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strawberryymoonlight's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol and War
Minor: Slavery
single_star101's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I started this book because I was 100% influenced by the authors social media presence and also love to support Canadian authors. This book has so much potential - but it is really clear that this was the first book the author has published. My abbreviated review is that this book has many flaws BUT it is worth reading because as the series progresses the writing makes the characters have more depth and autonomy. I am glad that I finished the book with enough curiosity about what was going on with the characters to read book two. There was so much growth in the writing! I plan on reading the entire series.
Now for a more in depth review. Don't worry there wont be any spoilers. This books takes the characters from the King Arthur legend and takes them on a wild adventure. I love the places it goes and the plot is well thought out. It was easy to see as a reader what the author wanted me to feel. I loved the twists. Unfortunately the writing of the thing that happened lacked depth and it felt like you were just watching things happen and didn't add depth the characters relationships.
When the book ended it felt like I was in the middle of a book. The FMC Morgan had spent the entire book having things happen to her and it ended with her feeling like a forever victim and not a character that overcomes. My personal opinion is that if you take the first and second book in the series and smoosh them together you have a more complete story arch and the relationships have more depth. But more on that in my review of book two!
Now for a more in depth review. Don't worry there wont be any spoilers. This books takes the characters from the King Arthur legend and takes them on a wild adventure. I love the places it goes and the plot is well thought out. It was easy to see as a reader what the author wanted me to feel. I loved the twists. Unfortunately the writing of the thing that happened lacked depth and it felt like you were just watching things happen and didn't add depth the characters relationships.
When the book ended it felt like I was in the middle of a book. The FMC Morgan had spent the entire book having things happen to her and it ended with her feeling like a forever victim and not a character that overcomes. My personal opinion is that if you take the first and second book in the series and smoosh them together you have a more complete story arch and the relationships have more depth. But more on that in my review of book two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
phangirl's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
C - 7; A - 8; W - 6; P - 5; I - 4; L - 3; E - 1.
34/70 (49%)
I really liked the concepts in this book. It really felt like it had do much potential but imo it fell flat in every way. The writing and pacing were decent at the start, but about 60% in the grammar started to drop off and the pacing slowed down a lot for me.
when I finished the book I was so angry about the Morgan's complete lack of agency that I couldn't s op thinking about rhe book. There is literally no point in which Morgan makes an active choice or takes any action. Eg not drinking the potion (Draven threw it away), leaving (Draven made that happen), killing Florian (self preservation but is debatable), loving/liking Vesper (he enchanted her), etc.
It's not for me. The plot and 'character development' were predictable (and I almost never make predictions while reading), which is so disappointing!
34/70 (49%)
I really liked the concepts in this book. It really felt like it had do much potential but imo it fell flat in every way. The writing and pacing were decent at the start, but about 60% in the grammar started to drop off and the pacing slowed down a lot for me.
It's not for me. The plot and 'character development' were predictable (and I almost never make predictions while reading), which is so disappointing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and War
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Slavery, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and War
entangled_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
The world building of this book was great however I wasn't expecting this story line and it just wasn't my kinda of book lš¤·āāļø If you love a king author retellings and spicey scenes it would also be ideal for those who aren't a fan of multiple povs then this one's for you lš
I would have preferred it if this book had multiple povs especially more on draven as it was difficult to connect with him aswell as the other characters other than Morgan lš»
I quite liked Morgan in the beginning however I disliked her more as the book went on as her baddass personality changed quite alot lāļø
Do check the trigger warnings before reading as their is quite significant violence and spicy scenes in this book lā ļø
Thank you for the free copy netgalley starwater press and brair boleyn lš
I would have preferred it if this book had multiple povs especially more on draven as it was difficult to connect with him aswell as the other characters other than Morgan lš»
I quite liked Morgan in the beginning however I disliked her more as the book went on as her baddass personality changed quite alot lāļø
Do check the trigger warnings before reading as their is quite significant violence and spicy scenes in this book lā ļø
Thank you for the free copy netgalley starwater press and brair boleyn lš
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail
jrice17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for the advanced reader's copy of this book!
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Queen of Roses. I am by no means an expert in the Arthurian legends, but I appreciated the use of the characters and lore from the stories. So going in most people will have a general idea of characters and items to expect to hear about in the book.
The story was a little slow and repetitive in the middle, but sometimes slower pacing is needed to have explosive scenes in other parts of the book. And those last few chapters of the book were NOT what I was expecting. After reading through the end of the book I had to know more about the world, Morgan (our FMC), and Draven (knight), and continue reading the series.
I really appreciate that the two most stereotypical views of Fae and Faeries is portrayed in the book. We get both the extremely human/classically beautiful as well as the human/animal hybrid interpretations of the Fae. In many Fae inspired books I have read, it seems that the author chooses one or the other, but not both. I hope this dynamic is explored more in the next books in the series.
I can't wait to continue reading this series!
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Queen of Roses. I am by no means an expert in the Arthurian legends, but I appreciated the use of the characters and lore from the stories. So going in most people will have a general idea of characters and items to expect to hear about in the book.
