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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Maybe I'm growing a soft spot for Arthurian inspired stories...
I'm typically not a fan of the legend; however, Boleyn's adaptation has me rethinking my preferences. Queen of Roses stole my heart. It was refreshing, heartbreaking, inspiring, intriguing... it was it all.
If you're into slow burn romances, enemies-to-lovers, and gentle alphas, this is definitely for you.
If you're into adventure, magic, and action, this is also for you.
The pacing was well done, characters were consistent with their defining traits, and it was an easy read. Only comment I'd note was that the characters didn't have too much development, however, for a first book it has so much potential to lead into a great story and stronger characters. I'm more than excited to read the second book, Court of Claws!
I very much appreciated that the trigger warnings were provided but disclosed at the end of the book. It gave readers the option to decide if they wanted the plot to potentially be spoiled. I can't tell you the number of times I've read the TW at the start of the book, only to guess exactly how the story plays out.
I received this title as an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to read this treasure!
I'm typically not a fan of the legend; however, Boleyn's adaptation has me rethinking my preferences. Queen of Roses stole my heart. It was refreshing, heartbreaking, inspiring, intriguing... it was it all.
If you're into slow burn romances, enemies-to-lovers, and gentle alphas, this is definitely for you.
If you're into adventure, magic, and action, this is also for you.
The pacing was well done, characters were consistent with their defining traits, and it was an easy read. Only comment I'd note was that the characters didn't have too much development, however, for a first book it has so much potential to lead into a great story and stronger characters. I'm more than excited to read the second book, Court of Claws!
I very much appreciated that the trigger warnings were provided but disclosed at the end of the book. It gave readers the option to decide if they wanted the plot to potentially be spoiled. I can't tell you the number of times I've read the TW at the start of the book, only to guess exactly how the story plays out.
I received this title as an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to read this treasure!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Perhaps righteous fury could only feed one for so long
Oh mannnnn I know this series is gonna be a wild ride! I recently read On Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn and absolutely loved it. My sister (and ultimate book rec queen) has been telling me I have to read this for a while and I’m so glad I did! This has fae, knights in shining armour, courtly intrigue and a tyrant king.
Our FMC Morgan had a bad start, bless her. After watching her father beat her mother to death she then has her birthright stripped from her when her brother Arthur was made the heir to the throne over her. Resigned to a life in the temple as a celibate priestess, Morgan spends the last bit of her freedom training, hanging out with her friends Gallahad and Lancelet and dealing with the brutal side effects of the mysterious medicine she must take every other day.
After a particularly monstrous series of revelations about her brother the king, Morgan is forced on a dangerous quest to retrieve a legendary weapon for Arthur - the sword Excalibur.
This book obviously has a lot of setting up to do but I feel like it does it really well. While still building a really interesting world and some really fun characters it doesn’t feel like an infodump or leave you confused like some first in a series fantasies can.
I love the way Arthurian legend has been flipped and made to feel so original, this is certainly not your average Camelot retelling!
Sometimes Morgan was so frustratingggggg. This isn’t a criticism of the story, probably just a reflection of how engaged I was ahaha. I get it she’s young, she’s inexperienced but omg I wanted to shake her at points! I’m looking forward to seeing her develop as a character and hopefully come into her own.
Was confused and now interested in the rest of what to come in the other books
thanks to netgalley, the author and publisher for this arc.
3 stars. i was considering giving it less, tbh, but the ending made up for some annoyances i had while reading this.
i feel like i should have loved this. it had the perfect recipe, the storyline, the settings (i love it when there's extensive traveling through forests. idk why. i eat it up). but the execution just wasn't there for me. i know this was an advance readers copy, but this book needed at least one other round of editing. maybe two. there were mistakes in the story i came across that would've been easily avoided with some external revising, like the way place names are differently spelled sometimes, or when the mc was shocked about something when before it was said that she knew about this already. again, easily avoidable, had someone carefully read this through.
and the main character. i am not one to say this quickly because i can tolerate a LOT– but she was insufferable. i'm sorry, but the choices she made were questionable and made it harder for me to believe her. and sometimes i just wondered why, because there was no reason for her to withhold some of the information she had. and vesper?? i'm so annoyed at her naivety (or just plain dumbness, i'm sorry,) because what do you MEAN you trust this guy??? again, it was just so unbelievable. and i know it's a fantasy book and it ISN'T real but what real person would do all this?
though, as i said, the ending made up for a little of it, because i liked it a lot. maybe even enough to read the second book, but we'll see about that.
3 stars. i was considering giving it less, tbh, but the ending made up for some annoyances i had while reading this.
i feel like i should have loved this. it had the perfect recipe, the storyline, the settings (i love it when there's extensive traveling through forests. idk why. i eat it up). but the execution just wasn't there for me. i know this was an advance readers copy, but this book needed at least one other round of editing. maybe two. there were mistakes in the story i came across that would've been easily avoided with some external revising, like the way place names are differently spelled sometimes, or when the mc was shocked about something when before it was said that she knew about this already. again, easily avoidable, had someone carefully read this through.
and the main character. i am not one to say this quickly because i can tolerate a LOT– but she was insufferable. i'm sorry, but the choices she made were questionable and made it harder for me to believe her. and sometimes i just wondered why, because there was no reason for her to withhold some of the information she had. and vesper?? i'm so annoyed at her naivety (or just plain dumbness, i'm sorry,) because what do you MEAN you trust this guy??? again, it was just so unbelievable. and i know it's a fantasy book and it ISN'T real but what real person would do all this?
though, as i said, the ending made up for a little of it, because i liked it a lot. maybe even enough to read the second book, but we'll see about that.
