Thank you to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and author Briar Boleyn for the chance to read and review Queen of Roses.

I did really love the idea behind this story. I absolutely love retellings of legends and fairytales. Queen of Roses did really well entangling Camelot into this story. What I absolutely loved was the added bonus of fae and mortals! The world building was very well done and I felt transported into Morgan’s world!

I did not love the inexperience and submissiveness of Morgan. She has been through a lot, I was really hoping for major character growth from her. If you are looking for more spice, this may not be your book, keeping my hopes up for book two because I really loved this book. I just needed more from it. I can’t say the same for our bodyguard, morally grey MMC.. he is amazing, and I adore how much he actually cares for her.

Tropes I loved about Queen of Roses:
Broody MMC
Mythical Beasts
Adventure
Touch her and die
Who hurt you
Forced proximity
Guard/princess

This is one of those books that I could not put down! Action-packed, new with a dash of nostalgia (Camelot, but make it with fae), physical and emotional adventures, betrayals, and as promised....it's dark.

We get to meet Morgan, our half-fae, former heir to the throne, and naive-but-you-love-her FMC. This FMC is forever being shoved into decisions that are made for her and pretty much always coming up with the short end of the stick, yet she perseveres. She tries to take control where she can. I love her because everyone has tried to break her, but she still cares, she still has hope, and she still tries.

Morgan is put on a mission to retrieve Excalibur by her evil brother with a mysterious stranger who rose through her brother's ranks curiously quickly.

This story was everything I didn't know I was missing out on and I wanted to keep reading more about Morgan to see what would befall her next and how she would take those situations.

I cannot express how much I adore this FMC. She is kind, but not stupidly so, but she does try and defy where she can because of everything else in her life.

This story is so well written. There is a big, complex world to unfold here. We are bringing in Camelot, mythology lore, the world of the fae, horrible family dynamics, impending war, and some pretty big personal revelations. The world building is done gently and in chunks so it feels gradual and natural rather than an info dump at the beginning.

Overall: highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review.

“Queen of Roses” by Briar Boleyn was an unexpected twist on Arthurian Fantasy!

I really liked several of the characters (especially Morgan and Lancelet) and was impressed that the author took the time to describe and “show” each character so the reader could really get to know them. Unlike some other newer fantasy stories I’ve read, the world-building in this book was thorough, and the story had a great flow with lots of action, mystery, romance, and surprises. I couldn’t finish this book fast enough and am now onto Book 2 of this series. I highly recommend this book for older teens and adults who are looking for a great fantasy series with strong characters, plot, and world building!

I absolutely loved this series! This first book had me hooked from the start, the characters are so lovable which just builds more & more through each book. I’ve loved reading them one after the other and spending each day with them. Definitely recommend to all romantasy fans!

I happened upon this book and was extremely happy when I was accepted to read it, so thank you!

Learning it was a twist of Arthurian retelling with some fae…. I swooned today the least!
It was action packed, full of dark romance, slow slow burn romance and the epic fantasy while we follow Morgan’s journey of self discovery, and all of the twists and turns that set the stage for the future installments. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Look, I am a bit sick of books being promoted as the next ACOTAR or the next FBAA. It is a cheap way of selling your book I feel, and it just creates expectations. I have also grown out of those two series a bit, I feel, or maybe I'm just a bit sick of seeing books getting compared to them all the time.

I get why they do it here, its a fantasy book with romance and spice, with banter, a deep worldbuilding, a handsome love interest... But its also its own unique thing? Its a King Arthur retelling, for one!

My lower score is probably because I barely read any romantasy lately. I used to love the genre so much, but I fell off a bit. Idk why, it might come back!

Thank you, NetGalley & Starwater Press, for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was fantastic! I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series. I liked nearly everything. The characters were beautifully crafted, and I found myself loving (most of) them. I enjoyed traveling around Eskira with Morgan and Draven<3. The book had a "slow" start in terms of worldbuilding, but it was still engaging with plenty happening. Once the journey began, I couldn't put it down and was never bored.
A doomed love, a dangerous mission, and a kingdom on the brink of war... A cast-off princess... Born into a life of duty and sacrifice, Morgan Pendragon’s destiny has never been her own. Rumored to carry the tainted blood of the fae, her birthright is stolen from her as a child. Growing up in the shadow of her brother, the king, she is promised to the goddesses upon coming of age. When her brother commands her to seek out a legendary fae weapon, Morgan seizes the chance to break free from her fate.A dangerous temptation... On her journey, Morgan joins a group of outcasts led by a dark and enigmatic warrior whose sharp wit and fierce beauty captivate her. As Morgan wrestles with her desires and duty, she and her new comrades face dangers beyond their wildest nightmares. A slumbering kingdom awoken by blood...Long believed to have vanished, a fae kingdom dreaded by mortals rises again, intent on reclaiming what was lost through violence and bloodshed. As the fae world’s secrets unfold, Morgan realizes that her own blood carries a greater threat than she ever imagined.

This book was a bit slow to start but I’m not sure if that was just me. Overall, the worldbuilding was interesting as well as learning about all of the main family characters. I am hoping that the fmc develops better as the series goes on but overall this was very fun and I am excited to see where it goes!

I ended up listening to the audio book for this which I normally don’t do for fantasy books so that could have swayed part of my opinion on this book. I enjoyed the world building. It wasn’t over done by any means and I really enjoyed the main male character. I feel like he’s going to be a good book boyfriend.

However. I didn’t really enjoy the female main character. I found her slightly annoying and immature but I think she has potential. Her little fling with another male character was ehhhh for me. It didn’t help that I didn’t like the voice of the girl who did the audio book.

