Name: Genevieve 's review of Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn
Item: Queen of Roses
Rating: 3.75
Author: Genevieve

Briar Boleyn

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 in her veins, her birthright is stolen from her when she is a mere child. Growing up in the shadow of her brother the king, she has been promised to the goddesses when she comes of age. So, when her brother commands that she seek out a fae weapon of legendary power, Morgan seizes the chance to break free from the chains of her fate.

A dangerous temptation…

As she travels, Morgan finds herself drawn into a strange group of outcasts, led by a dark and enigmatic warrior whose sharp wit and fierce beauty set her heart ablaze. But while Morgan struggles to reconcile her desires with her duty, she and her new comrades discover dangers that await them beyond anything in their wildest nightmares.

A slumbering kingdom awoken by blood…

Believed to have vanished generations ago, a fae kingdom dreaded by mortals is ascending once more, bound to reclaim what was lost by violence and bloodshed. As the fae world, with its intricate web of lies and mysteries, is slowly revealed to Morgan, she is led to the terrible realization that the secrets she carries in her blood make her a greater threat than she could ever have imagined.

The first in an action-packed new series brimming with magic, danger, morally gray characters, and spellbinding slow-burn romance, Queen of Roses is perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Raven Kennedy, Rebecca Yarros, Carissa Broadbent, and Sarah J. Maas.


Author's Note: Queen of Roses it the start of an epic dark fantasy romance series that tells the true story of Morgan Le Fay, King Arthur's sister. This enemies to lovers series is perfect for fans of unique magic systems, magical creatures, and witty banter and is sure to appeal to fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Raven Kennedy, Rebecca Yarros, Carissa Broadbent, and Sarah J. Maas. This New Adult Fantasy Romance features mature situations and adult language, with a slow burn romance that gradually builds to a satisfying spice that intensifies with each book. Don't be fooled by the tame beginning, be prepared for the steamy ride ahead. Queen of Roses has multiple TW/CWs. Please check the book's trigger warning page in the table of contents for more information.

A Dark Fae Fantasy Romance (Blood of a Fae Book 1)

Queen of Roses

samantha lias

“Go. I’ll find you, Morgan.”... The words were a vow. A promise. I knew they were unbreakable.

I was so intrigued to read a gender bending Arthurian retelling with queer representation and fae, and I ended up enjoying this, although not as much as I hoped I would, sadly. The play on the name Morgan le Fay as an actual half fae character is really fun and I immediately felt invested in Morgan as a main character, and interested in the storyline to see where it could be taken. But there were also a few things about this book that just didn't quite work for, I think perhaps it needed a little bit more editing and fine tuning, or maybe it being the first book in the series and therefore involving most of the set up and world building meant that it was slower and it will get better as the series continues. This really felt like the debut novel, if I'm not mistaken, this is, and so I am withholding a lot of judgement because I know how daunting and difficult the process is, and also to indie publish a book as I believe this has been.

The writing was pretty good, I found it a little bit choppy and the pacing was a bit odd at times. The beginning seemed to last for a long time before the actual action started, but once the action started it did make me want to push forward and keep reading. I found a few instances through this book where the tense it was written in changed from past to present tense, either accidently or as a strange stylistic choice, and it was a bit off-putting unfortunately. But other than a few style and writing issues the actual storyline was unique and held my attention really well. I found Morgan to be a good FMC and cared about her. I really liked that she cared about her people and tried to find ways to try and sneakily help them, attempting to avoid incurring the wrath of her brother, even if she did sometimes make silly decisions that wound up worse for her in the long run. I wish the side characters had been given a bit more depth to them, Lancelet and Galahad were nice friends, Kaye was a sweet younger brother and Merlin's character was great - I couldn't really tell if Morgan actually liked her or not, but I didn't really feel as connected to them as I had hoped I would. The darker characters such as Florian and Draven added a little bit of depth but I still found the way they were handled a little bit superficial.

