This was a very good dark fae romantasy. The relationships that Morgan has to figure out while figuring out the magic of her own was very daring of her. I feel like we definitely have a good new book boyfriend from this series. I wish Morgan and Draven had a bit more of a deeper look, but looking forward to book two for this! This was well written and kept me at the edge of my seat!

Thank you NetGalley, Starwater Press, and author Briar Boleyn for a copy of this ARC!

This book has so much potential! I have been in a massive fantasy reading rut but was able to pick this one up and enjoy reading it.

I feel like there is a whole lot going on in this book yet at the same time not enough. The world building was there but I was a little bored until about 45% into the book and then it really picked up.

I love the way Morgan and Draven were written, they were the many aspect that had me excited to pick up the book and see what they were going to do next.

I loved some of the side characters but also felt like there were a few that were introduced that had me a little confused. In saying that I am curious to see if they will be coming back in the next books.

Overall, I did enjoy reading Queen of Roses! I will definitely be finishing the series.

*Thank you NetGalley, Starwater Press and Briar Boleyn for sending me a copy of Queen of Roses to review.*

A CAMALOT / ARTHUR RETELLING?! Ummm sign me up.
I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I absolutely loved our MFC AND MMC !!
Morgan went through a lot, and I loved how bad ass she was and continued to be throughout the book.
Daddy Draven 🤌🏼 I loved his character because not only did he protect her.. he let her make her own choices. They might not have been right. But it never felt like he was taking away any of her rights, just stood beside her or next to her whenever she needed it.
Vesper.. IT KNEW IT KNEW IT KNEW IT. Ugh!!!!
Together that enemies to lovers ugh, I can’t wait to read book two.
Lancelet….🫶🏼🥹
So many twists, turns and betrayal at the end!! I can’t wait to watch them POP OFF in the rest of the series !!

I have all the feelings.

I’m angry. I’m giddy. I’m confused.

Arthur strangely reminded me of Jeoffrey from Game of Thrones. A young and evil heir who lets the power go to his head.

I love the contrast in this book. Fantasies romanticize mystical creatures. How beautiful and mesmerizing they are but in this book, we see how ashamed our main character is to have even part of that blood. Morgan doesn’t even want to look like them.
Eventually, we come to understand that she’s not embarrassed, it’s people around her who have made her fear that part of her because they’re scared of her powers.

I wouldn’t say this is a fast paced book. Half of it was world building and the true premise doesn’t start until then. Still, the first half was very engaging. It wasn’t just the author giving descriptions and folklore about the land. I barely noticed it was world building actually.

EVERY CHARACTER HAS CHARACTER!

It’s weird and impressive how well the characters managed to get developed. We don’t know everything about them but we know enough. There are three more books in this series so, we will know more but each and every person that was deemed important in this story got their spotlight in such a special way. There was no one-dimensional character.

I’m impressed and will be expecting better from book 2.

Thanks Netgalley for this book!
I went into this book not knowing what to expect, and ended up really enjoying it! It had the perfect balance of everything, including plot twists, mythical and magical creatures, romance and more.
I never knew what was going to happen next, and there were so many little side plots that I really enjoyed and were really well detailed.
It ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, so I’m off to read the next one.

Also, fuck them kids.

Queen of Roses is the first installment in Briar Boleyn's series, Blood of Fae. This series is for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout. This book series explores the story of Morgan Pendragon, who is a princess that has lived in the shadows of her brother King Arthur. She soon finds out that she blood of fae. Her life is turned upside down when she is being tasked with finding a dangerous but legendary Fae weapon.

🗡️🗡️Book Review🗡️🗡️
#queenofroses by @briarboleynauthor
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

Let the #fae Queen begin her journey of self identifying in book 1 of a 4 novel series! There are triggers, but they are lightly touched and 🌶️spice only occurs once in this book which bad me wanting more!!
"Queen of Roses" is a fantasy romance novel that follows the story of Morgan Pendragon, a half-Fae and half-human princess who is rejected by her brother, the king, due to her Fae heritage. She is sent on a perilous journey to retrieve a legendary sword, accompanied by two murderous bodyguards, one of whom is the enigmatic warrior Kairos Draven. As Morgan navigates the treacherous world of Fae politics and magic, she discovers secrets about her past and her destiny that threaten to destroy everything she holds dear.

