Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

Oh boy. After really enjoying the first one, and being okay with the second one, this is a very disappointing end to the series.

There are some major, major flaws. A very big one being the choice of Anduril the belt being such a huge plot component. It was completely annoying and ridiculous. Aisling doesn't want to train to be a warrior, she puts on a mystical belt that a guy who was trying to kidnap her gave her, and then the belt thinks her husband is distracting and so forces her to forget him. This goes on for pretty much the entire book, and it's the stupidest thing ever. She could've just like tried???? The whole forgetting things seemed like a covenient way to attempt to rebuild relationship tension, but I genuinely can't imagine anyone enjoy the boring re-hashing of the first book.

Fionn is barely a character after he jump-starts all this ridiculousness and if you thought the plotline with Racat was going anywhere, you're wrong because we barely ever hear about him. Dagin the annoying is mentioned only once thank god, and Aisling's stupid annoying family is kept to a minimum.

Niamh is a terrible new character. She is completely un-understandable and not in a fun, chaotic way, just in a 0 consistency, clearly just doing whatever forwards the plot in the way Metzler wanted.

The ending is just stupid. So, so stupid, and I refuse to give it anymore thought than this <spoiler> how the fuck did they have a kid? </spoiler> Aisling's entire arc and idea of her own destiny is ruined and ignored. Also, <spoiler> they just abandon Annwyn off page?? They were fighting for two books to save it and they don't even seems to care that they've lost it? Huh???? </spoiler>

The first book wasn't great but it was intensely accessible and engrossing. This book just kept punching me in the face for wanting to enjoy it. I don't recommend, and what's worse, it renders reading the first book completely pointless. Don't bother.

One star.

I absolutely loved the first two books in The Aisling Trilogy, so I was excited for the third book. Once again, I was drawn into the plot from the beginning and remained hooked until the end, which is why I couldn't put the book down. There were a few things in the plot that I didn't like, but they didn't take away from my reading experience. I still enjoyed the book, although it was weaker than the previous two. I didn't expect the ending, and I'm disappointed that the trilogy ends this way. However, I understand what the author wanted to achieve. The world-building in these books was one of my favorite aspects as it was interesting, immersive, and refreshing. I grew to love the well-developed characters, which makes me a little sad in hindsight.

THE FOREVER QUEEN

2.75 /3⭐️ {Arc}
(ARC review) — Thank you to author Ashley Metzler and her publisher Second SkyPublishing. I received an Advanced Reader Copy for the May 2025 release of THE FOREVER QUEEN in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately this trilogy has dwindled in ratings. Bk1 was the best, then Bk2 middle of the road and this one was tough to finish. I only dud because it was the final book, an ARC and I felt I needed to see how it ended.

The first two books were good and then this final one had plot holes, really odd pacing and was disappointing.

I felt like everything good in the first two books was erased and we were reading an entirely different series. Very confusing. Wasn’t the way I expected this journey to end.

I really loved The Forever Queen. It started off strong and pulled me in right away. The world is magical and beautifully written, and Aisling’s journey kept me hooked from start to finish. The ending was unexpected, really interesting and emotional. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from Ashley Metzler.

The best fantasy read of the year, hands down. Cannot believe it’s over. Aisling and Lir you will have my heart forever. Beautifully written and so captivating, author did a phenomenal job once again.

Once again Ashley shows us just how amazing her world building and descriptive writing it. The visuals of the places they visit and the lush nature surrounding them are so vivid. I loved every description.

We return to the story where book two left off. Again the chemistry between Aisling and Lir is palpable. You can feel the yearning between them.

I enjoyed our favourite side characters back in the fold, however I don't think they played a big enough part. We also see an old face return and new leaders come into the story. Aislings horrid family are back again and you'll hate them more than ever.

I enjoyed the little quests they go on, we understand the history, relationships and choices made by people in the past a lot clearer.

However I did feel that this book wasn't favourite of the trilogy which for me is heartbreaking for a conclusion. I felt there were lots of plot holes. I had hoped that this would be a book where we see Lir and Aisling on the same page, more chemistry and a bit of spice, however we have a book that sees them yet again at constant odds with eachother.

I have conflicting feelings about the end. It is a bittersweet ending. I cried A LOT! That is a testament to Ashley's writing. She ripped my heart out. I read this book back in March and I've thought about the ending all this time and I've struggled to put into writing my feelings about it. I know people would have loved a happy ending tied up in a bow but on reflection part of me thinks actually I did like it the way Ashley did it. Boy, this series was an emotional rollercoaster!

We've been on such a journey with Aisling and Lir and the culmination, the vengeance they seek was put into three chapters and an epilogue which left me with so many questions. I also felt like Lir got a bit of a bum deal with the ending when he had already been through so much trauma.

That being said I do think the ending, as sad as it was, had a massive impact on me.

I have enjoyed this series immensely and I honestly can't wait to see what is next for Ashley. I'll be at the front of the queue for her next book!

