I received a copy of Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn from NetGalley. This is the first book of the Blood of the Fae series. It is a dark fantasy romance novel that immediately intrigued me. A discarded princess, Morgan must go on a journey to find an item for her brother, accompanied by Kairos Draven.
Morgan is a half-fae and half-human princess, heir to the Camelot throne. Then, her father removed her from the succession line because of being half-fae and promised her to the temple of the Three. Kairos Draven is a mysterious new entry in the royal guard. There is not much we know about him for a while. Morgan has two half-siblings, Arthur and Kaye. She feels out of place in her family and her choices taken away by her father from a very young age after losing her mother. Arthur chooses Morgan for a mission and Draven to accompany her on this journey.
The story takes an adventurous turn once Morgan along with Draven, begins her journey to find Excalibur. She has been taking a medicine for years, as did her mother, to keep her fae side in check. The increased dosage makes her sick, and with Draven’s support, she stops taking it. The romance aspect of the story is a slow-burn romance. But, you can notice that these characters are drawn to each other even if they try not to be. Draven and Morgan’s rapport builds slowly. There is so much about Draven that we don’t know, and we see him only from Morgan’s perspective. That helps in establishing her changing feelings towards him. They build a nice comradery between them, starting to trust each other.
Morgan is powerful. But her magic comes out when she needs it. She saves Draven twice with her magic. It is a part of her that she has suppressed. In this book, we only get a glimpse of this world and these characters. There are at least three more books in the series. So, it was not surprising that the book ended on a cliffhanger. I loved the build-up to the climax. Briar Boleyn’s writing and pacing keep you engaged. I wanted there to be more scenes between Morgan and Draven because they have such good chemistry.
This book is a take on the Arthurian tale with fae and dark fantasy. It took me some time to understand how things worked in this world. It blends the world of Camelot we know, with this fae fantasy world seamlessly. Some things are familiar yet completely new. It is one of the things that I loved in the book is the setting and then the characters. It keeps the fantasy elements in the center in a grounded way.
Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is the first book of the Blood of the Fae series. It has a fascinating fantasy world, a retelling with fae, and interesting characters. I enjoyed reading this book. I had to force myself to stop reading and sleep. I can’t wait to read the following books and explore this world and these characters more.
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