In Queen of Roses, Briar Boleyn mixes fantasy with Arthurian legends to come up with this enjoyable read. I would highly recommend to fans of Jennifer Armentrout's Blood and Ash and her Flesh and Fire series as well as fans of Sarah J Maas. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series and finding out just where Ms Boleyn leads us in her tale.

Really enjoyed this one! Liked the world building, can’t wait to dive into the next one! I do wish the characters had been a bit more fleshed out. However, I’m excited to see how things progress in the sequel. I feel like there is a lot of potential to go here. Definitely spicy!

I was debating if give this book 3 or 4 stars in the end it was a 3.5⭐️. This book had what I love in a fantasy romance book, a love triangle, hidden powers, magic battles, a plot twists and a cliffhanger ending , but by the end of the book I felt that I had read two completely different stories. The beginning was really slow when I got to 1/3 of the book I couldn’t still figure out what was the actual plot, I feel that the prologue was really uneventful to the actual story I mean it was traumatic and shocking which will catch the attention of the reader but it did not add to the actual plot of the story.

But overall I enjoyed the book and I can’t wait to continue the story and see what happens next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*adventure
*finding oneself
*growth
*kingdoms with secrets
*family manipulation
*knights and camelot

This book honestly almost needs two separate review.
Let me start with the great parts:
The last 50% of the book had me hooked. I flew through it! It told a unique journey through some great scenery at the end. Morgan was a great character who you were able to easily relate to. Think manipulative family and learning to recognize personal boundaries. She is sent on an adventure to retrieve a relic to possibly help her kingdom. There was also a good amount of diversity and representation that didn't feel forced.

My largest complaint for this story is that from about 25%-50% through the book, nothing happened. There wasn't any plotline development and I almost stopped reading several times. The rest of the book would have easily been five stars for me, but this part just didn't add anything to the storyline. There wasn't any character development and the background information that was added felt like filler material. You could have removed this entire section and the story would have been fine.

Overall, I will absolutely be reading the second book! The lull that happens in the story is well worth the development in the plotline.

3.5 ✨rounded up! Okay okay, here me out because I’m starting with criticism first: There are some moments of character misalignment with Morgan our FMC especially aound her confliction with giving her brother the sword that didn’t ring true to the story and who she was becoming as a character. There were moments of just meh writing that had so much potential to be more deeply explored. I really wish the scene at the Noble Knight would have been more drawn out and provided us more insight into Draven’s character. I think more intentional exploration into his character would have made the ending so much more compelling.

BUT THE ENDING! Or really the last 20% of the book is what catapulted me to a 3.5. I love Boleyn’s action sequence writing and the emotion within those moments was felt! The ending made me SO excited for book 2! Like who is Morgan, really? Merlin’s motivations? Wtf Draven. Who are you?! And what was that whole ritualesque thing we witnessed?

Also, vesper? Hard Tamlin vibes from the first time we met him. Wish he would have had a more spiteful death.

Massive thanks to NetGalley and Briar’s team for the ARC!

A doomed love, a dangerous mission and a kingdom on the brink of war.

The opener of this series is full of political intrigue and world building. Based loosely on tales of Arthur and Camelot. The author really takes the time to set out and give the reader a feel for this world.

Morgan is our female main character. She’s living in a world where everything is stacked against her despite a position of privelage. She’s continually targeted and just seems to take it all. At times I was frustrated with her and wanted her to fight back. She seemed to think she was worth so little. When she is sent on a mission but her cruel brother it opens a whole new world to Morgan and I loved seeing her character grow and develop.

There are two potential love interests in this book - one is insta love (or lust) and the other a real slow burn with some enemies to lovers thrown into the mix. Romance is not the focus of this first book at all and it’s a real slow burn overall.

The plot twists, characters and world building in this book are brilliant and it feels like a great set up for the rest of the series.

4.5 / 5 ⭐️ (small tiny vague spoiler)
Review posted on Goodreads


Loved loved loved this so much!! I spent 48 hours either reading it or thinking about reading it. The MMC is too much for my heart I'm obsessed with him. The system of magic and powers etc is very easily understood, there's no complicated kingdom political subplot, so you can focus all your attention on the tension🙏

For the first part of the story, Morgan is a very realistic character, she does as she's told as she's had to do to survive all her life. It's a nice change from those fantasy books where the MC is immediately strong and rebellious just for the sake of it, as if their whole life hadn't made them to be the opposite. Morgan goes through gradual character development, perfectly balanced UNTIL she turns into a silly blind delusional girlie. Without spoiling the whole thing, I'll just say that all the men in her life have been awful violent brutes and still she blindly trusts the first one who tries to get in her pants. This part made no sense whatsoever and it was very painful to witness, both for the other characters and for the reader.

Other than the last part where everyone became a bit flavorless, the whole thing was greaaat and I can't wait to read the sequel (right now actually I'm starting it right now)

+ would benefit from a more thorough proofreading. Some words were missing, others joined because of a msising space, some punctuation mistakes, etc.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to have the opportunity to read an ARC copy.

