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!

The audiobook version narration was very clear, well passed and an enjoyable listen.

Overview:
When Aisling learns that her father has arranged her marriage to Lir, the king of the fae, she is gripped by dread. Fae are known for their cruelty, and her union is meant to secure peace at the cost of her safety. But when she meets Lir, he is nothing like the monster she anticipated. Aisling soon finds herself pulled into a world of magic, enchantments, and ancient dangers, where she must harness newfound powers and navigate her growing attraction to the fae king. Together, they face a rising threat that could destroy both the mortal and fae realms. The Mortal Queen promises a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance with high-stakes action, set in a richly detailed magical world.

Storytelling, Style & Atmosphere:
The Mortal Queen introduces readers to a dense and intricately built fantasy realm. The author clearly put effort into crafting a world steeped in magical intrigue and political tension. However, this complexity proved to be a double-edged sword. The early chapters were difficult to follow, with a flood of unfamiliar terms and intricate world-building that made it hard to fully understand the stakes or the setting. For me, this resulted in a very slow and frustrating start.
While the narrative claims to be a slow-burn romance, I didn’t feel the chemistry between Aisling and Lir building in a way that kept me invested. There were moments of physical closeness and some sparks of tension, but they never ignited into the deep emotional connection I expect from a truly compelling slow-burn relationship. Instead, much of the story felt like it was focused more on Aisling struggling to survive and navigate her new circumstances rather than fostering any real romance or dramatic tension.

Characters:
Aisling, the protagonist, spends most of the book reacting to the events around her rather than driving the story forward. Her predicament and the hostility she faces are clear, but her internal journey and emotional growth feel underdeveloped. As a result, I struggled to connect with her and to care deeply about her fate.
Lir, the fae king, is portrayed as a complex and morally gray character, but again, his relationship with Aisling lacks the depth and gradual emotional buildup that defines a satisfying enemies-to-lovers romance. The dynamic between them felt forced rather than natural, leaving me unengaged with their interactions.
Furthermore, the supporting characters, though numerous, remained difficult to distinguish due to their unfamiliar and often overly elaborate names. This made it challenging to keep track of who was who, especially in audio format. I suspect that reading the book might make these characters more accessible and their individual arcs clearer.

Listening Experience:
Samantha Norbury’s narration was the highlight of the audiobook. Her performance brought much-needed clarity and personality to the story. She skillfully differentiated the voices of the characters, making the dialogue more engaging and adding a touch of life to the dense material. Without her excellent delivery, I may not have finished the book at all.

Strengths:
A well-developed magical world with intricate political and social structures
Moments of vivid description and strong atmosphere
A narrator who brings nuance and energy to the material

Weaknesses:
Overly complex world-building that makes the opening chapters hard to follow
A slow pace and lack of clear, engaging central conflict
Characters that are difficult to connect with emotionally
The supposed enemies-to-lovers romance feels underdeveloped and forced
Supporting characters remain indistinct, especially in audio format

Conclusion:
While The Mortal Queen offers an ambitious fantasy setting and a talented narrator, the story itself fell flat for me. I struggled to engage with the characters and found the romance underwhelming. The narrative’s slow pace and overly intricate world-building made it more of a chore than an escape.
I really tried to understand the complexities of this world. In fact, I listened to the first 20% twice just to get a better grasp of the setting and the dynamics. I suspect that even if I were to listen to the entire audiobook twice, I might still find it difficult to connect with the characters and the overarching narrative. But is that really the point of the experience?
That said, I wouldn’t call it entirely “not recommended.” I think the core issue lies in the format. The dense and detailed nature of the story may simply be ill-suited to an audiobook format. For those who enjoy intricate fantasy worlds and prefer a more deliberate, text-based approach, I believe this story would likely resonate better as a physical or digital book rather than an audiobook.

Rating - 4.5⭐️

Wow. I have never read something like this before, I am still speechless.

So in this book we follow Aisling, she gets maid to the Fae king, in order to form an alliance between her kind, the mortals and the fae. She has been told many things about the Fae and their King, Lir, but she finds out some truths that she could have never expected. The more time she spends with the fae out in the wildlife, the more at home she feels, and it awakens something in her..something she could never expected. But who are her loyalties too…will she destroy the world or light it up? And what is this bond with her new husband…?

