I was excited for this book upon hearing about it and receiving the ALC. But after listening to it, it just wasn’t for me. I think I’ve maybe just read to many stories like it. I also don’t enjoy books with slow burn aspects and this felt VERY slow burn. Just wasn’t for me, sadly.

A slow burn fantasy romance and an action adventure in a world of fae and magic.
I loved it! I enjoyed it that’s all I can say! I can’t wait for the second book The Savage Queen.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher Bookouture Audio for the amazing ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC. I love the world building in this high fantasy adventure. Aisling is stuck between worlds when her mortal father makes an agreement for Ais to marry the most powerful King of the fae. The book opens to the wedding ceremony and Ash needs to survive the fae wedding ritual. The story of Ais and Lir are enemies to lovers. This is a very slow burn. I'm quite convinced that they are still enemies at the end of book one even though there is no denying there is something between them, or is it magic? Lir has suffered the worst kinds of heartache before and is slow to open up. Towards the end of the book the plot becomes very entertaining with the set up of all of the entanglements. Things also get complicated when Lir wants Aisling's best friend out of the picture, permanently. When Lir betrays Ais with his secret surprise attack against the mortals she is forced to follow her own path. Lir had already lost Ash once for two months when an adventure to find answers goes so very wrong. Ais flees the battle with her brothers and her best friend who clearly has deep feelings for Ais leaving Lir behind. She is his queen as they swore an oath that cannot be broken. Will this hold up when their marriage has yet to be consummated? Can't wait for The Savage Queen to come out!

The Mortal Queen is a slow burn fantasy romance that takes its time unraveling a world of fae, magic, and deep-seated prejudices.

Aisling’s journey from a fearful mortal bride to someone stepping into her own power was compelling, even if her stubbornness made her hard to connect with at first. The world building had a rich, almost ethereal quality, though at times, the internal narration overshadowed the dialogue, making some conversations feel a bit disjointed. The romance leans more toward an uneasy alliance than an intense love story, but the tension between Aisling and Lir builds steadily.

While the pacing felt slow in places, the climactic ending and intriguing setup for book two left me curious to see where the story goes next.

The audiobook, narrated by Samantha Norbury, added another layer to the experience. Samantha’s performance brought the characters to life with distinct voices and a captivating delivery that made the world feel even more immersive.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio | Second Sky Books for sending this ALC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Previously having read this book in its indie form, i loved the new trad published version! & the audio was just as good. If anything it made my experience 10x much better. I will say, the narrator did misread some words, but that’s being super nit picky. She gave a narration that really encapsulated me into the world. Giving expression & emotion I never would have thought to do.
The story itself kicks off strongly from the first page. There were some grammar mistakes, & I think maybe too much description (almost trying to get to word count- esc), but that doesn’t take away from the actual plot of the story itself. Metzler does an amazing job at weaving fantasy into what almost feels like a history of the sidhe & i love that take. Almost like we are reading recovered documentation from when/ if sidhe really did walk amongst humans. She did an amazing job at researching how chaotic & almost unruly fae/ sidhe can be!
Aisling, herself, was never really annoying to me. Although i do wish we could’ve seen her go into depth about the mistreatment from her father. I did love her arc, starting off as more of a fake confidence & blossoming it, with the help of friends, along the way.
The reason it isn’t a 5 star is two reasons. 1. her relationship with Lir sort of fell flat. we didn’t get really any progression & they only kissed once. I get slow burn but it felt like they had a max of 40 words spoken between them & i wish it could’ve been more.
The second reason is simply for the fact that if I had to read the term “the mortal queen” one more time i would’ve thrown my phone across the room. At one point, it was spoken 3 times within 4 sentences & a whopping 346 times throughout the book. That’s way too much & every time i would hear/ read it, it would take me out of the story.
Overall AMAZING book. Amazing plot, finally a book where it’s plot heavy but has potential for the right amount of romance! amazing amazing!

** 3.5 Stars **

Aisling is a human princess whose father married her off to the fae king, Lir, as part of a contract to bring peace between their people. Aisling is fearful of the fae, as they are ruthless and violent. Aren't they? Lir is strong, independent, and incredibly loyal to the fae he has sworn to protect. He will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of his realm. Can Aisling learn to assimilate with the fae folk, and rule over a people who do not like her kind?

