I was kindly given an ARC copy by Netgalley and Victory Editing. This book!!!! Man i was in a big slump but Briar just pulled me out of it single handed. It gave me vibes of The Serpent and Wings of night. Loosely based on Camalot and King Arthur. Slow burn, betrayal, "chosen one", a sprinkle of spice.... like really what's not to love. I am sprinting to buy the next book in the series. Read this if you're a NA Booktok girl who loves the "who did this to you" trope. I'm absolutely in love. Thanks again!

In a land where the Fae have nearly become only a legend and those who still posses even a morsel of the blood are few and far between, Morgan finds herself cast aside by most of society due to her rumored half-Fae lineage, including her brother, King Arthur. With the kingdom at the brink of war, Arthur entrusts her with a quest to retrieve a Fae weapon of legendary power: the sword of Perun, Excalibur. Accompanied by men she loathes, Captain Kairos Draven and Ragnar Whitehorn, she embarks on her long and unbeknownst perilous journey, only to find that things she once believed to be myth are in fact very real. With devastating twists, omitted truths, witty banter and fierce action, Queen of Roses leaves you begging to know more about the secrets of Aercanum!

Wow, wow, wow! Going into this story, I did not realize that it was going to be a retelling of Arthurian legend, especially not one with a fantastical twist! The unique spin almost gave me The Witcher vibes and I think adding Fae into the mix was quite interesting. I knew the basics of the legend but after reading this book, it has piqued my interest and makes me want to learn more about it. My attention was snatched as soon as I finished the prologue and I knew that I was going to devour this story. I truly enjoyed the gender swaps and even how Arthur was portrayed as villainous. Morgan’s past and even her parts of her present is absolutely heartbreaking, and I felt for her at times. I can only recall one other book that made me hate characters the way I despised Florian and Arthur, leaving me with my blood boiling and feeling disgusted. Even after finishing the book, Draven is still a mystery to me and I cannot figure out how to feel about him. I guess they just means that the author did an excellent job at conveying each character’s persona! The rich world building and imagery made it easy for me to visualize the places that the group visited along their journey. I am truly engulfed in this story and I cannot wait to see wait fate awaits Morgan and how the Fae will be even more incorporated in the next book!.

I started this book with little to no knowledge about the plot, characters, or style of romance.
Usually, I can dive right into a book & feel settled and excited.

However, the beginning took me a few days to start. I would read it, stop, put it down, and the next day try again. I think I reread the prologue more times than I would like to admit. At first glance, I thought, "Oh here we go again, a desperate mate bond - classic - the whole 'I can't live without you' trope" OH GOODIE. I felt the prologue was in itself a spoiler.

Queen of Roses offers a unique twist on the tale of Camelot and introduces readers to a mysterious protagonist whose journey of self-discovery unfolds in a world teeming with intrigue. While the book certainly has its merits, there are aspects that leave much to be desired.

What worked:

- The enigmatic allure of the main character is a standout feature. Boleyn skillfully guides us through the protagonist's exploration of self, mirroring our own journey of discovery. This intricate narrative approach adds depth to the character's evolution.

- Boleyn's imaginative reimagining of Camelot captivates the reader. Who doesn't love a good tale of the greatest legends of our time! By presenting a well-known hero as a villain, the author introduces a refreshing and thought-provoking perspective on the legendary realm. The gender swaps for well-known figures from Arthurian legends, and the subtle yet perfect name changes add flavour!

What fell short:

- The initial dialogue was a stumbling block, with its awkward and unnatural delivery disrupting the immersive experience. The attempt to make expressions "interesting" or "unique resulted in a jarring effect that may pull readers away from the enchanting world.

- While the reimagined Camelot is intriguing, the world-building feels incomplete. Key historical aspects are skimmed over or neglected in this new world, which leaves us as readers yearning for a richer context that would fully immerse us in the tale.

- The character depth and interactions left something to be desired as well. A more thorough exploration of the connections between the main protagonist and their companions could have evoked stronger emotional investment from the readers.

- The occasional spelling errors (kindle version) and peculiar phrasing momentarily detracted from the reading experience.

- The pacing suffered from abrupt shifts between plotlines, creating a rushed sensation that hindered the overall story flow.

- The character relationships at times felt contrived, particularly a sudden and unexplained shift from discomfort to trust, undermining the authenticity of their connections.

Despite its flaws, "Queen of Roses" manages to deliver an enjoyable reading experience for a nice rainy day. The tale is replete with unexpected twists, even if some prove predictable. Regrettably, the book's conclusion feels hurried, leaving the readers craving a more gradual and satisfying resolution. This leads me to my excitement for book 2 - and yes - I WILL BE READING BOOK 2.

Moreover, Vesper's character is...undeniably attractive. I am a sucker for a fae male with copper hair.

