We pick up straight from the end of book 1. This book was my favourite of the two - it continued to build on the political intrigue, but the romance really steps up which adds something to the whole story.

In this book we see Morgan become more of her own character. She’s feisty and I love the challenge she presents to those around her.

Draven is everything you need a male hero to be - hot, strong, commanding and protective. We learn so much more about him in this book which I loved and the dynamic between the two is amazing to read.

The introduction of new side characters and familiars really adds to this story and I loved these added elements.

There were so many plot twists in this story, that it really served to keep the mystery and intrigue going and the ending had me floored. I can’t wait for the next one…I need to know what happens.

Court of Claws

When you wake up, you expect to know where you are, even if you’ve been traveling. Well, Morgan Pendragon has no idea where she is, how she got here, why she can’t move or who the hell these people are in the room with her.

Once that’s figured out, there are a million more questions that need answers. Where did those horns come from? Why can’t she go home? Most importantly, she’s who?! And how old?!

Dive into this book knowing you know nothing of Camelot and Eskira, and be ready to be thrown for a loop. Morgan’s world breaks wide open and so much more information comes with it. On a journey of learning about herself, she also learns about Draven and who he really is-so she thought-as he battles his way to the Umbral Throne.

~spoilers~



I love how Morgan never backed down in this book-continuing on with her backbone from traveling before. Every time Draven wouldn’t give up information she pushed him harder and found ways around it. I hated how secretive he was with her and kept disappearing for training, but I loved the opportunity for Beks to come in and help her navigate the tunnels to get information. Usually it’s another love interest, and I love that there wasn’t another one, even when she’s angry at Draven. Beks was a great add to this story in a small way, and I was very sad to see him go in the end.

I was disappointed in the simple way Avriel died because he deserved so much worse! The whole third trial seemed too easy, and simple, compared to the first ones. I was also disappointed in the way Morgan left Draven, but that twist at the end with Lancelet was pretty out of nowhere! Can’t wait for book three, will be looking out for it on netgalley!
#courtofclaws #netgalley #fantasy #fae

There was so much fun action in this book! I was on the edge of my seat during the trials. The idea of “trials” wasn’t particularly unique but I thought the actual tests themselves were interesting. The author has invented some very cool creatures. I love the exmoors! And that ice wolf! And the harpies and creepy zombie children!

Morgan herself leaves me feeling a little apathetic. She grew on me during this book and she really opened up her heart to Kairos which I thought showed some real growth. There were times when she seems very immature and I want to tell her to appreciate Kairos! But also Kairos has lied to her like a billion times and, obviously, as the reader you can tell he sincerely loves her, but she has a legitimate reason to be mad at him. He’s very “I did this for your own good” but that’s not going to be a good enough excuse for our tough, independent MC.

The supporting cast is fleshed out well and I think these characters really help add to the story.

My biggest concern is that maybe the author is trying to do too much as far as plot goes?? I actually kind of forgot about the whole Camelot part until the end! I’m wondering the author will be able to wrap everything up in one more book or if there will need to be a fourth. Bottom line…I will absolutely read the next one and am looking forward to it!

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

What a cool sequel! Boleyn steps away from the Arthurian originals to develop her version of the fae and their Blood Rise for the crown. I enjoyed diving into this world, and I liked our new characters. This very much gave "Rhys' persepective of Feyre during her Trials" which was a nice vibe, although I think ending of <spoiler> Morgan having to step up was a little obvious and a little overdue. She had a lot of sitting and watching in this book. </spoiler>.

Morgan continued her streak of being simultaneously way too trusting and way too suspicious, picking and choosing her allies with all the discernment of a piece of chalk. She needs to sort herself out! Get some therapy, girl.