I loved how the author had described all the characters, it was easy and fun to imagine what they would look like if I had been there. Fair warning, it does start off a bit slow, but then right wen it gets going it REALLY GETS GOING (Hang on to your hats ladies and gents!). I feel the amount of *spice* ws perfect for me, it wasn't over the top which was amazing. This dark fantasy novel ran at a great placed with a great blend of action and slow burn romance.

Overall was well written, can't wait to explore more from this series and author.

“I was born to be a queen. But even queens could be set aside and forgotten.”

This book follows Morgan Pendragon, who is part fae and the older sister of Arthur, King of Camelot. Although originally intended to be Queen she is passed over in favour of her brother who now rules with an iron fist. She is sent by Arthur to find an ancient weapon, which she is excited, though wary, to do. However throughout her journey, new truths come to light which start to make her question everything she’s ever been told.

I enjoyed this book, especially in the way there were varied character designs. Unlike a lot of fae books I’ve read, the ones in this story had different characteristics (blue skin, purple hair and horns for example). I also enjoyed the way there were many different creatures throughout the story as well rather than it just being humans and the fae.
Another thing I liked was the way the characters were presented. Although I have not read an Arthur and the knights of the round table novel before I am acquainted with the story and enjoyed the changes made to it in this one; Merlin being a female priestess, Lancelet being an lgbtq+ woman and Galahad being an lgbtq+ acolyte to the gods presented in the book. I also greatly enjoyed the twist where Arthur is actually the villain of the story rather than the hero.

One of the issues I have with this book is the pacing. I found that it was quite slow, especially at the start. Considering the story was supposed to be about Morgan going on a quest to find Excalibur, I was quite shocked that it took until half way through the book for the mission to actually start. Although I understand there was world building required and the relationships between the characters needed to be shown, I feel like it could’ve been done a little faster. However after the quest began the story did pick up quite a bit.
Another problem I had was with the way Morgan acted some of the time. She got a tad annoying throughout the story especially with some of her decision making. The way she trusted Vesper so suddenly despite the clear warning not to was quite shocking and her near constant whining about her appearance (her hair) towards the start of the book grated on my nerves a little. Although the complaining did drop off after she stopped taking the medicine she was forced to take. That also frustrated me as well; her refusal to stop taking the medicine despite how ill it was making her really made me question her choices.

To conclude, I enjoyed this read despite the issues I had with it. I would recommend it to those who enjoy fairytale retellings. I will most likely end up reading the second book and hope it is even better than the first.

(I would like to thank NetGalley, Saltwater Press and Briar Boleyn who provided me with an arc of this book in return for a fair and honest review).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

This was a fun fantasy retelling of Arthurian myths from the persepective of Morgan le Fay (Pendragon in this).

I enjoyed this ride, even though Morgan is pretty stupid when it comes to trusting/not trusting people. She's not exactly good at reading people. I really enjoyed all the Arthurian references, although some I don't get, like why is Lancelot now Lancelet? Is that a reference I don't get?

I like Draven, and the twists on the legends were deftly done and interesting from Arthur's tyranny to Merlin's new religious role.

I enjoyed the reveals at the end, some of which referenced the Arthur myths, and some seem to be exciting new inventions from Boleyn.

I also was lucky to recieve the second book as an ARC as well, which I would definitely have sought out anyway, so see you in that review! 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.

This book was a good start to the series. I am not a huge fan of King Arthur, but it did not stop me from enjoying the book. The story premise is good. I like the idea of Fae that are forgotten but maybe not so gone as people think. The fact that she is actually full fae is not much.of a surprise. The romance in the story is just enough to cover that aspect without getting us actually invested in something that is obviously temporary.

A Camelot re-telling unlike anything I’ve read before. This story follows King Arthur’s half-sister Morgan as she is sent on a journey to find Excalibur. Plot twist, Arthur is actually evil & Morgan is half-fae.

I couldn’t quit reading this book. It was so fast paced & the world building and descriptions made me feel like I was right there in the story. I will say, I am hoping for more character development in book 2.

Let’s talk about the BETRAYALS in this book! Because, let’s just rip my heart out why don’t you?! And that cliffhanger ending?!? I’m so glad I have book 2 downloaded!

Wow! I am incredibly impressed by this book. An Arthurian retelling with Fae. It checked so many of my boxes:
-"Who did this to you?"
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Morally Gray MMC
- Strong MFC
- One Bed/One Horse
The characters were so likable and the story was well paced. The ending still has me going. Looking forward to the next book!

"A daughter of Pendragon did not surrender so easily."

It took me a while to get into this book but I was glad I pushed through as it paid off in the second half. The first and second half of this book were two very different entities. The first half focused a lot on world building and explaining character's past and at times the descriptions of people, places, and items that were quite lengthy, making this a slow read with little action. The opening chapter was a promising start that I enjoyed, however the momentum didn't pick back up until much later in the story. Once the journey is underway in the second half of the book the plot really picks up and a promising storyline begins to emerge into something I found myself enjoying.