I think for me there wasn’t enough action or excitement to warrant 4 stars but the ending definitely left me with a lot of questions. Which will likely lead me to continue on with the series!! I think it set the stage for the second book to be a lot more interesting. Fingers crossed!

I’ve been obsessed with fae books after a court of thorns and roses. The world building was done well and it was a quick page turner.

I really enjoyed this one, it was a great retelling of King Arthur from an angle I have not seen explored yet.

I did really like the main character Morgan, although she was very naive, and made for an unreliable narrator which at times was frustrating.

There is enough action that I never felt bored reading it, and I am already invested in the next part of the story!

It is marketed as a slow burn romance and this is sort of taking slow burn to the level of almost watching paint dry (at one point I had even given up with the idea they could be more) I can see the potential of it though and would be intrigued to see where the plot heads next.

WOWOW!!! What a fantastic debut novel from Briar Boleyn.

I have never read any fantasy retellings of Camelot, King Arthur, and Excalibur so I was SUPER excited to get my hands on this one.

What I loved:
🗡️ the premise
Camelot, King Arthur, Lancelot, Galahad, Morgan Le Fay, and Excalibur with some gender twists… and why not make them FAE
🗡️the world building and magic and lore
super original lore alongside a great story and very natural world building with some awesome magic
🗡️ nail-biting, stomach-dropping, fear-inducing, heart-pounding action and plot twists
🗡️spice 🌶️
The romance was slooooow burn and honestly it kinda took me by surprise (IYKYK) but it picked up nicely a little over halfway through and she set it up to be super spicy for the next book!
🗡️ good for her moments 💪🏼
Because, yes, he usually deserves it
🗡️ banter
You cant go wrong with enemies to lovers in a one-tent trope 😉
🗡️ the descriptions and imagery
I was totally transported to Camelot and all the other places along the FMC’s quest
🗡️inclusion
Tons of sexualities and races represented
🗡️ A REALLY CUTE SIDEKICK 🐯
(I need 20 exmoors delivered to my house immediately)

🤷🏻‍♀️ My only “criticism” is that the FMC sometimes wondered about things or didn’t see things that were fairly obvious to me. But truthfully I don’t even care. This was an amazing book and it’s getting all 5 stars.

✨ I only wish I knew more about Arthur and Camelot because I’m sure there were so many amazing connections I missed. I recognized some of the names but will have to look them all up after I finish the series!

⚠️ Trigger Warnings ⚠️
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There are so many 😂
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May contain spoilers
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- alcoholism
- domestic abuse
- watching a parent die as a child
- biases and speciesism against fae
- misogyny
- execution of a child
- death in childbirth
- insinuation of rape (none actually occurs)
- abuse and bullying
- homophobia
- murder of children (off page)
- violence and murder
- beheading
- enabling of abuse
- victim blaming
- hunting of endangered species
- physical abuse from father (on page)
- animal on animal violence
- public whipping (off page)
- hanging (off page)
- tyranny

3.5 stars. i read this one a couple of weeks ago and forgot to write a review! i remember being really confused most of the book. the first 50% i was a little bored, but i did enjoy the last half. i unfortunately didn’t like the fmc, she was really naive and she even felt a little dumb sometimes🫠 but i can say, since i’m 70% into the second book, i like her a lot more in the second one

Thank you to @briarboleynauthor @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Queen of Roses (Blood of a Fae, Book 1).
This is a dark romantasy Arthurian retelling with a Camelot theme. It follows Morgan on her quest which I enjoyed to a great extend. It was great to have a slower world building because you're able to grasp all aspects of it. It's definitely a slow burn but trust me, you will not regret it if you keep reading.
There's forced proximity, magic, fae, plot twists, adventure and you'll be on roller coster ride.
Make sure to check trigger warnings and I'm eager to find out what occurs next!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

3.5 ⭐️ Okay this was way better than I expected! A fun fae twist on the lore of King Arthur. I just wish more happened in this book, and that we got to see some more romance scenes happening. I’m keen to read book 2 as I’m thinking it may have more of the action and romance that this one was building up to. I feel like this series has great potential!

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for sending me a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun spin on a beloved story of Camelot, Arthur, and those that dwell in his shadow. Easy to read, curiosity of where this story is going, despite a certain level of predictability.

Utterly addicting, I can’t wait to dig in to book two!

I absolutely loved this book, it had all of the things I love dearly in a book: magic, finding your inner strength, and a smoking hot assassin!

Thank you #netgalley for this book! #queenofroses is highly, HIGHLY recommended by me :)

By the Three! I don't think there are enough words to describe Briar Boleyn's book Queen of Roses! This book, while slowly leading up to the second book in the Blood of A Fae series, has everything to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. And the emotions Ms. Boleyn uses, the reader is right next to the characters, feeling all of the self doubt and uncertainty the main female character feels throughout this book though she tries so hard to hide it by acting brave in parts by playing the role of princess she was born into, though it's obvious that's not a role she's comfortable with.. Queen of Roses will keep the reader up all night, begging to know how the book ends. Just make sure you have book two handy.

This was an enjoyable fantasy read. I love me a world with Fae, villians who might actually be the hero and heros that might be the villian, or just generally morally gray characters. This definitely gave me that. Some fun gender swaps on your typical Arthurian characters, and a very nasty King Arthur (hate that guy!)

Thank you, NetGalley, for sending me a copy for review!

I really liked the premise of this book, but for some reason, I really struggled with getting through it. Part of it I think is because the plot moves very very slowly that I had a hard time getting invested in it. I love that we're getting a different kind of King Arthur retelling, but I feel as though the world-building was a little too long and tedious. I wasn't at the edge of my seat until the last few pages, and I think a lot of the middle could have been much more condensed. Overall, I still really enjoyed the story and will eventually move on to the next in the series!