First off, I’d like to thank NetGalley, publisher Starwater Press, and author Briar Boleyn for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I just finished reading Queen of Roses and I’m still trying to piece my brain back together after that ending!
Friends, foes, strangers, anyone listening…this author has me hooked!
The story is an Arthurian tale with names you’ll recognize (King Arthur, Galahad, Merlin…), but these characters are not who you expect them to be and this is NOT the Camelot you think you know. (We have fae!)
I don’t like spoilers, so I’m not going to be super specific about the story/characters.
The first half of the book was slower, as is fairly common with the first book in a series where all of the world building and characters have to be established. What kept me hooked in the first half? 1) The reimagining of familiar, traditional characters into far more diverse and interesting people. 2) The female main character is named Morgan, and we discover/experience her trauma, naïveté, rebelliousness, courage, and struggle to make sense of the world in which she has grown up.
The second half of the book is where things really picked up. It came with a faster pace, more action and adventure, new characters, developing relationships. We’re on a quest here, friends. Morgan begins discovering and accepting truths about herself, her family, the world around her. I found myself intrigued by the landscape, the lore, the people and beasts we encountered. I say “we” because I felt like I was in that forest, too, okay? Part of me is still on that road, in that village, on the floor of that cavern.
What you can expect from this book:
- Familiar characters reimagined in intriguing ways
- Strong female main character on a sort of coming-of-age journey
- Fae vs. mortals
- Mythical beasties
- Broody, morally grey, darkly appealing male character
- Quest/journey/road trip introducing diverse scenery and landscapes
- Family drama
- Trauma (there are trigger warnings)
- Don’t touch her, who hurt you, she’s mine
- Very slight romance, very slight spice
I’m pausing long enough to write this review, messaging my best friend to update her on my thoughts/feelings about this book and tell her she needs to start this series, and then I’m diving headfirst into the next book in the series.
I’ll see you there!
I just finished reading Queen of Roses and I’m still trying to piece my brain back together after that ending!
Friends, foes, strangers, anyone listening…this author has me hooked!
The story is an Arthurian tale with names you’ll recognize (King Arthur, Galahad, Merlin…), but these characters are not who you expect them to be and this is NOT the Camelot you think you know. (We have fae!)
I don’t like spoilers, so I’m not going to be super specific about the story/characters.
The first half of the book was slower, as is fairly common with the first book in a series where all of the world building and characters have to be established. What kept me hooked in the first half? 1) The reimagining of familiar, traditional characters into far more diverse and interesting people. 2) The female main character is named Morgan, and we discover/experience her trauma, naïveté, rebelliousness, courage, and struggle to make sense of the world in which she has grown up.
The second half of the book is where things really picked up. It came with a faster pace, more action and adventure, new characters, developing relationships. We’re on a quest here, friends. Morgan begins discovering and accepting truths about herself, her family, the world around her. I found myself intrigued by the landscape, the lore, the people and beasts we encountered. I say “we” because I felt like I was in that forest, too, okay? Part of me is still on that road, in that village, on the floor of that cavern.
What you can expect from this book:
- Familiar characters reimagined in intriguing ways
- Strong female main character on a sort of coming-of-age journey
- Fae vs. mortals
- Mythical beasties
- Broody, morally grey, darkly appealing male character
- Quest/journey/road trip introducing diverse scenery and landscapes
- Family drama
- Trauma (there are trigger warnings)
- Don’t touch her, who hurt you, she’s mine
- Very slight romance, very slight spice
I’m pausing long enough to write this review, messaging my best friend to update her on my thoughts/feelings about this book and tell her she needs to start this series, and then I’m diving headfirst into the next book in the series.
I’ll see you there!
fast-paced
Favorite Quote: "'Who?' I jumped. 'Who did this to you?' Draven's voice was a guttural growl.
To be honest, this book took me a while to get into, but that ending, that ending kept me wanting more talk about a twist! If you’re a fan of Arthurian retellings, adventures, morally gray characters and fae this is the story for you. In the Queen of Roses, we follow Morgan Pendragon who is half fae/half human who has been tasked with retrieving Excalibur for her brother King Arthur. She is accompanied on this journey by Kairos Draven who is sarcastic, mysterious, and on a mission of his own devices. Throughout the book we have a slooooow burn and development and it makes me that much more invested and thankful that the next book of the series is already available!
This isn’t your run of the mill King Arthur and Camelot retailing. You have fae and spice and I promise you it is worth the read! Thank you, Net Galley and Briar, for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
This isn’t your run of the mill King Arthur and Camelot retailing. You have fae and spice and I promise you it is worth the read! Thank you, Net Galley and Briar, for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
Okay this book was very hard to get into for me.
The start was very dark and borderline disturbing but that wasn’t the problem it was more so the writing style and how slow the beginning was. It took me getting to 50% for me to finally get into and for the story to get good.
I so wanted for Draven and Morgan to have a romance but instead we have dude Vesper shows up and ruins it all. And since Morgan is so naive and trusts Vesper completely.
After the 50% there was much more action. There was so much world building but it was easy to follow. We get mystical creatures. Magic. Romance. And it gets really good towards the end.
I am excited to see what happens in book 2 because the cliffhanger was crazy.
The start was very dark and borderline disturbing but that wasn’t the problem it was more so the writing style and how slow the beginning was. It took me getting to 50% for me to finally get into and for the story to get good.
I so wanted for Draven and Morgan to have a romance but instead we have dude Vesper shows up and ruins it all. And since Morgan is so naive and trusts Vesper completely.
After the 50% there was much more action. There was so much world building but it was easy to follow. We get mystical creatures. Magic. Romance. And it gets really good towards the end.
I am excited to see what happens in book 2 because the cliffhanger was crazy.