I was so excited about this as I loved the first one and liked a lot the second - I feel this one felt a bit disjointed. Gave it 3 stars.
The author’s writer was as lyrical and poetic as always, but I found I struggled on how Lir’s and Aisling relationship progressed - and one thing I absolutely hate is the memory loss trope. The belt as well - I despised it!!!
I felt the story was a bit clunky and found myself having to re read pages to understand what was going on.
Spoiler alert - this book doesn’t have a HEA. And I was SO bummed about it!! Also that epilogue?!? Whose child is that?! I have more questions than answers and I really hoped for closure at the end of this series!

This series will forever hold a place in my heart. Not only is the writing exceptional, the world, the characters, the creatures, the attention to detail, weaving a tale so true to original folklore, it's simply magical, the way this author spun this tale.
In this final installment, while reading this ending (which, by the way, I hope it's not really the end of this series), I felt the same as when Elizabeth Swan had to wait years to see Will again, then for their child to see him, it was so bittersweet but such a lovely ending. This series just got better and better as it went along, especially this last book. Aisling grew, became stronger, and really came into her own in this one. I particularly liked the belt and the interactions between Aisling and Lir while she couldn't remember who he was. It was like starting all over, just meeting him, but this time, she was a total bad a$$ and Lir loved it. Yes, it was driving him crazy too, but he did everything she asked, regardless of what HE wanted. In this book, he really showed his love for Aisling and she for him, especially in the end. I have to admit, I wanted a little more at the end. A little more time with The Lady and more interaction with her clan, more of a fight, but I guess that's just because I really didn't want the story to end. All in all, if you want to immerse yourself in the TRUE lands of the Fae, THIS is the series to read. This author will have you on the edge of your seat, sometimes wanting to scream, sometimes wanting to cry and sometimes just sighing. Your emotions will be all over the place throughout the entire series. If her intentions were to leave a mark, well, she succeeded. Isn't that what a truly good book does? Not all stories have perfectly happy endings. In fact, most of my favorite books and movies have tragic endings. (Wuthering Heights, Romeo & Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Tristan & Isolde, Titanic, Pirate's of the Caribbean At Worlds End, Anna Karenina) This ending was tragic, yet still hopeful. So I will continue to hope, for Aisling and Lir's story to carry on. But if not, this will be a story I will never forget and like I said before, will always have a place in my heart. Even if it's slightly broken.💔

This will be an auto buy author for me. I've never seen writing quite like this before, and I look forward to her future works. This is most definitely an author to keep your eyes on.

Thank you Netgalley, for allowing me to read this Advanced Reader Copy.
I will be leaving my review on BookTok, next and I will be sure to leave my review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books a Million on May 16th once the book has released. Thank you again. Sincerely, Robin

Arc review

Once again I am blown away by this authors writing style!! She has such a profound way of making the story come to life in your head.

Lir really shines in this book and I am obsessed with how feral he is for Ashling. I am so conflicted by the ending but I must say, Ashling’s growth through this series has been extraordinary.

Thank you to Net Galley and Second Sky Publishing for allowing me the privilege of reading this arc. I first must just say that Metzler's writing style is beautiful The words flow from page to page with such smoothness and grace that it is easy to fly through the pages which is what got me through this book. While I loved this trilogy, of the three this was my least favorite. I still gave it 3/5 stars but the plot went in a very different direction then I was expecting from the plot direction from the first two and honestly, I was a little confused with the last few chapters. I enjoyed that Metzler attempted a different narrative then the typical fantasy romance where we get a happy loving ending but the relationship between Aisling and Lir honestly felt lacking in this book, Certain areas felt very rushed and lacking detail that we actually needed and important aspects at the end had many holes left completely to readers guess.

While this third book was disappointing, the first two were amazing and I'd still recommend the series and the author.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and couldn’t wait for book 3 to conclude everything. I do feel that whilst it was a good book it didn’t quite have the same impact on me as the first two books. It wasn’t as engaging and just seemed to lack something.

Fantastic third book in the Aisling trilogy. Love every minute. Very excited for more from this author

A decent conclusion to the series but overall this fell a little flat for me compared to the previous books. The writing was still great, I just wasn’t as hooked with the storyline as I was before and the ending felt a little rushed

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series and was looking forward to this final installment. Unfortunately it was not at all what I was hoping for. Anduril ruined this for me as I felt it took away everything that was built in the first two books, leaving Aisling and Lir completely different people to each other. The pacing of this book was rough, very slow at parts and then the ending felt so rushed. And the ending…while it wrapped everything up, was very disappointing. The writing was still good but overall this book fell very flat for me and I wanted more for Aisling and Lir.

