The writing is overly descriptive taking you away from the story at hand. I am not a fan of prologues and didn't think it did anything that couldn't have been woven within. The same goes for the first chapter which is a flashback.

The premise of the story is really interesting with the arthurian elements and a touch of Fae magic. Our main character is half Fae but knows little about this part of herself because she represses it with tonics, so the journey isn't just about finding Exalibur and also includes some self discovery.

There is a lot of set up before the action so it takes a while to get into. Although it was quite interesting the pace is lost through long internal monologues from the main character which I felt could have been cut down.

The ending was interesting but felt rushed. I could see the cliffhanger being set up but I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters journeys in a way that would make me pick up book two.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this arc

This book kept me wanting to pick it up and thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it. The story flowed really well and made me want to pick up the next one asap!

An amazing great fantasy romance, I'm surprised i down hear more about this book. Its a promising start to a fantasy series, looking forward to the next.

I received a copy of Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn from NetGalley. This is the first book of the Blood of the Fae series. It is a dark fantasy romance novel that immediately intrigued me. A discarded princess, Morgan must go on a journey to find an item for her brother, accompanied by Kairos Draven.
Morgan is a half-fae and half-human princess, heir to the Camelot throne. Then, her father removed her from the succession line because of being half-fae and promised her to the temple of the Three. Kairos Draven is a mysterious new entry in the royal guard. There is not much we know about him for a while. Morgan has two half-siblings, Arthur and Kaye. She feels out of place in her family and her choices taken away by her father from a very young age after losing her mother. Arthur chooses Morgan for a mission and Draven to accompany her on this journey.
This book is a take on the Arthurian tale with fae and dark fantasy. It took me some time to understand how things worked in this world. It blends the world of Camelot we know, with this fae fantasy world seamlessly. Some things are familiar yet completely new. It is one of the things that I loved in the book is the setting and then the characters. It keeps the fantasy elements in the center in a grounded way.
Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is the first book of the Blood of the Fae series. It has a fascinating fantasy world, a retelling with fae, and interesting characters. I enjoyed reading this book. I had to force myself to stop reading and sleep. I can't wait to read the following books and explore this world and these characters more.

The slowest of slow burns in the best way possible. Loved the build up between the characters. Plus, sprinkle in enemies to lovers and amorally grey MMC and it's the perfect mixture for a great book!

I really enjoyed reading this story and can't wait to devour the rest of it. Well written and twists and turns that draw you in and hold you close.

Morgan Pendrath is a baddie. But she’s being repressed by a tyrannical king, her younger brother. When he tasks her with something pivotal to his success, she doesn’t shy away.

Pretty things have a tendency to get claimed by men. Getting carved up by a man to show others who you belong to? That’s some savage nonsense but she’s not taking it lightly and gets her revenge.

Enter a mysterious captain to protect her on the quest?? Yes, please. I love a morally grey, who did this to you MMC. Draven is sooo that man. He’s so elusive in his interactions with Morgan.

Magical people and creatures join them on their quest but really things go sideways kind of quick.

This story ends on a cliffhanger but it’s so worth it!

First off, thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Queen of Roses follows Morgan Pendragon, who’s grown in the shadows of her brother because of the tainted fae blood in her veins. Now that her kingdom is on the brink of war, she is forced on a journey to seek out a legendary weapon that’ll save them from their doom…

I really enjoyed this book! I thought that the main storyline was fun to follow and it had enough details to envision it in your head. The only thing I didn't enjoy was that the slow burn was SLOOWWW. I needed more and faster!

I hate how I didn’t read this book sooner. At first, I had a lot of prejudice against it, I just thought it was any other cliche fantasy book. But I truly adored it.

The classic elements were mixed well with an original story. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a King Arthur story with a female lead. That’s just so cool. The classic elements one would look for in a fantasy story was there, but the author’s beautiful writing made it not so boring and as if it’s been done before.

My only issues were I believe faeries. I feel like people just throw in faeries into any work recently where they’re not necessary or adds anything to the story.

Such a stunning dark fantasy! This is a Camelot/King Arthur retelling in a dark fantasy world with Fae!!! That was the selling point for me and it had me intrigued! I enjoyed it a lot, it was definitely dark but leaves you wanting more, seriously the slow burn had me begging for more by the end! This is a new-to-me author but I will definitely keep reading this series and keep up with the author for more!

This book was interesting to start but I decided to DNF. It lost steam and I couldn’t force myself to continue. Thank you for the opportunity to read this though.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I am all about Camelot and their tales. This is kind of a twisted version of that. Morgan is feel like she is casted off because her brother is king. I don't want to give away too much. I love the interaction of the characters and the adventure. Even the training scenes that took place. I want to see what comes with the rest of the books. I thought it was all about the journey. I did take a little to warm up to Morgan in the beginning, but she just trying to find her own Legacy.

Thoroughly enjoyed! I did not know much about this author or this series before starting but love that it's a reimagining of the legend of King Arthur. Many twists and turns as we voyage with Morgan though the task given to her by Arthur. Some unexpected betrayal, suspected romance, and a wealth of lovable, sometimes challenging, characters.

Omg this book was absolutely amazing! I can’t believe it took me so long to get to it but once I started it I had to keep reading until it was finished! I need the next book asap!