Wow, first I’m so happy to read a Romantasy that is more fantasy based. The world building in this was beautiful, almost poetic. I felt like I was right there with them. I wouldn’t call it quite high fantasy, but definitely higher than most I have read recently. Omg the slow burn…..I could not cope. The amount of magical creatures and monsters in this book made me so happy and I could really see this becoming a movie! The twists?!?!? I cannot wait to continue this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Second sky books for this ARC!

Rounded to 4 stars! Loved the world building, unveiling of hidden secrets and characters throughout. At times it was hard to grasp all of the descriptive scenes and the numerous characters but overall the plot was engaging! Married off to the enemy -or so she thought 😶

This book took slow burn to a whole new level. Wish we had more of Aisling and Lir. However, I was very surprised with the ending. I love a good cliffhanger !!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for providing an advanced audiobook copy 🤎
PUB DATE: February 14th, 2025

Ensorcelled from the very first chapter! ❤️

I devoured the fluid prose of this unique take on a fantasy world and am now obsessed with both this world and these characters. The world building was descriptive and well paced (no info dump) sprinkled with nodes to Celtic lore. The slow burn romance was incredibly slow, with no spice, and phenomenal tension making the development and change in the relationship from enemies to lovers feel earned. Each character was unique and held their own voice helping the reader to not get lost in the volume of characters.

I loved the self discovery journey that Aisling went on, struggling to separate what she has been told her whole life from what she was learning in this new world, and decide for herself what to believe. Lir is a compelling character. I can see him being painted as morally grey at times, however, most times he is simply unapologetic about what he is willing to do to protect his people and his kingdom and is unwilling to hide or color his actions to appear as something they are not the way others do.

This book is going on my favorites list and I cannot wait for the next book!
—
🌲Debut novel
🏔️Trilogy - 1st book
🌲Morally grey MMC
🏔️Slowburn romance
🌲Self-discovery journey
🏔️Forced proximity
🌲Enemies to lovers
🏔️Lies & betrayal
🌲Fantasy
🏔️Celtic lore
🌲Fae
🏔️Unseelie
🌲Anthropomorphism
🏔️Magic
🌲Prophecy
🏔️No spice
🌲Single POV
🏔️Republishing
—
Story by Ashley Metzler: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration by Samantha Norbury: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
—
Thank you Second Sky, Bookouture Audio & NetGalley for this complimentary ARC & ALC - all thoughts are my own! 📚 (Is it too soon to request the sequel?!)
Publishers release date 2/14/2025

The slowwwwest of slow burns! If you're picking this up expecting a romance... prepare yourself for a very long wait to get there. Had there been less mention of "the mortal queen" and they used her name instead, I probably wouldn't have liked it more. The title just made it really hard to connect to her character. That being said, I still mostly enjoyed this!

The descriptions of the fae, creatures, and their lands were beautiful and easy to picture. The political alliance/arranged marriage was fun, too. And that ending had guaranteed I'll be picking up the next book!

The audio was done well. The narrator did a great job.

2.5

I went into "The Mortal Queen" with high hopes, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. Here's why:

- The story had a unique concept, but it lacked development and felt slow-paced.
- Not much happened in the story, and I felt like it dragged on.
- The main character, Aisling, had potential, but she didn't grow or change much throughout the book.
- The romance was lacking, and I didn't understand why Aisling was so angry at Lir - he seemed nice and not the jerk I expected.

However, I do appreciate the author's effort to break away from traditional fae novel tropes and try something new. With more development and refinement, this story could have shone.
———————this is all I posted in good reads —————-
If you're a fan of fae novels looking for something different, you might enjoy this book. Just be aware that it's not a perfectly polished read.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC
—————————————————————————————

Out of respect for the author I did not post the full review this part since I did not finish this. I stopped at 29%. I listened to almost the half point to see if it would pick up and maybe something would happen to capture my interest. Unfortunately it did not. .

