Thanks to NetGalley for providing the eARC of 'Queen of Roses' by Briar Boleyn in exchange for my honest review 💫

"𝐼 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑀𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛. 𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒..."

'Queen of Roses' is the first book in the 'Blood of a Fae' series, and is a twisted Arthurian retelling with a strong FMC in the lead.
This book/series is for everyone who wanted ACOTAR a bit more spicy and dark.

One of the best things in this book was the slow burn romance. It felt real, not rushed (not a: when I saw her I instantly knew I loved her/him). I hoped for a little more spice, but the series just started 😊

Tropes:
🖤 Slow burn romance
🏹 Strong female character
✨️ Magic & fae
⚔️ Arthurian retelling
☠️ "Tell me who did this to you"

This is a dark retelling of King Arthur but in a beautifully written fae world. This book had forced proximity, banter, found family, love triangles, and all sorts of twists and turns! Not to mention a cliffhanger at the very end! I loved the world building in this book. It truly transported me to another world.

So looking forward to book two! I highly recommend if you are into dark retelling and obviously a fae world!

Thank you to Starwater Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Briar Boleyn’s storytelling is rich and evocative, painting a world where magic is as real as the danger lurking around every corner. The characters are deeply developed, with Morgan’s internal struggles and growth taking center stage. The novel’s pacing is well-balanced, allowing readers to savor the intricate world-building while staying engaged with the plot’s twists and turns.

The book is perfect for fans of Holly Black, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Sarah J. Maas, offering a blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure

This book ticked all the boxes I was looking for in a Fantasy book and it did not disappoint.

I didn’t have time to review the books because as soon as I finished the first book, I picked up the second book until I had finished the series.

I loved that this was a King Arthur retelling and this was the first one I have read.
It had certainly opened my eyes to events that had happened and I’m not intrigued with learning more.

This book also had the most perfect Shaddow Daddy and he did not disappoint.

In writing this review I have finished the series and all I can say is wow. Definitely make sure you have tissues handy for the rest of the series because it was a beautiful roller coaster!

Briar had the perfect way of keeping us hooked from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGallery for this Arc

“Someone knew you would be powerful one day, didn’t they? Just who are you really, Morgan Pendragon?”

I love a good retelling and damn, this book delivered! I absolutely loved this Arthurian retelling with characters and world building that easily draw you into the story. It was a page turner and kept me anticipating the story progression!

If you like a good Shadow daddy, you’ll definitely like Draven, a moody and stabby assassin!😉

I enjoyed every single bit of it even though one of the characters was teensy bit predictable. The plot twist and the ending of the book left me wanting to pickup the next be immediately!

Can’t wait to continue the series and I’m definitely rooting for Morgan!

A part-fae princess, the rightful Queen to the throne of Camelot, suppressed by everyone around her, usurped by her brother, on a quest to retrieve a powerful magical weapon of legend accompanied by an assassin. Is she just a helpless princess? Queen? An Assassin’s apprentice?

Read the book to find out Morgan Pendragon’s story! I highly recommend it!

One of the first Dark Romantasy(?) books I’ve read, one that is a reimagining of Arthurian legends. This wouldn’t be a book I would necessarily pick up by choice but I really did thoroughly enjoy! There was a mixture of action and adventure, magic, friendship, family love and just a little dash of that slow burn, which is killing meeee!

The characters are very well written! The FMC sometimes annoyed me with how 80% of her dialogue involved a question but they did help build the world and answer some questions that the reader might have. I just hope that we see more of her true character in the next book. I despised Arthur but the relationship that Morgan had with the other characters made up for the fact that I was very disappointed in Arthur. However, I think that’s because I’m use to the Arthur from the Merlin TV show so don’t take my opinion on that. Kaye on the other hand, my brave sweet sweet prince. Each side character showed their own individuality which isn’t something you always read! I don’t think I can talk about a certain character as I do not want to spoil for anyone else.

Kairos Draven however … take a bow sir. I loved him from the first moment he appeared, and the way he was so protective over the main character has me weeeeak.

The writing flowed nicely which helped me get through the slow building of the world, which comes along with most fantasy books. The cliffhanger has me itching for more and I can’t wait to indulge myself further into this world and the adventures that Morgan and Draven are surely going to come across.