Thank you to Second Sky and the author for the arc. This is my honest review of the book.

Book review: 2.5/5 ⭐️
Genre: YA romantasy
Themes: fae, prophecy, doomed lovers, power
📖 Read if you like: The Hurricane Wars, Kingdom of the Wicked

Aisling and Lir have declared their love for each other and set the world aflame. With the mortals having new powers and destroying the fae kingdom by kingdom Aisling searches for a weapon that will grant the Gods’ favour and hope for a future of her choosing.

I wanted to love this finale as I enjoyed the first two books in this series, but there were too many flaws in both the plot and characters. First off, Anduril felt like a cop out to l redo the love story and create tension. It was such a large magical concept to just appear and read as an irritating and unnecessary plot device in my opinion. I cannot figure out why Aisling would trust Fionn, or why she would so easily let go of her hard fought control over her own destiny. I found myself disenchanted with her as a character. She came across as power-hungry and self-centred, and smart is not a trait I would associate with her, so worthy also became questionable. This all powerful sorceress became helpless once again, and it was by her own making.

The whole journey to the Other and why it could save the Sidhe was also confusing to me. We were jumping all over time and space and it was tough to follow between the POVs. I also thought Lir and Aisling’s interactions were littered with stereotyping and anger. It all felt repetitive to book 1 and the belt situation dragged on for too long. With Aisling forgetting Lir, the romance became lacklustre, though Lir continued to shine in his devotion. I did find it a little odd that he no longer cared what happened to the Sidhe, which is the part of the story I was most interested in. And all those well developed side characters I adored from the first two books were no where to be seen. I also didn’t understand why the Lady gave power to the Fire Hand knowing he would use it to destroy the Sidhe, thereby fulfilling the prophecy herself. Overall, a minefield of pitfalls and contrived traps.

This just really missed the mark for me and I found it hard to read with odd pacing. I am a completionist and needed to see this series through. The last 25% of the book was the finale I was craving and it had a satisfying end to the series. Overall, I liked Metzler’s creative world and enchanting writing with the first two books really shining. While I will always adore Lir and liked many elements of this series, ending on a dud is always a bit disappointing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for this eARC.

In this third and final installment of the Aisling trilogy, we once again join our beloved characters for one last epic journey. I absolutely adored the first two books and these characters truly captured my heart. That said, I found the beginning of this book quite confusing. It dives heavily into what seems to be a complex mythology or lore, which felt more forced into the narrative that it became difficult to follow and harder to connect with the characters in the way I had before.
I also found myself struggling to connect with Aisling. Still, I remain deeply moved by her overall journey throughout the series as she struggles to find her independence, self-worth, and inner strength, all while discovering her found family and true love. Despite my mixed feelings about this final installment, I will always cherish this series and wholeheartedly recommend it.

*Thank you to Ashley Metzler, Second Sky and Netgalley for the audiobook copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

When I saw that the third Aisling book was finally being published, I was so excited because I absolutely loved the descriptive world-building, the folklore aspects, and the cast of characters we met in the first two books. Unfortunately, The Forever Queen fell flat for me.

The story follows on pretty much straight after book two and focuses more on Aisling and Lir’s role in saving the Sidhe and the impending war between them and the humans. One of the major plot points that occurs very early on (within the first few chapters) is that Aisling needs to become stronger in order to claim the Goblet of Lore to win the war. To do this, Aisling is given Anduril, a magic-imbued belt that will make her the ultimate swordswoman and grant her enough power to obtain the Goblet. Meanwhile, we learn that Aisling’s father and brother have been granted dark powers by the Lady who has partnered with Danu to defeat Aisling and Lir.

My main issue with this book was the pacing, which tore me from the story more than once. It starts off very chop-and-change without clear pathways joining the chapters. It then slows right down for the middle half of the book before jumping around again towards the end. It kind of felt like the middle section was written first because it felt more reminiscent of the writing style in the earlier books while the rest felt tacked on.

My other issue with The Forever Queen is that too much focus was put on Anduril. It seemed like it was only added in to make an extra point of conflict, namely in Aisling and Lir’s relationship, but there was already enough potential conflict between Aisling and her family/the humans. Although this did not eventuate and was barely present by the end of the book. Anduril maybe could have worked in a previous book or if it was touched on previously, but not as an artifact that was never mentioned yet seems to be the solution to everyone’s problem.

Even with the issues, I would recommend people who enjoyed the start of the series to definitely finish it because it still has elements that were enjoyable even though the culmination of the events leading up to the finale missed the mark.

Thank you to Ashley Metzler, Second Sky Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Forever Queen.

As with the rest of the series, this books was beautiful and atmospheric, Lir and Aisling lobe story was everything. Was the ending satisfying yes is a way, thier was a bit for frustration with the pacing, and i missed a lot of the side characters. The memory loss took away from all the development of wished would happen. I do feel like we got a good conclusion but I wish it was approached differently. But overall I loved this series.