Also, Rychel is such a jerk!! <spoiler> I really liked her at first but she tricks Morgan into taking Draven's place without giving her all the facts and almost kills everyone. I kind of hope she dies in the next one. Really annoyed me. </spoiler>

<spoiler> Avriel's end was also a bit anticlimactic but that was acknowledged in the book and I do understand that even though he felt like the antagonist of this book, at best he was a distraction. </spoiler>

The ending was really fun! A little peek back at Camelot and a tease of more Arthurian myth to come. I'm definitely reading the next one! 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 for Goodreads.

The second book in the (Blood of a Fae series) by Briar Boleyn. Oh boy, reading this book was like being on thin, cracking ice. I didn’t know what was going to happen next or which character was going to implode – but not in a good way. I’m still struggling to get my head around it all, to be honest. There are a lot of trigger warnings that should be moved to the first page of the book, not the last!

I can appreciate where the author wanted to take this book. The idea behind the plot had potential but I think it was let down by the female protagonist, Morgan, and some questionable things suggested by the other male main character, Draven.

I’m a reader who does enjoy a well-written dark fantasy, I expected good things, but this book at times took it over the edge with how toxic the dynamics were between Morgan and Draven. I stuck this book out because I enjoyed The Queen of Roses (Book 1). I had some issues with Morgan’s character in book one, but you could overlook those flaws because of the strength of the plot and the interesting angle the author took on a re-telling of Arthurian legends – world-building was top-notch in book 1. Morgan’s character seemed to devolve in this book into the worst version of herself. Reading her felt like torture: I wanted to slap her and tell her to grow up. Yes, she was placed in an awful situation - lied to, forced imprisonment, and forced to endure deadly trials – but her behaviour turned me cold to her. I felt sorry for Draven being bound to her for the rest of their lives.

This scraps a 3-star review from me by the skin of its teeth because I do like Draven as a character, the world-building is generally good and while too extreme for me in parts, the plot could be engaging.

I absolutely loved Queen of Roses 🌹 so how did I like Court of Claws?
It was breathtaking, I might even think of it as a masterpiece ❤️ I just couldn’t put it down.

In the second book of Blood of a Fae series Morgan formes new relationships, learns more about her mother, her own past.
We follow Morgan and Draven to a new place, dangerous court where almost everyone seems to hate Morgan for who she is.
The story is perfectly paced, with many twists and important informations revealed.
I loved new characters, most of all Nightclaw. Can I have him in real life please?!
Draven must fight for his throne and for Morgan’s heart as well. He definitely should have said what was happening to her! I don’t blame her for freaking out. But maybe she has some trust issues? Well who would blame her after everything she’s been through.
And what the hell?! That ending was just spectacular. I need to read Empress of Fae asap. What will happen next and just how did that one person survive?

Vague and minor spoilers.
This book is...fine. The first in the series was also fine. I like the story and the world building. It is interesting. I do find the MFC to be a little hard to relate to. There are times where I do not understand why she is fighting the MMC so much. Maybe it is an over abundance of pride? Maybe it ia that she is finding it hard to trust and the fact that she is blindsided by some things fuels that? Idk. There were some plot holes that do not hurt the story necessarily, but kind of stick in your mind. One issue I have is that she never asks about the little girl after she wakes up. Just never does. She remembers her, but does not wonder where she is?I see it is a device so that that information and other information can be held back but that is annoying. The other thing, is that for someone who is so angry about not getting the whole story, she tends to let so many things just drop. "You would not believe me if I told you." Well try me, buddy. Just answer me.
Anyways, I am reading the third one when it comes our because even the very last part of this book does not answer the basic question, but how did you get from there to here and I want to know.

Words can not describe how happy I was to be reunited with the stubborn Morgan and the dreamy Draven! What a torturously slow burn…

I can’t believe how quickly I devoured this book. I mean, I actually CAN because it was just so good. Every second of Morgan and Draven….I soak it up.
I’m so sad the way the book ended between them, but I feel positive for the future.

