I've read The Mortal Queen, the first book of the Aisling Trilogy by Ashley Metzler.

I started it as an ARC, but due to private reasons, I bought the book when it's released.

The story is about Aisling, a mortal princess, who was ordered to marry the Fae Prince Lir to establish peace between the mortals and the fae realm. But both of them lied to her, used her in their advantage and she feels torn between her old and new life.
But after all, will there be a union or not between mortals and fae? That's for you to find out.

I appreciated this story and it had me compelled to want to read the next books of this trilogy.

I also want to thank Ashley Metzler and the Second Sky for this opportunity and enjoy this romantasy, so I give it a well-deserved 4 star rating!

Having recently finished The Mortal Queen by Ashley Metzler, I find myself reflecting on its immersive world and complex characters. The narrative follows Aisling, a mortal princess thrust into an arranged marriage with the enigmatic fae king, Lir, as part of a peace treaty between their realms. Initially, I was drawn to the premise—a blend of political intrigue, self-discovery, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance.

The world-building is undeniably rich; Metzler crafts a vivid tapestry of fae lore, magic, and mythical creatures that drew me into the story. Aisling's journey of self-discovery, as she navigates her new reality and uncovers hidden truths about her own powers, was engaging. The chemistry between Aisling and Lir developed gradually, adding depth to their evolving relationship.

However, I did find the pacing a bit uneven. The story started with a slow build, and at times, I felt the plot lacked momentum. Some readers might appreciate this deliberate pace, but personally, I was hoping for a bit more urgency in the narrative. Additionally, the third-person point of view occasionally made it challenging to connect deeply with the characters' inner thoughts and emotions.

Despite these observations, The Mortal Queen offers a unique take on the fae fantasy genre. It's an enjoyable read for those who appreciate intricate world-building and a romance that unfolds gradually. While it may not have fully met my expectations, I recognise its appeal and am definitely looking forward to the second book in the series to see where the story goes next.

3.5 stars rounded up ⭐️

The Mortal Queen by Ashley Metzler is such a fun start to the Aisling Trilogy! I loved Aisling’s journey of self-discovery, and the slow-burn romance with Lir had me hooked the whole time. The world-building is gorgeous, and the fae kingdom felt so real and immersive. The pacing took a bit to pick up, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down. I’m definitely looking forward to book two!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this e-ARC.

This was such a fun read! The pacing was spot on, and I flew through it without even realizing how much time had passed. The world-building was intricate and ethereal, with the descriptions of the fae kingdom had me swooning. It felt rich and immersive, like stepping into a world that was both beautiful and dangerous.

I really enjoyed the characters and found myself growing attached to most of them. Aisling’s relationships with her brothers were a rollercoaster—full of tension, betrayal, and complicated emotions—but they made sense given their history. And the extremely slow burn with Lir kept me on edge the whole time, and I loved how their dynamic slowly evolved. The tension between them was so well done.

Aisling’s journey of self-discovery was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Watching her unravel all the lies she had been told her entire life—not just about herself, but about her people and the fae—made the story feel even more magical and immersive. Seeing the world through her eyes as she learned the truth gave it so much depth. She had her frustrating moments (as most FMCs in these kinds of books do), but it made her growth all the more satisfying, and she definitely grew on me as the story progressed.

Overall, I had a great time reading this! The mix of action, intrigue, and slow-burn romance kept me hooked, and after that ending, I’ll definitely be continuing the series.