Thank you to Second Sky and NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely loved the first two books. I had so many built up theories and so much excitement going into this book.
I just feel like this is the biggest letdown of the year.

Most of the book dragged and was really difficult to not DFN and then on top of that there was an out of the blue memory loss situation so it was like everything I was expecting was erased.

The first two books were building up to was completely wiped away. This book almost felt like the start of a completely different series because it wiped away everything that the previous two books were building upon as if the previous two books didn’t exist.

All the plot building, all the slow burn, gone. on top of that the FMC was erased as a character in this book. It was much more a MMC book, which isn’t itself a problem, I don’t mind that the point of view focus changes, but I don’t understand why her entire character needed to be erased.

I don’t even know what more to say because I’m just so disappointed by the ending.

A great ending to the series. Aisling & Lir have grown stronger together but that all changes when her family decides to destroy their world. Will Lir be able to save his wife from them or will a darker power take her away for good? Ash doesn’t remember her life with Lir and he knows that he made a promise that he can’t break. But will he willing to give up everything for her? Can they defeat her family for the last time?
A great read. The same characters as before but we do meet some new ones along the way. The ending wasn’t what I was expecting.
Ash is a strong woman that loves her husband Lir and she will do anything to save their world. Lir is exactly the same he would do anything but he can’t give up on her. Which means that they had to make a really heartbreaking decision.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

This one took me the longest to read, probably because I wanted to savor every sentence, every word. Ashley Metzler, you are a brilliant wordsmith of immense talent. There are no others like you. I am sad to have this series ended, but wow what a culminating finale. The trials of Aisling and Lir to find the goblet pulled at my heart every time I thought Ash would free herself of the belt. What a headspin!

Interested to see how a rebrand works in your favor. These books belong in a museum for people to study. Better than Shakespeare's Midsummer could ever dream to be!

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with an ARC of "The Forever Queen".

"The Forever Queen" by Ashley Metzler

I had high expectations for this third installment, especially after enjoying the first two books, but unfortunately, the story didn't live up to them. The issue wasn't with the author's writing, as I continue to appreciate her vivid descriptions and world-building. Rather, it was the storyline that let me down. Lir remains a steadfast hero, constantly showing his love for Aisling as she loses her memories of him, but this arc began to feel repetitive and frustrating. The plot seemed to drag on, losing its momentum. One of the highlights of this series has always been the supporting characters, but in this book, they were almost nonexistent, which was disappointing.

While the ending provides some closure, it feels rushed, and I was left feeling sad and underwhelmed by how everything wrapped up.

I thought The Forever Queen would finally give me the connection and heartfelt moments I have been waiting all series for between Aisling and Lir but unfortunately it didn't happen. I felt a bit cheated when it came to the romance aspect between the two of them. We got a short union and celebration that quickly turned to chaos, then was basically thrown into everyone on another journey searching for a Goblet. Andril took possession of Aisling making her forget Lir and their past basically the whole story. The journey brings more deaths, threats, loss, and everything that brought me farther from the romance between Aisling and Lir that I was hoping for. I was looking forward to their romance and a HEA and although this book had a touch of a sweet ending, it was the furthest thing from that. After reading three books and finally hoping for their HEA after everything they went through, the ending was disappointing. To be honest, if I had known this series would have ended like this, I would have skipped it. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the two previous books in this series, but this one slow, there was little to no romance and the ending left me disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with an ARC of The Forever Queen.

Compared to the first two books, this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I was eager to see Lir and Aisling’s chemistry shine, but it felt almost nonexistent. That said, I did love Lir’s unwavering commitment to Aisling, despite Aisling losing some of her memories and forgetting Lir entirely - my heart broke for him.

I had hoped Lir and Aisling would get their happily ever after, but alas, that was not the case and the ending left me confused and wondering if I missed something. I felt the ending was rushed and that Lir and Aisling didn’t get a fair ending.

Despite these issues, the writing itself is stunning - and some of the best I’ve read. Overall I’ve enjoyed the series and look forward to more from the author.

