This book definitely read a bit differently than the first two. I still enjoyed exploring the world and meeting new characters—the author's descriptions are incredibly vivid, making it feel as if we're walking alongside them.

However, the character motivations felt flat, especially Aisling. We've come to know her as determined and unwavering in her pursuit of power and her mission to defeat the mortals, yet her arc here didn’t quite reflect that. As a powerful sorceress, she and Lir are meant to be a force to be reckoned with, but the whole situation with the belt and the memory loss didn’t really land for me.

That said, I appreciated how the story closed—each character, in a way, obtained what they wanted. The ending was bittersweet, but ultimately satisfying.

The Forever Queen marks the final chapter of Aisling’s story, where she must win the Gods' favour to save her new home, and heartbreakingly lose her King in the process. With no memory of who he once was to her, Aisling faces the ultimate test of love and loyalty, battling to protect the ones she thought she could never love by standing against those she once did.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy thanks to Second Sky and NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Overall, I did enjoy the series as a whole, but I have to admit I didn’t love The Forever Queen quite as much as I had hoped. I found the addition of Anduril to the storyline frustrating, as it felt unnecessary and pulled me out of the world a bit. I also really missed the strong found family element that made the first two books so special. The court members, who I loved getting to know earlier in the series, were much less present here, and I really felt their absence.

The pacing of the story also left me wanting more. It felt a bit choppy at times, and the ending in particular seemed rushed. I still have a lot of unanswered questions, and it felt like there were a few plot holes that needed smoothing over.

That said, Ashley Metzler’s writing remains as beautiful and evocative as ever, and I stayed invested in Aisling’s journey to the end. Even if this book didn’t hit quite the same high notes for me as the first two, I am still glad I stuck with the series and saw how Aisling’s story concluded.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5

I am very undecided about this book. I have to give the credit where it is due though. The mark of a good story is one that leaves you with it still on your mind and dang has this one but stuck in my head.

I had very high expectations going into this book because I enjoyed the others so much. I love the characters of Aisling and Lir and really love how their relationship has evolved from when they first met. I have also thoroughly enjoyed watching Aisling come into her own and be a queen in her own right. With all that said, I personally felt like some of the choices Aisling made and the power that she gave up for this part of the story were not what I wanted. For someone that was raised to always be cautious of the fae and their “tricks” by her father, it was odd to me that she would so willingly wear something to hamper herself and her ability to protect those she loves. It just seemed so contrary to how far we’ve seen her come.

While I wasn’t a fan of all the plot points this time around, I have to overwhelmingly hand it to Ashley on the world that she’s created. I’ve always been transfixed by the prose and storytelling in the previous books, and was very excited to journey into “the Other”. It did not disappoint. The world just got deeper and the lore richer, continuing to give us a sort of dark fairytale version of the fae legends with a dash of gothic romance.

The epilogue of this is the other part that has me so twisted. Again, it was just not what I wanted for the characters. The epilogue made it black and white who was alive and who was not. Perhaps I was supposed to be comforted by the additional tiny whisper of a character and the peace the opposite character seemed to have with said events, but dang it was a twist. Beautiful in its writing, just not what I expected!

Regardless, it was a stunning conclusion to an incredible trilogy and I want to give a massive thank you to the author, Ashley Metzler and the team Second Sky for the opportunity to read this as an eARC ahead of publication via NetGalley.

Hi guys! It's Reviewing Time again!!! 📖

I've read the last enstallment in The Aisling Trilogy: The Forever Queen, written by @ashleymetzlerauthor and published by @secondskybooks

In this last enstallment, Aisling and her Everwood King Lir will have to overcome the real fury of Aisling (mortal) kin, her father, mother and brothers. Especially when they want to kill their daughter and sister because she's going to be greater then ever.

Sorry can't tell you more because I really don't want to spoil things for you as a reader. 😬😬😬

It's a really exciting storyline, and it kept me going, still wanting more and more. Too bad it's really finished 😭😭

But I will be proud to say I will keep following Ashley on her next journey's to come!

For me, this story ends and I can say

✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️ Definitely a 5 star read for me! And I will promote this here in Belgium and local bookstores (like @standaardboekhandel)! So make me proud, and go on Ashley! Proud to be one of your favorite readers!!

#readingtime
#readingaddicts
#books
#booklover #addicted #theforeverqueen #explorepage #fyp #netgalley

The Forever Queen is the final installment in the series and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book! I have thoroughly enjoyed this series from start to finish.

The storytelling continues to be spectacular with the most fantastical details woven into every page. I loved getting to see more of the Sidhe and the lore behind it all.

The pacing of the book was a bit slower than I would have liked especially after the buildup we had in the previous book. I would have liked to have fewer boundaries to Lir and Aisling’s relationship as there was so much progression in the slow burn of their relationship already and this book took us back to square 1.