Dark fantasy lovers? This book is for you.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for my access to this book, Court of Claws! I’m already eagerly awaiting the third book!!
will be sharing this review on my Goodreads account: https://www.goodreads.com/user/edit/profile/profile_url

"'You're going to die for the Umbral Throne?'
'No, I plan to live for it.'"

I had an inkling this book was going to be good but I didn't think it was going to be this good!

"I was done with being meek."

Court of Claws picks up right where Queen of Roses left off and readers are thrown into a world full of magic, mayhem, and sometimes, murder. This book was unputdownable and I found myself on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you are looking for a fantastical book filled with Fae, royals, political court scheming, dangerous trials, ancient wars, and romance then look no further!

"At times, I had wanted to kill this man.
And yet I couldn't seem to live without him."

I found Morgan and Draven to be much more interesting characters and I enjoyed watching them and their relationship develop over the course of this book. Readers will find themselves anxious to turn the next page and find out what happens next. After that cliffhanger I am now impatiently waiting for book 3 and can not wait to get my hands on it!

Court of Claws is the second installment in the Blood of a Fae series and begins where Queen of Roses left off. Morgan wakes up and discovers Draven has not been truthful with her and he's taken her to his home. She's thrown into a new world with a completely different set of rules than she's used to. Draven is determined for her to stay and she fights him every step of the way for her freedom. However, as she uncovers Draven's secrets, she starts to question if he's really as bad as she thought.

I enjoyed Court of Claws even more than Queen of Roses! In Court of Claws, we find out so much more about Draven and his past. You can't help falling for him when you discover everything he's been through and everything he's fighting for. He really cares for Morgan and I loved seeing their relationship progress. Morgan fought him as hard as she could but even she couldn’t deny the connection between them. The steam really heats up in this one.

At the end of the first book, I had a ton of unanswered questions. Thankfully a lot of those questions are answered and we learn more about the Valtain and Siabra history and more about Morgan’s lineage. Morgan experiences a lot of change and I'm excited to see what she does next!

The first few chapters seemed slow to me and it took me a while to get through them. However, once the competition started, the book picked up and I flew through the rest of the story. I really liked the side characters (especially Beks). I enjoyed seeing how Morgan's relationship with them evolved over the book. Hopefully we get a lot more of them in the next book.

I have so many more questions after finishing this book and I'm counting down until the next installment comes out!! I’m really enjoying this series and recommend it if you’re a fan of fantasy romance!

Thank you, Starwater Press, NetGalley, and Briar Boleyn for the ARC!

This is the 2nd book in the series and it is better than the first. It was really fast paced and kept me interested from the beginning.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC of Court of Claws from Netgalley for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

...wow. I'm not going to lie, my head hurts from this one.

Let me begin by saying that I did not finish Court of Claws. I tried my best, but it just wasn't meant to be.

It's been a while since I've read A Court of Thorns and Roses, but when you see it everywhere, it's hard to forget about it. And it's everywhere. I can hardly open up Instagram without seeing something about the series or anything else that Sarah J. Maas has written. The reason I mention this is because it's one thing to take a generalized plot and make it your own. That's literally what a writer has to do. It's another thing entirely to take a plot and redo it but perhaps forget to make changes and make it your own. There are some books I've read that are clearly inspired by Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series. That's fine. What's not fine is to plop her ideas and themes into your book, change some names, and mix up the setting and the magic a bit but leave all of the important details practically the same. I wouldn't have had a problem if this had been labeled fanfiction. But it's not, and so to take scenes, literal scenes, from a different series feels a lot like plagiarism to me. But maybe I'm reading too much into it. I'm not going to point out all of the similarities because that would take far too long, and I don't want to spoil the other series for those who haven't read it, but I was having a hard time reading Court of Claws as its own thing rather than fanfiction. (I noticed the similarities in the first book, but I thought I was reading too much into it at the time. This just took it too far.)

