I like how detailed you were about the hate between the mortals and the fae. Aisling didn't know what was going to happen to her but she knew she had to save her people. She was willing to do whatever it took. Little did she know that everything was not as she thought it was. She would have to learn what is the truth and find out who she can trust. 

I really need to see some character arts for this book! I was so shocked to read the amount of detail you put into each kind of character. The way you described the world looks so amazing. I was not expecting that ending at all. I was completely shocked and still trying to figure out how it got to that point. I definitely can't wait for the next book. I need more of Lir. Every time he came up I was always wanting more and on edge waiting to know what he would say or do. 

Can't wait to read the next book! Thank you so much @ashleymetzlerauthor and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the ARC team!❤️

A magical read packed with familiar tropes we're seeing right now in the literary world - fae and humans, arranged marriage. The slow-burn romance leans more toward an alliance, with Aisling and Lir's bond evolving gradually. Aisling's biases made her tough to like at first, but her character arc was compelling. The pacing is steady, with rich world-building and immersive prose, though internal reflections sometimes overshadow dialogue. That cliffhanger? Hooked. And with Aisling's squad ready for action, plus hints of a love triangle, book 2 promises even more drama. Hoping for a deeper emotional payoff next time!

3 star because of similar themes to other books, it didn't give me the same high as others, but I am still going to continue with the series, as I certainly am hooked on where this story will go.

This is the trad debut of an indie release (to my knowledge, it’s a planned trilogy and both books that have already been indie published under a different name are being traditionally released today). Absolutely wonderful. It’s enemies to lovers and fated mates and a slooooow burn, with a mortal princess Aisling forced into an arranged marriage to the Sidhe (fae) king Lir to seal a peace treaty between the two long-warring races. I hate the word “unputdownable” in reviews, but I will say that it was indeed difficult to put this down whenever real life attempted to call.

Stunning world building. The Sidhe world Aisling enters is fantastical and magical and dark and wild and unforgiving in equal measure. The sort of world I’d love to go to but doubt I’d survive! Beautiful, lyrical/poetic writing, but not the kind that overwhelms the writing or interferes with the plot and the author’s ability to simply provide information as needed.

Aisling is a very compelling MC. Determined to be stoic and endure, but unable to resist giving into her more wild and feral urges the longer she stays in the Sidhe world. I also actually really enjoyed that she lacks any sort of natural talent for fighting, archery, etc. I love a good warrior FMC as much as the next Romantasy reader, but it made for a refreshing change to have a character who’s been trained, and just simply doesn’t take to it and has to find other means of survival and power.

Rating: 4.75/5
Spice: 0/5, but wouldn’t be surprised if this bumps up in subsequent books

Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Fae
- Celtic folklore inspired
- Arranged marriage
- Sloooooow burn
- Fated mates
- Prophecies
- One stag (one horse)
- Deadly magical creatures
- Forced proximity

Thank you to @secondskybooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The story follows Aisling, a mortal princess forced into an arranged marriage with Lir, the terrifying king of the fae, to secure peace between their warring realms. Expecting cruelty, she instead finds herself drawn into a dangerous but alluring world of magic, deception, and prophecy. As she struggles to navigate court politics and her growing connection with Lir, Aisling must uncover hidden truths about herself and the kingdom she now belongs to. The tension between the mortal and fae worlds adds stakes and depth to the story, making every political maneuver and alliance feel crucial.

Aisling’s growth from sheltered princess to queen is engaging. Lir is a mysterious hard to read king. Their relationship is a slow burn, built on tension, trust, and mutual respect rather than love at first sight.

The narrator refers to Aisling as “The Mortal Queen” repeatedly and it became redundant and unnecessary. Their romance is sweet as their relationship blossoms from strangers to one of deep connection with mutual respect.

Super exiting start to a series. Really good worldbuilding and introduction with a fantastic climactic ending! There are some familiar tropes that I LOVE to see in this book - prophecies & curses, dated mates etc.,

Overall this was a super enjoyable read and I can't wait to read book 2!