✨Thank you to NetGalley and Ashley Metzler for graciously providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own! ✨

Boring. Really really boring. This book never picked up for me and I was feeling absolutely lost by the end. It took me over 2 months to finish this book. The plot has crater sized holes, and the characters felt one dimensional. I didn't connect with a single character.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I knew from the first few page that I was going to like this book. There was a good plot, deep lore and history, prejudice and distrust between the two factions. Everything was rich and vibrant and I loved that it took me to a whole new world.
The world is spectacular. It is beautiful and rich and completely vicious and I loved it! The story is enchanting. I mean, who doesn't like fated mates/forced marriage? But I also was really glad that they didn't give in to their lusts, especially at the beginning. I loved how Aishling longed for Lir but refused to believe that's what was going on.
I loved Lir as a character. While Aishling is trying to find her place in this new world, torn between who she is, could be, wanted to be and the expectations of her family - Lir is quietly, and sometimes broodingly trying to adjust to Aishling in his life while managing the expectations and demands of his title and subjects. I actually really liked Lir and as the book continues, he sees Aishling as less of a liability and irritant and more of a friend. The attraction seems to grow naturally but what I wouldn't have given for Lir's POV! I am dying to know what is going on in his head!
There is peril and danger throughout this book. Enemies become friends and friends become enemies and some characters are just total d**ks.
I loved the pacing of this book, the adventures, and the relationships that take hit after hit. I loved the lore of the book, the history, the twists, turns and the eventual ending. I was absolutely devastated that I wasn't able to get The Savage queen to review but it's on my TBR because I need to follow Aishling and Lir's story.

I only have a few gripes...

1) while the poetic description was appropriate for the world being built, it was a bit extensive and took over sometimes. However, because the descriptions were poetic, it drew you deeper into the world and and wove a spell that draws you in. In saying that, after I was about 60% of the way through, the descriptions were still so extensive that I started skimming it (sorry!).

2) The world is built alongside Aisling's knowledge of it and it is very well done, although there was a lot of unnecessary repetition. Things her father said, as though it played in a loop in her head, but it was a bit much for me and again, once I'd read the first part of it, I skimmed over the rest (sorry!)

3) Aishling was always so angry, like she was incapable of feeling any other emotion, or if she did, anger was right there beside it.

4) While I enjoyed the slow burn romance, it lacked intensity until near the end. Like they had all the time in the world, until they didn't and Lir was wracked with an urgency that wasn't reciprocated by Aishling. I like a bit of spice with my books and there was none in this one. I found myself waiting for Lir to make a move and was constantly disappointed when he didn't. To me, while they were attracted to each other, they never acted upon it and as time passed, Lir seen Aishling as his, rather than chasing the attraction. Still kind like him though. Asihling has bigger fish to fry and she is not about to lose her head over a man, Fae King or not. Good for her. I just want a bit more intensity and a little bit of spice.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I will be following Aishling's story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Listened to on Audio as well read on kindle, the usual fated mates, enemies to
Lovers slow burn, if it’s your thing, then I’d recommend it to you.
Thanks to BookFunnel for the adv read ☺️

I was completely enthralled right from the beginning of this book! I loved the writing style and found myself reading in the voice of Kate Blanchett as Galadriel from LOTR. I adored the FMC, who possessed a mystical quality about herself. My only downside is that the slow burn was a little to slow for my taste.

I was so excited to read this one... and even MORE excited because book 2 is already out! The Mortal Queen is the first book in the Aisling Trilogy, and if you're into slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance with fae, political intrigue, and a strong-willed heroine, The Mortal Queen by Ashley Metzler might be your next obsession.

If you know, you know, but once you read a fantasy book that sticks with you, it's hard to get it out of your head - and this both cured me and created a new problem. 😂

The story follows Aisling, a mortal princess forced to marry Lir, the brooding fae king, to keep the peace between their worlds. She’s stubborn, he’s infuriating, and the tension is chef’s kiss. The world-building is lush, the magic unique, and there’s plenty of courtly intrigue!

The pace was a bit slow at first, but the audio was LOVELY for helping me get into the world. Once you're in, you're in. If you love character-driven fantasy with a simmering romance, unexpected twists, and a heroine discovering her power, this one’s worth picking up! I can't wait to read the next two books!

I liked this book. The writing was nice but it was a little slow paced at times. The plot twist was really great though.

This book was really boring to me. I don't really know how to wrote a review because nothing much happened in this book. It seemed like they just jumped into the book in the middle of a story.

I really really wanted to like this book, but I struggled to. I planned to DNF it around 40% but I powered through. It was very hard to comprehend what was happening/who wanted what and I felt the slow burn was entirely too slow. I also wanted Ash to become stronger quicker than she did instead of constantly thinking her father couldn’t possibly be as terrible as he is. I think the concept behind the book was very interesting, and I really liked Lir’s character and the secondaryfae knight character, Galad. However, I felt the pacing of the story was slow and thus was hard to follow.

The Mortal Queen is book one in the Aisling Trilogy by Ashley Metzler. Come get transported into a fantastical world full of lies, betrayal, an arranged marriage, loyalty, fae, and magic. This story pulled me in from the very beginning. It is a well crafted tale full of unforgettable characters.

What a great romantasy book. A fantastic start for what I can already tell is going to be an amazing trilogy. A must read, can’t wait for the next books

5⭐️ IF BRING BACK YEARNING WAS A BOOK!!!!
I loved this book.

I loved this world, it was so different, so many things I had never seen before in a book and so fun to read about! Lets just say this is not a typicall fae world.

The writing was so beautiful, surely my favorite part of this read. This was so well written and felt like older english, I adored it. Everything this author wrote had a purpose and I am noticing I rarely feel that way about books. There are no parts of this book I wanted to skim but countless times I reread passages over and over and highlighted/noted because they were so beautifully written. I cant stress how pretty the writting is, not in a: "I need to reach a certain amount of words on my essay" way at all. It was genuinely just beautiful words and sentences and it made for an enchanting read. Wow.

The characters were also very intteresting (their names were beautiful), I wish we would have had more of a backstory on them but Im hoping the next books give us some more on all of them, I am so curious! The FMC has so many layers and feels very real to me and I can not wait to see her story with the MMC!

This book stands out to me and I will remember it ALWAYS, its originality will always make me recommend it to someone who needs something captivating and different in a world of books with similar fae romantasy tropes.
To sum this up, this book was so beautifully ✨different✨ and felt equivalent to drinking a cold glass of water after a long run, sooooo very needed and refreshing.
I will say this book leans more fantasy than Romance due to the aforementioned yearning but in my opinion that makes it 1000x better!

-Thank yout to Netgalley, Ashley Metzler and SecondSky publishing for the eArc of this book, I had a blast and can not wait to start the second book!

Aisling didn’t know anything about the Fae beyond what the whispers from her family and lore among her people. But when she is given as a mortal offering to the Fae, to bridge peace, all she knows are the preparations given to her on how the brutal Fae, especially the King will behave. Little did she know, nothing she was told could haven’t been further from the truth.

The descriptive world is alluring and the emerging Fae King catches you the moment he erupts on the page. The mysterious Fae whom was nothing Aisling expected and frankly I found myself racing to read more about Lir! Give me a fan and some cheese, because all I want to do is read more about Lir and his Knights! He truly is the King that would do anything for his people: And boy when Lir spoke in a common tongue for Aisling, I knew it was game on!

Slow burn. Beautiful landscapes. Rich stories that peeled at the edges of all Aisling knew, I found myself sorrowful for her naivety, and enjoying the ride as the truth of the Fae Folk unraveled to the newly crowned Queen.

If you enjoy arranged marriages, forced proximity, banter, one horse, slow burns, colorful side characters and beautiful lore, then this is for you!t

Of course, I’ll be wasting away for book two! Pick this baby up, you’ll love it just as much much as I did!

This one has a really interesting world and magic system but was a bit slow going in. Interesting set up and a fun story overall.

Thank you to the publisher's on Netgalley for this earc. All opinions are my own.
I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately, this book wasn't for me.
One of the main issues I had was the writing. I felt like the writing didn't do the story justice. It's one of those styles that has long descriptions, but not important ones? I felt things were overly described that didn't really add to the story. Also, we keep flashing back to the 'advice' her father gave her, sometimes the same sentences repeated more than once. They felt redundant.
I think what held up the story was the lore and worldbuilding. That was interesting with the tense politics and alliances. However, i don't think this story reached its full potential.
Aisling really... didn't have much of a personality?? Like all I knew was that she was forced into marriage, she has been sheltered her whole life, and she doesn't know how to fight.
That's another thing that really irritated me. There was a battle scene where she just stood there! I don't expect every fmc to know how to fight, but I also don want them to be useless.
The only characters I enjoyed were Lir and Galad. They had solid backstories and personalities I connected with, especially Galad. Aisling's family was extremely flawed, and she kept justifying their actions. I just wished that I could like them enough for me to let all the other things I didn't like brush over my shoulder.
I think you should give this book a shot because I definitely see the appeal, I just wish it was executed differently.

A war is raging between mortals and the fae for centuries. As part of a peace treaty Aisling, a princess of the north, shall marry the fae king Lir.
Since she is a small child he learned that mortals became before the fae, how bad fae are and what the mortals need to do to secure the security of their own kind. In the weeks before her wedding she is taught by her parents again how evil they are, how they lure mortals to kidnap them, torture them and eat them and that she shall not trust anything they claim to be the truth and never to show fear for the ugly creatures the fae are.
When he is into her new home, after her wedding, she learns that nothing is what she expected. The fae are not what she thought they are, also there is a threat they fear and she learns that nobody expected her to survive her wedding.
So bit by bit she discovers details, which were kept all her live from her, nothing is what it seems and slowly something stirs within her that is turning not only the world of mortals but also the fae world upside down.


We start with the mortal point of view how evil fae are, how right it is to fight them and that a young woman must sacrifice herself for the greater good of the mortals. She marries a fae king without being aware of their traditions, their language, without really knowing anything about the enemy. So together with Aisling we get to know all the characters as well as the world. The world build is really great as well as the character development but at some points this is causing a slow pace. To shorten some things might have given the read a better pace.

The characters are really interesting as we see how prejudices are broken down when you get to know each other better, when you don´t blame crimes of one race on one person.
Aisling is a young woman who had so far a sheltered live as she was not even allowed to leave home. She believes all her father thought her so far, has a certain mind set. This happens often in the book and at some point it was a bit tedious for me. It is clear that she was brought up this way but slowly she learns that she was sold to a treaty and her father expected her to die. So should she not question other things he thought her especially when she learns in her new home that things are not as he told her to be? During the story she learns to stand up more for herself and that she wants to learn new things.
Lir is an interesting character as he wants to save the fae, stop the fires killing their forest and killing of his kind. So he is willing to accept a marriage and expects that his new bride will not survive the ceremony but when she does he is adjusting to it.
The love story between these two is really slow burn. I mean not really anything is happening between them at all beside they get to know each other more and more over the months as not even the marriage is consummated.
The other characters are really interesting as the fae dislike Aisling as mortal but during their time together, learning to know each other they get a different point of view and something like friendship, respect arises between them.

So a good idea, complex world build, good characters, good twist of the story at the end but in some parts of the story was the pace a bit too slow for me.
So I was here between 3 and 4 stars and would go with 3,5 which means I round up to 4 stars here.

I could say so many things about this book, the world building, the scenery, the storytelling, it’s all beautiful. ♥️ If you’re looking for a new fae x human romance, look no further, this satiated that need for me and I can’t recommend it enough!

This book is definitely more of a high fantasy with a focus on the politics and world building, with romance as a sub plot, but my god is it good, such an interesting read! 😍

Tropes:
🖤 Enemies to lovers
🖤 Marriage of convenience/Arranged marriage
🖤 Forced Proximity
🖤 Strong FMC
🖤 Slooooooow burn
🖤 Fae x human