There was also a bit of a hint at a love triangle in this book which I usually don't mind, but I wasn't completely sold on it in this books. SPOILER>>>Vesper seemed to appear out of nowhere and then suddenly there was a romance and the two were very close, even though he was a complete stranger. It just didn't seem to flow together genuinely and so his betrayal seemed pretty obvious to me and didn't hit as hard as it could have.<<<END SPOILER

>>>I did know that this was a dark fantasy going into it and there were definitely some darker themes such as tyranny, abuse, bullying, assassination etc so definitely check your triggers before you read this one. But I also felt like some of these horrors were brushed over quite casually, I think they could've been played up even more to where this book felt truly dark and horrible. We got to see glimpses of that true horror later on but it all happened off page unfortunately. SPOILER>>>I'm really looking forward to find out who Draven really is though and also what all of the runes all over Morgan's body mean, those two aspects really stuck out to me as reasons to continue with this series. <<<END SPOILER

Overall, I was entertained by this book and I will be picking up the next one in the series in the new year (got to get through my never-ending TBR I have planned for the end of 2024 first). This book left on a pretty good cliffhanger that left me wanted to know more SPOILER>>> and had some really good twists and turns that, while they didn't leave me really shocked, were still good and had potential to go even further in the next books. <<<END SPOILER.

>>> I think this is a really got read if you enjoy A Court of Thorns and Roses and also the legend of King Arthur and Camelot as it puts a really good spin on this story.

Genevieve 

“Go. I’ll find you, Morgan.”... The words were a vow. A promise. I knew they were unbreakable.

3.75 ⭐

I was so intrigued to read a gender bending Arthurian retelling with queer representation and fae, and I ended up enjoying this, although not as much as I hoped I would, sadly. The play on the name Morgan le Fay as an actual half fae character is really fun and I immediately felt invested in Morgan as a main character, and interested in the storyline to see where it could be taken. But there were also a few things about this book that just didn't quite work for, I think perhaps it needed a little bit more editing and fine tuning, or maybe it being the first book in the series and therefore involving most of the set up and world building meant that it was slower and it will get better as the series continues. This really felt like the debut novel, if I'm not mistaken, this is, and so I am withholding a lot of judgement because I know how daunting and difficult the process is, and also to indie publish a book as I believe this has been.

The writing was pretty good, I found it a little bit choppy and the pacing was a bit odd at times. The beginning seemed to last for a long time before the actual action started, but once the action started it did make me want to push forward and keep reading. I found a few instances through this book where the tense it was written in changed from past to present tense, either accidently or as a strange stylistic choice, and it was a bit off-putting unfortunately. But other than a few style and writing issues the actual storyline was unique and held my attention really well. I found Morgan to be a good FMC and cared about her. I really liked that she cared about her people and tried to find ways to try and sneakily help them, attempting to avoid incurring the wrath of her brother, even if she did sometimes make silly decisions that wound up worse for her in the long run. I wish the side characters had been given a bit more depth to them, Lancelet and Galahad were nice friends, Kaye was a sweet younger brother and Merlin's character was great - I couldn't really tell if Morgan actually liked her or not, but I didn't really feel as connected to them as I had hoped I would. The darker characters such as Florian and Draven added a little bit of depth but I still found the way they were handled a little bit superficial.

There was also a bit of a hint at a love triangle in this book which I usually don't mind, but I wasn't completely sold on it in this books. SPOILER>>>Vesper seemed to appear out of nowhere and then suddenly there was a romance and the two were very close, even though he was a complete stranger. It just didn't seem to flow together genuinely and so his betrayal seemed pretty obvious to me and didn't hit as hard as it could have.<<<END SPOILER
>>>I did know that this was a dark fantasy going into it and there were definitely some darker themes such as tyranny, abuse, bullying, assassination etc so definitely check your triggers before you read this one. But I also felt like some of these horrors were brushed over quite casually, I think they could've been played up even more to where this book felt truly dark and horrible. We got to see glimpses of that true horror later on but it all happened off page unfortunately. SPOILER>>>I'm really looking forward to find out who Draven really is though and also what all of the runes all over Morgan's body mean, those two aspects really stuck out to me as reasons to continue with this series. <<<END SPOILER

Overall, I was entertained by this book and I will be picking up the next one in the series in the new year (got to get through my never-ending TBR I have planned for the end of 2024 first). This book left on a pretty good cliffhanger that left me wanted to know more SPOILER>>> and had some really good twists and turns that, while they didn't leave me really shocked, were still good and had potential to go even further in the next books. <<<END SPOILER.
>>> I think this is a really got read if you enjoy A Court of Thorns and Roses and also the legend of King Arthur and Camelot as it puts a really good spin on this story.

kenzie

❤︎ NETGALLEY REVIEW ❤︎

thank you to netgalley, briar boleyn, and starwater press for sending me this arc for free in exchange for an honest review! please check trigger warnings before you read! 

i really enjoyed this retelling overall. i have to admit it was a bit of a slow start. the pacing was just dragging on a lot. it started to get better around 50-60% in. it also would’ve been nice to see more character development with morgan. i am looking forward to read the second book!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Briar Boleyn, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. 

