I’m soooo freaking happy that this picked in the vicinity of where book one ended. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m rooting for Lir and Ash and the iron family can all go walk the plank as far as I’m concerned 👻 It’s comforting to know the characters and dive back in, and things gets moving pretty quickly, but relationships weave & hover while I’m over here eager for more, simultaneously reveling in the vows, fates, and prophecies So, I devoured this, feeling like woodland … chanting more, more, more ✨🖤🌲

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky Books for the eARC of this book. Where to start. The Mortal Queens cliffhanger had me in a chokehold and I was so glad I could immediately roll into this ARC. The formal, beautiful, and eloquent writing of Ashley Metzler is so amazing. The character development of Ashling in this book was amazing but what truly made me love this book was Lir’s character development. This Epic Fantasy trilogy has everything you could want. A love triangle (that isn’t annoying), a power struggle between fated mates and so much honesty (even whilst keeping their secrets) from each of these characters.
I cannot wait to read book 3. I MUST know how the triology concludes. Such a great read.

ARC read- releases February 14, 2025

Desperate for the truth of what she is, Aisling goes on a journey for the curse-breaker. She cannot escape the thread that is tied between her and the fae king but she is faced with the love she was destined for before the treaty. Aisling is torn between two worlds, fae and human- forced to choose. Will it be damnation or surrender?

Holy hell I loved this! I need the third book immediately. This is one of the best enemies-to-lovers slow burns I have ever read. And Ashley Metzler’s writing is absolutely amazing- she paints such a perfect picture of the world she has created and I can’t help but want more.

Not much I can say without spoilers other than I was worried this book would fall victim to “second book syndrome” but it absolutely did not and I think it might have been better than the first. The plot kept me on my toes and I only saw a few of the twists coming lol. Also, the lack of side character depth in the first book is absolutely not the case in the second book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC- I received this eARC for free and all of my opinions are my own

Thank you NetGalley, and Second Sky for an e-arc of this book.

The Savage Queen by Ashley Metzler is the second book in an epic fantasy series following the major cliffhanger in book one. Ashley’s world building and immersive storytelling and descriptions continue in this book.

This book allowed for all of the characters to grow though I feel that our two main characters still do not trust each other. I did not love how Aisling continues to be frustrating with her stubbornness and selfishness. I did love the addition of new characters and more background which helped add depth to the story. I would have to say Dagfin, Gilrel, and Galad are my favorites.

Ashley does a great job at continuing her world building and describing each part. The end is a wild ride with all of the emotions. You get hit with suspense, plot twists, action and betrayal.

Hoping that book 3 has more character development…and Aisling becomes less stubborn and selfish…

Thank you Netgalley, Second Sky, Ashley Metzler for sending me this advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book picks back off where we left off after the cliffhanger on the first one. Aisling is so conflicted about where she belongs in this world, and doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. She lashes out in anger constantly, but I don't blame her with everyone on all sides hating the fact she exists. I miss the softness she used to have, and I hope there is some healing for her in the final book in the trilogy.

I still don't really care for Lir. I think that's because we mostly see things from Aisling's prospective, and we don't get a lot of time in his head. When we do, there really isn't much emotion beyond wanting to possess her, intense jelousy, and rage. I want to love him, but the wall he has put up is impossible to get through.

They love to hate each other, and even though I want to constantly smack both of them, the dynamic is great.

I adore Dagfin so much. He is such a great character, and cares about Aisling deeply as a person and not as a weapon. I wish more people loved her like that.

Just like in the first book, the descriptions are lush and detailed. The writing is absolutely beautiful. I love that all the characters have their own flaws, and those do cause problems for them. There were so many intense scenes that had me on the edge of my seat, unable to put the book down too.

I have been very excited about reading this book ever since i finished The Mortal Queen, and was so excited to read the second book in this story.
The sequel takes place shortly after the ending and cliffhanger of The Mortal Queen, and we jump straight into action. This book was alot more action-filled than the first one, and i was here for it. The plot is evolving, and i truly enjoyed the balance between romance and plot. However, because the book was very plot-driven, i feel like the characters and their relations fell a bit into the background. The relationships and characters definitely progressed, but i wish we could have gone even deeper!

