Honestly, this book turned out better than I thought it would. The characters were interesting and well written. The ending left enough hanging to push you to the next book. Except for that weird John Wick part in the middle it's a solid fantasy story.

3.75⭐️

Inspired by the Arthurian legend, set in a world with faes and magic, “Queen of Roses” is a romantasy full of intrigues, court politics, lore, action and a little bit of magic. Although I’m sure the last one will change in the following books.
First things first, Morgan is a half-fae knife wife and I immediately loved her for this. Whenever a princess or queen decides to take up sparring or whatever form of combat, I’m immediately on my knees for her.
Now, in this world Arthur is not the heroic noble king we know nor is Morgan (Morgana) an evil witch. To be fair, Morgan is no witch at all.
Her whole character is enveloped in mystery given that both she and us don’t know much about her past and background, given that she’s half fae. What does that mean? Apparently that she has white hair, that’s all we know in the beginning. But of course, with a kind and compassionate heart, combat skills and determination Morgan is meant for more. And we follow along in her journey of discovery to what exactly “more” means.

Now, I really liked the world building. It was not hard to follow, I loved the court politics, the whole world’s politics along with its tradition, religion and folklore. However, I feel like there were some things that could have been explained in more details. What I mean is that, since the story is from Morgan’s pov and she’s always lived in the palace, there are some things about her history and the mythology of her world when she does. In some scenes I honestly felt like as much as Morgan was the chosen one and the one with a mission, she didn’t care much to learn all the whys and hows. If she did, it would have been helpful for us to understand some key elements better. Or maybe it was done on purpose and we’re going to learn more in the following books. We’ll see.
In regards to the “romance” aspect of this romantasy, it’s a slow burn. So there’s not a lot of it, especially since they can’t stand each other. Are they enemies? Kind of. In this regard as well, I think the base for the slow burn romance could have been woven a little more intricately. Based on what I’ve read so far, the two are very far from forming any kind of relationship. There’s only animosity between them and a modicum of respect maybe. Was that enough to justify the final scene? In my opinion, no. It surprised me a little bit, to be honest.
I also felt like the final scenes were really confusing with the introduction of new characters and consequently more lore that gets only mentioned.
I have high hopes for the next book though. I’m curious to learn more about these characters and this world.

In all honesty I almost didn't start this series at all. After DNF on a different Arthurian series I was tempted to skip this one and I am so glad I didn't. Morgan is a strong FMC who has overcome huge traumas but remains selfless and focused on others. I love that even though it was clear that Draven was the MMC to focus on, it didn't feel forced. This story was a fun adventure with just enough twists and turns to make it hard to put down.

Read this if you like:
➡️ Slow Burn
➡️ He falls first
➡️ Political intrigue
➡️ Morally gray characters
➡️ Road trip on horses
➡️ She thinks she hates him
➡️ Who did this to you

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🔥🔥

Takes Arthurian legend and upends it!

Interesting reworking of the Arthurian legend. In this book, Britain’s King Arthur is not the beloved king who pulled the sword Excalibur from the stone but is a cruel, sadistic tyrant. His sister Morgan (presumably she will become Morgan la Fay) is the heroine of the story rather than the villain. Some nice plot development and I would definitely read the next in the series.

📚Queen of Roses, Blood of a Fae Book 1
🖋️Author: Briar Boleyn
📆Publication date: April 15 2023
🗂️Genre: Adult Dark Fantasy Romance

•ARC REVIEW•

5/⭐️

📌Summary:
“Court of Claws” by Briar Boleyn is the first installment of the series “Blood of a Fae”. The series is an Arthurian retelling but focusing on his sister, Morgan.

Morgan who is rumored to have the blood of the fae, is tasked by her brother to find a fae weapon and Morgan jumps on this opportunity right away. As she plunges in the world, she undergoes adventures and she unravels secrets long buried.

📌Review:
This book was such an amazing start to an epic series. I am a sucker for any fae fantasy books and this book was no exception. I really liked the pacing and I adored Morgan. The slow burn was slow burning and I can’t wait to see that’s next.

