This is one of the best slow burns I've come across in my reading journey. The tension and buildup are delicious, and the spice isn't missed because the banter and world-building keep your attention occupied. Also, kudos on the narrative style, it kept me invested in the characters from the beginning, I could see the landscape change around them, and the different types of creatures they encountered came to life vividly in my head.
And that ending? What a perfect cliffhanger! I definitely need to keep reading.

What an amazing read - This is my first 5 star read of the year!

I went into this not knowing anything about this book and I am extremely surprised. The plot was fantastic and kept me hooked! I couldn’t put it down. I was shocked by the ending and didn’t see it coming, I can’t wait to read the next one and will definitely be looking into more books by this Author .

Thank you so much Netgalley, Second Sky & the author for the eARC.

While I love a forced marriage and especially fae x mortal, this one just wasn’t doing it for me. There’s something about the writing that felt very off. Also, I wasn’t really connecting with the characters enough to continue. unfortunately this one will be a dnf for me @ 15%.

3/5 stars

If you like slow burns, The Mortal Queen might just be your next favorite read! For me, though, it was a bit too slow—like, “waiting for water to boil but you’re pretty sure the stove is on” slow.

That said, there’s plenty to enjoy here. The fae king, Lir, is basically the definition of “dangerously perfect.” (Seriously, where do I sign up for an alluring-but-loyal magical husband? Asking for a friend.) And Aisling’s journey from terrified mortal to fierce, magic-wielding warrior was chef’s kiss.

The worldbuilding is rich, the mythical beasts are top-tier, and the banter between Lir and Aisling? Sassy perfection. I just wish the pacing had been a little quicker to match the high-stakes vibe.

If slow burns are your jam and you’re here for a fae-meets-mortal marriage of convenience with a dash of deadly enchantments, this book is for you. If not, well… maybe just admire Lir from afar.

Ashley Metzler is a genius! I absolutely loved The Mortal Queen. Between the magic and the characters, this book had a choke hold on me. You, along with the MFC, who is tough on the outside and cinnamon roll on the inside, uncover the mystery of the origins and the clashing between the magical and mortal. Ash (MFC) and Lir (MMC) have a romance that is not only realistic but leaves you YEARNING for more. Unfortunate circumstances bring them together, but they must work through their prejudices to stop the impending war between the Fae and the humans. As the story progresses, Ash changes not only emotionally but physically. I loved that the magical creature and lore were rooted in Irish folklore. Despite featuring beings that are popular in the fantasy book world right now, Metzler gives a fresh take on faeries and provides characters truly lovable as well as realistic. I can't wait for the second book! Thank you, Net Galley, Second Sky, and Ashley Metzler!

This book pleasantly surprised me! I really did enjoy this and I’m ready to read book 2. The world building was great along with new takes on the Seelie, Unseelie, other mythical creatures and the story of creation. Aisling’s naivety at first irritated me but as I read more, I realized that it added to the complexity of her character. A woman split between the world she was raised in and the world she is discovering. While it might have felt repetitive, I think we needed to be reminded of this throughout the book to continuously understand and feel her internal struggles. Though this is classified as a romance, I love how detailed and meticulously the animosity between Lir and Aisling was created. I know they’re meant to be together but I comprehend and feel every reason why they won’t work. I loved how every character served a purpose and furthered the story along - even if you hated or love them. Yhere’s a lot of world building but to me that’s a plus and shows how well intentionally thought out this was. It’s 4.5⭐️ for me.

Thank you to Second Sky and NetGalley for the ARC!

I struggled a lot with the start of this book, a lot of repetition of duties and memories which did make some sections drag. That being said the plot itself is amazing, I love the intertwining of characters and lore into the present.

I wish this had more tension and romance but understand why the story was written the way it was.

Overall really enjoyed it!

4 ⭐

I am so happy I got to read this book! I absolutely love arranged marriage tropes and the slow burn was killing me! The world building and the wording that the author uses is absolutely beautiful! I would highly recommend and I can't wait to see how Aisling's story progresses in the second book!

Absolutely amazing!! I can’t wait to buy a copy of this one! And the cover is absolutely gorgeous!! This one reminds me a lot of other big fantasy romances!

This book was alright. Very repetitive with advice from characters and the number of times they say “mortal queen” (333 times out — which is almost once per page). That took me out of the book more often than not.