The magic-system and the world-building in this book was great! Ashley has found the perfect balance between driving a plot forward, but at the same time evolving and explaining the world and magic-system at a natural pace. I also really appreciate the glossary in the book, as someone who is not familiar with Celtic Folklore and mythology, this really helped along the way.

The writing is elegant and formal, and as someone who is not that used to this type of writing, it took some time getting used to, and i did have to reread things a couple of times here and there to fully understand everything. However, this is probably a personal case, and I think the more you read high-fantasy books, the more you get used to the writing style

I absolutely love Aisling! She's a strong, determined and intelligent FMC who is straight-forward, honest, and knows what she wants. And the ending of the book was really good! I definitely did not see the plot-twists coming (or my tears), and the turn of events left me with a lot of questions about the plot and the future of the characters.

Overall rating: 3.5⭐️

Thank you so much to Second Sky, NetGalley and the author Ashley Metzler for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! <3

I have no words. Well I do but just wow!

A perfect sequel and honestly, I think I loved the second book more than I loved the first. Honestly, the world building has to be one of my favourite parts of this series, there's so much thought and detail gone into it.

I enjoyed the tension so much, I didn't notice I was missing any romance throughout the main story.

That ending was also so ppwerful, I honestly didn't see it coming which I love! It's so rare to not guess an ending correctly.

Overall, obsessed and now I can't wait for third book to drop!

I read this straight after reading the first one (because I enjoyed it so much!) and was not disappointed!
THE TENSION. I absolutely love a slow burn and enemies to lovers so this was PERFECT. It’s not very often that I read a true enemies to lovers romance but this was definitely one of them. You could feel the frustration and tension as the characters tried to wrestle with their complicated feelings.
I enjoyed the multiple POV - we finally got a Lir POV!! And I also enjoyed getting to know other characters in a bit more depth as I wasn’t as focused on world building after reading the first one (I was already aware of a lot of the things they referenced or new things were able to slot into the information I already knew).
It was a rollercoaster ride though - I feel like I felt all of the emotions. I can’t wait to read the last one!!

YUP YUP YUP. I need book three asap. I loved this so much. I cant decide which book I liked more, but i loved both. i am so thankful i was able to read them back to back!

A really enjoyable read. The world-building and character development were great, and I found the FMC's journey compelling. The pacing was steady, and while there were a few slower moments, they didn’t take away from the overall experience. I loved the blend of strength and vulnerability in Aisling and the plot had some great twists. It wasn’t perfect, but definitely a solid and engaging story!

Thank you to Second Sky & NetGalley for the opportunity to review book two of ‘The Aisling Trilogy’ in exchange for my honest review.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Fated Mates, Love Triangle
Spice Level: 0
Steam Level: 2

After a deep betrayal and leaving behind the Fae King Lir in a desperate escape, Aisling sets out on a quest to the Northern continent in hopes that she’ll learn why she – a human – is able to wield magic. During her journey, she and her unfortunate companions face more Unseelie dangers and are eventually captured by the Winter fae king, Fionn. While Fionn is equal parts charming and beautiful, he proves to have ulterior motives with his own form of fae trickery up his sleeve. As such, Aisling is forced to battle again for her independence and from being under another royal’s control, this time with the help from a very disgruntled Lir and his faithful guard. We are also introduced to some new characters (villains and historical figures alike) and given more history, which added to the story’s depth.

Things I liked: I was grateful that the second book picks up only a few weeks from the cliffhanger of book one and the course direction in the story was a nice change of pace. I also appreciated the addition of multiple POVs. While I wasn’t captivated by this book until about the 90% mark, which says a lot about the rating I gave it, the ending was the best part. By this time, we’ve learned enough about Aisling, Lir, more about the history of how humans came to be, more about the relationship between Aisling and Dagfin (pre-Lir), and Aisling’s tense relationship with her brothers. Again, the author does an excellent job at continuing the elaborate world building and describing immersive scenes throughout the story. I was relieved to see that Aisling was beginning to show some intellectual development and character growth, unfortunately it turned out that such changes in her personality were not for the better (which I’ll detail in a bit.)