Perfect end to the triology, absolutely loved this series! It was so beautifully written and the story had me on an emotional rollercoaster! Loved the world, the characters the plot, everything!

An epic conclusion to this trilogy. I have loved this series from start to finish. The twists and turns throughout never knowing where we were going to finally end up.

A generous 2 stars for a book that left me so disappointed I did not finish it. Maybe it was because I waited well over a year for a third book? Either way, it had way too much information crammed into the beginning and a major plot device that made me want to scream. Metzler’s writing is still beautiful and lyrical. I will eventually return to it just to know how Aisling and Lir’s story ends, but I have way too many other books to read to force myself to get through this.

An amazing conclusion to The Aisling Trilogy! I have lived and breathed these characters since the first book. The fact this was the final book did make me sad. I get so involved with everyone and everything I never want to leave these worlds.

The emotional rollercoaster I have been on throughout clearly wasn't about to stop with The Forever Queen. I tried my best to slow down reading this...if only to make the series last longer, in my mind anyway. It wasn't successful, Ashley Metzler's rich, vivid, and skilful storytelling just caught me in that moment in time again.

The superb characters had my heart in their hands as their stories came to conclusions that were equally as heartbreaking as they were uplifting. A Fae romance series that ticked every single box for me. This is one of my favourite series for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky Books for the gifted widget in exchange for a honest review.

This had a strong start with an intriguing premise and a lush fantasy setting, but it lost momentum midway. Some plot points felt rushed while others dragged on, and the character development wasn’t always consistent. That said, the romance was sweet and there were definitely moments that kept me turning the pages. A decent read, just didn’t fully live up to its potential.

This trilogy was so unique and I really enjoyed the journey it took me on. I became consumed with the world and was completely enthralled with where the story would go. I would think I had an idea and then it would take another direction. Lir is such a great MMC with so many layers that I really enjoyed uncovering. I literally just finished and if I’m honest I’m just a bit stunned. I do feel like it was so well done and I really enjoyed it all.

While the atmospheric writing remains unparalleled in this series (spooky, beautiful, fantastical, wild in the purest sense of the word), I didn't love the decision to have Aisling not in proper control of her own mind and actions for the bulk of the book. For a character whose journey has been so much about gaining her own independence, power, and strength, ripping it away for the almost the entire final book feels like a real regression. The ending also felt incredibly rushed and like a cop out. I enjoyed getting more of Lir's POV in this book than I think we've gotten before, but overall this is not the conclusion I'd hoped for with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the opportunity to ARC read this series.

The Forever Queen by Ashley Metzler
Book three of The Aisling Trilogy

A disappointing end to an otherwise great series.

I went into this book with high expectations as I loved the first two books in this trilogy. Unfortunately this book fell short for me. And yes, that’s a me problem for having high expectations, but here’s why.

I fell in love with this series because Ashley Metzler has wonderful world-building and descriptive phrases. The first two books drew me in and held me there until the end. This book (in places) felt like a different author wrote it. The pace was incredibly slow and repetitive, and there was hardly any of the engaging captivation that Ashley had in the other books.

I think the belt scenario played a big role in that, as it lasted way too long and dragged the pace to the point of boredom.

While The Forever Queen did conclude the series, it felt underwhelming and rushed.

As I rated the other two books 4* each I have to give this 2.5 (rounded up to three)

Thank you Second Sky Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

*Arc review*
4.25...
Well that was fun. Although the Anduril element baffled me a bit hence why the lower rating.
Aisling was a tad insufferable in this one, it was Lir that stole the show for me, his character development was everything. He's my new fave book boyfriend lol amd I'm not even sorry about it.
The series as a whole i would recommend to anyone that likes immersive world building, fae, especially against humans and beautiful descriptions of just about everything.
I also want Aisling wardrobe, even that was beautifully descriptive.
Thank you Ashley i thoroughly enjoyed reading this series.

Thank you to Second sky, Netgalley and the Author for the eArc in exchange for an honest review

The Forever Queen is a breathtaking conclusion to The Aisling Trilogy that had me on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. Ashley Metzler’s writing shines brighter than ever in this final instalment—rich, vivid, and filled with so much heart.

What I loved most is how the story balances epic stakes with deeply personal moments. The characters have grown so much throughout the series, and it was so satisfying (and sometimes heartbreaking) to see their journeys come full circle. There’s a rawness to the emotions in this book that left me feeling both drained and fulfilled in the best way.

I gave it 4 stars because, while it’s a fantastic ending, a few parts felt slightly rushed, and I would’ve loved more time to savour certain moments. But honestly, that’s just a sign of how invested I was—I didn’t want it to end!

If you’ve been following the trilogy, this book won’t disappoint. It’s everything I hoped for: magical, emotional, and utterly unforgettable. A perfect send-off for a series that has captured my heart.