Thank you Net Galley, Bookouture Audio and Second Sky for providing me with an ARC/ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, from the very beginning I was sucked in to this magical and immersive world. The world building was great and it felt a bit different to other fae fantasy books due to its new take on the Seelie, Unseelie and other magical creatures.

Aisling was an interesting main character, she has grown up being told one thing about the fae and you really feel her world being thrown upside down when she starts to find out the truth. There were times when I found her annoying because of how she was treating Lir and the other fae but I can also see how this added to her character. She was a character who was torn between what she’s been told by her family and this new world she was living in and I think the reminders of that even if it was repetitive were necessary.

The romance aspect of this book isn’t very prevalent but I can see the crumbs that were laid out. The book focused more on the politics and world building but I did enjoy the tension between Lir and Aisling. I’m looking forward to where that relationship goes in the next book and the possibility of a love triangle with Dagfin.

As well as reading this book I was given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. The narrator Samantha Norbury did a fantastic job at immersing me in this world. The way she depicted all the different characters and creatures was excellent and it really added depth to an already great story. If you have the option of listening to this story I’d highly recommend it.

This story is definitely a slow burn but I’m excited to read the next book in the series and to see where Aisling’s story will go.

The Mortal Queen by Ashley Metzler is an enthralling fantasy that weaves romance, danger, and magic into a captivating tale. Aisling’s forced marriage to Lir, the king of the fae, leads her into a world of enchantment and deadly intrigue. While the fae are feared as monsters, Lir proves to be far more complex than she expected—both a fierce protector and a dangerous allure. As Aisling uncovers dark secrets and her own hidden powers, she must navigate treacherous alliances and a growing attraction that threatens to unravel everything. A thrilling, action-packed story with rich world-building and compelling characters.

3.75 ⭐️

Super magical read. Lots of familiar tropes and themes here...fae against humans, prophecies & curses, fated mates, an arranged marriage, enemies-to-allies-kinda lovers-to....?...well honestly I don't really know but that cliffhanger has me EXTREMELY interested to find out! Aisling's adventure squad at the end made up of her gaggle of brothers and Fin going into the next book....well, I definitely can't wait to see what they get into. Did someone sayyy...cough...book 2 potential love triangle...cough cough...!?!?! 😏

This book in and if itself was a slow burn - steady, methodical pacing the whole way through with a super climactic payoff. This could, however, feel slow to you if you are used to reading action-packed fantasy.

The writing here is rich in detail and depth. The world building gave me a mysterious and ethereal vibe.

While the descriptive prose was immersive, the narrator's reflections sometimes overpowered the actual conversations happening between characters. Because of this, dialogue exchanges lost their natural rhythm at times, and I found myself backtracking to remember what had just been said. A more streamlined approach to internal thoughts would have helped maintain the tension and clarity of character interactions.

The "romance" here is more of a fated mates alliance. Yes, Aisling and Lir build a connection along the way, and there's a heavy emphasis on Aisling coming to terms with being lied to her entire life about the fae. She has crazy, deep rooted prejudices that influenced her attitude quite heavily, to the point that I didn't start to like her character until about the halfway point.

I didn't find myself having cartoon-eyes at Lir. It could be because their dynamic felt more like a friendship for 90% of the book, but damn that "I'll hunt you down" at the end really has me rethinking how he's going to show up in book 2. This series still has a lot left to give and I need it to crank up a notch on the drama and passion for the next installment!

✔️ Fae x Humans
✔️ Prophecies & Curses
✔️ Arranged Marriage
✔️ Enemies-to-Allies-to-kinda lovers vibes
✔️ Heavy Xenophobia
✔️ Fae King MMC, Human FMC
✔️ Part of a Trilogy
❌ No steam or spice (but there is slow building Romance)

I’m not usually keen on 3rd person but I did really enjoy this, I loved that the main plot was not the romance, there was a real plot with great world and character building. The romance was secondary o a plot tat could have actually survived without the romance, although of course it did make a good book better by having the romance element.

The Mortal Queen* by Ashley Metzler is a story that initially feels like a slow burn, but ultimately rewards readers who push through. The first 40% of the book can be a bit of a struggle, bogged down by political intrigue and the introduction of a large cast of characters, making it hard to keep track of everything. At this point, I was honestly questioning whether this book was for me.

However, once the plot picks up, it does so in an exciting and unexpected way! The twists and turns, combined with a cast of characters you can’t help but either love or despise, transformed my reading experience. What started as a potential 2-star read quickly became a 4-star one. The pacing shifts dramatically, and by the end, I couldn’t put it down.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and if you’re patient with the slow start, *The Mortal Queen* will reward you with an engaging, thrilling journey.

I really really wanted to like this book, I enjoyed the plot and the overall storyline was great, but I feel like some characters lacked depth and there were alot of unnecessary repeats of things.
I also didn't love the slow burn throughout the entire book.
Overall not bad but not amazing

I don't know how I feel about this one. The main characters were quite unlikeable, which isn't always a bad thing, but I felt disconnected from them. I give major points to the world building and magic system, as well as all the characters of the fae world. That was the best part, in my opinion. I just kept waiting for more to happen, more to suck me in and make me unable to put the book down, but it never really did. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

First of all big thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for allowing me an early access to the ARC of The Mortal Queen by Ashley Metzler. 🌹⚔️🌲

I devoured this book, and have already requested the next book in series because I NEED to know what happens next. Not only did The Mortal Queen pull me into a world drenched in tangible magic, but Ashely Metzler crafted equally as enchanting characters. For fans of slow-burn romance, enemies-to-lovers and fae magic this will be your next favorite book.