📌Thoughts:
As I am writing this, I am reading the second book of the series.

I would like to thank Netgalley for the free copy.

Trigger warnings: descriptions of violence, death, abuse, sexual content, Tropes: slow burn, enemies to lovers, one bed/tent, found family, forced proximity, princess and guard, who did this to you
Thank you Netgalley, Starwater press, and Briar Boelyn for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book so much, I personally feel like so many fantasy books start to get really predictable and just when i thought i had everything figured out, the cliffhanger hit and I was running to get book 2. And then, like the impatient person I am, I then got book 2 and devoured it before i remembered to type of this ARC review. I’ve read so many books that I can usually take a pretty good guess about what is going to happen, and not to brag but I’m often right. I was rarely right during this book and I really can’t say I’m upset about it. Throughout the book my heart hurt so much for Morgan, she had been through so much and still she never yielded. Highly recommend for all of my other Jennifer l armentrout, Sarah j maas readers out there who love badass FMCs!

Amazing!!! Couldn't put it down. Such a great spin on the old King Arthur stories. So many plot twists it kept me guessing. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!!!!

Wow! So I went into this expecting a good book, but was blown away. If the rest of the series is like this, it will be moving into my top 10 favorite lists! So good!!

This amazing Fantasy Romance is Book 1 in the Blood Of A Fae series.
The romance in this book is more of a slow burn.
The spice is very mild. The book does have adult themes.
The book overall moves at a steady pace following the FMC as she is tasked with finding an impossible relic for her tyrant king, who is also her brother. Along her journey she has some serious self discovery moments. There is romance, action, mystery, and some shocking events.
The characters are written wonderfully. They have emotional depth, and strong personalities. Their banter really leaves you wanting more.
The world building is complex. Due to this the book does start out a little slower, as the author builds this intriguing world for her readers to slip into.

»»—— ~"War leaves no honor. Only horror." ——««

Firstly thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press sending me this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the following thoughts and opinions will be of my own!

THE PLOT:
This book is dark fantasy romance retelling of the legend of King Arthur and His Knights on their quest for Excalibur, featuring similar names and locations but with a special spin of fae and other mythical creatures. Born into a life full of duty, cruelty and sacrifice, Morgan Pendragon has never had her own destiny or future. As she carries the blood of the fae in her veins from her mother, her royal birthright is stolen from her while she is just a child and given to her brother Arthur. Coming close to the age of service and promise to the goddesses, Morgan begins to question her whole life and who she is truly living it for. After Arthur commands that she goes on a journey to retrieve a fae weapon of legendary power, Morgan seizes the chance to break free of her fate and duties in order to live life for herself. Drawn into a band of outcasts led by a dark and captivating King's Guard, she and her new friends come across many dangers and unknown creatures waiting for them that are beyond any of their scariest nightmares.

MY THOUGHTS:
To start off this book has some darker scenes and themes, and if you have some triggers I do believe it is extremely important to locate the trigger warning list at the end of the book to see if this is right for you. I am so glad I had the chance to read this book, and this series deserves so much more praise! Both the fantasy and the romance aspects were AMAZING, and I was hooked with the compelling storytelling, world building and well rounded characters. Briar Boleyn has a way of writing that is both lyrical and hooking without being overly descriptive and flowery, it helped to paint a vivid world full of magic, power and danger. The world building was done flawlessly and contains its own unique lore, mythology, history and political struggles that adds depth and layers of complexity to the story. While the romantic relationship between the two main characters doesn't have a lot of page time within this first book, the tension is PALPABLE! This series is a SLOWWWWWW burn where the relationship builds more with each book, and if you're anything like me you'll truly enjoy this style of book. I absolutely adored the "great quest" aspect and while it does start off a little slow, the pace builds up as they go on their journey and I loved every second of the adventure! Queen of Roses does leave off on many cliffhangers that builds suspense for the following books in the series, the information and events that are revealed had me itching to get my hands on Court of Claws ASAP so be prepared! This series is perfect for those who love romantasy, dark fantasy, fae, tension, slow burn, and a very creative and unique take on King Arthur