Thank you, @netgalley, for providing the ARC of this book. It has been sitting on my digital shelf for a while, and I decided to try reading it this week. I could not have imagined how much I would like it, and I ended up binge-reading it for two evenings straight.⠀
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Morgan Pendragon, a princess with fae blood, faces a tough situation involving doomed love and a dangerous mission that could lead to war. Despite being born into a life of duty, she seizes a chance to break free when her brother, the king, asks her to find a powerful fae weapon.⠀
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The book follows the journey of the main character, Morgan, from her very young age to her current days, providing an understanding that her life was never good, and she always struggled. Being the sister to the king doesn’t give her any benefits, and she tries to live a peaceful life within the allowed borders set by the king. Initially, she follows all the rules and expectations. However, with each chapter, new interactions with the characters bring Morgan to discover new facts about herself. I liked that the story was really slow, allowing us to unwrap each detail of her life and identity slowly without realizing it.⠀
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Her journey as a favor to her brother changes Morgan as a character gradually. The truth starts to unfold around her. The only drawback that annoyed me was that the truth was so easy for her to uncover, but she didn’t even want to try and maybe see for herself. I have never read an Arthurian retelling before, and this one fascinated me. The good ones are the bad ones, and vice versa. That was truthful and unique.⠀
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As it is a slow burn the whole time and the love triangle exists, it is as of now hard to say about the male main character something more than he is broody and mysterious (I loved it). The nice mix of a small portion of ACOTAR and FBAA with an Arthurian retelling gave this romantasy a special vibe that I am eager to follow in the next written books.⠀
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If you like the tropes:⠀
🖤Dark fantasy⠀
🖤Enemies to Lovers⠀
💔Slow burn⠀
🗡️Arthurian retelling⠀
✨Magic and monsters⠀

I loved the concept of this book, however I unfortunately couldn't get into it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this! I would definitely give this author another shot with other books that they write, but perhaps this one just wasn't for me.

"Queen of Roses," the first book in Briar Boleyn's "Blood of a Fae" series, is a really cool adventure into a world where magic, mystery, and danger mix together in a super interesting way. Boleyn tells a great story about the Fae, these magical beings, and their world filled with secrets and exciting stuff.

The story follows a young Fae who is trying to figure out the complicated world of Fae society, where queens rule and things can get pretty tricky. Boleyn describes this world with lots of detail, making it feel like a real and colorful place with magical creatures and cool landscapes.

The main character goes through a journey from being not so sure about things to becoming strong and confident. Boleyn creates characters that you care about and want to know more about. The way she describes things is like painting a picture with words, making it easy to imagine the fantastic world she created.

The story keeps you interested because there are surprises and interesting things happening all the time. There are twists in the plot, and you never really know what will happen next, which makes it fun to read. The book talks about important stuff like who you are, what you're meant to do, and the tough choices you have to make. Is not just a story about magic; it's also about love, secrets, and what it means to have power. Boleyn mixes together romance, political drama, and magic in a way that's exciting and easy to understand.

It's perfect for people who like fantasy stories with interesting characters, cool worlds, and a bit of mystery. If you want a fun and magical adventure, this book is a must-read!

5⭐️
ARC

Morgan Pendragon’s life has never been her own to control. Morgan was originally supposed to be queen of Camelot, until it was rumoured that her blood was tainted with the blood of the fae and her birthright was stolen by her younger brother Arthur. So Morgan was then promised to the goddesses, that is until her brother tasks, or more likely threatens, her with finding a fae weapon of legendary power. Morgan’s travel companions can’t be trusted, especially the dark haired man that seems to have too many secrets and keeps her heart racing.

You should read Queen of Roses if you like dark fantasy romances, retellings, slowburn, enemies to lovers, tension, banter, forced proximity, “touch her and 💀” and found family.

TW: SA, homophobic comments, death, domestic abuse and many more, please read the full TW before reading.

I seriously ate this book up. I LOVE Morgan Pendragon ( or Le Fay), literally my favourite character in Merlin, so when I read that this was a King Arthur retelling forced on Morgan I was immediately interested. Morgan is a badass that has been put through a really HORRIBLE time (please read the TW!!) and she had finally found her way out of Camelot and hopefully will be able to take charge of her life. I can’t wait to see her take more charge of her life and really become the powerful character we all know she can be! Then Kairos Draven comes along most importantly see my Goodreads note at 27.0% "“Who? Who did this to you?” UGHHH I LOVE”. NOW this book is slowburn and I can’t wait to see how Morgan and Draven’s relationship will *hopefully* flourish in the next book. The author took a lot of time with the world building and its truly great. You can literally picture King Arthurs throne room like your standing inside of it. Also note that this book does end on a cliffhanger!! I have already received an ARC for the second book “Court of Claws” and I can’t wait to start reading it!

Thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for an advanced readers copy for an honest review.

So I am betting I am like most of the readers for this one. We grabbed it because of that last line. Great for fans of Holly Black, Jennifer Armentrout, and Sarah J. Maas. Well that was nothing but lies. This story had so much potential but it fell so short. From the characters being under development to the plot being a mess at times. I wish that I would have loved it. Because with some simple tweaks it would be amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Queen of Roses.

Sadly, I’m DNFing this 30% of the way in. I rarely do this (and never with ARCs) but her writing is so choppy that it’s distracting, the descriptions of rooms go on for pages and I just can’t make myself keep reading. The premise of the story is intriguing but the writing is just bad. I’ve seen comparisons to many other romantasy series that I love but I strongly disagree. This reads like a very rough first draft of someone who reads a lot of the same books I do and decided to see if she could do it, and unfortunately, it didn’t work.