I love a good fantasy/fae romance, and The Mortal Queen did not disappoint. The book introduces us to Aisling, a mortal princess promised by her father to the Fae King, Lir. Mortals and Fae have always been enemies, so Aisling experiences major culture shock as she becomes the mortal queen by Lir’s side. Aisling is learning to question what she’s always been told and to see things from a different perspective, but she is struggling to learn who to trust. This book is filled with world building and adventure and has been a great escape from reality. It ends on a major cliffhanger – I’m looking forward to the next book because I want to see how the story progresses. Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for the eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for this eCopy to review

Delving into The Mortal Queen by Ashley Metzler was an enchanting journey. The story unfolds with Aisling, a young woman promised in marriage to the fae king, Lir, to secure peace for her people. Initially, Aisling is filled with dread and apprehension about marrying a fae king, expecting him to be a heartless beast. However, as their relationship develops, I found myself captivated by the slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance that ensues.

Aisling is a compelling character, with a blend of strength, vulnerability, and determination. Her journey of self-discovery and her evolving relationship with Lir kept me engrossed throughout the book. Metzler's world-building is vivid and immersive, painting a rich tapestry of fae lore, magic, and mythical beasts that added depth to the narrative.

If you enjoy fae romances with strong characters and an enchanting world, this book is definitely worth a read.

Previously having read the indie version of this book, I have to say the trad published is equally as amazing & captivating. I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this & it did not disappoint!
The story itself kicks off strongly from the first page. There were some grammar mistakes, & I think maybe too much description (almost trying to get to word count- esc), but that doesn’t take away from the actual plot of the story itself. Metzler does an amazing job at weaving fantasy into what almost feels like a history of the sidhe & i love that take. Almost like we are reading recovered documentation from when/ if sidhe really did walk amongst humans. She did an amazing job at researching how chaotic & almost unruly fae/ sidhe can be!
Aisling, herself, was never really annoying to me. Although i do wish we could’ve seen her go into depth about the mistreatment from her father. I did love her arc, starting off as more of a fake confidence & blossoming it, with the help of friends, along the way.
The reason it isn’t a 5 star is two reasons. 1. her relationship with Lir sort of fell flat. we didn’t get really any progression & they only kissed once. I get slow burn but it felt like they had a max of 40 words spoken between them & i wish it could’ve been more.
The second reason is simply for the fact that if I had to read the term “the mortal queen” one more time i would’ve thrown my phone across the room. At one point, it was spoken 3 times within 4 sentences & a whopping 346 times throughout the book. That’s way too much & every time i would hear/ read it, it would take me out of the story.
Overall AMAZING book. Amazing plot, finally a book where it’s plot heavy but has potential for the right amount of romance! amazing amazing!
Also can i just say whaaaat an ending. Even reading it the second time it pissed me off & made me want the next book asap all at once!
**Thanks to Ashley & Netgalley for the arc**

Rating-
4.5/5 stars

Genre-
Romantasy

Tropes-
Enemies to lovers
Fae x Mortal
Arranged marriage
Slow burn

Would I Recommend This?-
Most definitely! This is a very fun and entertaining book that I really enjoyed! The only thing that I didn’t love so much was that I did feel there was some untapped potential with some of the storyline and some things that went with it. Other than that little thing though, I totally loved it and read it at the absolute perfect time when I was really wanting to read a fae book, so I loved it even more!!

I love a gooooood slow burn and this gives me all that I was hoping for! I loved the descriptions and had this book on my TBR before it got picked up so thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC to me for an honest review. The magic system was fascinating and I’ll say this as vague as I can so it doesn’t give away too much to the story— what you have learned may not always be what it seems!

I really enjoyed this! It had all the tropes that I love and it gave off ACOTAR vibes with the world building, side characters, human and fae relationship etc. The writing is so descriptive I felt I could really picture what I was reading and it kept me hooked. I would give 5 stars but some chapters are quite long and I don't love a long chapter! Also the slow burn is maybe a bit too slow... i was hoping for some love and passion but maybe we will get that in book 2 which I will definitely be reading!

