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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I received an ARC from NetGalley and was super excited for this book. This novel definitely sparked my admiration for Arthurian lore. It was a fast-paced and fun story that made for an enjoyable read.
It felt more like an inspiration rather than a retelling of King Arthur with the heartfelt takes on Camelot classic characters like Lancelot, Galahad, and Merlin. Merlin was my personal favorite and I wish there was more of her. However, it is divorced from typical Camelot stories, so don’t go in with those presumptions.
While I enjoyed the physical journey Morgan and Draven went through was not as strong as their emotional. Considering how it ended I would have liked to see more bond between the two.
Another thing that left me a tad confused was the use of Slavic gods rather than the creation of an original Pantheon. Specifically, Perun. It could have just been a similar name, but with the connection to lightning and warriors it felt intentional.
If you liked From Blood and Ash, this is its better written older sibling. It was a great, entertaining read during a very hectic finals week.
It felt more like an inspiration rather than a retelling of King Arthur with the heartfelt takes on Camelot classic characters like Lancelot, Galahad, and Merlin. Merlin was my personal favorite and I wish there was more of her. However, it is divorced from typical Camelot stories, so don’t go in with those presumptions.
While I enjoyed the physical journey Morgan and Draven went through was not as strong as their emotional. Considering how it ended I would have liked to see more bond between the two.
Another thing that left me a tad confused was the use of Slavic gods rather than the creation of an original Pantheon. Specifically, Perun. It could have just been a similar name, but with the connection to lightning and warriors it felt intentional.
If you liked From Blood and Ash, this is its better written older sibling. It was a great, entertaining read during a very hectic finals week.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️: 4.25 of 5
🌶: 1 of 5
Briar Boleyn is an entirely new author to me. Her formatting is strange, but I found myself drawn into this quirky retelling of Arthurian mythology nevertheless.
Our heroine is Morgan, cast here as the oldest child of Uther and a fae woman, who is killed by her husband, just as his two other wives are. Morgan grows up with this knowledge, tainted by the fact she is half-fae and hated by her brother, Arthur.
The novel follows upon her misadventures, setting her up to either win or lose, to find Excalibur or die trying. Throughout this book, we are also introduced to a number of characters: Kairos Draven, Morgan's body guard; Lancelet and Merlin, best friend and priestess respectively, both female; Sir Ector, trainer and friend.
And then - Vesper, that utter prick, and Florian. You'll loathe them both, but for different reasons. Mind the triggers with this one, but you'll enjoy the ride.
🌶: 1 of 5
Briar Boleyn is an entirely new author to me. Her formatting is strange, but I found myself drawn into this quirky retelling of Arthurian mythology nevertheless.
Our heroine is Morgan, cast here as the oldest child of Uther and a fae woman, who is killed by her husband, just as his two other wives are. Morgan grows up with this knowledge, tainted by the fact she is half-fae and hated by her brother, Arthur.
The novel follows upon her misadventures, setting her up to either win or lose, to find Excalibur or die trying. Throughout this book, we are also introduced to a number of characters: Kairos Draven, Morgan's body guard; Lancelet and Merlin, best friend and priestess respectively, both female; Sir Ector, trainer and friend.
And then - Vesper, that utter prick, and Florian. You'll loathe them both, but for different reasons. Mind the triggers with this one, but you'll enjoy the ride.
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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:
No
Oh my goodness what a whirlwind of an adventuress quest. Queen of Roses is remake in a sense of King Arthur and Camelot but with an extreme twist. There are Fae and Half Fae in this version and an evil King. Miss Boleyn once again pulled me into the story of Morgan Pendragon gave me shocking twists and an ending that I didn't see coming. As the character from the movie Oliver says... "I want more please".