I loved everything about this book! It‘s been a long time since I‘ve read such a good fantasy book. Definitely a monthly highlight and I need more!

I will be posting recommendations on Instagram und TikTok in the following two weeks (at latest!). I will also probably post in german since it’s my motherlanguage and many people in Germany prefer reading books in English. On international websites (like Barnes and nobles) I will be translating my review into proper english. Links to my posts will follow as soon as they‘re uploaded. I‘ve already uploaded on Amazon which will take a few days to get accepted.

I picked up this book on a whim because of the cover, the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" is a lie. I really enjoyed this book. It is a unique retelling to an extent but offers so much. I am excited to read the rest of the series. It did start a bit slow which is why I only gave 4 stars.

This book was a twist on King Arthur. I love the details in the writing, and the author does a good job of propelling the plot along. I appreciated the elements of beast and could visualize the scenery. I enjoyed the love triangle ( until I didn't haha) I think there is a really relatable moral of this book that never change yourself or dull your shine for anyone else. Can't wait t read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for this book! All I can say is wowwwww!! I loved this book! For fans of SJM, Rebecca Yarros, and Jennifer L. Armentrout!

It’s the King Arthur fae retelling we didn’t know we needed!
• ”Who did this to you?”
• Forced proximity
• Betrayal
• Hidden lineage
• slowwwww burn
• a little spice
• major cliff hanger!

I cannot wait for the next one!

While not super familiar with Arthur, Camelot, & The Knights of the Round Table, the obvious allusions to the original story still shine through (and make me curious enough to want to read the original once I finish this series). This story, however, is a feminist approach with faes, fantasy, and romance that keeps it feeling more modern and interesting.

It takes a little time to understand all the connections between characters, their various bloodlines, and the gender reversals, but that doesn't make the story too frustrating to follow. I would mention that there are DARK under currents from very early on. Blood rites, blood rituals, spilled blood, etc all come up often. The disconnection between the siblings and domestic abuse are also graphic.

The story itself is clearly a set up for a series. It takes its time to get going, the tropes are evident, and multiple plot points are predictable--but the pacing didn't bother me since the slow-burn is more believable than a rushed set up and there were still enough moments that kept my interest piqued. I'll happily continue to read about these characters.

Overall: 4 stars (I really liked it)

I'll tell my students about: language, LGBT+, parental death, violence/gore/murder, supernatural, trauma, physical abuse, rape (mentioned),

**Thank you to NetGalley & Starwater Press for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.** (posted to GoodReads 4/22/24)

I am not big on fantasy books but I did love Fourth Wing so I wanted to give this a try. I wouldn't really compare it to Fourth Wing but I still really liked it. I love the stories about King Arthur and Camelot so I really enjoyed this!

I really enjoyed this book. It has great world building and I enjoyed the characters too. I would like to see more character development in the second book that involves the FMC’s attitude and behavior evolve.

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley and Starwater Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.


Queen of roses is the 1st book in *Blood of a Fae* series , which is a dark retelling of Camelot-King Arthur-Morgana in a Fae world with subtle modernization.
It's a slow paced, world building book with amazing character development of our FMC (Morgan) and a Crazyyy (shocking!!!) Cliffhanger ✨ Aaahhhh can't wait to start the next book ASAP!!

✨Tropes✨
▪️Enemies-to-lover (getting there .. not yet there though 😏)
▪️ Morally Grey super hot MMC
▪️Epic quest
▪️1st person POV
▪️ Deceptions and heartbreaks

I loved that Merlin is a *PriestESS* and Lancelet is a training to be *Female Knight* .

I can feel this is a start to an AMAZING journey 😍



P.S. There are a lot of trigger warnings , so please be sure to go through them, they are given at the end of the book .


#netgalley #starwaterpress #briarboleyn

This book had me gripped from the beginning, hence why I read it in a day. A touch of King Arthur retelling with fae and magical properties. The mythical creatures featured are a perfect touch.

We follow our female lead as she embarks on a quest entrusted to her by her brother. The character development of our FMC is breathtaking as she navigates self discovery and uncovers truths that threaten to shatter the world as she knows it. Briars writing is beautifully descriptive and pulls you into the story. There are twist and turns throughout the plot that leave you guessing and mulling over to the end. Speaking of the end, we are given answers that provide the reader with enough to satisfy while the cliffhanger leaves you wanting more. Cannot wait to get my hands on the other books in this series.

