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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
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.
I went into this book with no expectations and having not heard of the book, now I need everyone I know to read it!
This was an epic book filled with Fae magic, action, love interested and mythical creatures. Loosely tied into King Arthur and Camelot which was intriguing!
I need book to right now!! Any SJM/JLA/Holly Black fans need to read this!
This was an epic book filled with Fae magic, action, love interested and mythical creatures. Loosely tied into King Arthur and Camelot which was intriguing!
I need book to right now!! Any SJM/JLA/Holly Black fans need to read this!
Tbh, I wasn't expecting a Camelot fanfic, I couldn't keep reading without cringing a bit every time a new name came up. The world building was also not that enticing to me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was completely enamored by "Queen of Roses” right from the beginning, the first book in the Blood of Fae series. If you're a fan of the ACOTAR series, you'll find this Arthurian-inspired dark romantasy right up your alley. You can look forward to enemies-to-lovers romance, betrayal, faeries, mystical creatures, legendary swords, war, and adventure. It's hard to believe this is Briar Boleyn's debut novel!
The story centers on Princess Morgan, a half-fae, half-human royal barred from the throne due to her heritage. Her malicious and ruthless human brother, King Arthur, seizes power and manipulates her by poisoning her with what he claims is medicine to suppress her fae traits. He assigns her an almost impossible task: retrieving a legendary sword, accompanied by two deadly bodyguards.
Kairos Draven is easily one of my new favorite characters. He's irresistibly attractive, with a sharp tongue and dry humor. He's dangerous, icy, and focused on his mission.
"Queen of Roses" stands out with its witty dialogue, magical realms, and mysterious characters. Fans of ACOTAR will find themselves right at home in this world, drawn to the enemies-to-lovers romance, betrayal, and adventurous storyline.
While the spice level is mild, reviews suggest that book 2 turns up the heat. I'm okay with that because I prefer slowly getting to know and love the characters rather than "instalove."
Special thanks to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The story centers on Princess Morgan, a half-fae, half-human royal barred from the throne due to her heritage. Her malicious and ruthless human brother, King Arthur, seizes power and manipulates her by poisoning her with what he claims is medicine to suppress her fae traits. He assigns her an almost impossible task: retrieving a legendary sword, accompanied by two deadly bodyguards.
Kairos Draven is easily one of my new favorite characters. He's irresistibly attractive, with a sharp tongue and dry humor. He's dangerous, icy, and focused on his mission.
"Queen of Roses" stands out with its witty dialogue, magical realms, and mysterious characters. Fans of ACOTAR will find themselves right at home in this world, drawn to the enemies-to-lovers romance, betrayal, and adventurous storyline.
While the spice level is mild, reviews suggest that book 2 turns up the heat. I'm okay with that because I prefer slowly getting to know and love the characters rather than "instalove."
Special thanks to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book!
I enjoyed reading this! I got ACOTAR vibes from it, but a Historical Romantasy instead. First off, why do the characters' descriptions remind me of Julie Kagawas with Ash (Draven), Puck (Vesper), and Meghan (Megan) in some aspects?
I enjoyed reading this! I got ACOTAR vibes from it, but a Historical Romantasy instead. First off, why do the characters' descriptions remind me of Julie Kagawas with Ash (Draven), Puck (Vesper), and Meghan (Megan) in some aspects?
Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn was a delightful retelling of the legend of Camelot (with a fae twist) told from the point of view of Morgan, Arthur’s half-sister.
Style:
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5⭐️ It could have been more had the main female character not been so naive and annoying! She is all talk and no action. She became predictable and bland. However, I really enjoyed the world the author built and the narrative. I liked the twist of Arthurian Legend although I would have preferred the author be “influenced by” it and use different titles and names especially where you’re going to make certain deviations like Galahad being a devout acolyte rather than a knight, Merlin being a priestess rather than a sorcerer, etc. And lastly, trigger warning‼️there is a lot of unnecessary animal abuse. Hunting to eat? Fine. One scene of *preferably closed door* cruelty to prove a character is despicable? I’ll allow you one. But multiple, gruesome scenes of animal abuse? No, thank you. I skipped the scenes entirely.
I’m looking forward to the next book and hope to give it a higher starred review… assuming we leave all the rest of the innocent animals alone.
I’m looking forward to the next book and hope to give it a higher starred review… assuming we leave all the rest of the innocent animals alone.