This was a first for me by this author. I love Draven dark and brooding! Pretty good world building and intro to this new world. Can't wait to get through the others.

Overall, I loved this book and so excited to read the second. I’m hoping there’s more development with the FMC throughout this series because she was kinda blah for me. A lot of potential there for sure though. Loved the MMC and can’t wait to read the next book because great cliffhanger at the end!!

This is one of the first dark fantasy books I have read. I really enjoyed it, even though everything the FMC goes through make it hard to read in spots. I thought it was well written. I am not sure this is a genre I could read often because I get too stressed with some of the horrible characters, but I’m glad that I read this one and I am about to start the next in the series. I am excited to see where this story takes us.

What a world to be pulled into!
The plot was great, the characters were wow, the world building pulls you right in. I thoroughly enjoyed this book a lot, and can't wait to start the next! Its pace was fantastic, I never found myself lost or questioning if I missed pages throughout.
If you are a fan of Fae books, and the stories of Camelot, than this is 100% a read for you.
This book is so going on my favorites shelf.

Thank you netgalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for allowing me to read this wonderful book as an ARC.

Dnf - I underestimated the trigger warnings. The part I read was fine. I wasnt a fan of the King Arthur retelling of it, so I dont think this would have been the book for me anyways

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars but ultimately feel it was a 4 star read. I loved the MMC so much 🫢 but needed MORE of him. Morgan annoyed me a little but I felt like her character just wasn’t fully developed.
I thought the word building was good without being overwhelming.
There is next to no spice which was disappointing because I thought it was going in that direction and then it swerved.
I thought it was paced well. I wasn’t bored or overwhelmed with action. I thought it was written well and I enjoyed the general storyline.
The ending was action packed and a major cliffhanger but it left me with so. Many. Questions. I’m excited to see where book 2 goes and the rest of the series.

Thank you NetGalley, Starwater Press and Briar Boleyn for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. 💗

Overall book: 4/5 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Starwater Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was certainly a slow burn and a lot of world building in the beginning, but it was so worth it to get to the middle/end of the book. There is very little spice until closer to the end of the book, but I believe the next book in the series has great potential for 🌶️! This book does leave on a cliffhanger and I am RUNNING to read the next one because I’m dying to know what happens next. Great plot and character development 👌

I really enjoyed this story once it left the story building behind. I felt like the author spent a lot of time building a lore that would have been more effective if woven into the story - which started happening about 1/2 through the book. I am looking forward to finishing the series and finding out how it ends. I also loved the twist of “white” hats & “black” hats.

Firstly, I want to thank Netgalley & Starwater Press for giving me a copy of this book to read and give a review for!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The arthurian retelling with fae and magic was a great combination I didn’t know I needed. I really loved the FMC as she developed her strength and discovered herself throughout the book. I really felt for her and for a fantasy character, she was relatable. The plot was strong and kept me wanting to know what happens next. The book was slightly predictable but not in a way that ruined the story. The slowburn was slowburning and I can’t wait to read on to see whats in store for the FMC and the MMC.

Not going to spoil anything but the ENDING! I’m going to need to read the next book ASAP!

Overall amazing story and a great beginning to the series. I can’t wait to read more!

This was a thrilling Camelot inspired story with fae, lost kingdoms, and magical creatures, I enjoyed the plot and see great things coming in the next book. The use of the original names such as Arthur and Lancelet was a nice touch, but there is tons of originality intertwined into the story that this did not limit the vibes. The journey to find Excalibur was slower paced, which came with many additional surprises, encountering magical creatures, new companions and many deadly threats—plus some banter and fun moments that balanced the dark side of this story well.

The world building was great, each new location came with fantastic descriptions from the author and the main MC, Draven, whose retelling of the locations history was a nice touch. The slow burn is slow AF, derailed by a weird “love triangle” vibe that was not my favorite. It did give the main FC, Morgan, a chance to learn more about herself, enjoy the journey more with a companion, and still continued the slow burn while getting some spice.

The ending was fast paced, which felt a bit rushed with the slower pace of the rest of the book. There could have easily been an extra 50 pages to draw out the end and give the reader a chance to catch a breathe and understand the full depth of what was happening. There are some questions left unanswered that are now ash (IYKYK) which left one of the side characters falling short and another unaccounted for. The cliff hanger was fantastic tho it left me eager to continue the series.

Thank you Briar Boleyn, Starwater Press, & NetGalley for the opportunity to read Queen of Roses.

This book is a fantasy read set in a world we have come to know well - Arthurian times but with a Fae twist
Here we have King Arthur as the villain and his sister Morgan is the heroine
She has been held back all her life , tormented and abused , unable to make her own decisions ....... she is sent on a quest by her brother with men who are meant to protect her , or are they .?
The Fae element of the story begins to raise tensions - how will she cope with the lies and mysteries that her 'blood' will come to reveal ?
This is a story of discovery , intrigue and slow burn romance - the plot has begun to expand , setting the reader up for the next book in the series .- I will say I am not a fan of cliff hangers .