I honestly don't know what else to say. I didn't enjoy the characters. Morgan is ridiculous and has no agency still. Draven's just a jerk. And not a good jerk like everyone wants in their morally grey heroes. Just a plain old jerk. I wasn't invested enough in the rest of the characters to understand their part in the story or their motivations. I'm honestly surprised I read it for as long as I did. Perhaps 70%? I got pretty far. But the culmination of everything that was happening just wasn't doing it for me.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but unfortunately, Court of Claws was not my cup of tea.

I don't think I have the words to discribe how much I loved this book. Book 1 left us on a major cliff hanger and court of claws jumps straight into the action continuing the story of Morgan and Draven.

We meet lots of new characters, some to love (who can't love becs?) And some you will love to hate.

Filled with action and plenty of spice court of claws had me staying up late to read it. I got so invested in this world and its characters I rationed out the last few chapters because I didn't want it to end!

Briar Boleyn is one of those very special authors who can create worlds and characters so clearly that you can see them perfectly. They come to life.

If it was possible to give court of claws more than 5 stars I would. The only downside is I have to wait until November to find out what happens next in the Blood Of fae series.

Thank you to netgalley and Briar Boleyn for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

ARC Review of Court of Claws by Briar Boleyn
* * * * *
The second installment has you gripping tighter onto your kindle as this romance takes on a whole new world, faces bloody massacres, unravels secrets and takes on more creepy monsters.

Morgan's last memory before she woke up was filled with betrayal, carnage and the loss of a friend. Now, she is stuck with Draven, who has been lying to her from the beginning and now has her under his protection...in his homeland...in his kingdom...on another contenant!
Talk about issues.
Now, our heroine is thrown into a court with different rules and desires, where Draven has been hiding his past deeper than she realised she would have to dig. There is also the issue of the plague infecting the children of the lands, leading to more loss and disturbance.
With more on the line, and more of her heart to lose, how can Morgan get home to save her own people when Draven will not let her go?

Things got wild in the book! More friends, more drama, more enemies, more loses, more surprises!
The chemistry is finally starting to spark up between Morgan and Draven, and that poor guy has been through so much in his lifetime. Like, my dude! You poor sod! Now this craziness with Morgan and her need to save her little brother and her kingdom while trying to deal with the nastiness you pulled on her. Excited to see how you deal with it next. Loved how the author gave us different pieces of his past too along the book and not all at once. Draven did this to them, then this is why, and in addition...there is that too! Like, I wanna hug the guy!
I cannot wait for the third book especially after left with that cliffhanger and additional epilogue as we are given a long awaited character!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this arc.

4 stars / 5 stars

Things I loved:
Loved the complex relationship between Morgan and kairos
Loved the fantasy and romance
Morgan is so fierce!!!
Things I didn’t love:
The 1st one was a little more intriguing
The triggers - animal abuse and animal death

ᴀʀᴄ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ
ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴄʟᴀᴡs
ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴏғ ғᴀᴇ # 𝟸
ʙʀɪᴀʀ ʙᴏʟᴇʏɴ
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

•ᴅᴀʀᴋ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ
•ᴍᴏʀɢᴀɴ ʟᴀ ғᴀʏ
•ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ / ғᴀᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅs
•sʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ 🔥

➡️ᴄᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ғᴀɴs ᴏғ ᴊʟᴀ ᴀɴᴅ sᴊᴍ!⬅️

Man oh man was this book a fun ride! Thank you to Netgalley and BB for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review. This is book 2 in the blood of fae series and I enjoyed it a bit more than the first.

Give me sassy banter and a mysterious morally grey MC with a hidden love agenda any day. Add in trials, adventure, and the amazing exmoors (they’re so cool, I felt fourth wing vibes for sure) and I’m most definitely going to finish the series.