Overall, I have adored Aisling and Lir’s story and this was definitely the closure I needed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a lot of ups and downs. I was happy that Lir and Aisling were finally loving each other but then they were ripped apart by her losing her memories. Then back together only to be taken away by Aisling's death. The beginning was a bit confusing and then parts in the middle lagged for me. Overall, very sad by the ending and for Lir who once again is heartbroken.

I loved book 1 & 2 in the trilogy and was so excited to finish the tale. I found this one a little hard to follow and a bit disjointed. The one enchanted item becomes a major part in the storyline, but ends so abruptly and without much explanation to the other characters and leaves a hole in Aisling understanding what all occurred/the truth she was kept from. It ended nicely and tied up loose ends. It seemed to be a long journey to the ending and then just “ok, done” kind of ending.

I am so disappointed in this book. I gave it two stars for the quality of the first and second book. Honestly, the final book fumbled the bag and it irritated me. The Anduril element didn’t make sense. It was too big of an idea in this book to have never been mentioned in book 1 and/or 2. Therefore, the story didn’t make sense and it felt like we reverted back to the beginning of book 1 when Lir and Aisling couldn’t get over their Sidhe and human differences. Also, I could never get my bearings when reading because transitions between chapters and scenes were very choppy. It felt like many new scenes/time jumps were prioritized over thought out long scenes. One moment we would be in the forest and in the next we’d be in the ocean, but then we’d be fighting. The ending lost ALL impact because the story wasn’t set up for it. The love and intention didn’t make sense behind the action didn’t align with the story. Without Anduril, I probably would’ve loved the story and the ending. We were just giving random crumbs from different foods at the end and expected to make a cohesive meal out of it. The series had so much potential and I’m disappointed that it ended this way.

Thank you to Second Sky and NetGalley for the ARC!

“Beginnings are both from the womb of an ending”

“Let it burn as long as you do not”

This series was … it’s heard to describe how amazing getting through it has been for me. I feel like reading the last book felt as much as the most exciting thing as well as the most dreadful one. I was scared the author had planned something horrible for this characters. I was afraid the balance (kinda) they had found in the end of book two was about to fall into pieces. And I was right. But what a marvellous way to make it happen. Aisling and Lir became as enemies to lovers and in this book they go through another stage of their relationship which is that of lovers to enemies to lovers. I felt their struggle. I felt their pain. I felt the overwhelming urge to help them out. I felt their tension. I felt their pull toward one another. I felt hot and bothered one second and terribly helpless the other because their happy ending seemed to be beyond reach. But I loved it. I loved every single second of it. So much so that I couldn’t stop reading. And getting to that ending … felt like finding peace with that nostalgia of not wanting the adventure to be over. So glad I got to it!!!

“Whatever you covet, shall be my heart’s labour”

“Who are you to me?” … “Your undoing”

“And so, thief, violet-eyed sorceress, you have bested me … have mercy on my soul, for it swore an oath to serve you until the end. A heart for a heart … my soul, your own”

I was so excited about this as I loved the first one and liked a lot the second - I feel this one felt a bit disjointed. Gave it 3 stars.
The author’s writer was as lyrical and poetic as always, but I found I struggled on how Lir’s and Aisling relationship progressed - and one thing I absolutely hate is the memory loss trope. The belt as well - I despised it!!!
I felt the story was a bit clunky and found myself having to re read pages to understand what was going on.
Spoiler alert - this book doesn’t have a HEA. And I was SO bummed about it!! Also that epilogue?!? Whose child is that?! I have more questions than answers and I really hoped for closure at the end of this series!

This series will forever hold a place in my heart. Not only is the writing exceptional, the world, the characters, the creatures, the attention to detail, weaving a tale so true to original folklore, it's simply magical, the way this author spun this tale.
In this final installment, while reading this ending (which, by the way, I hope it's not really the end of this series), I felt the same as when Elizabeth Swan had to wait years to see Will again, then for their child to see him, it was so bittersweet but such a lovely ending. This series just got better and better as it went along, especially this last book. Aisling grew, became stronger, and really came into her own in this one. I particularly liked the belt and the interactions between Aisling and Lir while she couldn't remember who he was. It was like starting all over, just meeting him, but this time, she was a total bad a$$ and Lir loved it. Yes, it was driving him crazy too, but he did everything she asked, regardless of what HE wanted. In this book, he really showed his love for Aisling and she for him, especially in the end. I have to admit, I wanted a little more at the end. A little more time with The Lady and more interaction with her clan, more of a fight, but I guess that's just because I really didn't want the story to end. All in all, if you want to immerse yourself in the TRUE lands of the Fae, THIS is the series to read. This author will have you on the edge of your seat, sometimes wanting to scream, sometimes wanting to cry and sometimes just sighing. Your emotions will be all over the place throughout the entire series. If her intentions were to leave a mark, well, she succeeded. Isn't that what a truly good book does? Not all stories have perfectly happy endings. In fact, most of my favorite books and movies have tragic endings. (Wuthering Heights, Romeo & Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Tristan & Isolde, Titanic, Pirate's of the Caribbean At Worlds End, Anna Karenina) This ending was tragic, yet still hopeful. So I will continue to hope, for Aisling and Lir's story to carry on. But if not, this will be a story I will never forget and like I said before, will always have a place in my heart. Even if it's slightly broken.💔

