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lastblossom's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
An interesting take on Arthurian legend. Too dark for me, sadly.
Thoughts
I keep telling myself to give dark fantasy another chance, and I should stop telling myself that. My feelings on this book are split. On the plus side, some great twists on fae and Arthurian legend. The story had some great reveals, and I liked all the supporting friends. But it turns out I am tired of things being miserable always and at all times. While this doesn't go all the way into "gritty" territory, the storyline is definitely dark enough, with our MC constantly being kicked around from all directions (mostly from her really terrible brother), with barely a sliver of relief. At one point, I started to wonder why she was even still doing the quest, when she'd probably be better off just running away. Or perhaps using the time away to build that secret army her brother thinks she's got going on. But if you want a dark fantasy, this book absolutely fulfills the prompt. There's also a decent amount of spice, and a very slow burn romance (that looks like it won't really see completion until later installments), and I liked the world building.
Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
An interesting take on Arthurian legend. Too dark for me, sadly.
Thoughts
I keep telling myself to give dark fantasy another chance, and I should stop telling myself that. My feelings on this book are split. On the plus side, some great twists on fae and Arthurian legend. The story had some great reveals, and I liked all the supporting friends. But it turns out I am tired of things being miserable always and at all times. While this doesn't go all the way into "gritty" territory, the storyline is definitely dark enough, with our MC constantly being kicked around from all directions (mostly from her really terrible brother), with barely a sliver of relief. At one point, I started to wonder why she was even still doing the quest, when she'd probably be better off just running away. Or perhaps using the time away to build that secret army her brother thinks she's got going on. But if you want a dark fantasy, this book absolutely fulfills the prompt. There's also a decent amount of spice, and a very slow burn romance (that looks like it won't really see completion until later installments), and I liked the world building.
Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Xenophobia
emilynied's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
This book was just ok in my opinion, starting with the fact that I think it was mismarketed based off of the plot summary. I got this book for "Stuff Your Kindle Day" and the summary of the book plus the anticipated reading experience just didn't live up to what I was expecting. This book fits in to the "fantasy romance" genre much of us are familiar with and love, which I didn't have a problem with, but aside from some elements, this book didn't stick out at all because it felt like nothing happened. We spend a lot of time in Morgan's home learning her environment and background before embarking on the hero's journey about halfway through the book. That's the first problem I have, we got to a singular event in the plot summary halfway through the book. The character building and relationships in the first half were fine and I think that Morgan's relations with her brothers are particularly interesting but I think that those scenes needed to be condensed in order to get to the action quicker.
The introduction of Draven felt very clunky to me and his whole character feels really unimagined and lacking in originality. I think that at a certain point when you read a whole lot of this genre, the mmc love interests begin to blur together because they all tend to have the same characteristics (dark hair, tall, infinitely bigger and burlier than the fmc, a warrior with weirdly quick movements in a world where the fae are "supposed" to be long gone and of course, a dark past (but actually they're just misunderstood)). I don't mean to call out this author in particular for this because I think it's a problem of the genre but it made me not care for the character at all.
I liked the whole hero's journey and traveling through mystical lands left undiscovered but there just was a lack of action and clarity that I was looking for. I felt like the entire trip was confusing because both the protagonist and the reader don't really know exactly what the goal is...I understand the purpose is to create mystery and probably build up to a reveal about the hidden "fae" world (just a prediction not a spoiler) but the plot ended up feeling underdeveloped as a result.
The introduction of Draven felt very clunky to me and his whole character feels really unimagined and lacking in originality. I think that at a certain point when you read a whole lot of this genre, the mmc love interests begin to blur together because they all tend to have the same characteristics (dark hair, tall, infinitely bigger and burlier than the fmc, a warrior with weirdly quick movements in a world where the fae are "supposed" to be long gone and of course, a dark past (but actually they're just misunderstood)). I don't mean to call out this author in particular for this because I think it's a problem of the genre but it made me not care for the character at all.
I liked the whole hero's journey and traveling through mystical lands left undiscovered but there just was a lack of action and clarity that I was looking for. I felt like the entire trip was confusing because both the protagonist and the reader don't really know exactly what the goal is...I understand the purpose is to create mystery and probably build up to a reveal about the hidden "fae" world (just a prediction not a spoiler) but the plot ended up feeling underdeveloped as a result.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
pjc5355's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.25
A big thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
“Queen of Roses” is an Arthurian-retelling with fae mixed in— it follows Morgan, a part-fae princess of Camelot, as she fights to to help out her struggling kingdom while coming to terms with the fact that her brother, King Arthur, is frankly Not A Good Dude.
If you’re looking for a pretty standard “romantasy” book, I’d suggest this one. The plot and tropes aren’t necessarily unique, but the quality of writing is definitely a step above what I normally see in this genre. The first half felt a bit slow compared to the second half, but the ending really captivated me and I honestly can’t wait for the next book— I’m especially looking forward to learning more of the fae-lore as the series goes on.
This one’s got just a dash of spice— it’s more of a slow-burn start with an expectation of the spice increasing as the series goes on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
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