The story was a little slow and repetitive in the middle, but sometimes slower pacing is needed to have explosive scenes in other parts of the book. And those last few chapters of the book were NOT what I was expecting. After reading through the end of the book I had to know more about the world, Morgan (our FMC), and Draven (knight), and continue reading the series.
I really appreciate that the two most stereotypical views of Fae and Faeries is portrayed in the book. We get both the extremely human/classically beautiful as well as the human/animal hybrid interpretations of the Fae. In many Fae inspired books I have read, it seems that the author chooses one or the other, but not both. I hope this dynamic is explored more in the next books in the series.
I can't wait to continue reading this series!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury
manaledi's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Very strandard quest fantasy. Not as dark as the title makes it seem. Not really sure what's Arthurian other than the names. Not bad but not particularly memorable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War
anitarose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Great slow-burn romantasy book, with great world building and character development. I like the writing style too, which really allowed me to visualize the story. It kept me entertained and engaged with the multiple plot twists/ things that I just didnāt see coming!
I liked the banter between Morgan and Draven, he was kinda sassy lol. It made the story feel a bit less dark and heavy. I would have liked a bit more spiceā¦ but I know it will be coming in the next book.
I will definitely read the rest of the books eventually, because it ended on a cliff-hanger and I want to know how their relationship develops (once I get kindle unlimited again).
I liked the banter between Morgan and Draven, he was kinda sassy lol. It made the story feel a bit less dark and heavy. I would have liked a bit more spiceā¦ but I know it will be coming in the next book.
I will definitely read the rest of the books eventually, because it ended on a cliff-hanger and I want to know how their relationship develops (once I get kindle unlimited again).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
irenemayblack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
cakins28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The first in the Blood of a Fae series by Briar Boleyn, this novel follows Morgan Pendragon, sister to King Arthur, as she discovers her true identity and the power that comes with it. Morgan, first born child of King Uther, is stripped of her right to inherit the throne of Camelot when her younger half-brother, Arthur, is born. Despite this fact, she never holds any ill-will toward her brother. She grows up alongside him, loving him and trying to protect him from their drunk, power mad, abusive father. In the end, though, itās not enough to stop Arthur from becoming a bigger tyrant than even their father was.
Narcissistic, power mad, Arthur is paranoid of everyone and everything around him, including his older sister. But this is more than a simple sibling rivalry - Morgan is part-Fae, making her a social and political outcast, even in her own family. When food in Camelot becomes scarce, and the civilians begin to get restless, Arthur decides that he has to rely on his sister to retrieve the legendary sword, Excalibur.
Embarking on a quest, in the middle of the night, with the captain of the Royal Guard, Kairos Draven and a rather detestable mercenary named Whitehorn, Morgan steps into the great unknown and will discover her true power and identity.
āāāā/5 stars based on the following:
- The world building was exceptional. While the geographical and political terrain of the kingdom arenāt terribly complicated, the world of Queen of Roses is just complicated enough to hold interest. Each area within the kingdom has itās own distinct features. The fact that the world is much larger than Morgan originally believes it to be is an important detail that makes the political aspects of the book much more intriguing.
- The characterization in the first half of the book is excellent, and the characters act exactly within their characterizations throughout. There is never a moment when I thought āI canāt believe that character did that!ā The choices made by each character fit precisely within the boundaries of how you expect the characters to act.
- Despite the fact that it is a romance novel, the adventure and fantasy were much stronger than the romance was. Of course, thereās romantic, and even sexual, tension between Morgan and Draven, but it isnāt such a huge part of the story that it detracts from the rest of the plot. The love triangle is short-lived, which makes it much more bearable. Morganās naivety makes the love-triangle and subsequent betrayal much more believable.
- The fact that the twists were predictable does take away from the story somewhat. I do enjoy being right when my predictions come true, but I would still like some surprises to remain surprises.
I predicted Arthur turning on another nation very early on. I predicted the reality of who Draven was, I predicted that Morgan was more powerful than anyone realized, I predicted that the medicine she was taking was actually meant to subdue her power. All of those ātwistsā were glaringly obvious from the outset of the novel. F-boy (whose name I genuinely canāt remember) got his comeuppance too quickly. I genuinely hated him, and assumed that he would be going with Draven and Morgan on their quest. His death came to early in the book. He definitely deserved what he got, but we had just been introduced to the stakes of Morganās success/failure. Removing him from the equation before she set out for her quest removes some of her personal interest in the success of the quest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
frog4earth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
For a first print run, this first book in Briar Boleynās new āBlood of a Faeā series is incredibly well done. There were noticeable grammatical errors/spelling errors that did take me out of the story in the beginningā¦ but as the story went on and continued to pull me further in, they became a LOT less noticeable. I will also say that unfortunately, for me, Vesperās character twist/plot twist was quite predictable. He was too good to be true š«. On the flip side though, I still felt so much shock/anger/betrayal for Morgan when we found out what Vesper had wanted all along. I also didnāt predict that he worked for the King, so that all very well made up for the predictability of Vesperās twist! Waiting on books 2 and 3 to arrive on Friday ā I canāt wait, I think it will only go up from here!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, and Sexual assault
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content