3.5/4 out of 5.
This book surprised me! I’m not as familiar with King Arthur/Camelot myths and stories so my husband filled me in on some of where the inspiration came from but i have to say- I enjoyed this take on it! The book was a bit darker than I thought it would be (not a bad thing!) because I purposely didn’t read the trigger warning list to avoid spoilers. This book had some of my favorite tropes/elements as well
- who hurt you?
- traveling with the grumpy begrudging “guard” and oops there’s only one bed ;)
- female main character who is about to become a badass!
- magic, fae, and creatures
- mystery and betrayal (out my heart!!!)

I liked that I was surprised more than once with where the story went and I’m excited to see where it goes. Big ACOTAR/From Blood and Ash etc.

More review coming on Instagram and TikTok 7/2/23

Queen of Roses was terrific! From the world-building at the beginning to the relationship between Draven and Morgan, this is one of the year's best fantasies!

One of the best characteristics is the pacing of Morgan's maturation into her proper form (part-fae). As a reader, I felt her struggle, and as she learned, I learned with her. I loved turning every page and wanting to find out the "mystery" of her life with Morgan. By the end, I had a complete picture of what happened without it being directly said to me. That's one of the things I enjoy as a reader. Morgan, as a character, was also relatable in many aspects. The banter and her inner thoughts made me laugh. It was great having slight moments of comedic relief when there were a lot of dark themes within the book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as a whole. I loved the slow-burn romance. The twists were incredible! I wanted to start reading the next one as soon as I finished! Thank you to Starwater Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this masterpiece.

I am OBSESSED with this book. King Arthur retelling with fae? Yes please! This was such a fast, enjoyable read with many twists and turns that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. If you like enemies to lovers, slow-burn romance, one-tent trope, "who did this to you?", great banter, quests, and magic you will love this book.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. It was easy to read, it kept my attention, and had the classic slow burn that I love so very much. There were a few bits here and there where it dragged, where the writing felt a bit much, but it didn’t interrupt the overall story. The final reveal at the end gave me very much the end of From Blood and Ash and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone - the like massive worldbuilding reveal that leaves you like what the heck just happened. I’m gonna start the next book right now!

Morgan is rumoured to carry the tainted blood of the fae so she is promised to the goddess. She is commanded by her brother to seek out a fae weapon and she seizes the chance to escape. She meets a group of outcasts and finds love and friendship along the way....

It reminds me so much of Arthur and Camelot. Great characters... love the camaraderie especially. Terrific plot.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Draven, what!!! The ending! I need answers.😱 I don’t know if I want to yell or cry lol. Love when a book gets me in all my feelings. Can’t wait to start the second book today! But let’s start from the beginning.


What a prologue!🤯 I was hooked so fast! “There has always been blood on my hands, one way or another”

The book starts with Morgan hearing her parents having a conversation and her mom confronting her dad about him cheating. What a horrible thing for a 5-year-old girl to hear and see at such a young age.

Then, we jump to 15 years later. With Morgan being half Fae and her father’s hatred for them. He sidelines her and has her younger brother Arthur become king.

Being an unwanted princess isn’t the life anyone would want to live. Morgan goes through so many different things that just keep knocking her down but she never gives up. Their strength and her heart are always in the right place.

Let’s talk about the dreamy, sexy Kairos Draven. They bumped into each other a few times and do not like each other. But when Kairos noticed her bruises and how protective he was over her for wanting answers to what happened. I knew right there, that he was going to be perfect for her.

I don’t want to give too much away. You have to order this book! I read it straight for hours and could not put it down. I loved how well-written the book was. I’ve read a lot of books and the words spoke to me. Putting attention to detail is very important and the author knocked it out of the ballpark with her use of language.

The retelling of Camelot and Excalibur was really cool and I loved how diverse and different it was. Especially the gender twists. It gave it a whole fun vibe. This is the type of fantasy book that I love!


Thank you to NetGalley for the EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared on my Instagram (@Alexandriavwilliams_) shortly.