The Mortal Queen is a fae romance novel that breaks from the typical fantasy stereotype. In this novel the main character may be Royal from the start but she is not powerful from the start. She accidentally discovers her magic and slowly builds up. This high fantasy book gives me Beauty And The Beast meets What Lies Beyond The Veil. The only problem I found with this book is that sometimes it was hard to get through the repetitive mention of memories and duties. Overall, this book is very descriptive and creates a intricate universe. While the book itself seem to have a strong intricate storyline. It didn't hold my attention as well as other fea romance books have. However, I feel like this book would be great for people just getting into the genre.

I had no idea what to expect going into The Mortal Queen, but I was instantly intrigued by its fresh perspective. Unlike the usual fantasy trope, Aisling’s story isn’t about someone who accidentally discovers powers and is a lowly commoner, stumbling her way through a new world—she’s royalty from the start, bringing a unique and compelling viewpoint.

As an avid enemies-to-lovers reader, I have to admit—I was immediately on Lir’s side, and no one can convince me otherwise! I devoured this book in a single day and am already desperate for the next installment.

The narration was excellent, and Ashley did a fantastic job crafting an elaborate world. Her vivid descriptions of the lands and forests made me feel as though I was experiencing everything right alongside Aisling. I can't wait to see where this journey leads next!

I absolutely LOVE this audiobook and was excited to get to revisit Aisling and Lir through the audiobook after reading the book. The narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the readers into the world of the Fae through this slow, slow, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy. This book has it all and is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas but be ready for world-building. I already cannot wait for the second book!

Slow burn romance. Good start for a trilogy. Looking forward to the rest of the series. Feels like this book was a lot of set up. Narrator did a fantastic job.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise was just fresh enough, but the execution was poor. I don't like to leave reviews like this but I DNFed at about 28% of the audiobook because I literally could not take anymore.

I want to thank the publisher and author for this chance to read the book and offer my honest review.

Redundancy and repetition rule this books pages. The words "savage" and "barbarian" struck my ears harshly after the 3rd or second repetitive instances.

The constant rehash of the same direct quotes from the FMCs father were overdone and overstated.

The characters were very flat and the FMCs inside thoughts were absolutely unbearable.

This book was in desperate need of cleaning up before publication. The sheer amount of times names and titles were overused was absolutely overboard. Overuse of direct, narratively historical quotes.

There were multiple instances of words being used incorrectly within the context of sentences. For instance, she calls a stag a female. There are immediate contradictory statements in the first two chapters that made my head spin.

Aside from needing a copyedit to clean up the redundancies and sentences, this needed a sensitivity reader.

I am giving one extra star for the creativity of the premise. I won't be continuing this series, but I do wish all the best as this author grows into her career. Writing is hard and I understand that paying for edits, etc is not always accessible.

I will not be posting this review publicly out of respect for the authors hard work.

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!

I truly hope this story gets all the hype it deserves upon release, such an enchanting fantasy tale. Two days of spending all my spare time engrossed in this audiobook and my biggest complaint is that I will never be able to experience this for the first time again! This was my first introduction to Samantha Norbury as a narrator, and she has done a phenomenal job at bringing all of these characters to life! A few name pronunciations could have been more accurate in my opinion, however, her performance of each character was so well executed, and the delivery honestly has me glad I was able to experience the audiobook over the physical words.

Adored how vivid the world-building throughout this story was, and how immersive a realm Metzler has created. The slow burn is just the right level of tension-building and satisfying moments. My opinions of Lir and Aisling aren't fully formed yet, but I think when we reach book 2 and hopefully dive further into what's to come for these characters I'll have my mind fully made.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Ashley Metzler, and Bookouture Audio for the chance to review this Audiobook ALC