I think this book had a lot of potential, and while some things were really good, I don't think we quite reached it. I think Metzler's writing style carried this story - I loved her prose. Her descriptions and world building were quite incredible, and pair that with the amazing talent of our narrator, Samantha Norbury (I read this as an audiobook), we get some lush and imaginative world building. However, I think we fall a little flat on the character development and romance.

The characters in this story do a lot of telling instead of showing - and I felt that scenes could be a little verbose because of this. Aisling is constantly told what she should do and how to do it. Pair this with Aisling's inner monologue, and it feels more like characters are talking through all of their actions instead of us being able to "watch" as the reader. There were times that I got lost as to what the action was because there was too much conversation, or too much of Aisling's inner monologue. I think we could've edited out a lot of these speaking parts to focus more on what was actually happening, and I think that would've done better to drive the plot.

As for the romance... there was none. This was marketed as a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance, but it was nonexistent. I felt more like they were friends and Lir was trying to teach her how to lead and use magic, but I didn't feel the sparks between them. That paired with the sudden yearning during the climax threw me off. I think Metzler could've added much more needed tension throughout them getting to know each other to make it feel more like a romance was brewing. I hope we get more relationship development in the next book otherwise it would feel like insta love.

Thank you to Ashley Metzler, Second Sky Books, and NetGalley for this ALC! I really did enjoy this, and hope to have a chance to listen to book 2!

**Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC of The Mortal Queen in exchange for a review; all opinions are my own.**

4.5 ⭐️
1 🌶
🎧

The Mortal Queen is everything I've ever wanted in a new fairytale. Aisling is sold off to the Fae in order to keep peace and is married to the king, Lír. She discovers that her own people may not have been telling the truth and is thrust into a world unknown. In order to survive, Aisling will need to make difficult decisions. I was hooked with every word that was spoken, and I cannot WAIT to find out what happens next!

If you like:
▪︎faeries
▪︎new fairytales
▪︎FMCs taking their fate into their own
hands
▪︎devastating reveals
▪︎true enemies-to-lovers
▪︎slow burn 🔥
then this series could be for you!

For Fans of:
- Crown of Blood and Glass

Aisling is horrified when her father arranges her marriage to Lir, the king of the fae, believing it will mean her death despite securing peace for her people. However, Lir is not the monstrous creature she expected—he is captivating and fiercely loyal. As she is drawn into his enchanted world, she discovers ancient evils threatening both mortals and fae. Fighting alongside Lir, Aisling awakens a powerful, untamed magic within herself. She must learn to control it or risk the destruction of both realms.

This book includes:
- Seelie and Unseelie Fae
- arranged marriage between Fae and Mortals
- a queen in a foreign court
- slowwwwwwwwwwwwwww burn

I enjoyed reading "The Mortal Queen" and will definitely be continuing the series. This book includes a fatal conflict between mortals and fae, and details the social and cultural impacts of war. I loved the way that the author wove themes of propaganda into the narrative, and I had a great time reading the "fish out of water" plot. I hope that book two will include more of the "burn" part of the slow burn. Lir and Aisling had very few interactions and had almost 0 chemistry as a result. There were a few moments where I was really wishing that this book was dual POV - especially at the end - but I suppose I will have to be okay with a single POV. (also I was really distracted by the fact that the FMC's name was basically the author's name, like wtf??)

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Donna Grant, and DL Grant for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/
and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

The world building is truly magical and the attention to detail is lovely.
I like how the female character who knows nothing about magic is avtually curious and internally like ooo I have so many questions while also being afraid! The romance is a slow burn and I love how it's not insta lust.

The only thing I found irritating is that every other sent an is like the queen... The king... She needs just call them by their names throughout the whole book and not change it ip multiple times a sentence

Another little dalliance in the fantasy world for me, and I was more than a little pleasantly surprised. I must admit to struggling a bit as to how to rate this title though as there were parts of the story I’d have given a sure fire 5🌟 yet other parts I was bored and dropping to a 2, so I’ve gone for a very middle of the road (but good- really good) 3.5 🌟

I’m unsure how hardcore fantasy fans would feel about the book, and with this not really being my genre of choice I don’t have anything to compare it to, now don’t come for me and my uncool ness but there were some big scene moments,several moments actually that reminded me of how I felt when I read Twilight - I’m guessing that’s not cool, but I loved that series and the movies so it’s a huge compliment.

Initially the pronunciation of a couple of the Irish names - not the usual contenders in fairness, irked me massively however as the story took a grip they could’ve renamed everyone and I wouldn’t have cared. In the end I loved the narrator 🎧

A victory for me and a victory for fantasy!