Side note, the cover art for this book is simply stunning.

Tropes;

• slow burn romance
• forced proximity
• “who did this to you”
• enemies to lovers

Thank you so much NetGalley and Starwater Press for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book missed the mark for me unfortunately. There was so much going on but somehow none of it ever really had the impact I was anticipating. I had high hopes about a fantasy retelling of Camelot but I just wasn't a big fan of this one. It was a bit predictable in my opinion and the spelling and grammar mistakes I caught throughout the story really brought it down for me considering this book has been published for quite some time now.

This book was a miss for me. It shouldn’t have been. I love fantasies, and when I heard that this series was perfect for those bookworms who loved Fourth Wing and ACOTR, I thought this was going to be my next obsession. Unfortunately, that was not the case. And I think my struggles with this book are centred around the fact that this is a reimaging of the tales of King Arthur. I’m not saying that the author has done a terrible job at breathing new life into these classic tales; I’m just not a huge fan of King Arthur. I also don’t think that this series has enough similar qualities to compare it or say it resembles Fourth Wing or ACTOR. But that is just my opinion. Now, as I have said many times before, not every book is for every reader, and this book was not meant for me. There are good things about this book, and I will talk about them below so you can make your own decision about whether you want to read this book/series.

The author really knows how to hook her readers in. The prologue and first chapter of this book instantly caught my attention and made me want more. It’s not too often that a book can hook me in that fast and strong. Same with the ending, you are left on such a cliffhanger that you can’t help but want to know what is going to happen next. The writing and pacing of this book is pretty good. There are moments when I found this book lagged a bit, but overall, everything moves along at a steady pace. The world-building is good, and if you love King Arthur and his world, then I think you will enjoy this world that the author has created. This book swings into the sub-genre of Romantasy, which means it is a fantasy with a strong romantic element. I didn’t mind the romance because I do enjoy a forbidden, enemies-to-lovers darker romance. This is also considered a “new adult” book, meaning you get more spicy scenes. The characters are decent. I didn’t really connect with any of them. But I think that has more to do with me not liking the whole King Arthur reimaging.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read and review this first book in the Blood of a Fae series.

I really enjoyed this book! I really enjoyed the main characters and I loved the world building. It was descriptive and brought me into the world of Camelot.

I did have a few issues with the book:
- the ending felt incredibly underdeveloped. I wished it was longer so some of the plot twists/reveals could be explained more. It was briefly mentioned that Morgan had a memory of her mother running her through Numeros, which I wanted a whole chapter devoted to that memory and Morgan and her mom's background. And Odelna's goddess reveal? And Draven's physical traits coming out? So much I needed more about!!
- In the first half of the book, Florian and his storyline I found completely unnecessary. The tragedy and trauma that Morgan has was already there from being Fae, from her mom/dad, and her terrible brother. I felt that adding Florian to the mix was trying too hard and brought too much darkness.
-where 👏 was 👏 the 👏 romance. Vesper came along at the 60% mark and was a predictable facade. I was looking for more relationship and romance from Mr. hotty with a body, Draven. Maybe that gets explored more in the next book but I was thirsting for more. Not even spice, just some chemistry between these characters would have sufficed.

Overall I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to more from this author!!

After being disinherited from becoming heir to the throne, Morgan Pendragon is forced to navigate life with her tyrannical brother, Arthur, as King of Camelot. Morgan finds herself thousands of miles away from home in search for an ancient sword with Captain of the Royal Guard, Draven. Queen of Roses is a great mix of action, magic, and a slow burning romance. I look forward to reading Morgan’s character arc through the series. This book has left Morgan and company in search of Excalibur, the ancient sword, after it falls into the wrong hands. Can’t wait to read what’s next in Morgan’s journey.

A gender-bent retelling(ish) of the world of Camelot, with a twist! This first book drew me in from the get-go, teasing out an enemies to lovers, powerful FMC, brooding dark MMC, and a world of magic and fae that is reminiscent of tales we've read before, but with so many additional layers.

Fans of From Blood & Ash and the like will enjoy this first book of a longer series. I'm certainly excited to see where it goes from here!


TWs include assault

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.