Even though I found this book difficult throughout the first half it did pick up as the story progressed - I will have to read the next book in the series to see where Morgan's path takes her !
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Queen of Roses is an Arthurian retelling with Arthur as the villain (or at least as one of them) and Morgan as our protagonist. Morgan is best friends with Lancelet, a female knight, and Galahad, a pious man and future acolyte of the temple. Morgan is also promised to the temple, destined to succeed Merlin, the head priestess of the temple, on her twenty first birthday (one year from the time this book takes place), though she does not wish to follow that path. When she is sent on a mission by Arthur, she is accompanied by her last pick of guards, but leaving Camelot wreaks changes on her both physically and emotionally in ways that Morgan never expected.

The first in a four book series, this book has quite the task of world building, setting up the history and present of our protagonist as well as the world that blends Arthurian legend with fae fantasy. While the world building is effective, it does make for a very slow first half of the book. The second half, when Morgan leaves on the mission, is where the plot really picks up, and where I started to actually enjoy the story.

There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending, and the slow burn romance is incomplete in this book; both of these things lead readers to want to dive into the second book in the series. Based on the first half of this book, I was not planning on continuing, but the second half drew me in enough that I would be interested in reading the rest of this series

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for the ARC!

I have long loved the stories of King Author and Camelot. I have read many versions. This sits them all upside down. Author is evil and Morgan is good. This book is so well written and holds your attention. It is a page turner and I read it straight through. Now quickly on to the next book. Hope the series is this good.

So far I’m enjoying this take on the legend of Excalibur. Morgan is a half-fae princess who was passed over for the throne because of her heritage. She’s content to let her father’s second wife’s bastard son, Arthur, rule, and take her place as successor to the high priestess, Merlin - until her brother sends her off on an impossible search for the mythical sword Excalibur.

Although the book got off to a slow start, and I wasn’t sure at first if I’d enjoy it much, I was fully invested by the end. The characters are complex, the story dramatic, and although some of the twists were unsurprising turns of events, other came as a complete surprise.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this book which is sad because romantasy books are my favorite genre. It just felt like it was trying too hard to be like other books (ACOTAR OR FW) and in doing so failed to capture what makes those books special (an original story and style of writing). I'm not going to be reading the next one and I wouldn't buy it or recommend it to others.

good book. very slow beginning, but picked up by the end and i will definitely be reading the next book in the series to see where it goes.

In a sea of Romantasy novels that are dominating the fantasy marketplace, Briar Boleyn's does not stand out. From a cover and concept that's as generic as can be, this book promises "the worldbuilding of ACOTAR" and the "banter" of FW, it falls flat on almost every promise. For all their faults, it's understandable why the above titles succeeded so swiftly in their genre-- at the time, they were new and different, but I believe that there are readers (myself including) that have moved on and are craving something more than the next knockoff. While there were some interesting concepts thrown around--for example, the interwoven Arthurian mythos--there wasn't enough to keep me from rating this one much higher. The writing was simple but not strong; the characters were there but flat; the plot was decently-paced but trite. I really wanted to love this one as Romantasy has become a staple aspect of the fantasy genre, but if you're looking for something new, this is not it.

A great start to the series, following some of my favourite elements of the fantasy genre. Similar vibes to A Shadow in the Ember.

Okay... found another author to add to my ADORE list. Just the right amount of betrayel, secrets, spice, fae and adventure! My emotions were definitely on a Rollercoaster ride, and I was left wanting more... and Draven... mhmmm.

Queen of Roses | Briar Boleyn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ .25

Book 1 of 4 in the Blood of a Fae series

Boleyn does an amazing job of making you feel immersed in her story. This Arthurian retelling had me invested right away. I loved that the Camelot-inspired world had a Fae twist to it. King Arthur is the villain in this story, with his sister Morgan being the heroine. Full of court intrigue and descriptive world-building. A slow-burn fantasy romance series that will suck you in quickly. I absolutely loved Morgan’s character. She was dealt a terrible hand in life and has been overcoming so much. Sheltered, tormented, abused, and unable to make her own decisions her whole life, she goes on a journey of self discovery and realizes she wants more for her life. Draven is the perfect overly protective morally grey MMC , with some good “who did to you?” moments. Book one does a great job of setting up the larger story for future books. Throw in great characters , fun adventure and lots of banter. I was shocked by all of the reveals and plot twists at the end of this book. I am so interested in seeing what happens next and can’t wait to find out how the story will unfold.

• Forced proximity
• Arthurian retelling
• Abused heroine
• Who did this to you?
• Love triangle
• Fae & Magic
• Plot twists
• Morally grey MMC
• Journey / adventure

Thank you @briarboleynauthor & @netgalley for this ARC !

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Now I just need to get my hands on the next book and dive right in