This will be an auto buy author for me. I've never seen writing quite like this before, and I look forward to her future works. This is most definitely an author to keep your eyes on.

Thank you Netgalley, for allowing me to read this Advanced Reader Copy.
I will be leaving my review on BookTok, next and I will be sure to leave my review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books a Million on May 16th once the book has released. Thank you again. Sincerely, Robin

Arc review

Once again I am blown away by this authors writing style!! She has such a profound way of making the story come to life in your head.

Lir really shines in this book and I am obsessed with how feral he is for Ashling. I am so conflicted by the ending but I must say, Ashling’s growth through this series has been extraordinary.

Thank you to Net Galley and Second Sky Publishing for allowing me the privilege of reading this arc. I first must just say that Metzler's writing style is beautiful The words flow from page to page with such smoothness and grace that it is easy to fly through the pages which is what got me through this book. While I loved this trilogy, of the three this was my least favorite. I still gave it 3/5 stars but the plot went in a very different direction then I was expecting from the plot direction from the first two and honestly, I was a little confused with the last few chapters. I enjoyed that Metzler attempted a different narrative then the typical fantasy romance where we get a happy loving ending but the relationship between Aisling and Lir honestly felt lacking in this book, Certain areas felt very rushed and lacking detail that we actually needed and important aspects at the end had many holes left completely to readers guess.

While this third book was disappointing, the first two were amazing and I'd still recommend the series and the author.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and couldn’t wait for book 3 to conclude everything. I do feel that whilst it was a good book it didn’t quite have the same impact on me as the first two books. It wasn’t as engaging and just seemed to lack something.

Fantastic third book in the Aisling trilogy. Love every minute. Very excited for more from this author

A decent conclusion to the series but overall this fell a little flat for me compared to the previous books. The writing was still great, I just wasn’t as hooked with the storyline as I was before and the ending felt a little rushed

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series and was looking forward to this final installment. Unfortunately it was not at all what I was hoping for. Anduril ruined this for me as I felt it took away everything that was built in the first two books, leaving Aisling and Lir completely different people to each other. The pacing of this book was rough, very slow at parts and then the ending felt so rushed. And the ending…while it wrapped everything up, was very disappointing. The writing was still good but overall this book fell very flat for me and I wanted more for Aisling and Lir.

Thank you to Second Sky and NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely loved the first two books. I had so many built up theories and so much excitement going into this book.
I just feel like this is the biggest letdown of the year.

Most of the book dragged and was really difficult to not DFN and then on top of that there was an out of the blue memory loss situation so it was like everything I was expecting was erased.

The first two books were building up to was completely wiped away. This book almost felt like the start of a completely different series because it wiped away everything that the previous two books were building upon as if the previous two books didn’t exist.

All the plot building, all the slow burn, gone. on top of that the FMC was erased as a character in this book. It was much more a MMC book, which isn’t itself a problem, I don’t mind that the point of view focus changes, but I don’t understand why her entire character needed to be erased.

I don’t even know what more to say because I’m just so disappointed by the ending.

A great ending to the series. Aisling & Lir have grown stronger together but that all changes when her family decides to destroy their world. Will Lir be able to save his wife from them or will a darker power take her away for good? Ash doesn’t remember her life with Lir and he knows that he made a promise that he can’t break. But will he willing to give up everything for her? Can they defeat her family for the last time?
A great read. The same characters as before but we do meet some new ones along the way. The ending wasn’t what I was expecting.
Ash is a strong woman that loves her husband Lir and she will do anything to save their world. Lir is exactly the same he would do anything but he can’t give up on her. Which means that they had to make a really heartbreaking decision.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the copy. This is my voluntary review.

This one took me the longest to read, probably because I wanted to savor every sentence, every word. Ashley Metzler, you are a brilliant wordsmith of immense talent. There are no others like you. I am sad to have this series ended, but wow what a culminating finale. The trials of Aisling and Lir to find the goblet pulled at my heart every time I thought Ash would free herself of the belt. What a headspin!

Interested to see how a rebrand works in your favor. These books belong in a museum for people to study. Better than Shakespeare's Midsummer could ever dream to be!