It's an adventure with beautiful moments that will make your heart soar and sadistic moments that will make you wish for the worst to befall some of the characters. The world-building is incredible, with a richly detailed Fae world that is both brutal and alluring. The characters are well-developed, with complex motivations and backstories that add depth to the story. The writing is engaging, with a captivating plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

#fantasy #fae #fantasyromancenovel #faes #netgalleyreadathon #netgalley #netgalleyreview #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreads #netgalleyarc #ilovebooks #ilovebooks📚 #bookrecsofinstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreader #bookreviewersofinstagram #booknerdigans #booklover #kindle #kindleunlimited #kindlebooks #kindlepaperwhite #kindlereads #kindleunlimitedromance #kindleunlimitedbooks #kindleunlimitedreads #kindlegirlie #kindlereader #amazonkindle

In this amazing Authrorian fantasy you have everything. Action, magic, plot twist and a varied lineup of characters that keep you guessing. You find yourself in a world that you don't expect and follow Morgan, the FMC as she is sent on a journey she isn't ready for. You follow along as she discovers the world outside her kingdom and learns more about her world and the people in it. There is never a dull moment as you go through a quest and don't know who to trust. The plot twist hit you when you least expect it. Very well done, will be reading the next installment.

This was a great dark fantasy romance. It was fast paced and I couldn’t put the book down. I enjoyed the mystery of knowing there were plot twists coming and characters were not what they seemed, but not yet knowing how or why. The world building was the best, I’m intrigued by the unique world created. The idea mixed with the classic King Arthur/Excalibur story is very interesting. Cliff hanger was frustrating…but I’ll definitely pick up the next book as soon as possible.

Okay, I’m so in love with this series!! Coming off of an ACOTAR hangover and this is a complete godsend. The Arthur and Camolet storyline twists are so addicting! It’s kept me on my toes page after page! Starting Book 2 now because there’s no way I can wait with that cliff hanger!!! ❤️

Arthurian Legend but make it *Fae*. I can honestly say that I never imagined I'd one day read a retelling like this. I can see the vision here, and I'm intrigued.

I feel that the writing could be polished up a bit. There were one too many times where the FMC just does or says the dumbest/most naive thing that was counter productive to her own agency. It's a little like this book can't decide who it wants its characters to be.

The twist at the end did open up a whole new world to be explored, and I'm interested to see where this goes.

Thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for a copy of this book.

Thank you for the copy of this book.

I enjoyed the story and I found the female main character interesting and relatable. I liked that this was a take on the Camelot stories we know and love. The story overall was a little predictable and many elements were familiar to some other fantasy books which sometimes took me out of the reading experience. It was however a fun read and I look forward to reading the next one.

The idea of a dark fantasy romance that's also a Camelot retelling is so fun! I really enjoyed this book. I tend to like fantasies when they're on the darker and grittier side, and this one didn't disappoint. The book did a fantastic job of telling the reader about TWs without spoiling what they are unless you specifically seek them out.

The worldbuilding was absolutely phenomenal. The first half focused more on the society and how it's structured. The second half focused on the actual world itself, and that was when the book really started to stand out for me. It was dark and lush and full of folklore.

I wish the beginning of the book had been a little faster paced, as it felt a little bit like the book was finally beginning at the 50% mark, but as a result we really got to know the main character.

I also think it's very fun that the author took who the main character is based off of, Morgan Le Fay, incredibly literally, and gave her fae heritage.

Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me a copy for review. I'm excited to continue the series!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This series is interesting but feels too similar to other trending books for me to fully separate plots.

DNF at 40%.

This felt way too similar to the Blood and Ash series. Besides that, the world building was just boring and I did not feel invested in it at all.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC read!

This was a slow burn, but the flame stayed consistent. The first majority of the book was character and world building, which I can appreciate. Just when I thought to myself.. where is the action? It came into play. Loved the touch of spice in the book and all the unexpected twists and turns at the end. The previous character building had me connecting with each character and wanting to learn more about them. I could hardly stand the cliff hanger and immediately dove into the second book of the series. Can't wait to see where the story of Morgan goes!

*4.5 stars*

I don't know why I hadn't heard about this book before. It deserves more recognition!
One thing I can say is that the villains here are utterly despicable. You can't find one redeemable quality in them. Also, if you pick up this book, PLEASE read the content warnings at the end before you start reading.

The descriptions of the surrounding area so beautifully written that it's easy to imagine them in the eye of our mind. Although it can get a bit too much sometimes.The bond between Morgan and her friends is beautiful.
Kairos Draven, while a likeable jerk, he does not have much of a charm. But that's fine! He stands up for his princess and he knows how to hide a body. That makes up for the charm.
There's not much spice, but Morgan and his banter is cute.