The Mortal Queen by Ashley Metzler published date 14th February 2025. 4⭐️

I enjoyed this book. It's not so much focussed on the romance side of things it's more political, more character driven, perhaps veering more towards fantasy than romantasy at this stage. The world building was good. I imagine where the Aos Sí live to be extremely beautiful and enchanting and that's how it's written. There's no spice in this book so it's perfect for people looking for a fantasy / romantasy without spice.

The writing is really good and it had elements of fantasy that I really enjoy.

The FMC might irritate you slightly, but actually she comes across as someone who, in that position, would be confused. She doesn't know which way is up, who to trust, who to believe and those around her are unsure of her as she is of them.

I liked the MMC but felt we didn't get to know much about him. He has a past, a very interesting one, so I'm a little sad we didn't get his POV and the FMC didn't really press him that much or seem that bothered to get to know him.

The magic system is interesting, I also enjoyed how members of the fae court are all manners of beasts, fae and other beings. I liked the side characters and you grow to like them as Aisling does.

The political intrigue is well written. You don't know who or what the deal is with either side of the fence, until it becomes a little clearer towards the end. Who do we trust? 🤔🤔

The one thing I think this book was missing was a spark between the FMC & MMC. I mean there are the glances and small touches but actually I didn't feel the yearning, passion, or connection between them. There's no deep conversations that unlock their feelings etc. Perhaps it's what's happened to the MMC in the past but we don't have his POV. I can see it simmering towards the end but it definitely is a sloowww burn.

I definitely want to read the next book though, I'm interested in where Aisling and Lir will go!

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky, and the author for the arc. This is my own personal review of the book.

Okay I LOVED this!! Such a slow burn, enemies, protector, everything I love. Destined for Fae Lands, no one is half she’s there. Will she survive? Some twists that I did not see coming, really really enjoyable story! Can’t wait for the rest!

First of all, huge thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book—marriage of convenience? Enemies to lovers? Fae x human? Slow burn? High fantasy?
It had all the tropes I love, and the first few pages had me hooked.

The plot was intriguing: the human princess of the North is forced to marry the fae prince to prevent a war between their species and maintain peace. As she moves into his castle and learns about their customs, the mysterious danger lurking in the fae's forest both worries and fascinates her.

The writing was rich and detailed, something I had been missing in my recent fantasy reads. The world-building was exquisite, making the setting feel incredibly immersive and real.

However, at some point, it became too much—the descriptions were so extensive that the actual scenes stopped flowing, and I even found myself getting lost in details that ultimately didn’t matter. The same thing happened with the narration: it became repetitive, not just in word choice but also in structure. By the end, every chapter felt just like the previous one, except with new characters introduced with barely any context.

I couldn’t connect with the characters, partly due to how disconnected I felt from the story because of these issues. While the world was over-described, the characters lacked depth—even the protagonists. And although it’s a slow burn (a VERY slow one), I couldn't even believe there was any real romance developing. The few romantic scenes felt forced and, again, repetitive.

I hate to say it, but by the halfway point, I was bored. No matter how much I tried to push through, I just couldn’t get back into the story—I wasn’t invested in what was happening, and reading on felt like a chore. I've decided to put it down for now. If it were a standalone, I might have pushed through to see how it ends, but since it's the first in a trilogy, I just don’t see myself caring enough to continue.

The story and the characters were great, but as this was the unedited version of the story, thus there where a lot of issues with the fluidity of the language and storytelling. But I'm excited to see how the editited version that comes out later this month.
But, all in all, this book had a bit of a slow start - though it is slow-burn so what else is there to be expected? - but the world is sooo well-thoughtout and I really end up understanding why the FMC hates the fae to the degree she does, but also, there were so many clues that the MMC wants her, and she doesn't notice?! 😪 But you know what? Go off our naive queen ✨
I'm super excited to continue reading this series and see where the wolrd takes us, and Aisling. And Lir, I'm rooting for you!!!!

