Queen of Roses

Blood of a Fae, Book 1

By: Briar Boleyn

Narrated by: Zara Hampton-Brown

Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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 was stolen from her when she was 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. 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. Intended for mature listeners.

©2023 Briar Boleyn (P)2024 Podium Audio

I'm Hooked

If you’re looking for your next romantasy adventure, Blood of a Fae series is a great choice! Books 1-4 are available now, and I’m making my way though all of them. A very clever reimagining of King Author/Camelot; it feels familiar and fresh at the same time. The audiobook didn’t mention trigger warnings - there are some. Be sure to check those as needed. I have some slight spoilers in this review. If you like to stay completely in the dark, know that I really liked this book and would absolutely suggest it for anyone who loves a solid slow burn romantasy adventure. Then stop reading. For everyone else, here we go.

Queen of Roses a true slow burn. I love to hate a slow burn, and I can’t get enough of it. Our FMC is taking her sweet time getting her emotions around to where we all know she’s headed. Spoiler - she doesn’t get there this book. Sllllloooooowwww burn. We don’t get POVs from the MMC this book. I think that changes eventually for book 3 (turns into a duel narration for the audiobook - Will M Watt joins Zara and to say I’m excited is an understatement). I’m so ready to see his brooding perspective. He has a way of supporting Morgan (FMC) in ways she doesn’t expect/realize until reflection later on. I know he’s thinking things. Smutty things. I do think the romance plot has been somewhat predictable BUT the details were surprising - I’m trying not to let too many spoilers drop. I also LOVE all of the fantasy creatures we’ve met so far on this journey. Battlecats, harpies, zombie kids, a mysterious water monster I assume we’ll get more of later, and the list goes on. There are diverse ideas occurring in this world, and we haven’t been introduced to so much at this point. I cannot wait to see where were we end up.

Narration of the audiobook: Zara Hampton-Brown was great. They gave a dynamic range of character voices that I found very entertaining.

Lack of character development and weak plot.

The FMC is immature, horrendously wishy washy and unbelievably naive for her age. Several supporting characters are not fleshed out enough or they are unnecessary to even bother with, to help move the story along at a reasonable pace for my taste. It is an interesting take on the Arthurian legends but that alone couldn’t save this book. I barely finished this audiobook and I will not be reading any more of this series.