“The fae king owed her nothing. Wedding or no wedding, Bg blood, they were born to loathe one another”

“A name given freely and another revived in return is not to enslave but to bind. The Sidhe call this ensorcellment. I am as much linked to you as you are to me”

“By the Forge, I vow to you the first cut of my heart, the first taste of my blood, and the last words from my lips”

This book was absolutely amazing!!! I’m speechless !!! It is exactly what I was looking for and then some!!! Enemies to lovers. Arranged marriage. Wild untamed brooding, powerful, dark haired morally grey MMC. Wild, uncertain but badass FMC. Action, magic, power and Irish lore that made me melt. And a slow burn that still makes me doubt about its ending !!! In this war between fae and mortals, the story of Aisling and Lir completely entrapped me. I was enchanted. I couldn’t stop reading !!! I finished this book in one sitting because there was always something more to read, more secrets to reveal and more questions to be asked. When I got to some big revelations Bg the end of the book and I turned that last page … boy, I needed book two like yesterday !!! It was THAT good!! It’s incredible the power a fantasy book can wield on me. Especially one where the balance between Seelie, Unseelie and mortals is depending on a young woman trying to find herself and survive in a world where someone wants to use her as weapon and she has been fed only lies. I loved getting through Ash journey. I loved falling for Lir. I loved their moments regardless of their intimacy. But that last thing he said to her … I NEED MORE !!! I can’t wait for the sequel !!

“We often despise our own vices reflected in others”

“Make sure you yourself are wilder, more feral. More powerful until it is you who eats, you who wields, you who calls upon the weapon you challenged, instead of it you”

“Very well, then I’ll hunt you down”

If you're here for the vibes, the imagery is immaculate. I could picture myself in every scene and the plot twists were surprising. I'd highly recommend it if you're one that is just along for the ride: this is your book!

I appreciated the culture clash aspect; how this book took on the view that there are going to be two different cultures and highlighting their differences in customs and language. I just wish that Aisling had been more open minded in learning about the fae, there wasn't a point where she didn't cling to the lies of her father or try to overcome the language barrier; there was a complete reliance on translators. It could have showed more maturity if she'd done this.

I took one star off because of the repeated (30+ times) use of the word "savage." It has an extremely negative historical connotation towards Native Americans, and this word was not being used in a positive way. But, I don't know that this feedback will be well received because this derogatory term is in the title of book 2. I took off another star because, while I wanted to like the FMC, she didn't have the critical thinking skills that I usually like to see in a leading character. If she wasn't told something point blank, she wouldn't deduce it. And even if she was, she had to still turn to what she knew to be the lies of her upbringing. I'm kind of hoping that there could be more character growth in this aspect in book 2, but again, if the title remains what it is, I'm content with just having read the first novel.

The idea behind the story was interesting, but the execution just didn’t hit the mark for me. That said, the lyrical writing style really grabbed my attention. I also appreciated the world-building with its variety of creatures and the focus on politics, which added a nice touch. But honestly, I felt let down by the lack of emotional connection between the main characters, especially since this was supposed to be a romance fantasy. Moreover, hearing the phrase “the mortal queen” over and over again gets pretty exhausting. That said, I’m still curious about where the story’s headed. I’d love to see the romance between the leads get more attention and depth next time around. I’ll probably pick up the next book later.

<i>The Mortal Queen</i> is the beginning of an epic fantasy that ignites the senses for deep lore, epic battles, vast world building, and a deep slow burn between destined lovers.

Stepping into this book isn't for someone looking for a light romantasy. <i>The Mortal Queen</i> is crafted around mythical folklore, old fantastical creatures, and new versions of a fantasy world with characters that are plucked from old legends and set alongside ones that are also brand new. I was enchanted just as much as Aisling was by the fae.

Set in a time where mortals know about the fae realm, but it's still more as a means of bedtime tales than actual fae creatures running around with mortals. Princess Aisling, a mortal herself, is married off to the high king of the Sidhe, whose name is Lir. Lir turns her normal world on its head and everything that she believed is suddenly questioned. Is Lir the enemy or was she fed misinformation? Whom should Aisling believe, her husband, or her upbringing? Aisling was told so many lies that she doesn't know who to believe and she also discovers new abilities the longer she stays within the fae realm.