DNF about 60%

I will say, the first 20-30% had my full attention & I was so invested!! It started off SO good. I’m not entirely sure where it started to go wrong by I just completely lost interest by 60%. I tried SO hard to keep going, I just wasn’t connecting to the book anymore, it was mostly the FMC…. I hope she has some big character development in the next books of the series. I wanted to like her so bad but I just couldn’t get past how clueless she was.
I did LOVE the mmc though! He was written so well.
I think this book had ALOT of potential. I see the other books in the series are raved about, I one day hope to pick this back up and try again!

This is my review for Queen of Roses, first book in Blood Of A Fae series by Briar Boleyn.

Thank you so much for this ARC via Netgalley.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved it so much that I binged the entire series over a weekend.
This book had everything.

*Enemies to lovers
*Bonded mates
*Found family
*Betrayal
*Unstoppable, force to be reckoned with love
*Incredible banter
*Well written characters
*Magical creatures
*Fae of all sorts
*Excellent world building

I got lost in this book. I didn't want the series to end. Emotional attachments were made, and tears were shed. This truly was a book where you fall in love with the characters and experience their heartbreak, love, and friendships.
With an Arthur and the knights of the round table feel, you get immersed in Camelot and the other worlds.
Highly recommend this book

Queen of Roses is a very easy and quick read. As book one of the series, the character and story development move at a nice pace. I look forward to continuing the rest of the series. I would recommend this book to fans of the Throne of Glass series. It is YA-leaning with a hint of romance that seems to be building for the rest of the series.

This is a DNF for me. Personally doesn’t hold my interest. I wanted to keep pushing through but it felt very much forced. I can see how others would be drawn in though.

Queen of Roses Is packed full of action with a slow-burn romance which is everything I love in a story. This retelling of King Arthur had me on edge and I loved it!

This had all my favourite fantasy tropes! I really liked the female MC and can't wait for more spice in the next books.

A dark fantasy inspired by the legend of King Arthur and let me just say I’m OBSESSED. Could not put this down. It’s fun and action packed and the TENSION! I just know this slow burn is going to be so good

Camelot, but make it a dark fae romance?? Absolutely!! The slowwww burn and 'touch her and die' tropes had me in an absolute chokehold. Vivid descriptions of both characters and settings led to some amazing, in depth world building that DIDN'T bore me. The FMC was quite naive and annoyed me at a few points in the book, but i anticipate that this was purposeful writing.. I feel her character growth already and cannot wait to continue this series.

Thank you to Net Galley and Starwater press for the opportunity to read an E-ARC of Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn in exchange for my honest review.

Good book with interesting characters. It lived up to my expectations and i look forward to reading more. Recommend

This book captivated me from chapter one. This is a slow-burn romantasy. It's also a kind of Camelot reimagining which is right up my alley. I loved these characters and the world-building was magnificent.

You could sort of guess a few key parts but nothing major. My heart could hardly take the trauma that some of these characters endured. Some of their choices had me practically screaming at the pages. And that cliffhanger, is just magnificent. I need to read book 2, then 3, and lastly 4. I'm just so deeply invested that I must see this through to the end. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn follows the FMC, Morgan, on her quest to reclaim her rightful place as the ruler of her kingdom.

As an avid romantasy reader, Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn offered a promising premise filled with intrigue and danger. The author's world-building skills are great. Her descriptions painted such a clear setting, it was often easy to immerse myself in the story. Similarly, the character development was done well, particularly the FMC's growth. Witnessing her evolution from forced to being a bystander to turning into a confident leader was satisfying and kept me engaged. Also, the antagonists that were introduced throughout this book are truly awful (in the best way).

While the premise was captivating, the pacing was sometimes distracting. At times, the plot seemed to slow while certain events felt rushed. This inconsistency made it hard for me to stay invested, which is common for me and romantasies.

Queen of Roses offers a compelling world and interesting characters. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series! Thank you to the author, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for providing me with an ARC of Queen of Roses!