I have a few quotes that I really liked that I am going to share:
“Whatever might have happened to you, you’re choosing to fight back. I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. All of life is a fight. There’s no point in avoiding it.” - Draven to Morgan
“I burn for you, Morgan. You've set me aflame...” “Then let the flames consume us,” Vesper to Morgan
“But wherever you’re going, whether this sword you’re all speaking of exists or not, you have my blade. You have my strength. They are yours, Morgan. Know that.” Vesper’s words had sounded like a vow. The kind a knight gave his king. Or his queen. Vesper to Morgan
“She’s purring,” I exclaimed in delight. “Stop taming the battlecat,” Draven said, looking slightly annoyed. “She’s a killing machine. Not a house pet.” “Says the man who snuggled beside her all night,” I retorted. - conversation between Draven and Morgan
"Beware the dread curse of Three, The sword, the spear, the grail’s mystery. Blood calls to blood, the dark shall rise, Forged by the gods under sacred skies" - a warning about a certain artifact.
Morgan Pendragon always thought of herself as being worthless because of the way that she was treated by the King (who is also her brother) but her friends always thought different of her. I found Morgan to be thoughtful and caring to young children and those that lived in her realm.
The King I found to be a tyrant that needed to be taken down along with his royal advisor. I found him to be very cold hearted without caring bone or compassion toward his people.
Draven the handsome warrior that has every lady staring. I found him to be very alluring and powerful.
What can I say about Vesper... Oh I know Snake. Vesper in my books is as evil as Florian if not worse.
I loved Lancelet as she was Morgan's friend. Lancelet works heard to be the first woman Knight. I found her very strong and protective when it comes to Morgan's well being.
So, if you enjoy action, Handsome warriors, Plot Twists that are amazing then this is the book for you. I loved reading Queen of Roses.
I have a few quotes that I really liked that I am going to share:
“Whatever might have happened to you, you’re choosing to fight back. I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. All of life is a fight. There’s no point in avoiding it.” - Draven to Morgan
“I burn for you, Morgan. You've set me aflame...” “Then let the flames consume us,” Vesper to Morgan
“But wherever you’re going, whether this sword you’re all speaking of exists or not, you have my blade. You have my strength. They are yours, Morgan. Know that.” Vesper’s words had sounded like a vow. The kind a knight gave his king. Or his queen. Vesper to Morgan
“She’s purring,” I exclaimed in delight. “Stop taming the battlecat,” Draven said, looking slightly annoyed. “She’s a killing machine. Not a house pet.” “Says the man who snuggled beside her all night,” I retorted. - conversation between Draven and Morgan
"Beware the dread curse of Three, The sword, the spear, the grail’s mystery. Blood calls to blood, the dark shall rise, Forged by the gods under sacred skies" - a warning about a certain artifact.
Morgan Pendragon always thought of herself as being worthless because of the way that she was treated by the King (who is also her brother) but her friends always thought different of her. I found Morgan to be thoughtful and caring to young children and those that lived in her realm.
The King I found to be a tyrant that needed to be taken down along with his royal advisor. I found him to be very cold hearted without caring bone or compassion toward his people.
Draven the handsome warrior that has every lady staring. I found him to be very alluring and powerful.
What can I say about Vesper... Oh I know Snake. Vesper in my books is as evil as Florian if not worse.
I loved Lancelet as she was Morgan's friend. Lancelet works heard to be the first woman Knight. I found her very strong and protective when it comes to Morgan's well being.
So, if you enjoy action, Handsome warriors, Plot Twists that are amazing then this is the book for you. I loved reading Queen of Roses.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Anything Briar writes is amazing and full of adventure and fun. I’m so excited to be diving into this series, I just know this is going to be a wild & crazy ride!
The characters are wonderful and full of life. I really enjoyed Morgan, she’s a force to be reckoned with and cares so deeply for her family. Draven is such an amazing love interest and is a total and complete badass.
The book starts off slower and really builds the world while setting the scene. The storyline at the start really drew me in and by around the 70% mark I was hooked and didn’t want to put the book down.
The journey aspect of this story was so much fun and I had a great time on the adventure. The ending had me in absolute shock. I can’t wait to read book 2!
I hated almost every character in this and wasn’t intrigued at all.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
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, and 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!
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, and 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!
At first the book dragged a bit but it is the first of four, so that can be forgiven. It picked up a lot in the last third and it even ended in a way that makes me want to continue the series, even though I was on the fence for that for almost the whole book.
Especially for all the parts where I wanted to shake the FMC because she was being obviously stupid.....
Especially for all the parts where I wanted to shake the FMC because she was being obviously stupid.....