Morgan is still a bit immature for my liking and I’m hoping Draven figures his shit out in the next installment. But that slow burn 🔥 and eventually the explosion 💥 gahhhh

*** DNF at 35% ***
⭐ Characters – ⭐⭐⭐
⭐ Atmosphere – ⭐⭐
⭐ Writing – ⭐⭐⭐
⭐ Plot – ⭐
⭐ Pacing – ⭐
⭐ World Building – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐ Enjoyment – ⭐⭐.5

As a reader who was eagerly looking forward to Court of Claws, it pains me to say that this novel fell short of my expectations, leading me to mark it as DNF at just 35% completion.
The characters, while not entirely uninteresting, felt disappointingly familiar. It seemed as if the author took the same character templates from the first book, simply renamed and reskinned them for this installment. This lack of originality left me longing for more depth and development.
One of the most significant issues that contributed to my decision to put the book down was its abysmal pacing. At 35% into the story, very little had actually happened in terms of plot and character relationships. Instead, the majority of the pages were dedicated to descriptions of rooms, palaces, and creatures. While world-building is essential in fantasy novels, it should not dominate the narrative to the detriment of the plot and character development.
I couldn't help but feel that the author was trying to incorporate too many tropes into the story, resulting in a cluttered and disjointed experience. The lack of focus on progressing the central narrative made it difficult for me to form a connection with the characters or become invested in their journey.
The prose had moments of elegance, but it struggled to hold my attention due to the overall lack of direction in the plot. The potential for a richly imagined world was there, but without a compelling story to anchor it, the world-building fell flat.
As a fan of romance novels, the "Fake Relationship," "One Bed," and "Tortured Hero" tropes held promise for an engaging romance arc. Regrettably, these elements were overshadowed by the slow pace and lack of character development, leaving the romance feeling lackluster and underdeveloped.
In conclusion, Court of Claws had potential, but it failed to live up to expectations. The lack of progress in the story, the underdeveloped characters, and the overly descriptive world-building contributed to my decision to discontinue reading. While some readers might find enjoyment in the book's unique aspects, for me, it resulted in a loss of enthusiasm for reading. Perhaps I may revisit the book at a later date to see if the story improves, but for now, it remains a regrettable disappointment.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This is the second book in a series. You HAVE to read the first book to understand or even be interested in this one.

Everything Morgan Pendragon knows and loves is gone as she wakes in the dangerous court of the Siabra. The man she was falling in love with is dead, and in his place is a man she barely knows. Surrounded by liars and knives in the dark, all Morgan wants to do is run the other way but Kairos Draven is determined to keep her by his side.

As Morgan and Draven's lives become even more irrevocably entwined, little do they know the sins of the past are coming for them both…

Ok, so this book was better than the first, and I really liked the first book! This book picks up almost exactly where the last left off and we are thrown right into a competition for the throne and the angsty, slow burn, enemies to lovers romance of Morgan And Draven. I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I want to thank Briar Boleyn, Starwater Press and Netgalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion of this book.

I really enjoyed this sequel. We finally learn more about Kairos, and discover a secret about the world created by the author.

I liked the new characters, who bring a lot of humor and a sense of family.

I really enjoyed the exchanges and moments between Morgan and Kairos and the evolution of their relationship.
Lots more intrigue and action in this book. I'm pleased with the evolution of the book's romance after being frustrated by book 1.

The end of the book shocked me! I didn't see a twist coming and can't wait for book 3!

I give this 3.5⭐️

I’m a sucker for an enemies to lovers. Especially after the slow burn from book 1. The spicy praise was a nice touch too 😉

The plot twist was definitely a twist. Wasn’t expecting that one. I do feel like trial 3 was a little too easy though. In the words of Kairos Draven “it was over too soon, wasn’t it?”

I am intrigued by what happens next. Our girl Morgan is slowly blossoming into her own skin and badassery. Stubborn for sure, but I’m here for this character development.

I will definitely be reading book 3 in November. I’m hoping Morgan faces ALL of her family members *wink wink* and of course I’m team Draven. She can’t deny him!

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater press for the eARC as always.