This book really surprised me and had me hooked from the beginning. The world building was great, especially with the way the author described the place and the characters. It really helped to get your imagination going.

Enemies, who are the Mortals and Aos si (Fae), force a marriage for peace between their people. The plot is fascinating, and I did not see the twists coming. I really did enjoy it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series now!

Not only this, but the cover is beautiful, and I definitely need to buy a physical copy to keep on my shelf!

Thank you NetGallery and publishers for allowing me to review this book!

This was amazing!! I absolutely LOVED this slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy and was captivated from the first chapter! I enjoyed the delve into Celtic lore, set in world of fae and magic. Aisling (a mortal) and Lir (King of the Fae) become entwined as Aisling is taken to Lir's kingdom with the promise of marriage to each other set up as a pollitical alliance. Aisling arrives sceptical of Lir as she has always been told how monsterous the Fae are and is fearful for her life and finds it difficult to separate what she has been told with what she experiences as Lir is not all she has been told that he is, and she is surprised to see him fight so loyally for his people. When she ends up fighting by his side she has to decide whos side she is really on, whilst trying to survive the magical beasts and monsters that lurk in the forest. I loved that the romance was slow burn and it was refreshing (within the context of the story) to not see as much spice but more of a deeper connection between Aisling and Lir, rather than focused on lust. A thoroughly enjoyable read and I am really looking forward to seeing the character development in book 2!

I absolutely loved this book! I really enjoyed the pace of the world building. It wasn’t difficult to follow and got to the action quickly.

I love the fact that book 1 is obviously building us up form more action in book 2 and 3. With a Main Female Character that has lots of room for more growth as the books develop.

Highly recommend to fans of fae fantasy, strong female leads and slow burns!

DNF@10% - while the synopsis was good, i found the execution questionable. it felt like the author was trying to reach a word count and decided to add a bunch of synonyms. it was a bit redundant and getting too tedious for me.

⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is just my initial thoughts and honestly not the current romantesy that is currently so popular but a beginning of a fantasy trilogy that is about the fae so would perhaps appeal to fans of paranormal, fae or even Ya fiction . Our heroine is really terribly ignorant, I honestly got so irritated and fed up of how many times she’s referred to as the mortal queen yet honestly was very surprised that I actually was caught up by this story . I really enjoyed the last third so I actually do look forward to the next book
This take is of an advanced copy and my thoughts are honest and I believe fair

I LOVED THIS!! I was so hooked by this book. The writing was so descriptive and I had an amazing time picturing this world. I loved the FMC and the narrator really helped make this experience that much better. LOVED LOVED LOVED!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The world building is great and I love the characters. I would love to continue on with the series but my only hesitation is that it was a little bit too slow burny for me.

Has the potential to be amazing…
I loved the world building and the authors descriptions of characters/places was amazing! It was just a little too slow burn for me, would have liked to of seen a little bit more tension between Aisling and Lir! If you love an arranged marriage/enemies to lovers i would say definitely give it ago!

I LOVED this! Romantasy fans will definitely enjoy, the plot and writing kept me hooked, immersive and captivating, nuanced characters I'm totally invested in, can't wait for the next book!

This book had me hooked right from the beginning. And while I sometimes got a little lost, and the writing wasn’t necessarily the best I really enjoyed it. The characters were likable and I really was invested in their story. I really can’t wait to see where the story continues. I would definitely recommend this story to any romantasy readers.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for an exchange of my honest opinion!

I loved this so much. At first it felt a little slow but it picked up and I devoured it. The characters were fun to follow through this journey.

I received this Advance Readers Copy from Second Sky Books and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Mortal Queen is one of my favorite reads so far this year. Ashley Metzler, you are fantastic. I was captivated from the very beginning and I had to force myself to not devour it! I needed to enjoy the entire book and take my time to appreciate it. In the past, I have raced through series and fantasy books, and with The Mortal Queen, I did not have to miss a single second of it.

After reading the synopsis of The Mortal Queen on Net Galley, it immediately gave me vibes from ACOTAR and From Blood and Ash, and it definitely did not disappoint. I loved the character development, and detailed descriptions of characteristics for the characters and the world. I was able to completely picture every aspect of the book, from the fea world, to the creatures encountered.

Due to differently upbringings, Aisling (FMC) and Lir (MMC) have to overlook prejudices and work together to bring peace to the mortals and the fae worlds. What more could you want from a fantasy read?

I cannot wait to read the second book in the series, and piece together more of Aisling's mystery and Lir's plans.

Thank you, Net Galley, Second Sky, and Ashley Metzler for giving me the opportunity to read The Mortal Queen and give my honest opinions!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Mortal Queen. This is my honest review, these are only my opinions.

I was surprised that I didn't enjoy this story as much as I thought I would. There were so many 5 star review so I was expecting a book that I literally couldn't put down. But by 60% it felt like a bit of a slog to get to the end.

I enjoyed the world building (although they were traveling for most of the book), I liked that she was something unknown and liked watching that unfold. Ashling denying her feelings for Lir for most of the book really did start to get a little annoying though. I felt like she had more chemistry with some of her guards over her chemistry with Lir.

The use of Gaelic terminology was interesting, but a little confusing at times. But that might have just been because it took me a while to catch on!