Thank you to netgalley and Briar Boleyn for letting me read the arc for free.
I have a habit of procrastinating and keep putting things off till the last moment.
But I like to think I keep the best for the last.

I was initially scared about what this book would be like since I'd seen some negative reviews on goodreads. But I think it was worth at the end, even if it was a little confusing at first.

Morgan, the fmc, she wants the best for everyone and cares too much about everything,  carries the older sister burden. She was treated like an outcast, just because it was rumoured that her mother had faerie blood. When ordered by the king, her brother who hates fae, that she has to go look for a weapon presumed to be a myth, sets out to do so.

The author expressed raw emotions through her writing explicitly. At times, I had to remind myself that it wasn't real to save myself heartache. Just when I think something couldn't get any worse, it does. The cruelty keeps getting more cruel.

The fmc was starved for affection, and trusted too easily. But it probably turned out for the better, to make her stronger.

Great ending, will leave you craving for more.

Here are some parts from the book I loved.
|"He was the air I breathed. I could not live without him."|

|"But that was the one bright point about being sent away from Camelot. I would be leaving Florian far, far behind."|
I thought she was jinxing herself here.

|"I burn for you, Morgan. You've set me aflame..."
"Then let the flames consume us"|

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5/5 stars
🌶️1/5 spicy meter

Are you looking for a fantastic fantasy book that has descriptions, plot, slow-burn, real deceptive two-faced fae, and twists? THIS is what I have been waiting to discover after reading the SJM-verse. I have been dying to read a fantasy book that has the plot to stand the test of other popular fantasy books at this time, and this is it.

This story follows Morgan Pendragon, a half(?) fae princess who lost her right to the crown, thanks to her father. Her younger brother, Arthur, is a tyrannical king who gives off MAJOR Game of Thrones vibes. Cruel, viscous, and bloodthirsty describe his rule. The violence in this story goes far - and I’m here for it.

I truly loved this story. I really enjoy our FMC, Morgan. I often feel like female characters fall flat, or have too much of a female “girl boss” complex that really ends up irking me, but there was just the right balance of her being able to help herself, but also needing help from others. I am so intrigued in her journey and can’t wait to see where this continues.

KAIROS DRAVEN. Guys. Could this be my new Rhysand? I don’t even know if it’s possible…but just maybe. Kairos is an intriguing character introduced quickly into the story, and he grabs the attention of Morgan. He is a finely honed warrior who has anger in his eyes at the injustices in this kingdom. He fights for the people, and for Morgan. I love this fictional character.

***SPOILERS***
Our girl Morgan has been abused by so many men, and I’m sure we don’t even know the half of it yet. I wanted to kill Florian myself if Morgan didn’t. Arthur is absolutely terrible, but in the best way a tyrant is supposed to be. And don’t get me started on the half-fae male. I knew he was trouble 😒

I absolutely adored how Boleyn depicted the fae in this novel, of having an ethereal beauty with different hair colors and skin and whorls and markings on their skin. I also really appreciated her delving in to the true nature of the fae with Vesper that we often don’t get to see in many fae featured novels.

This is a SLOW burn. Like, if I were to rough it and try to start a fire with two sticks in the rain slow burn. But hopefully, the next book will have at least an ember😫

I fully enjoyed this. The setting and world was strongly built, the characters developed nicely throughout, really no complaints. I will be buying myself a physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC (seriously, thank you so much!).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

BY THE THREE, I LOVED THIS BOOK!

So, this is a King Arthur/Camelot retelling but ✨fae✨ and I absolutely flew through it!! The story follows Morgan who is sent on a quest to find the sword of Excalibur by her half-brother King Arthur (we hate him 🤢) She's accompanied by two guards - HELLOOO DRAVEN 🤭 He's our broody, sarcastic MMC and I need more of him.

I really enjoyed the history and world-building. The slow burn is SLOW, like minimal but I'm sure it will pick up in the next book after that cliffy 👀 *sigh* I guess I'll be reading 3 books at once this week, because I need to know what happens next!! 😫

This wasn't super dark to me, but I do suggest checking the TW. I've also heard that it gets darker as the series progresses, which is fine by me 😌

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀:
🥀 Camelot but ✨fae✨
🥀 Broody, morally grey MMC
🥀 Stabby FMC
🥀 Epic quest
🥀 "Who did this to you?" 😏
🥀 Found family

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!