Queen of Roses offers readers an inventive spin on a classic legend, and I am looking forward to more adventuring with Morgan in book 2. A tale of mystery and magic, and while the book has its shortcomings, it remains a worthy read for those who seek a look into the "true" world of Camelot.

This book was very captivating by the beautiful cover and title. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review books and experience this. I enjoyed this book very well as it was so beautifully written and unique. I am excited for the second book!

I give this book 3 stars.

I enjoyed that it was fast paced and able to hold my attention.

I didn't enjoy the romance aspect of this book at all. It felt incredibly predictable with the two MC's, but also I felt like there was no build up between her and either MC. I do not know that I will read the next book.

Arthurian retelling with a fae twist
Slow Burn
Forced Proximity
“Who did this to you?”
Witty Banter
Dangerous Quest

Morgan Pendragon is the eldest sister of King Arthur, the cruel and unjust King of Camelot. She is the rightful heir to the throne but her tainted fae blood is regarded as a stain on the Pendragon name and she is denounced as the future Queen of Camelot. She is fed a vile concoction to supress any magic or special characteristics of her fae heritage.

Her despicable brother sends her on a mission to find Excalibur, the legendary sword that could win any war. Morgan has no choice but to go because the safety of her younger brother, Kaye’s life depends on her return with the sword. She also faces the horror of an impending forced marriage to a deplorable abusive stalker named Florian who is the son of the King’s close friend and adviser.

Arthur appoints Whitehorn, one Lord Agravaine’s men and Kairos Draven, a mysterious, dangerous hulk of a man to act as Morgan’s bodyguards. Although Morgan finds Draven attractive, they do not get along. Despite their differences Draven is very protective of the princess and will do anything to make sure she is safe.
The world building was fantastic and I loved the characters. Draven is excellent book-boyfriend material with a bad-guy / good-heart personality.

I feel that there could have been more heated moments between the two main characters but that cliff-hanger set everything up nicely for the second book.

I highly recommend this book for those who like fantasy books, retellings and amazing quests.
This book is a fast paced, action packed adventure that was an absolute thrill ride.
This book does have trigger warnings so please take note of that.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Morgan, the sister of King Arthur is part fae. Arthur is not the King one would imagine him to be and is leading his country to war and starvation. In order to escape his wrath Morgan has been tasked with finding Excalibur. With one gaurd she doesn't trust and one she despises.

While this book is a little dark and does boast a handful of trigger warning I really enjoyed how reflective it was. Morgan's choices were few and she did what she could to survive.

I was a little disappointed with how quickly she dismisses Draven's care of her and the feelings that start to grow.

I also wish that more of Morgan's magic were to develop. That she would actually want to develop that skill instead of hiding it.

I really enjoyed this book! Love a King Arthur retelling and this was a more dark fantasy take on it which is different and exciting. Loved Morgan and Lancelet so much. Their friendship was wonderful. The slow burn is slow burning and we love it. Jumping into book 2 immediately.

Queen of Roses is the start to what could be a epic journey!
Follow Morgan as she tries to survive her cruel brother the King. She is also on a self discovery hunt to find out what/who she is and the truth about her Mother!

I was entertained but some scenes didn't need to be as descriptive as they were, I'd like to stay in the action a bit more. I love the unconventional relationship developed between Morgan & Draven! This book is all about friends, adventure and risk , making the focus on the journey! I would definitely read the next book!

Enjoyed most of this book! Some parts made me go "why would anyone do that", but overall was entertaining.

This was really good! Definitely check your trigger warnings before reading this, but this was a really cool retelling of King Arthur with fea and magic. This has some spice and some pretty dark things happen. Really looking forward to diving into the next book and seeing more of this world. I really enjoyed her twist and some old characters and giving them to new life.

King Arthur meets fae. High fantasy story involving creatures, mysteries, and magic. Loved seeing Morgan figure out who she is. One hell of a cliffhanger and can’t wait to read the next book!

This was a really fun read! I finished the majority of it in one day. I was enjoying it well enough during part 1 but once part 2 started the story line really picked up for me! I love Morgan’s character as well as Dravens! My only complaint is that we didn’t get their romance which is what I was hoping we’d get into with each turn of the page! But I suppose that’s on purpose of a slow burn and so you can follow them into the 2nd book which clearly works very well bc I am dying to get to that. This was a very solid first book is a fantasy series as we all know can be hit or miss. It was very easy to understand and I loved the mixture of fae and royalty that give its a fairytale feeling! I recommend this book and plan to purchase physical copies to continue the series ❤️

Thank you to Briar Boleyn and Starwater Press for the ARC copy in return for my honest review

Briar Boleyn is a fantasy romance pen name of best selling author Fenna Edgewood it's my first time reading books from this author.