Today, we're examining a newly re-released novel that has been repackaged under a different title and author and is now available as an audiobook. This fantasy story centers on Aisling, a mortal princess who is given to the fae king in marriage to end an eternal feud between their species. As the Queen of the Seelie, Aisling discovers that she may not have been told the whole truth about her enemies. As she learns more about the fae, she begins to question everything she has ever known, including her own identity. This is an adult fantasy novel characterized as a slow-burn romance; however, I must clarify that there is no substantial romance in this book. There are hints of potential romantic tension and the possibility of a love triangle, but ultimately, there is no real wooing or romance present. The focus is on world-building and Aisling's internal struggles. Although Aisling has the potential to be a remarkable character, she feels underdeveloped in this story. There is a sense of indifference, a lot of back-and-forth, and a pervasive self-doubt that diminishes the stakes. While there are battles to the death, the outcome feels predictable as it is foreshadowed from the very beginning. Despite these criticisms, this book still offers a decent reading experience with impressive world-building. The next book in the trilogy will determine whether it is worth continuing.

📚✨ Book Review: The Mortal Queen (The Aisling Trilogy, #1) by Ashley Metzler
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Ashley Metzler, and Bookouture Audio | Second Sky Books for the early access audiobook of The Mortal Queen, beautifully narrated by the incredibly talented Samantha Norbury! 🎧🌟

Now, let’s dive into this enchanting tale! 🌈

🌸 Synopsis
For as long as Aisling can remember, the fae and mortals have been locked in a bitter war. To protect her realm, she has made the ultimate sacrifice: marrying the savage fae king in a desperate bid for peace. But instead of an evil monster, she finds Lir – a king who is alluring, wild, and dangerously perfect. As the wedding approaches, Aisling grapples with her fate while navigating a world filled with magical beasts and deadly enchantments. However, with a brewing connection that feels more than physical, Aisling must ask herself: can she trust Lir, or will her heart's desires set their worlds ablaze? 🔥💔

🎡 My Thoughts
To be honest, this book had its moments. While the slow burn was excruciating at times, and honestly, sometimes felt like I was waiting for a kettle to boil, there was just enough enchantment to keep me flipping those virtual pages! 😂 Because let's be real, when it comes to fantasy, I typically crave a little more spice and romance! 🌶️💖

But here’s the thing: even without that sizzling romance I usually adore, The Mortal Queen still offered a unique and enjoyable experience. 💫 The first person vs. third person narrative switch made it a little tricky to settle into the flow, but once I adapted, I was fully immersed in Aisling's journey.

And can we just take a moment to acknowledge the comparison to authors like Sarah J. Maas? 🙊 That felt like a tall order! While I see the potential for this trilogy to resonate with many YA fantasy readers, it might not quite reach those heights just yet. 🚀

Nonetheless, I do recommend this book to all the fantasy lovers out there who thrive on tales of self-sacrifice, mysterious fae, and blooming transformations. If romance isn’t your top priority, you’ll find the complexities of Aisling's character arc and the moral dilemmas captivating enough! 🌌✨

Overall, I’d rate this a solid 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (rounded up from 3.75) for its engaging storytelling and fascinating characters, even if it didn’t quite meet all my preferences in the romance department. 💔

🌟 Final Thoughts
In conclusion, The Mortal Queen is worth a listen, especially for those who favor fantasy with a hint of enchantment rather than a steamy love affair. 🧙‍♀️💞 I can genuinely see this series becoming a favorite among readers who love young adult fantasy. Grab your headphones, and dive into Aisling's world – it just might surprise you! 🎧✨

Happy reading (or listening)! 📖💖

Wow just wow
This hooked me from the first chapter, although I listened to this slower then j normally would due to work. I was so excited when I got an extra 5 mins just to listen to a bit more.

Aisling is a mortal princess promised to the king of the fae Lir.
Asking finds out she’s been told lies her whole life about the fae and releases not all is what she thought it was.
Lie after being once married before realises his mother’s prophecy is tied to Aisling.

This is an extremely slow burn and I loved it. There isn’t a great deal of chemistry yet more curiosity.
They are an arranged marriage so it isn’t going to hit yet and I love that Ashley managed to show that in reality you don’t full that hard that quick.

This finished on a Cliff hanger and I’m gutted because I. Need the next audio book!

Thank you netgalley, Ashley metzler and bookouture audio for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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. And the narration was very good.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for an exchange of my honest opinion!

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!

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.