still keeping a bit of mystery (especially when it comes to the Fae, their kingdom, and what has happened to truly cause this hatred towards them).

I did feel as if the beginning moved a bit slowly, but I find that really common in fantasy books because of the introduction to a new world. (So I can easily overlook that.) And it definitely sped up after that (once everyone was introduced and the real story began). I will definitely continue to read this series! And would definitely recommend to any fantasy lover.

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! My review is already up on Goodreads and will be uploaded to TikTok with my monthly wrap-up at the end of May.

The plot of the story is very interesting, an Arthurian retelling set in Camelot, with a log of characters from the original story, but very different in this story.

I found King Arthur to be very infuriating, and ugh, he's a well written villain, but I really hope he stays a villain and ☠️ in the next book. He would really deserve that.

It was a bit hard to accept how naïve Morgan is at the beginning of the story, but she got a bit more confident to the end of the story, so I can say she got an arc where she learned a lot of things, who to trust, who not to, and who to protect and defend and who now.

Draven is the bad guy who doesn't fail to protect Morgan for the really bad guys, I loved how he was written and I know there's more to him, so really looking forward to find out more about him in the next books.

Loved the banter between the two of them, very slooow burn tho, hoping for more action in the next books. 🤭🤭

I was lucky to get this as a free ebook (the whole set actually) from Netgalley, and boy, am I thrilled I did! It's a richly immersive fantasy tale with a slow-burning plot, blending Arthurian legend with a fae twist. Our protagonist, Morgan, is Arthur's half-sister and part fae, while Arthur himself is portrayed as a rather unpleasant character. He dispatches Morgan on a quest to find Excalibur, accompanied by Draven, a member of the King's guard. However, Morgan soon begins to suspect that Draven might have hidden motives. As their journey progresses, Morgan and Draven grow closer, only to have their burgeoning relationship complicated by the arrival of Vesper. The dynamic between the characters is electrifying, filled with banter, tension, and just the right amount of romantic chemistry to keep readers hooked. The twists are SO unexpected. I'm currently devouring the sequel and can attest that the story only gets better from here. This gem of a fantasy romance deserves more recognition, and I sincerely hope it finds a wider audience!

Born into a life of duty and sacrifice, Morgan Pendragon’s destiny has never been her own. Rumored to carry the tainted blood of the fae in her veins, her birthright is stolen from her when she is a mere child. Growing up in the shadow of her brother the king, she has been promised to the goddesses when she comes of age. So, when her brother commands that she seek out a fae weapon of legendary power, Morgan seizes the chance to break free from the chains of her fate.

This is the first book in a four-part series inspired by Arthurian legends. It is not a retelling however, as the plot differs considerably. Briar Boleyn draws from the stories of King Arthur but put a completely different twist on them, including gender-swapping some of the characters.

I found the book a little slow to start, but the pace picked up towards the end and I am very much looking forward to reading the other books in this series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Starwater Press for providing me with a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review:
⅘ Stars

Firstly, I would love to thank the author, Briar Boleyn, NetGalley, and the publishers for this book and the opportunity to read this beauty.

I loved the world-building in this book. It is a slow-burn book, but once you give it a bit of time, you do get sucked into it quickly.

If you love a book with immersive worldbuilding, captivating characters and a storyline that keeps you hooked, I would 100% recommend this book. It's the perfect mix of romance and fantasy, with beautiful writing that makes reading a breeze. 3

When picking up this book, just remember that it is part of a developing series, and right at the end, you will be left with so many unanswered questions that you’ll be begging for the next one.

I will pick up the next book in the series when it comes out, and I cannot wait to dive into it.

Firstly, thank you to the author and her team for sending me an arc of this book to read. It was SO GOOD. ❤️

*I would recommend checking the triggers if you want to read this book. There are some dark themes in the beginning of this book that some might find triggering.*

With that said - if you want an immersive dark fantasy retelling of Camelot then I would highly recommend this book!
This book has quests, fae, folklore, mythology, a rag tag group of characters with a morally gray MMC, and fantastic world building with notes of romance.
This book follows Morgan our FMC who is the princess of Camelot and also part fae. She is sent on a quest by her human brother (that you will love to hate by the way) to retrieve Excalibur from the abandoned fae city because for reasons unknown she is the only one who can get it but she has to go with our MMC Kairos.
I absolutely loved Morgan in this book. She has quite the tragic backstory but chooses to still fight for herself and her kingdom.
I also loved our dark and broody MMC Kairos because he is always our voice of reason even if he’s grumpy most of the time.
This first book left off on such a big cliffhanger that has me with more questions than answers and I cannot wait to dive into the 2nd book. ❤️

By the Three, I don’t even know where to begin! This book HOOKED me from the beginning! The story was very easy to digest and left me turning pages as fast as I could. The way the author told the story had me fully immersed. Typically I would like to see romance sooner, but the slow burn, enemies to lovers, in this book was PERFECTION! When we met her brother, Arthur, who is now king of Camelot I wondered if this was a King Arthur retelling and by the end it definitely seemed so, but I loved the twist on it with Morgan being Fae and all of the other mythical creatures and beings intertwined in the story. Some parts of the story may have seemed drawn out and unnecessary, but when you get towards the end and pieces of the puzzle start to click you realize it was all very important and necessary.

I finished this and immediately downloaded the next book! That cliffhanger was INTENSE and I cannot wait to see where the rest of the story leads!