Huge thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧 reduced in time for Valentine’s Day tomorrow if your in the mood for an escape ❤️😊

Looking for a slower-paced, slow-burn romance? This is right up your alley. Grab a cup of your favorite coffee or tea and settle into this read.

The book explores what a forced marriage to a fae king looks like from a woman who has been taught only bits and pieces of the long history between her people and the fae. The political intrigue, character development, and descriptive and stunning world-telling really brought the whole book together for me. 

This book almost felt more fantasy than romance (although it does have a romance focus) with the broader story focused on the history of these kingdoms. It felt reminiscent of reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies where you join the book to take a leisurely stroll through a brand-new world while soaking in all the details.

I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful and wonderful The Mortal Queen was to listen to on audiobook. Samantha Norbury was a delightful narrator.

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, Second Sky Books, and Ashley Metzler for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Aisling - the mortal queen married to Lir, must learn to live in the fae realm of deadly enchantments and mythical beasts. Aisling is determined to hate her new husband but can't help but question herself as his fierce tongue and loyalty to his people begins to win her over.
This book has an interesting take on the fae and fae world. Fae described as some having wings and animals that walk on two feet and talk. It reminds me of what a nursery rhyme turned in to a book would be like - it was very enchanting.
I can't really appreciate that this was an enemies to lovers. At the 50% mark I would say that the characters were still very icy to one another and feeling each other out. I liked this because I find books can be labeled as "enemies to lovers" but then become lovers very quickly, which did not happen in this book.
Aisling was a frustrating FMC. She was a stubborn, narrow sighted character who didn't want to accept that she was fed lies. I can appreciate how the author wrote this character, making the reader feel frustration as Aisling was spitting vitriol. I really enjoyed her journey and thought it was written well. I'm excited to see where the next book takes her character.
I listened to this audiobook, narrated by Samantha Norbury. I thought she did an excelled job. I enjoyed the way she brought the characters to life using voices that were not too similar and brought complexity to them. Her narration added a lot of value and feeling to the story. This is my first time listening to her and I hope to see her on some of the books I listen to in the future.
I would recommend this book to those who enjoyed The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

This audiobook sounded so good to me and I really am torn on how to review it. This book had the slowest of burns ! The writing was really good and I loved the world building and character development. But it was really hard to get into for me until about more than halfway through. The narrator did a great job and I enjoyed listening to her. The ending was a crazy cliffhanger and I was on the edge of my seat. I did not see that ending coming. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. If you enjoy a slow burn enemies to lovers romantasy I think you will enjoy this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A Dark and Immersive Tale with Some Stumbling Blocks ★★★¾ (Minimal Spoilers)

Ashley Metzler’s The Mortal Queen delivers an intriguing fantasy world brimming with magic, political intrigue, and a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance. The book’s world-building is impressive, weaving together an atmospheric setting that draws readers into its dark and dangerous court politics. However, despite its strengths, I found myself struggling to stay fully engaged due to a few notable issues.

One of my biggest frustrations was the writing itself—it often felt repetitive, which made certain passages feel sluggish. Instead of progressing with fresh dialogue or new insights, the prose sometimes looped back on itself, reiterating the same ideas or emotions. This dampened the momentum, making some sections drag when I wanted the plot to keep moving forward.

Another major hurdle was the difficulty in determining who I was supposed to root for. Every character seemed shrouded in shades of gray, which can sometimes be compelling, but in this case, it left me feeling unmoored. Without a clear moral compass, I found it challenging to emotionally invest in any one character’s success. Each potential “hero” had their own share of questionable decisions and ruthless tendencies, making them all feel equally dangerous and manipulative. While morally ambiguous characters can be fascinating, here it often felt like a battle between lesser evils rather than a struggle between right and wrong.

This was especially true for Lir. I wanted to love Lir—I did. There were moments where I could see glimpses of something deeper, something that made me hope he would finally turn a corner and become a character I could fully support. But time and again, his actions made it difficult to truly root for him. Every time I started to feel drawn to his character, he would do something that pushed me away, leaving me conflicted and frustrated. Instead of the dark, brooding love interest I hoped to champion, he remained a character I couldn’t quite trust, making the emotional stakes of his story feel less impactful.

