Format: Kindle, 357 pages
Release Date: April 15, 2023
Publisher: Starwater Press
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Fantasy / Romance
A doomed love, a dangerous mission, and a kingdom on the brink of war...
A cast-off princess…
Born into a life of duty and sacrifice, Morgan Pendragon’s destiny has never been her own. Rumored to carry the tainted blood of the fae in her veins, her birthright is stolen from her when she is a mere child. Growing up in the shadow of her brother the king, she has been promised to the goddesses when she comes of age. So, when her brother commands that she seek out a fae weapon of legendary power, Morgan seizes the chance to break free from the chains of her fate.
A dangerous temptation…
As she travels, Morgan finds herself drawn into a strange group of outcasts, led by a dark and enigmatic warrior whose sharp wit and fierce beauty set her heart ablaze. But while Morgan struggles to reconcile her desires with her duty, she and her new comrades discover dangers that await them beyond anything in their wildest nightmares.
A slumbering kingdom awoken by blood…
Believed to have vanished generations ago, a fae kingdom dreaded by mortals is ascending once more, bound to reclaim what was lost by violence and bloodshed. As the fae world, with its intricate web of lies and mysteries, is slowly revealed to Morgan, she is led to the terrible realization that the secrets she carries in her blood make her a greater threat than she could ever have imagined.
The first in an action-packed new series brimming with magic,
danger, morally gray characters, and spellbinding slow-burn romance,
Queen of Roses is perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Raven
Kennedy, Rebecca Yarros, Carissa Broadbent, and Sarah J. Maas.
Queen of Roses is the first installment in author Briar Boleyn's Blood of a Fae series. It is a loose retelling of the Arthurian legend. When Morgan Pendragon was 5 years old, her mother Ygraine was murdered by her own father. 15 years later, Morgan, the eldest of the Pendragon's who was expected to become Queen of Camelot, has been brushed aside for her younger brother Arthur. Morgan is a half-blooded Fae, who knows very little about her Fae heritage. In this world, both Merlin, High Priestess of the Three Sisters, and Lancelot, are both women.
Born resented by her family for her mother’s heritage, Morgan is forced to suppress her part-fae side for as long as she can remember by taking an unknown medication. She's also been promised to take over the role of Priestess of the Temple of the Three Sisters when she comes of age which is 1 year away. So, when Arthur entrusts her with a quest to retrieve a Fae weapon of legendary power: the sword of Perun, Excalibur, in a far off land that likely will take months to find, Morgan seizes the chance to break free from the chains of her fate.
Accompanied by men she loathes, Captain Kairos Draven and Ragnar Whitehorn, she embarks on her long and unbeknownst perilous journey, only to find that things she once believed to be myth are in fact very real. Draven is dangerous as we slowly discover after Morgan is brutally attacked and disfigured by a psycho attack who I refuse to name because I hate rape scenes. But while Morgan struggles to reconcile her desires with her duty, she and her new comrades discover dangers that await them beyond anything in their wildest nightmares.
It is fair to say that most of the male characters, except Galahad, who is apparently gay, and Sir Ector who has been training Morgan for years, and her brother Kaye who is innocent as they day he was born, are really awful. Arthur is not the legendary figure that most of us have read in the past. What he allows to happen to Morgan is indescribable, and for what? Power? The story is filled with betrayals and danger and some truly unexpected reveals before everything then comes to its thrilling conclusion in a delicious cliffhanger.
*Thoughts* This is a very dark book with lots of trigger warnings that I won't post in this review. Because of the fact that Morgan has been kept in the dark about her heritage for 20 years, and tried to remain in the background while learning how to help herself, she is a bit on the naive side. Arthur is truly deranged. The lengths he goes to keep her from knowing the truth about herself and her mother, goes to show that you can easily make a hero a villain in a flip of a script. As for Draven, there is some very understandably twisted things about him that I won't share. As the book ends on a cliffhanger, I am hoping to learn more in the next book which the author gracelessly sent to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment