Wow! I am a little speechless, eyes still wide in wonder at that ending. So many questions, so much anticipation. This story will leave you gasping for air, drowning in the myriads of unanswered questions. That may sound like a bad thing, but I assure you it is a pure adrenaline boost of anticipation. I cannot wait for the next story as the need to know more is a physical ache. The characters in this story are so well told that you will feel every moment of longing and every betrayal as deeply as Morgan herself. This is a world where nothing is as it seems. A story told with the hint of familiar legends and lore, and yet blended into a new story that is unlike anything you’ve ever known. Every twist sneaks up on you, leaving you unable to resist the lure of the next page. A phenomenal debut into fantasy and I am so glad there is more to come because one book is simply not enough to contain what is proving to be a remarkable story. Full of suspense, self-reflection, and delicious “who did this to you?” style possession, strength and tenderness combined to perfection. I simply must know what happens next!

It was a slow build, but it paid off in the end. I really enjoyed this and look forward to the next book!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. I was initially attracted by the cover. How could I not be? It’s gorgeous! Turns out, the story is pretty amazing also. I’m definitely interested in reading more from this series. Be warned though, although it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, it does end with more to come—and I desperately want to know what will happen next.

This is the story of Camelot told in a different universe with Morgan as the hero and her brother Arthur as the evil king who must be stopped. He sends her on a mission to retrieve Excaliber and sends two men to accompany her—both trusted members of his royal guard. Men Morgan does not trust. The plot follows the journey of this trio into parts unknown, which becomes very dangerous and features frightening monsters. These stressful scenes are described clearly, with great attention to detail, bringing the monsters and settings to life.

Morgan is never entirely sure of what is happening and believes that Draven, one of her guards is an assassin. They meet Vesper, a mercenary and musician who charms them and worms his way into Morgan’s heart, even though Draven never quite trusts him. It’s suspenseful and uncertain. We never quite know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys because so many people have lied to Morgan over the years.

Morgan is a strong heroine, part-fae, but her human part means she makes human mistakes and has human insecurities. She allows herself to be a victim too many times to count, and that bugged me. These are weaknesses that compel her to rely on Draven, and even Vesper. It’s an odd trio because we know that Morgan is very attracted to Draven and feels a strong, inexplicable connection to him, but she also finds Vesper attractive, and he’s more flirty and flattering toward her. If she had more experience, she might suspect him of being a love bomber. But he seems sincere and he seems to genuinely wish to take care of her. Still, we know, at some point, she’ll be forced to choose and we don’t know how that will happen.

Draven is a mystery. It’s clear he has a history he is hiding, and even though Morgan was told he was an assassin who killed children and babies, she begins to suspect that’s not true. He makes no effort to convince her he’s a good guy—probably because he’s not. He is almost super-human in his ability to fight, his quick healing abilities, and his knowledge of things no one else seems to know. At times, I wondered if he were also fae. His dedication to keeping Morgan safe is unquestionable, even if she fears he might kill her once she retrieves Excaliber.

The story moves quickly. It’s packed with action and intrigue. Although the work itself could use some additional editing, the mistakes don’t detract from the story enough to affect my rating. This is a debut work from a new nom de plume. I’m hopeful the editing of this series will improve over time. Overall, I highly recommend the book. It’s very enjoyable and I’m anxious to read more.

This is not your typical fae fantasy retelling and ended with me wishing book 2 was already released. The first little over half of the book is world building and character development in Aercanum. I loved that this was a twist on the story of Camelot which I haven’t seen many retellings of and I enjoyed the author’s interpretations of these characters in their book. It was necessary to learn about Morgan Pendragon and her family and associates prior to her adventure with Draven. You see the plotting of her brother Arthur and then can connect the dots as to why he sent her on that quest for Excalibur. I knew Vesper was not all that he seemed but was still surprised with the outcome of his story. I NEED to know more about Draven and who he truly is. Will he and Morgan team up with other fae perhaps to fight against Arthur and return their kingdom to what it used to be? Also, what becomes of Lancelet? I don’t believe Vesper as far as I can throw him so is there a possibility that she returns? Not a ton of spice but hoping that this slow burn leads into more in the next book. Overall I give this book a 4.5/5 stars, only because it was a bit slow moving in the beginning. But once I was hooked, I couldn’t put the book down. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book!

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I am fairly new to the fantasy genre, having read only about 30 to 40 books in the genre. I am so glad I took the plunge and read it because I was so hooked! I read it walking from my office to different offices as I had to go to meetings or get things done kind of hooked. As I was reading, I was given enough information but not overloaded with it so I could follow along with the story and characters. It is a book newbies like myself and long time fantasy fans can enjoy. There were a few twists that I did not see coming which made me go "WTF" and keep reading late into the morning.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing the chance to discover such a wonderful story and characters!

I am really hard to please with Arthurian cycle retellings, especially if you’re going to make Morgan your main character. This was fine. More of a fantasy romance version with a soft magic system and very little rooting in the huge body of myth. Which actually worked really well for it. Honestly, this was so much better than Sophie Keetch’s Morgan is My Name despite the two books being effectively different genres, that I was willing to cut it a lot of slack. If you want a light entertaining fantasy with Arthurian vibes, you’ll probably really enjoy this.

This book is an awesome spin on the tale of King Arthur, Camelot, and Excalibur, where King Arthur is not the hero. It has Game of Thrones-like characters, a top-secret mission, magic, and of course FAE! Morgan does not know much about her fae heritage and does not understand why her brother, the king, sends her on a mission to retrieve something that she is not even sure exists. I am obsessed with the "morally reprehensible" captain of the royal guard, and I cannot read more about him!! I was sucked in right from the prologue, and I can't wait for the next installment.

Thank you so much for the arc I loved this book and I can’t wait for book two!

It took me awhile to get into it, the first 35% was slow for me but once it picked up and the plot line of this journey to Excalibur started I was so into it! I tore through it on one sitting once I got into it. I linked my review on Goodreads below.

I have some technical notes, there were a few times the story felt repetitive, she mentions her own hair 60 times- and the mention of hair in total is insane I just don’t care about anyones hair that much. I understand he hair is important to the plot but it was just brought up too often for me. Beyond that there were a few typos I picked up on that maybe aren’t typos- I wasn’t certain. I can’t be sure if they were intentional or not. On page 189 it says “a corpse can’t get the king what wants” twice both times missing the word he before wants, is this medical talk I just didn’t know about? It pulled me out of the plot when I noticed. On page 321 it said “nothing with not harm you” I think the not was accidentally included again this could be proper speech from back then I just don’t know about but as a reader it inhibited my reading journey

I'm going to average this one and give it 3 stars. Mostly because the first half was definitely 2 stars for me. Almost to the point of giving up completely and not finishing. However, the second half was a strong 4 Stars and interesting enough that I want to read the next book.
This is a retelling of Camelot/Sword in the Stone, but it is completely different from any other that you will read. For one, Arthur is the villain in this story, and boy is he evil. Be forewarned, there are scenes of abuse, torture and one that looked like rape, but you find out later it wasn't. Still very uncomfortable to read. Our heroine is Morgan (known as Morgana in the original stories). She is brave and extremely resilient, considering Arthur makes her life quite uncomfortable. So looking forward to seeing where her magic is going to take her as the books progress. There is a VERY slow burn romance aspect to this one, considering she was sort of with someone else for half the book. I'm really interested to know more about who Draven really is and see where things go!

The worldbuilding and plot were great, but character development just wasn't there. It is a fast-paced book and is engaging. Would recommend checking trigger warnings.

3.5/5 stars

Great Fantasy/Romantasy Morgan Pendragon/Morgan LeFay origin story. I quite liked it and the alternate POV of Arthurian legend. The writing was fast paced and interesting. Can't wait for the next book!

Very fast paced book but it was giving major FBAA vibes. While I have a love hate relationship with FBAA, I do like the pacing of book one - this book has a similar feel with the pacing and it makes it easy to get through.

A little predictable however much like like FBAA. If you can over look that and the need for development and less info dumping, then I think you'd enjoy this book! If those are some of the reasons why you did not like FBAA, then this book may not be for you!

Thank you so much for giving me an advance reading copy of this book. I'm SO glad this was my first ever ARC because I loved it. I'm not generally a fan of quest and adventure plots but this one I really enjoyed! It has just the right amount of action and dialogue and character development. This is a very fun, easy read and I didn't get bored once. It was an easy read and easy to follow. The only thing that I thought could use improvement is that the author used "was" a few times in a sentence and I think that's something that can be easily fixed.

The plot twist at the end of the book was everything! Can't wait to read the second one. Again, thank you.

