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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
4.5 ⭐️ Romantasy as a genre has been getting a little stale and I’ve heard amazing things about the Bloodwing Academy series. Now, I’m the type of person who has to start at the beginning and once I read that Blood of a Fae is interconnected with Bloodwing, I started here. I’m so glad I did, but since I powered through my first read of the books to get to Bloodwing, I did a more careful re-read to give this series its due diligence for reviewing.
Queen of Roses is a retelling of sorts of the King Arthur legend, where the heroes in that one may not be so heroic in this one. We follow our FMC Morgan, who is half-fae and set to become this Camelot’s version of a nun. Despite being the daughter of the king, the prejudice against fae in her country means she is skipped over for the throne and her brother Arthur rules- badly. He desires more power and sends Morgan on a journey to retrieve Excalibur, ensuring her compliance by threatening their younger half-brother. And who is tasked to accompany her on this trek? The mysterious new soldier who just so happens to better at everything than most soldiers.
It’s pretty obvious that this soldier is going to end up as our MMC. While there are some standard romantasy tropes (he’s a stoic, slightly grumpy fighter who sometimes shows her his soft side), it was overall a refreshing entry into the romantasy genre. There was a lot that was unique about this book without it coming across as trying too hard. The characters were flawed, but in a way that made them relatable, and it was nice to read about an FMC who isn’t amazing at everything she does. Draven solidified his spot as one of my favorite MMCs by going out of his way to save a giant cat. Plus, I love slow-burn and the burn is slow enough that Morgan even takes a detour with another guy for a bit. That may bother some people, but I personally love it when our FMC gets to be with others since usually it’s only the MMC who does that in romance books. I’m super excited to read the next book in the series and am so grateful it’s a complete series.
Queen of Roses is a retelling of sorts of the King Arthur legend, where the heroes in that one may not be so heroic in this one. We follow our FMC Morgan, who is half-fae and set to become this Camelot’s version of a nun. Despite being the daughter of the king, the prejudice against fae in her country means she is skipped over for the throne and her brother Arthur rules- badly. He desires more power and sends Morgan on a journey to retrieve Excalibur, ensuring her compliance by threatening their younger half-brother. And who is tasked to accompany her on this trek? The mysterious new soldier who just so happens to better at everything than most soldiers.
It’s pretty obvious that this soldier is going to end up as our MMC. While there are some standard romantasy tropes (he’s a stoic, slightly grumpy fighter who sometimes shows her his soft side), it was overall a refreshing entry into the romantasy genre. There was a lot that was unique about this book without it coming across as trying too hard. The characters were flawed, but in a way that made them relatable, and it was nice to read about an FMC who isn’t amazing at everything she does. Draven solidified his spot as one of my favorite MMCs by going out of his way to save a giant cat. Plus, I love slow-burn and the burn is slow enough that Morgan even takes a detour with another guy for a bit. That may bother some people, but I personally love it when our FMC gets to be with others since usually it’s only the MMC who does that in romance books. I’m super excited to read the next book in the series and am so grateful it’s a complete series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Missing your next Romantsy fix? I’ve found it! As you can see I read this book so quickly! Really enjoyable great female main character and some plot twists too!
If you like adventure and strong women, this book is for you!
I enjoyed this fantasy book, was it my favorite so far this year?? No. BUT I did throughly enjoy the world building and the characters. It was a little on the angsty side but not unbearable. I have so many questions that I hope get answered in later books. So I am looking for to reading more of this series!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for this ARC read!
I enjoyed this fantasy book, was it my favorite so far this year?? No. BUT I did throughly enjoy the world building and the characters. It was a little on the angsty side but not unbearable. I have so many questions that I hope get answered in later books. So I am looking for to reading more of this series!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for this ARC read!
This Arthurian-inspired story immediately drew me in. It is a very slow-burn, slow-paced first book in the series, and this definitely allows for fabulous character development.
Morgan grows from a plain, forgotten princess into a strong woman who is beginning to embrace her heritage. King Arthur is no hero in this version but a cruel and jealous brother who will stop at nothing to feel superior.
With a will they-won't they that never quite reaches its climax, I am eagerly moving on to the next book in this fae-themed romantasy series. My only quibble was how much happens towards the end compared to the rest of the book, but thankfully there's more to come!
Morgan grows from a plain, forgotten princess into a strong woman who is beginning to embrace her heritage. King Arthur is no hero in this version but a cruel and jealous brother who will stop at nothing to feel superior.
With a will they-won't they that never quite reaches its climax, I am eagerly moving on to the next book in this fae-themed romantasy series. My only quibble was how much happens towards the end compared to the rest of the book, but thankfully there's more to come!
Someone help me get my jaw off the floor. This story had so many twists and turns my neck hurts. I enjoyed the thrill of this roller coaster.
Morgan being half-fae intrigued me from the beginning. Scratch that the begging prologue with her Mother was intense, heart breaking and it set the plot up beautiful. The overall pace was satisfying. I didn’t feel like it was rushed and for a short story I thought it was spellbinding.
I was second guessing the love interest the entire time. A morally grey character is my cup of tea but what we got was much darker. Oh my god. That ending was not expected. I’m sorry but I need book two right now!!
You can read this book on Kindle Unlimited and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Fae, Magic and a King Arthur retelling. The cruel King Arthur retelling was simple, different and yet refreshing.
Morgan being half-fae intrigued me from the beginning. Scratch that the begging prologue with her Mother was intense, heart breaking and it set the plot up beautiful. The overall pace was satisfying. I didn’t feel like it was rushed and for a short story I thought it was spellbinding.
I was second guessing the love interest the entire time. A morally grey character is my cup of tea but what we got was much darker. Oh my god. That ending was not expected. I’m sorry but I need book two right now!!
You can read this book on Kindle Unlimited and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Fae, Magic and a King Arthur retelling. The cruel King Arthur retelling was simple, different and yet refreshing.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Exceeds expectations. Flawed in some aspects, sure, but overall a good read, and a much better one than I was expecting to be honest.
slow-paced