The pace is what I consider to be steady. There wasn’t a moment I didn’t end a chapter and not have the story still creeping into my mind. The world building made me forget I was reading, and every time a character spoke I fell a little more in love with them.

Speaking of falling in love, can I just say Cardan Greenbriar may have some competition with the introduction of Lir? No I’m serious, I’m adding him to the book boyfriend list. Anytime Lir was in a scene I was on the edge of my seat and smiling like an idiot. Not only is this a proper slow-burn, but a true enemies-to-lovers. A relationship full of longing and intense desires to rid each other of the other but feeling the pull of fascination beneath it all.

Aisling is a main character I can root for, someone I found myself wanting to find her footing in a world she’s hardly experienced. She is witty, eager to learn, intelligent, and observant. Behind her violet eyes is a fighter who is just now realizing she can take the world in her hands if she so desires. There’s nothing I love more in a book than someone realizing they have every ability to change their world, and they cannot and must not rely on others to do it for them. Her character growth from the beginning of the book to end is satisfying.

A few things I personally enjoyed. Loved the light flower blooms and the attention to detail when creating Lir's fae kingdom and how it contrasted with the moral world Aisling was familiar with. I really enjoyed way little things (I’m not going to list as to not spoil) came back together in a full circle manner.

Although this book is advertised in a fae romance, there was no spice in this book. Personally, I am a no spice/closed door girlie so this worked out for me. However, the tension between Fir and Aisling was sizzling so do not discredit the romance! It is very, very much there. It was refreshing to read a balanced romantasy book that did not let either fantasy or romance take over too much of the plot.

I highly recommend this book, and will scream into all of the internet voids for people give it a read. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

4/5 stars
This book was a roller coaster of pace for me. This is the first book for me from this author. I like a good romancstay to break away from contemporary or dark romance. And everyone knows my feelings towards a slow burn. It was one of those that as you watched the world build and the characters banter you were ready for them to finally admit something to relieve the tension.

One thing that bugged me was the switch between third and first person, which I don't see a lot in the stories. But it added another level to the story and the dynamics.

I would recommend this to a romancstay lover for sure. Even though I craved more spice or more in the relationship aspect, it was an overall good read.

This book really surprised me and had me hooked from the beginning. The world building was great, especially with the way the author described the place and the characters. It really helped to get your imagination going.

Enemies, who are the Mortals and Aos si (Fae), force a marriage for peace between their people. The plot is fascinating, and I did not see the twists coming. I really did enjoy it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series now!

Not only this, but the cover is beautiful, and I definitely need to buy a physical copy to keep on my shelf!

Thank you NetGallery and publishers for allowing me to review this book!

This was amazing!! I absolutely LOVED this slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romantasy and was captivated from the first chapter! I enjoyed the delve into Celtic lore, set in world of fae and magic. Aisling (a mortal) and Lir (King of the Fae) become entwined as Aisling is taken to Lir's kingdom with the promise of marriage to each other set up as a pollitical alliance. Aisling arrives sceptical of Lir as she has always been told how monsterous the Fae are and is fearful for her life and finds it difficult to separate what she has been told with what she experiences as Lir is not all she has been told that he is, and she is surprised to see him fight so loyally for his people. When she ends up fighting by his side she has to decide whos side she is really on, whilst trying to survive the magical beasts and monsters that lurk in the forest. I loved that the romance was slow burn and it was refreshing (within the context of the story) to not see as much spice but more of a deeper connection between Aisling and Lir, rather than focused on lust. A thoroughly enjoyable read and I am really looking forward to seeing the character development in book 2!

I absolutely loved this book! I really enjoyed the pace of the world building. It wasn’t difficult to follow and got to the action quickly.

I love the fact that book 1 is obviously building us up form more action in book 2 and 3. With a Main Female Character that has lots of room for more growth as the books develop.

Highly recommend to fans of fae fantasy, strong female leads and slow burns!

DNF@10% - while the synopsis was good, i found the execution questionable. it felt like the author was trying to reach a word count and decided to add a bunch of synonyms. it was a bit redundant and getting too tedious for me.

⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is just my initial thoughts and honestly not the current romantesy that is currently so popular but a beginning of a fantasy trilogy that is about the fae so would perhaps appeal to fans of paranormal, fae or even Ya fiction . Our heroine is really terribly ignorant, I honestly got so irritated and fed up of how many times she’s referred to as the mortal queen yet honestly was very surprised that I actually was caught up by this story . I really enjoyed the last third so I actually do look forward to the next book
This take is of an advanced copy and my thoughts are honest and I believe fair

I LOVED THIS!! I was so hooked by this book. The writing was so descriptive and I had an amazing time picturing this world. I loved the FMC and the narrator really helped make this experience that much better. LOVED LOVED LOVED!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The world building is great and I love the characters. I would love to continue on with the series but my only hesitation is that it was a little bit too slow burny for me.

Has the potential to be amazing…
I loved the world building and the authors descriptions of characters/places was amazing! It was just a little too slow burn for me, would have liked to of seen a little bit more tension between Aisling and Lir! If you love an arranged marriage/enemies to lovers i would say definitely give it ago!

I LOVED this! Romantasy fans will definitely enjoy, the plot and writing kept me hooked, immersive and captivating, nuanced characters I'm totally invested in, can't wait for the next book!

This book had me hooked right from the beginning. And while I sometimes got a little lost, and the writing wasn’t necessarily the best I really enjoyed it. The characters were likable and I really was invested in their story. I really can’t wait to see where the story continues. I would definitely recommend this story to any romantasy readers.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for an exchange of my honest opinion!

I loved this so much. At first it felt a little slow but it picked up and I devoured it. The characters were fun to follow through this journey.