Told strictly from Aisling's third POV this entire book is shadowed in a lot of mystery because we only ever get Aisling's side, but also because the nativity she grew up with, it keeps the book in a heightened state with all the other characters, especially her husband.

This is only book one and it’s a big book that can drag at parts, but it's a big world to cover, so it's forgiven. The Sidhe and Unseele have a deep mythological folklore so there is a lot more story to come and time to bring forth more steam from Lir and Aisling. I can't wait.

Thank you Second Sky & NetGalley for the ARC - all opinions are my own.

The synopsis to “The Mortal queen” sounding very promising, human and fae relations, forced marriage etc.

This one just wasn’t for me I’m afraid. The slow burn was too slow burn, if there was so romantic tension, angst or longing blended in to the slow burn I definitely could have gotten invested, however there was just not enough romantic aspects in the plot to class this book as a fantasy romance (imo), perhaps the romance is building up for the second book - respectfully I am just not invested enough to continue reading the series to find out.

Thank you to the publisher and author for giving me a shot!

Publish date - ❤️ Valentine’s Day ❤️ February 14th

I want to thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the privilege of being able to read an ARC of this book!

The story itself is incredible, the authors prose and writing is amazing. She's very good at being able to make you feel like you're right there in the world she's created and her writing style isn't lacking or too wordy (there are a couple spelling errors at the beginning of the book though). However well all of this going on and I loved it. There's barely any actual conversations, or true events or movements until halfway. A big portion of this book is internal monologue and constant internal reminders of what others have told the main character. If half of that was cut out this would flow so much better. Aisling is also well having read all of this is incredibly mean to the male main character lir for what reason? Hes the fae king? That's literally the only reason I can think of. She's treated like garbage by her family, and treated lowly by others and literally sits there and takes it but should Lir treat her like a person she's gotta slash at him with a knife.... As well she's keeps calling the fae by the name she's grew up hearing all the time rather than the name even her family actually knows them by and everyone knows them by. She's quick to call the others (unseelie) by their fae names as she finds them but not who she's married into. And the constant back and forth between mortal queen, fae king, Ashling and Lir is kind of annoying (literally in the same sentence).

Other than these things the actual story itself is really great and I love the Celtic references.

Thank you so very much again for allowing me to read this book I really appreciate it, and despite all I said I am extremely looking forward to book two!

I really wanted to love this. I love Fae romance and this one had such promise and I was very excited to read it. BUT the book was advertised as a romance but there wasn’t really any romance. I felt like the writing was also a bit immature, was just very choppy and like maybe English wasn’t the authors first language. I DNF’d it.

This was a fun book to read with some favorite tropes (arranged marriage, Slow Burn, Forced Prox). The world and the plot were fantastic, and the slow burn was very slow, but I feel like when the author takes the time on it, it's worth it in the end. I like that this book was more focused on the story, the world, and the character development than the romance. I'm really looking forward to the next book!

Unfortunately, the writing style of this book feels too juvenile for me. The main female character, Aisling, was not my favourite. Overall, this book read like fan fiction, and although I usually enjoy that type of Romantasy, I cannot get past the unconnected nature of the writing. As a result, I got approximately 45% through the book and have decided not to continue, therefore I am not giving it a star rating.

The world building is something that happens throughout the entire story as new information presents itself. I wouldn’t call this action packed or even a romantasy for me it’s very much a fantasy genre. There are a lot of secrets throughout this book, some from Lir (our Fae King) regarding our “Mortal Queen” Aisling and her destiny.

Aisling was extremely sheltered and brainwashed by those around her, she is unable to see past her own “hatred” for the first part of the book. There are times when she irks me to no end but she does grow and soften towards her new kingdom as well as the fae folk. She is still young and learning as she was thrown into this marriage with limited knowledge.

Lir’s background is a mystery for most of the book but we do find hints about him. He is extremely secretive. However, we do get a huge reveal about 80% into the book. I have an idea but still it caught me a bit off guard nonetheless. He is loyal to his people as well to Aisling, allowing her time to adjust but still pushes her to open up and attempt to relax.

The story itself is interesting, the idea that Aisling isn’t what she appears to be is a nice twist. I am curious what will become of her and lir, as well as the war.