Things I Disliked: I found a few errors where it seemed that the book was missing digital pages (location 3748, Dagfin’s POV there’s a paragraph that was incomplete without punctuation, then the next page moved into a new paragraph which felt like a few lines were missing.) There were also some overused phrasing/syntax that became less poignant as they were repeated throughout Book 2. Our main character’s personality arc was aggravating. In Book 1, Aisling goes from being an innocent, misguided princess to a willfully ignorant, self-centered and petty Queen-to-Be; then instead of learning from her mistakes as the consequences rear their ugly heads, she acts superior to humans and fae alike, as she displays more of a power-hungry attitude, bringing her right back to being selfish and stubborn to her own detriment. Even by Location 3748 Galad says it all, “We?…It has never been a ‘we,’ mo Lura. Your lips have only ever known ‘I’.”

Overall, by the end of book two, I found Aisling to be rude and completely unlikeable. There were moments that I honestly wanted to cheer for Peitho; who’d shamefully been demoted to just a jealous ex of Lir’s, rather than the powerful Fae Princess and warrior that should’ve been highlighted more. Lir still does not seem to be invested in the relationship he aggressively pursues, as much as he’s seeking the enhanced power he gleans from being in a relationship with Aisling, his caera. This gives off alarm bells at any healthy union between the two and was off-putting at best.

I was truly frustrated throughout the first, and now second book. The pacing wasn’t just slow – it dragged, kicking and screaming. I fell asleep several times and, given that the main characters were not ones I cared for, it took me much longer to read than any other book I’ve ever read. Even our MFC is correct and/or hasn't learned a thing from her mistakes when by Location 4265 it says, "One half of Aisling grew sick with guilt. The other half convinced herself Lir's actions were self-serving. Protecting the host that amplified his power and nothing more." Given that it's equally unclear to the reader where Lir and Aisling stand at this late stage in a story, I don't believe I'll be able to tolerate hoping for improvements by book 3.

Despite these challenges, I refused to DNF, DNF (because I’m not a quitter and..) because I had hopes that my favorite characters (who were actually Dagfin, Gilrel & Galad) would force Aisling to change her ways. Sadly, we just didn’t get enough of Galad and Gilrel in Book 2 because Aisling was off on her side-quest, and <spoiler> Dagfin seemed slated for tragedy from the first mention of his Ocras addiction.</spoiler>

By end of Book 2, our main characters STILL distrust one another, and the toxic “romantic tension” between Aisling & Lir was such a slow-burn and felt so forced that it fell flat. And while the cliffhanger of book 2 was certainly intriguing, the lack of likable main characters offer little chance of me reading book 3. I will, however, continue to follow this author because I believe that her writing, world building, and scene descriptions are exceptionally high quality and my scores are more about my dislike of the main characters, than that of the author's story-writing skills. It was merely a miss on my preference of character personalities.

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for this ARC and giving me the opportunity to review book two of ‘The Aisling Trilogy’ by the talented Ashley Metzler.

Daley Metzler has done it again! She has delivered yet another thrilling instalment with ‘Savage Queen’, which is books two in the Aisling Trilogy. Book one was AMAZING, but this book gives a deeper look into Aisling’s life, especially her relationship with her brothers, Dagfin and the enigmatic and fiercely protective, Lir, with whom she seems to have a love hate relationship.

This books picks up from where the story ended in book one, with Aisling escaping her brothers and Lir, but is soon found by Dagfin and her brothers. The start of this book focuses on Aisling’s interactions with her brothers and Dagfin mostly, however, once Lir reappears, the narrative reaches a whole new level of intrigue. The undeniable chemistry between Aisling and Lir reignites and their flirtations are delightful. The romantic tension is palpable, and their reunion is simply delicious and brimming with passion and longing. I only wish there had been even more of their binding exchanges.

One aspect I didn’t enjoy was the love triangle element. While Dagfin was devoted to Aisling, it was clear from the start that her heart belonged to Lir. Dagfin’s pursuit of her felt futile, and while I sympathized with him, his death left a bittersweet note.

The story is well-paced, and the character dynamics are rich and compelling. Overall, ‘Savage Queen’ is a captivating read that will appeal to anyone who go loves intense romantic fantasy with strong character development and chemistry.

This one was even better than the first one! I was so grateful to have been able to pick this up immediately after finishing the first one! It picks up right where we left off, with our characters all in a race to gain "the curse breaker". Aisling is grappling with the who/what she is and working to better understand her powers, but she is surrounded by those that would keep her from that knowledge. Torn between her family, who don't want her to use her power, and Lir, who wants her to be whatever she wishes to be. However, we now know that ALL of these beings in Aisling's life have more reasons than just her happiness.