The first two books were absolutely amazing. This one left me heartbroken for the way it ended. I was hopeful for things to be different. This whole book Lir was devoted to Asling the whole while she was doing things that broke his heart. She donned this belt that took over her and really messed with her mind and memories. There was so much that I wanted for this last book and I was a little let down. I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Second Sky for providing me an ARC copy of The Forever Queen

Compared to books one and two of the Aisling trilogy this one was just okay. I was expecting a lot more from this book and sadly it just missed the mark a little for me. I’ll start with the good first though! I believe Ashley’s writing is some of the most beautiful and descriptive writing I’ve ever read. Every scene she paints so beautifully and the world she created for this book is stunning and I constantly wish I could live there.

I loved Lir in this book and the way he loved Aisling through everything made my heart burst but also made my heart break a little. This story truly was a story of loving someone through everything and Lir proved that a thousand times over.

I liked Aisling in this book I just wish we would’ve gotten a little more from her. The belt plot got frustrating and genuinely felt like it just lasted too long for my liking. I understand the reason I think but I wish it wouldn’t have been a thing, I didn’t really like feeling like we were back at square one after everything that had already happened.

I really really wish we would’ve gotten more of Lir and Aisling being “together” they were physically together for most of the book but their relationship was pretty much non existent until the end of the book, it was all just more of the same “I hate you but I’m pulled to you” type of thing and I was really hoping to see Aisling and Lir in love and being with one another in that capacity.

The side characters, though really amazing and I love them so much, weren’t really present for this book and I missed them a lot. Unfortunately, the end felt insanely rushed I mean the main event of the book happened in the last 10% and then it was just over?? And the actual ending was absolutely gut wrenching even though it was bittersweet

All in all I’d give this book 3 stars, it was okay, I’m glad I read it and I enjoyed the series as a whole for the most part. I will miss Lir and Aisling and the world a lot though.

Beautiful writing as always! This finale however didn’t grip me like the other two books did, it felt a bit disjointed maybe? I’m not entirely sure, but without giving any spoilers, I’ll just say I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and I’m grateful to have read all three, even if book one and two were my favs.

ARC read- releases May 16, 2025

In the final book of Aisling’s story she must gain the Gods favor in order to save her new home and end what was once her clann. What she doesn’t know is that it will cost her the King, her King. With no memory of who he is to her she must fight to save everything and everyone that she thought she could never love- by destroying the ones she used to love.

🌿👑🔥

I had such high hopes for this book. I loved the first and adored the second but I hate to say that I’m disappointed with this one. Not only is the ending rushed but it also just wasn’t satisfying. It makes sense but doesn’t at the same time. I get it but I don’t.

The whole memory thing goes on for the majority of the book, which I felt was too long. Aisling losing parts of her memory made her act just like she did in the first book and it felt really repetitive to me- I didn’t like the back tracking.

The first few chapters felt rushed and I felt lost most of the time. The next 3/4 of the book drags on with the same plot points and same memory issues but then the ending just happens. The end felt so incredibly rushed, I literally had to reread the last few chapters multiple times because I thought I missed something. I didn’t understand (and still don’t) how it ended, especially because I feel like there’s a lot left unanswered.

As much as this was supposed to be a series about Aisling, the last book really only felt like it was about Lir (who I adore but I feel like the last book should have been more focused on Ash). Not to mention the side characters that are so well developed in the first two books, who are barely in the last one at all.

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

What a way to end an absolutely stunning trilogy! I am devastated in the best of ways.

This finale comes full circle from the beginning of Aisling’s journey through her honoring her duty to her family, to her self discovery, her empowerment, finding love & of sacrifice. My heart aches for these characters and what they endure throughout.

Aisling & Lir’s captivating slow but bright burning love is enthralling. How interwoven their distain and admiration for each other was done beautifully. We do see less of most of the side characters in this last installment , but when they have their spotlight they shine brilliantly.

As with the first two books Ashley’s writing is stunningly detailed. Transporting you into the Greenwoods & the Otherworld along side Aisling & Lir. Of Which, Lir’s POV chapters were devastatingly heart wrenching.

I honestly do not think it is humanly possible for me to love this series anymore than I do. At the moment I anticipate rejoining this world once I get my hands on the audiobooks.

I really enjoyed the other books in the series and this one was the perfect way to finish off the trilogy. Throughout the books i really came to love the characters and their storylines. I do recommend to anyone who wants to read something like this!