I didn’t know what to expect going in and I was so pleased - I really enjoyed reading this and am already starting the next one! 

“I was born to be a queen. But even queens could be set aside and forgotten. Or worse. Remembered but relegated to shadows.”

Dark fantasy retelling of Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend

Fae, human, part-fae, and other creatures such as exmoors

Author provided trigger warnings: “Abduction, Abuse, Alcohol Consumption, Animal Death, Assault, Child Abuse, Child Death, Deceased Family Member, Domestic Violence, Drug Use, Poisoning, Sexual Assault, Violence / Gore”

Do NOT read past this point if you want to avoid spoilers

The plot of this book essentially follows the half-fae Morgan Pendragon on a quest to find a magical item in order to aid their kingdom in an impending war as ordered by her younger brother, King Arthur, whilst being guarded by the morally grey MMC, Draven Kairos.

I don’t know what it says about me - and let’s agree to not look into it too much - but, I loved that it started with five year old Morgan having the misfortune to watch her father beat her mother to death. It just gave the book awful, dark vibes it needed from the beginning; it was just the beginning of many things she would need to overcome and survive. On the same note, the characters in this book that are written to be horrible people are SO easy to hate - I won’t give details on who and why as that gives away too much. Just know that I viscerally hated some and got creepy, gross vibes from others.

From what we’ve seen of Morgan so far, she is portrayed as having some conflicting traits - such as naive yet strong - but, I do think that is for the best. No one is only one thing and everyone has flaws. Her naivety makes complete sense - she was isolated and sheltered because she was a discard royal; and she seemed a bit privileged because - again - she is royalty. 

My favourite thing so far isn’t the somewhat predictable plot nor is it the well-paced adventure of the quest. It is the BANTER and the SASS. I LIVE FOR IT. My only hope is that the romance picks up a bit in this next book - I appreciate building a platonic relationship first and am not a fan of insta-love in books. But, I have a feeling the romance is going to be top tier! 

Huge props to the author for managing a book that is a fae-meddled retelling of an Arthurian inspired story that ALSO has child zombies without any of it seeming out of place or poorly done. I’m having a great time and would recommend others join in!

Victoria Sutton

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Briar Boleyn, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. 

I didn’t know what to expect going in and I was so pleased - I really enjoyed reading this and am already starting the next one! 

“I was born to be a queen. But even queens could be set aside and forgotten. Or worse. Remembered but relegated to shadows.”

What to expect:

Dark fantasy retelling of Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend

Fae, human, part-fae, and other creatures such as exmoors

FMC in early 20s 

Queer representation 

Slow, slow burn 

Morally grey MMC 

Enemies to lovers trope 

Epic quest 

Author provided trigger warnings: “Abduction, Abuse, Alcohol Consumption, Animal Death, Assault, Child Abuse, Child Death, Deceased Family Member, Domestic Violence, Drug Use, Poisoning, Sexual Assault, Violence / Gore”

Do NOT read past this point if you want to avoid spoilers

 

The plot of this book essentially follows the half-fae Morgan Pendragon on a quest to find a magical item in order to aid their kingdom in an impending war as ordered by her younger brother, King Arthur, whilst being guarded by the morally grey MMC, Draven Kairos.

I don’t know what it says about me - and let’s agree to not look into it too much - but, I loved that it started with five year old Morgan having the misfortune to watch her father beat her mother to death. It just gave the book awful, dark vibes it needed from the beginning; it was just the beginning of many things she would need to overcome and survive. On the same note, the characters in this book that are written to be horrible people are SO easy to hate - I won’t give details on who and why as that gives away too much. Just know that I viscerally hated some and got creepy, gross vibes from others.