Speaking of romance, while The Mortal Queen is billed as a slow-burn, it’s incredibly slow. I usually love a good build-up, but here it felt dragged out to the point where I kept wondering if the romantic tension was ever going to lead anywhere. The chemistry flickered now and then, but with so much hesitation and distance between the characters, it sometimes felt more like a cold simmer than a slow burn. For readers who enjoy a drawn-out romantic arc, this might work, but for me, it tested my patience.

That being said, the novel still has a lot to offer. The tension between the central characters is well-crafted, and for those who enjoy morally complex storytelling, the layered political intrigue might be enough to keep them hooked. Additionally, the setting and magical elements are richly developed, which helps make the story feel immersive.

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention that I listened to The Mortal Queen, narrated by Samantha Norbury. Norbury was phenomenal and had a beautiful pacing and rhythm to her storytelling as well as a striking emotional flow.

Overall, The Mortal Queen is an intriguing read with strong world-building and compelling themes, but its repetitive writing, glacial slow-burn romance, and lack of a clear protagonist to root for held me back from fully loving it. Fans of dark fantasy and morally complex narratives may appreciate it more, but for me, it fell somewhere in the middle—an enjoyable but occasionally frustrating read.

Would I recommend it? If you like morally gray characters, and political intrigue, and don’t mind a romance that takes forever to develop, it’s worth checking out. Just be prepared for a narrative that doesn’t hand you a clear hero to champion—and a love interest who might leave you just as conflicted as I was.

Whimsical worldbuilding
Forced proximity
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Court politics
Kindred’s curse/the cruel prince energy

What would you do if you found out that everything you were ever taught was a lie?

If you like the whimsy of The Cruel Prince series and the courtly politics of the Kindreds Curse saga, then you will be drawn in by this debut series by Ashley Metzler.

To create a political alliance, Aisling is dutifully brought out of the mortal lands into the Fae territories to be married to the brutally savage fae king.

After much training from the mortal courts on what to expect, Aisling finds that things are not as they seem.

Feedback specific to the audiobook: The narrator did a great job adding depth to the story with use of tone and emphasis. I would recommend more pronounciation practice for several of the names though.

Feedback specific to the story: The phrase "the mortal queen" was used 10x more than was necessary. It massively lessened the impact and significance of Aisling having magic. The story took awhile to get into. It wasn't until the last 15% of the book that I became interested in maybe reading the rest of the trilogy. Aisling felt a bit flat as a character. She's lived among the fae for ~a year yet hasn't made a single effort to learn their language?

A surprising gem within the fantasy romance genre. A fmc character growth similar to Feyre from ACOTAR. Arranged marriage, slow burn. A very satisfying & unique plot with plenty of adventure. The voice actor really brought more life into the book. Perfect for fans of ACOTAR.

This is a book I’ll never stop recommending! It had me in a choke hold from start to finish. Metzler has a rare and incredible gift for writing, making this story absolutely captivating. In the first book, we meet Aisling, a mortal princess who is set to marry, only to discover that her fiancé is actually her mortal enemy. She soon learns that her own family has used her as nothing more than a pawn in their alliance with the Sidhe. Now, she must navigate a world filled with those she’s been taught to believe will do anything to deceive and destroy mortals. The story is beautifully interwoven with folklore, making the world building flawless. I fell in love with these characters and the way they interacted with each other which added so much depth to the story. As Aisling adjusts to her new life and husband, she realizes that she may not be who she thought she was. Making her embark on a journey. A quest that is both physical and mental, to uncover who her true enemies are and ultimately, to discover who she really is. The audio book was just as captivating with narration done by Samantha Norbury, who made all the characters come to life and made the folklore pronunciations flawless. I can't get over how much I love this book and Metzler's writing style. I can’t wait to continue with the rest of the series!

*Thank you to Ashley Metzler, Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for the ALC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Aisling is betrothed to Lir, the king of fae. Throughout her life, she has been warned that the fae are tricksters and cannot be trusted. However, as she spends time among them, she discovers a deeper truth.

I found the premise captivating from the start, featuring many beloved tropes. However, I think it would be great to see a bit more depth in the storyline and character development, especially for Lir. Overall, it has a solid foundation, but I'd love to see the characters get more development and a faster flow to keep things moving.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Ashley Metzler, and Bookouture for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

I almost DNF, but this picked up quick at 75%. I found it to be way too slow-burn for my preference, and could hardly classify it as having any romance. The exposition was too much and too slow. However, the last quarter ~almost~ made up for my disinterest in the beginning. I’m interested to see where this leads, because while I did not really care for the ending, it did finally peak my interest!