Again, I was blown away at the beauty and depth of this world. How Ashley (the author) has woven the surroundings to give every piece of it a sentience, from the trees in the forest to the ice in the lakes just adds to the immersion. The introduction of another Fae prince also brings a depth to the world and the "struggle" that exists there, expanding the paths the story could take! Also meeting a number of other "villains" and the trials they posed to Aisling/Lir really allowed me to see just how well matched they are, despite the places they do have to work on together!

I loved the resolution in this book, and that we finally get to see each of them choosing for themselves! I also really loved the setup for book three and am super excited to explore this next part of the realm and see just what our main characters have up their sleeves!!

The Savage Queen picks up right where The Mortal Queen left off, with Aisling racing towards the Curse Breaker fabled to hide in Lofgen’s Rise. She is accompanied by her brothers and Dagfin, who have their reasons for wanting to keep tabs on Aisling, and must reach her destination before Lir’s court.

What I love about this series:

The Characters: Each character is complex and flawed, yet they still have redeeming qualities and fight for what they believe in. In this book, Aisling has come into her power and is finding her place among the Sidhe and Mortals. I am obsessed with how strong-willed and fierce she is and how she refuses to let any of the men in her life choose her destiny. She is such a queen!!
We also get more backstory on Lir as he begins to open up to Aisling. They both have to take risks with each other and with the battles they face in the story, which adds vulnerability to their character arcs, and I want to see so much more!
Peitho also grew on me a lot throughout the book, and I look forward to seeing where the next story takes her!

The Romance: I love a good slow burn, and the tension between Aisling and Lir takes off when they finally meet again. They toe the line for the majority of the book since wanting the other will only lead to their prophesied demise. And it hurts so good!!
We have a bit of a love triangle with Dagfin, who would follow Aisling to the ends of the world to protect her, but my bets have always been on Lir. There is something about a feral love interest who would destroy the world for her!

The Setting: Every single part of Aisling’s journey takes her to new enchanting places with breathtaking scenery. I could not get enough of the new places explored as Aisling’s search brings her to dangerous realms. Even the icy Oighir was fascinating!

This entire book made me feel every emotion! I was stressing, then smiling, then crying! This should be the standard for fantasy books. It has everything I could hope for: mystical beasts, heartbreak and desire, complex enemies, and enchanting lore!

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Savage Queen
By Ashley Metzler

This is the second book in the Aisling trilogy and starts off a few weeks after the events of book one. It follows Aisling as she deals with the consequences of her escape from both the fae and mortals in order to travel to the mythical Logfren's rise where she hopes answers about what her newfound powers and her purpose lies.

Okay so book one ended on such a cliffhanger that I raced to read book 2 but I personally feel that this book fell short of it's predecessor and I'll get into the reasons. But I feel like I want to split this review into the first 3/4 and the last quarter of the book.

Firstly the world building and the rich and immersive storytelling and descriptions maintained from book 1. However the character Arc's is where I felt this book took a turn. The main character Aisling suffered a drastic personality change in this book , where as in book one she was a selfless , caring princess, In this book she became one of those insufferable female leads where just because she has power , she believes she's the only one that can be right. She was rude and honestly she wanted to kill some of the mortals for no other reason then the fact that they were mortals. (view spoiler).
I also feel like there should be other strong female leads in this book because at the moment there's only Peitho and she's tragically been reduced to jealous ex.

In terms of the other character's , I absolutely adored Dagfin, he was the best part of this book together with Fionn. I felt that he really saw Aisling and treasured her despite her power and influence, he just wanted the person. And all the sacrifices he made for her and the words he said to her , I was literally like girl what are you doing?!? please pick him!! The new character Fionn was also hilarious, I know he was a bad guy but it was totally justified and he really picked up the story. With regards to Lir, I enjoyed that we got his POV in this book but for me personally I don't enjoy the romance between him and Aisling (He gives me Tamlin vibes). And the fact that every second character doesn't want their relationship and even the main characters themselves were against it for most of the book, as a reader I was just exhausted with the back and forth. (Also I despised the character Ina , she was so selfish and cruel and she wasn't punished enough in my opinion.)