From what we’ve seen of Morgan so far, she is portrayed as having some conflicting traits - such as naive yet strong - but, I do think that is for the best. No one is only one thing and everyone has flaws. Her naivety makes complete sense - she was isolated and sheltered because she was a discard royal; and she seemed a bit privileged because - again - she is royalty. 

My favourite thing so far isn’t the somewhat predictable plot nor is it the well-paced adventure of the quest. It is the BANTER and the SASS. I LIVE FOR IT. My only hope is that the romance picks up a bit in this next book - I appreciate building a platonic relationship first and am not a fan of insta-love in books. But, I have a feeling the romance is going to be top tier! 

Huge props to the author for managing a book that is a fae-meddled retelling of an Arthurian inspired story that ALSO has child zombies without any of it seeming out of place or poorly done. I’m having a great time and would recommend others join in!

Arthurian legends are the inspiration for this fantasy series.  But they have been flipped on their head and made LGBTQIA friendly. All is not well in Camelot - Arthur is a teenage king and tyrant, his counsellors are power hungry and he allows his older sister to be maligned and harassed.  He's an all around horror!

Enter Morgan.  The Elder sister of Arthur, half Fae - Half Human.  She trains with the knights before she is shipped off to the local Temple aged 21.  Her besties are Lancelet and Galahad and along with her younger brother Kaye they are essentially the only family she has.

But Morgan is about to get more than she bargained for when Arthur sends her on a quest to find Excalibur.  She and her 2-man team are mismatched to say the least.  How can she possibly find Excalibur when she's more worried about not getting stabbed in the back by her own guards!

This was a great story and well worth a read.  The Arthurian legends flipped on their head and expanded.  Camelot is less shining pinnacle and more grubby grey stronghold.  Morgan didn't really want to be queen but she'll be damned is she lets her brother grind their people into the muck. You're never quite sure whose side Draven is on, Lancelet is hysterical and beautifully  and wittily written as the womanising Knight, Galahad is still the principled male but now he is an acolyte and lover of the male form. And if you love an animal sidekick, you're going to love meeting the Exmoor!

There are plenty of action scenes and scary moments.  I still shudder at certain underground scenes.  The romance is more slow-burn than some fantasies but I really enjoyed it as I felt it cranked up the suspense.  There are treasonous allies, unexpected helpers and some truly funny scenes.

Morgan does get in her own way and she really does lend her trust to the wrong folk!  She does have a tendency to see herself as always in the right but she does eventually see things from other point of views. 

My first read by this author and now off to read book 2!

Nicola Sarah Brooks

Arthurian legends are the inspiration for this fantasy series.  But they have been flipped on their head and made LGBTQIA friendly. All is not well in Camelot - Arthur is a teenage king and tyrant, his counsellors are power hungry and he allows his older sister to be maligned and harassed.  He's an all around horror!

Enter Morgan.  The Elder sister of Arthur, half Fae - Half Human.  She trains with the knights before she is shipped off to the local Temple aged 21.  Her besties are Lancelet and Galahad and along with her younger brother Kaye they are essentially the only family she has.

But Morgan is about to get more than she bargained for when Arthur sends her on a quest to find Excalibur.  She and her 2-man team are mismatched to say the least.  How can she possibly find Excalibur when she's more worried about not getting stabbed in the back by her own guards!

This was a great story and well worth a read.  The Arthurian legends flipped on their head and expanded.  Camelot is less shining pinnacle and more grubby grey stronghold.  Morgan didn't really want to be queen but she'll be damned is she lets her brother grind their people into the muck. You're never quite sure whose side Draven is on, Lancelet is hysterical and beautifully  and wittily written as the womanising Knight, Galahad is still the principled male but now he is an acolyte and lover of the male form. And if you love an animal sidekick, you're going to love meeting the Exmoor!

There are plenty of action scenes and scary moments.  I still shudder at certain underground scenes.  The romance is more slow-burn than some fantasies but I really enjoyed it as I felt it cranked up the suspense.  There are treasonous allies, unexpected helpers and some truly funny scenes.

Morgan does get in her own way and she really does lend her trust to the wrong folk!  She does have a tendency to see herself as always in the right but she does eventually see things from other point of views. 

My first read by this author and now off to read book 2!

samantha lias &
Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn

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