Blood of Fae is the first book in a loose Athurian Mythological legend retelling.
Morgan is the first born daughter, a princess whose throne was taken from her by her father and handed to her cruel and corrupt brother Arthur who is feared by his kingdom..
This is all because she is Fae, Morgan's life has been planned out for her a life she does not want.
When her distrustful brother sends her on a quest in return for her freedom she readily agrees although not fully sure he'll betray her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book I really loved the twist of the characters it made for a more interesting book, the world of Aercanum and the development of the characters, A fantasy romance with slow burn enemies to lovers with a love triangle (too slow for me but can see more development)
This book offers betrayal from family, forced proximity with fae and magic. I was exhilarated by the ending and look forward to book 2 Court of Claws.
Briar Boleyn has trigger warning list for readers which is very indepth.

I enjoyed this book. The author built a complete fantasy world and the characters were well developed. I did not feel like anything in the book was dragged out. It was another great fantasy with a retelling of an old story. I do plan on reading the second book of the series.

One item is the plot appears to be very similar in the first half to From Blood and Ash.

Additionally, it appears the majority of the book has every sentence or two as a paragraph. This is a stylistic approach but I was flipping through most pages very quickly.

I am so thankful to author Briar Boleyn for allowing me access to the ebook, Queen of Roses.

I enjoyed reading it!!! It's a great fantasy that is filled with many characters from King Arthur. But the way its done is completely unique and had me hooked from the very beginning. There were indeed a lot of characters introduced in the book but I didn't mind it, nor did it make for a confusing read. I felt it flowed very nicely.

The twist at the end was a tad predictable but it still earned a dropped jaw reaction from me.

I highly recommend this book!

This review contains spoilers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for gifting me an e-copy of this book!

This was an enjoyable read, but I did have some minor issues here and there. I felt there was a lot of namedroping and also some minor characters with to similar names which left me a little confused and bored. Some nice forshadowing (sprout of horns). And the killing of Florian was a nice twist. I know Morgan was under a charm with Vesper, but I did not feel at all convinced nor surprised by it. Felt it lacked a little more depth for her to like him that much. Also felt the LGBTQ representation was unnatural and forced with both best friends being gay. Nice ending and plot twist during the final chapters. But I was thrown off by the prologue, it felt off.


Overall rating: 3.5/5
Plot twists: 2/5
Build up: 3/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5
Ending: 4/5

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did so pleasantly surprised. It was very easy to read and the concept of it being in Camelot but human/fae I enjoyed. Got confused about the romance for a bit but after that cliff hanger…sign me up to read the next book. I appreciated the nice but of spice thrown in too!

This book lulls you into a sense of understanding where the storyline is going, and then takes you quickly down a new path.

The first part of this book was an easy, mostly casual read. Lots of lead up to conflict and slow burn, but then the last part of the book? God, I felt like it turned on its head and I was so consistently surprised by what I was reading! I couldn't put the book down and stayed up far too late to finish it, and I'm really looking forward to starting the next one.

Reading how Morgan has learned to survive in her world is painful and relatable. Watching her rediscover her autonomy and allowing herself to go after what she wants was heart wrenching. I love her as a character and am excited to get back to her story - I'm picking up Court of Claws immediately after posting this review, I'm not even kidding.

First, I want to thank NetGalley, Starwater Press and Briar Boleyn for gifting me a copy of this book!

Briar Boleyn did an amazing job with Queen of Roses. I don’t know nearly enough about King Arthur or Camelot to really express how this fae version compares, but I really liked it and HAD to read the next book (even though it was 2am). I really enjoyed the first person point of view!

*potential spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!*
My favorite characters had to be Morgan and Draven. Their banter and the tension between them is so obvious (I ship them so hard). I really loved how complex Draven’s character was. He is this big, bad knight from some far away countryside who has seamlessly wiggled his way into the role of Captain of the Guard. I truly believe he is a cinnamon roll MMC. Morgan is an interesting FMC, and has experienced her own trauma that has shaped who she is and how she behaves. It broke my heart hearing how she witnessed her mother die, but I wish she gave herself more opportunities to do and want things for herself.

I really loved the plot. It did take some time to really get to the peak of the plot, but the world-building and character dynamic development was so so important to really shape the feelings I felt as a reader. When it did pick up, I was hooked and could NOT stop reading. It was fast-paced and there were so many twists. I did anticipate Vesper’s twist, but I had ALWAYS hated him. He felt slimy to me! BUT THE CHILDREN?!?! I was NOT expecting that at all.

The book ends with multiple questions left unanswered and a cliff hanger that really made me want to read Court of Claws. Who is Morgan really??? Who was the little girl??? Are they BONDED now?!?! *screams*