The greatest enemy to peace in Pendrath might be the king who sat on its throne."

I enjoyed the inclusion of Arthurian legend as I am a huge mythology lover, however I will say I have very little knowledge surrounding Arthurian legend so I cannot speak to the accuracy of its representation. Nevertheless, I found this to be a story I am looking forward to continuing and I have a very good feeling about the second book.

Thank you Netgalley & Starwater Press for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

It is a retelling of a King Arthur story with Morgan Pendragon as the main character. It was really interesting to follow her in this adventure, she is a strong women who was always put down by the men in her life. On her quest, she discovers her strenghts (and wicknesses) and I feel she will continue to discover her fae heritage in book 2 as well.

The story was really easy to read and was fast paced, I enjoyed all the details the author put in the naration to describe the surroundings. I always appreciate that in a book as it helps me envision it !

Golook forward to reading the book 2, and I hope Morgan will <spoiler> begin to use her own strenght and develop her power to defend herself more! </spoiler>

*2.5 stars, rounded to 3

An Arthurian retelling, with strong From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses vibes.

Was this book awful? No. Was it amazing? Also no. This book was ok at best.

I think this book had so much promise. For the first half I was hopeful. I thought, once we get situated with the world and the quest begins, it will really start to pick up. In reality, I preferred the first half. We didn't get a ton of character development in the book, but any development we did get was in the beginning. The second half was just dull. It was a journey, which provided plenty of opportunity to develop the characters and relationships, but instead it just had a few action sequences that lacked urgency.

I also felt like we really lacked character motivations, especially when it came to Arthur. Why was he so evil? I don't think we ever got a true explanation for why he is the way he is, apart from having an evil daddy.

My biggest issue was probably with the whole love triangle storyline. The secondary love interest came out of nowhere and the relationship moved way too quickly. There was no pining, no build up of feelings - I couldn't feel the attraction at all. That being said, there really wasn't much of a relationship between the FMC and the main 'love interest'. I was really expecting to see some more development there and feel a connection between them, but it just wasn't there.

All in all, I think this book needed some serious editing. It was ok and readable, but I think it had potential to be so much better.

2.5 ⭐️

💫Camelot retelling
💫Fae
💫Forced Proximity
💫Hidden Powers
💫Who did this to you?
💫Quest

Overall, I thought this book had a lot of potential. The basic plot line was very intriguing and there were some solid moments that I thoroughly enjoyed. I especially like how fast paced it was and found it be an entertaining read.

With that said, this book had some down falls for me. The character development and story itself lacked depth. They both got halfway there but never pushed through to be something greater. It didn’t draw me in like I wanted it to. Some of the plot points were a bit all over the place at times as well. And there is ALOT of word repetition that gets tiresome.

However, the ending left me wanting to know what happens next so I will be reading the sequel.

**thank you to NetGalley and the author for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This book was so well written! The setting of Camelot was an interesting choice but it set the story up very well. The author did such am amazing job describing every scene. I truly could see every location in detail thanks to the author. The underlying romance is there and I am excites to see it progress in the next book. I love the magical twist with the fae in the already magical time of Camelot. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy!

Quest for Camelot meets FBAA meets Plated Prisoner
This one is a slow burn but it is well worth it. It had some of my favorite tropes:
-“Who did this to you?”
-Forced proximity
-Slow burn
-Grumpy/sunshine

The lore around this story may have taken some time to dive into, but after finishing the book, I feel excited to expand on what I’ve learned about this world. You’ve got fae, court intrigue/politics, an epic quest, monsters and creatures galore, and an interesting retelling of King Arthur(‘s sister).
Morgan is one of my favorite types of FMCs. She’s headstrong, righteous, brave, a little naive and trusting, but not afraid to speak her mind. I can’t wait to see how much she grows as she learns to accept who she is and what she’s capable of.
Draven’s protectiveness of her from the start was admirable and I was rooting for something to happen between them the whole time. He gives off Slade from the Plated Prisoner series vibes. I hope they get to know each other better and we get more of his backstory in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for this ARC!

I am not familiar with King Arthur and Camelot, but I definitely enjoyed this book. It began a bit slow for me, but the world building was very worth it and done very well!

This had some of my favorite book elements such as the morally grey characters, slow burn, fae, action, and so much more. I do wish I felt more connected to Morgan and some of the other characters, just wish I saw more to them. At first I was frustrated with Morgan, but as the story went on I did enjoy her more. The representation in this book is a huge plus; I loved seeing diversity be so normal and accepted in this world.

I am a dark fantasy reader and expected a bit more “darkness” from this, but it is a great read for someone looking to get into this genre. I will have to read of Camelot before I can comment on the retelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will recommend it to any fantasy reader! The ending left me behind ready to jump into the next book!