The story is about Morgan, who is rumored to carry the tainted blood of the fae in her veins. Her birthright is stolen from her when she is a mere child. Growing up in the shadow of her brother the king, she has been promised to the goddesses when she comes of age. So, when her brother commands that she seek out a fae weapon of legendary power, Morgan seizes the chance to break free from the chains of her fate. As she travels, Morgan finds herself drawn into a strange group of outcasts. Believed to have vanished generations ago, a fae kingdom dreaded by mortals is ascending once more, bound to reclaim what was lost by violence and bloodshed. As the fae world, with its intricate web of lies and mysteries, is slowly revealed to Morgan, she is led to the terrible realization that the secrets she carries in her blood make her a greater threat than she could ever have imagined.

I didn’t have high hopes when I registered interest to read this book, as it is such a complicated world to build. But I wasn’t disappointed, Boleyn manages the world-building excellently and the story is action packed. The only thing that bothered me is the King Arthur storyline as the basis. I didn’t get it and don’t see what added value that brings. I think the story is strong enough on its own without the constant references. Either way, I couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait for the second installment, coming on June 30th.

I had SO much fun with this! I am constantly on a search for a new fantasy/romantasy read and this was a great one! If you love fae, retellings and a bit of spice, then you will LOVE this! This is the first in a series so I cant wait to see where the author takes us in the next books. I cant wait for book 2!

What fantasy fan isn't fascinated by King Arthur and his knights? This book turns the old stories completely around with Arthur's sister, Morgan, as the hero and other characters, such as Galahad and LanceLET showcasing an inclusive and dynamic set of secondary characters that will quickly catch a reader's attention and have them pulling for them from the start. This book does spend a lot of time world building, and I wish there had been more time spent on character development of those other than Morgan, but with the ending, I think that that will happen in future books in the series. Overall, the story was a new and innovative take on old characters and tropes, and I am anxiously awaiting the sequel!

WOW!
An Arthur story reimagined that I never knew I needed! I was definitely not expecting to enjoy this alternative version of Arthur/Morgan/Lancelot but I am happily surprised and dying for the next book!

What a pleasant surprise! I went into this story blind, just simply interested based on the cover and I’m glad I gave it a shot! I love the world and the intricacies of it. While the Fae culture isn’t totally unique and some aspects were a tad predictable, the characters make it worthwhile. Not to mention, I loveeeee the Camelot/King Arthur retelling with women being at the forefront 💪

Wow I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. From the very beginning I was pulled into the world and characters.

Morgan has such a tragic backstory and I loved seeing her character grow throughout the book. I have so many questions about her fae heritage that I hope get answered soon! After that ending, I’m dying to know how she reacts to Draven.

Draven was definitely one of my favorite characters. I knew he was hiding something from the very beginning and when it was revealed I was jumping up and down excited. I’m so excited to see where the author takes his character in the next book.

There were so many twists that I didn’t see coming and I can’t wait to read what happens in Court of Claws! Definitely adding this author to my must read list.

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn was a delightful retelling of the legend of Camelot (with a fae twist) told from the point of view of Morgan, Arthur’s half-sister.

Style: 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Story: 📚📚📚📚
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Morgan, a part fae princess, lives in a brutal world. Her younger brother, Arthur, sits on the throne, ruling with brutality and hate. Instead of becoming queen (which is her birth right), she has been promised to the serve Merlin in the temple upon her 21st birthday. There is hunger and growing unrest among Arthur’s subjects. Morgan does her best to help, but it is more than she and her weaponry training can handle alone.

Then, Kairos Draven clomps into the castle, a hulking (and handsome) farm boy hired to work for the king’s guard. Morgan finds Draven in her way time and again. His “rescuing” frustrates her (in more ways than one).

So, when Arthur instructs her to travel the lands in search of the mythical Excalibur she is hesitant, but agrees out of loyalty to the crown. And while she knows she shouldn’t trust Draven on this quest, she finds herself wondering if he is the ONLY one she truly can.

Queen of Roses was quite the adventure. This fantastical epic is the definition of a slow burn. It is loaded with twists and turns and a healthy dose of graphic violence. Morgan and her rag-tag group of friends are endearing and easy to root for. Draven is the very definition of hardened warrior and made me clap with glee when he asked, “Who did this to you?”

If you like fantasy retellings, a fist-full of gore, and the slowest of slow-burns, then this book is for you. I can’t wait to get my claws into book 2!