3,5 ⭐
3 🔥

This was very entertaining, but I feel as though there was some untapped potential...

I loved the world building and the description of the fae folk. It gave a wonderfully whimsical feel to the story. The blooming romance between Aisling and Lir felt realistic and I would love to see them grow even more in future books.
I did feel that the beginning was overwhelming in its suppy of information, causing me to be confused and having to go back every once in a while, but it could be completely my brain and the fact that I was overwhelmed with work when starting this book.

I'd definitely give this a go if you're hesitant and will absolutely be recommending it to my friends!

This is a book I’ll never stop recommending! It had me in a choke hold from start to finish. Metzler has a rare and incredible gift for writing, making this story absolutely captivating. In the first book, we meet Aisling, a mortal princess who is set to marry, only to discover that her fiancé is actually her mortal enemy. She soon learns that her own family has used her as nothing more than a pawn in their alliance with the Sidhe. Now, she must navigate a world filled with those she’s been taught to believe will do anything to deceive and destroy mortals. The story is beautifully interwoven with folklore, making the world building flawless. I fell in love with these characters and the way they interacted with each other which added so much depth to the story. As Aisling adjusts to her new life and husband, she realizes that she may not be who she thought she was. Making her embark on a journey. A quest that is both physical and mental, to uncover who her true enemies are and ultimately, to discover who she really is. I can't get over how much I love this book and Metzler's writing style. I can’t wait to continue with the rest of the series!

*Thank you to Ashley Metzler, Second Sky and Netgalley for the ARC and copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

My rating: 4.5 stars

I’m a really big fan of this book and series! After blazing through this ARC, I was so happy to see that this book and the sequel would be published on the same day because I’m so anxious to keep reading!

First, for all the things that I liked about this book and the start of this series. The biggest thing for me as a massive fan of fantasy books is world-building and this author is a pro. I feel like I have true knowledge of how this intricate world works, but also like I have so much more to learn, which is such a fine line to play. I loved the writing style which was incredibly descriptive, with flowery, lush language. There is a full cast of characters that are interesting and you want to know more about them. And that cliffhanger at the end leaves you desperate for more!

Now, there are things about this book that made me knock off half a star. I was fine with the slow pacing throughout the book, as a consequence of the very descriptive narrative writing, but I know that style isn’t for everyone. For me, though, I feel like the romance is too much of a slow burn. That’s one of my favorite romance tropes, but this didn’t end up going anywhere unfortunately and this arranged marriage between our main characters was mostly relegated to some heated glances and tension, nothing more. Obviously the next books sk advance this, but it’s hard to wait for something I’m excited for. I also wish the author had included a pronunciation guide in this book! It would have been appreciated.

Overall, however, this is a great addition to the fae romance genre and I think the intricate world within deserves further exploring.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to read this eARC!

An intense and clever take on the old classic of using an arranged marriage to bring peace.

Aisling was given by the mortals supposedly as a sacrifice for peace. As time goes on we get taken on her journey first learning what she has been taught from when she was a child through to her learning what the fae deign to share with her. Somewhere in all of this in a new world, with strange people and a mysterious husband Aisling starts to figure out who she is and what she believes. She is far from done at the end of this first book and I look forward to finding out in the second where this will lead her.

With a really interesting group of surrounding characters and an intricately built world of mortals, fae and old magic I very quickly got caught up in this world. I would definitely recommend this as a fantasy for people who are looking for an interesting female lead and not heavy on the romance (so far).

I was lucky to read an arc of this book from the publishers through netgalley

The premise of the book had me really intrigued. Overall the book was good and I really enjoyed the world building.

The book is incredibly descriptive which results in it being pretty slow paced. I would have liked a bit more character depth, especially with the central couple. The romance is definitely a slow burn and I would have liked to see a few more light hearted moments to keep me interested.

I did enjoy the book and I am intrigued how the series will develop.