Now to the last quarter of the book . This part of the book was epic fantasy and I wish the entire book was like this. It gave you a range of emotions and included suspense, plot twists, action, betrayal , everything else.

Overall this was an interesting read and I just hope that the there's more character development in the next book.


*** Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers of this book for an Arc in exchange for an honest review based on a personal reading experience ***

I loved this book. The writing was beautiful, the world building was immersive, and the characters were engaging. I enjoyed diving deeper into this world while Aisling is on her journey to Lofgren’s Rise. I enjoyed the dynamic between Aisling and Lir and Aisling and Dagfin. I cannot wait to read the third book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

With just finishing the first book. This second installment in the trilogy picks up right where the first book’s cliffhanger left us, and it doesn’t hold back. The author’s writing is exceptional—every sentence flows effortlessly, blending vivid imagery with emotional depth.

Aisling’s journey north with her brothers and Dagfin sets the stage for even more tension as she’s torn between her mortal and fae identities. I’ll admit, Dagfin is a solid guy—loyal, strong, and genuinely cares about her—but I can’t help being drawn to the shadow fae. Dagfin’s battle for Aisling hit hard, though. You feel for him, even if he’s not the guy for her.

Now, let’s talk about Lir. He’s obsessed with Aisling, and while that could easily veer into unhealthy territory, the author handles it brilliantly. Their relationship isn’t just about attraction; it’s layered with mutual struggles, clashing goals, and moments of undeniable connection. They keep finding their way back to each other, and I’m rooting for them to make it work. Please, let them have their happy ending.

And Aisling? She’s an absolute force of nature. Watching her evolve from a sheltered princess into someone who can obliterate everything in her path has been one of the best parts of this series. She’s fearless, powerful, and unapologetic, and it’s awesome to see her take charge of her destiny.

Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say this: Fionn needs to go. Immediately.

The cliffhanger at the end left me wrecked, and I cannot wait to see how this story wraps up in the third book. This series has me hooked, and I’m all in for what’s next.

That was a trip. It is a tall order to continue to build and expand a world in an interesting way while keeping up with the majesty of the first book while also having a completely different plot & this book did it!!! It is a safe to say that I was not disappointed by this read. It held my interest very easily, the pacing was perfect once again, & I devoured this book all and all.
That being said I was rightfully very stressed for a lot of this book and the stakes always felt very high, and they never disappointed with their results. I felt like I understood the character motivations and even though I WISHED she would let go of Dagfin and fully embrace her new life I also understood exactly what held her back. Lame though. But like she was being betrayed left, right, and center so I guess I get it. Everybody better start respecting my homegirl though, she’s got that dragon in her.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

“For a kiss, I’d damn the world.”
“I thought you said you couldn’t lie?”
“I cant”

I ate this book up.
Thank you so much Second Sky for giving me this ARC because after the first book I was desperate to read the second instalment.

This was such a slow burn that I FLEW through this book to try and find answers and I know other readers will do the same. The tension was there, and I could not get enough of it.

I really enjoy Ashley’s writing, it’s so creative and she has made such a unique world which I have loved reading and immersing myself in. I really cannot wait for the third book in this series.

5/5 stars! The second book in this trilogy picks up right where the cliffhanger leaves us in book one. I cannot speak highly enough of the authors writing. The words on each page flow just beautifully together with just the perfect combination of words. As we follow Aisling's journey north with her brothers and Dagfin, Aisling finds herself even more stuck between two her two lives, mortal vs. fae. Poor Dagfin, I want to love him, he is a fantastic guy but the shadow fae men just sucker me in. However, I can say my heart absolutely broke for him as he battled for Aisling and I love him even if I do not love him for Aisling. Who I do love for Aisling however, is Lir.... and we as the readers clearly see he is obsessed with Aisling but I appreciate what the author has done with their relationship. Lir and Aisling both struggle with their own needs and plans but time and time again find themselves looking to one another. PLEASE GIVE THEM A HAPPY EVER AFTER. More on Aisling, what a bad b*tch. I mean really.... she went from this helpless little princess to absolute decimating the ground around her. Love it for her and love the evolution of her character. Without spoilers, Fionn can die... in fact I hope he is already dead. I cannot wait for the third book in this series. The cliffhanger has me in shambles.