We didn't find out what Ashling was until around 70% into the book, she's only had an afternoon worth of practice, but all of a sudden although she doesn't have, 'strength, muscle, or skill, at least she has magic'. Although she nearly burns herself out she is almost arrogant with her new found power which wasn't a vibe.

The narration of the audiobook was really excellent though, the different voices the narrator used were brilliant and brought the story to life more.

I love fae romantasy novels and this one was fabulous. I loved the characters and found it really easy to get into this story. Loved it!

Wow! This book had me hooked right from the beginning. Amazing world building. Great characters. Can't wait for the rest of the story.

I have no words! This is the type of Romantasy book that makes me love this genre. I am still very new in this world and this book is it.

It took me a while to get into this book, mainly because when I get a chance to read my Kindle it's near on midnight and I've switched off. This book is so rich with detail, that I took some time to get into the flow, but when I did. Well, it was like fireworks and I devoured this book. I had to stop reading because of work and then I discovered that there was an audiobook and I managed to get my fix and finish it. That ending, I had my heart in my throat when the daggers started to fly. I was so worried that my favourite was hurt, but phew - they weren't. It was crazy once you see the betrayal on both sides. And yet it's Aisling I worried about and another character. She has no idea who she is or how powerful she is. The even better thing is, nor do we! I CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT!

I absolutely loved this twist on what the humans and Seelie knew. Aisling is so naive in the world, that everything is kept hidden from her. The lies that she had been spun! She didn't even know what a dragon was! Crazy! And these lies were so clear to be seen, and unlike most other books we were not in the mortal world. We spent time with the Seelie, the Unseelie, we learned about them, their culture and their ways and you care. You care so much about what will happen to them, sod the mortals. The evil men destroying their homes and forests!

But as we drew nearer to the end, I realised, Aisling was just a pawn between two worlds. She is being played, and I have no idea who I can trust for her. Secrets and betrayals and love. A love that is not " natural " but it darn well feels it to me. I loved that it was an instant-love, and it's not even love that either has admitted to, but it's a love that is there. That kiss *sigh*

Metzler has created something so special, and I can't wait to find out why the Mortal Queen becomes the Savage Queen!

The Mortal Queen by author Ashley Metzler was another take on the fae world and a newish genre for me.

I did enjoy this debut novel and will be reading the next book in this series but I did find it fairly difficult to follow at times, that maybe with me being new to this genre of novels.

We follow Aisling who's father has promised her hand in marriage to a member of the fae - namely Lir. When she meets him, she is astounded as he is not the monster that she thought he was going to be.

It is one of the cult enemies-to-lovers novel that seems to be doing the rounds at the minute, but the narrative is enjoyable and I did like to read about the situation between Aisling and Lir.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me an arc.

A really enjoyable fantasy novel, with deliciously descriptive prose. The world building only outmatched by the vivid character building through tough the story. The main characters Aislinn and Lir are arch races and forced to wed with a fated twist. It follows their story and Aislinn’s discovery of the truth and herself.

Read along if you like:
- Magic based novels. Seelie vs Unseelie vs Mortals.
- Mortal enemies to forced proximity with a super slow burn…. I warn you…… super long burn.
- Weak to strong FMC character development
- Includes the following tropes: A quest, reluctant chosen one, fantastical creatures, hidden truth and price for winning.

Given a 4/5 purely for my personal dislike of how slow the burn was…. It was barely a flame smoldering for most of the book. Only the last 5% did we see some progress between main characters…. Finally.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the NetGalley Team!!

I have to say this book surprised me on different fronts.
With a typical enemies-to-lovers plot, I’ve gotten used to the overtly violent, cunning, assassin female MC - but Aisling was a breath of fresh air. A young princess used to create an alliance with the enemy, described not only as rather helpless with a blade but utterly terrified of the man she now calls her husband. Despite this constant fear and horror at the challenges she faces, she navigates her new world with a kind of iron will that I find admirable and far more relatable than the typical fantasy female MC. Not to mention her naivety, her rage, her empathy, and the pride that she continues to hold herself with; not once showing her discomfort or fear in the enemy’s company. Aisling has to start from scratch and build her strength and courage from the ground up.
She is incredibly human in her struggles and it aptly fulfils the title ‘The Mortal Queen’.

The prose was beautifully written, each sentence bringing the world of the Fae to life. The cast of characters were also quite complex and their relationships to Aisling built on different facets of her personality creating a well-rounded MC. Not much seen of the husband except around seventy percent of the way through when events started to build - and the cliffhanger at the end definitely had me wanting more. This is quite a slow slow-burn book and it takes its time with world-building, setting up mythology, creatures, and cultures; more so than the actual romance.

However, the pace of the book was a bit too slow in some parts and I felt that it needed a little more action. Aisling kept recalling things her father said to her throughout the book, word-for-word, and it got too repetitive. And while the description of moments was rich and absorbing, I found it took too much away from dialogue interactions between characters - sometimes a whole page would separate lines of dialogue in a single conversation - and slowed the whole story down.
It was Aisling’s character that kept me reading, wanting to see how she carried herself through each intense moment and watching her grow into her new role.

I am looking forward to the sequel and I want to see how Aisling takes her fate into her own hands - as well as that relationship with her enemy husband.
4 stars ****

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out on Valentine's day. Do you want to hurt people? Cause this is how you hurt people. That ending destroyed me. A dark and also true slow burn fae romance where everything isn't just solved quickly.