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The Once and Future Queen

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“The crown I’ve longed for is mine, but I never wanted it like this.”

Reeling from the death of her father and an insurmountable betrayal, Brianna ascends the throne, determined to make good on her promise to liberate the Fey. But freedom is not so easily won, and each decision she makes comes with catastrophic consequences.

Meanwhile Aidan is left to care for the Pendragon estate, battling his own demons while desperately trying to make amends to Brianna. The distance between them seems uncrossable, but Aidan refuses to let go if there’s even a chance that they can be together.

Beyond courtly politics and conflicted feelings, Morrigan’s forces are stirring in Abaddon, and to save the land they’ve fought and bled for, Brianna and Aidan will have to journey into Hell itself…

And this time, there may be no coming back.

The explosive final part of the A THRONE OF PEARLS AND BONES trilogy.

389 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 6, 2024

6 people are currently reading
29 people want to read

About the author

Katherine Macdonald

37 books460 followers
Katherine "Kate" Macdonald writes the books she wishes she could have read more of as a teen—stories of fierce girls and gentle boys, of romance and adventure, and where the "three Cs" (chemistry, communication and consent) reign supreme. There may still be a little bit of miscommunication along the way as the characters grow as people, but she tries not to rely on that trope too much!

She loves books packed with witty banter, stories where you can feel the love growing between a pair, that include excellent, well-developed side-characters and a few subtly-foreshadowed twists and turns. She despises toxic relationships and tales that rely on old-fashioned notions of male and female stereotypes. She enjoys bending expectations and crafting worlds where sexism is a thing of the past. She considers herself an LGBTQIA+ friendly author, and her stories include a range of characters from within the community and absolutely no discrimination in sight.

She holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from Lancaster University, and a PGCE in teaching English and Drama from the University of Exeter. She's been a writer since she was old enough to hold a crayon, but it was only after surviving a year of parenthood and a full-time job on less than six hours of sleep a night that she finally gained the courage to publish her debut novel, "The Rose and the Thorn." It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast inspired by a dream of a girl surrounded by snow in a field of flowers.

At her heart, Macdonald is storyteller, and it is her dream to inspire others in the way that she has been inspired.

She lives in Devon with her manic child and well-behaved cats.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for R. Raeta.
Author 8 books735 followers
April 30, 2024
A beautiful ending to an enchanting trilogy. Strong character development paired with swoon worthy romance and an extra helping of witty banter, Macdonald truly did this story justice. Add in the all that deliciously angsty hurt/comfort, and it’s no surprise that these characters snared my whole heart.
Profile Image for Lauren.
553 reviews27 followers
March 30, 2024
I ❤️ this series!

This picks up almost immediately after all the reveals and turmoil at the end of book 2, so the first bit of this is a bit of an emotional roller coaster (in the best way).

The second half of this becomes more action-focused, as the Brianna and Aiden attempt to save the world.

I loved seeing the conclusion to Aiden and Brianna's story- this is definitely a series I'll be rereading. The strong characters and witty humor and banter are solid and so lovely throughout the entire series.

I like that the author left the ending a little open where we could potentially see more of the world in the future.

Thanks to the author for a review copy!
Profile Image for Chesney Infalt.
Author 16 books83 followers
March 16, 2024
While I knew the final book in the trilogy was going to be quite the ride, I don’t think I was fully prepared for the spectrum of emotions. Having seen these characters grow from book one to now, I was reminded just how much they’ve been through, and yet this book still had more to explore. I’m not a fan of political-heavy plotlines, but the author did an excellent job of balancing it with everything else while keeping me engaged. The humor and witty banter sprinkled throughout kept true to the first two books and offered some levity in the midst of the heart-wrenching and painful parts of the journey.

If you love having the anxiety of “how are they going to possibly make it?” while knowing there is a satisfying HEA at the end, I cannot recommend this enough. (And there are plenty of swoon-worthy and heartwarming moments that had me grinning!)

Contains:
-Violence
-Trauma
-Language
-Sexual Content
Profile Image for Crush Critiques.
141 reviews6 followers
April 5, 2024
“All that is beside me is flesh and bones.
These things don't matter.
But they do. They do, they do, they do.”

The beginning is beautifully written in a way that progresses the plot, yet still reminds the reader of what happened in the previous books, which is absolutely fantastic. Some other writers could take notes from how deftly Macdonald managed a recap that was so expertly intertwined within the story.

I found the pacing of this book to be more even keeled than the second book, which really is a tough feat because there’s a lot happening, especially since the beginning starts in mourning. There’s a lot of ups and downs making this a total rollercoaster of emotions for the reader, but at no time did things feel overwhelming or forced.

The emotional connection and development between Aiden and Brianna really came together nicely in this series (I honestly appreciate that it wasn’t insta-love because I feel like that’s a cop out so an author doesn’t have to work hard to build the relationship), and it was wonderful to see the personal growth they each had, Brianna in particular.

With such heavy subject matter at times, Macdonald manages to not let it become too depressing by infusing the story with the wit and banter that I’ve come to expect from her. Even the political aspects of the story are palatable, especially since I personally don’t like reading about that subject matter.

The ending seemed slightly open ended which could potentially allow for Macdonald to do a revisit to this world somewhere down the line which I think is wonderful. A story centering around one of the secondary characters like Vivi or Kay perhaps? I would definitely read that…

All in all I think this was a wonderful culmination to the series and definitely something I could see myself re-reading in the future. 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and the author, however my review is completely unbiased and entirely my own personal opinion.
Profile Image for Adrianne Lemke.
Author 18 books60 followers
June 18, 2024
This book started a bit slowly, and the early part was pretty heavy on political maneuvering and Brianna closing herself off to Aiden. The story picked up a little later, and the storyline was quite enjoyable to read. Overall I enjoyed this series.
Profile Image for Linds.
119 reviews1 follower
May 19, 2025
What an ending!!! This series was amazing. Exciting, romantic, adventurous- there was a bit of everything that I love. What can I say- I’m a sucker for a romantasy- especially one with a happily ever after!
Profile Image for Jeanna Smith.
348 reviews24 followers
April 17, 2024
This is the conclusion to Brianna and Aiden's story and although I enjoyed it quite a bit I didn't find it as much of a page turner as the previous two books.

There was a lot going on. We pickup after the Kings death and Brianna is feeling all sorts of different things while still feeling not much at all. She needs time to grieve her father, wrap her head around the fact that Morrigan is her biologically mother, decide what to do with the information that her long time love Aiden is Red Wolf whom she also loves and take up the reins of ruling a kingdom. A kingdom that may not embrace the change about the Fae that Brianna needs them to. That's a lot going on for her.

Aiden does try to be as supportive as he can be. He just wants to help Bree and stand by her in whatever she needs. While he still wants her very much he also is going through the betrayal of his adoptive mother Ecta/Morrigan.

If these problems were not enough they also need to worry about the Unseelie King along with Morrigan sending an army to kill them. And a small army they do soon have to face during the White Ball. Thanks to the power of the Celestial Blade Brianna's secret is out and now they need to take the fight to the Unseelie King.

Bree and a small group travel to the Kings realm where the encounter strange demon's as well as find allies. Here is where I was a little underwhelmed in the story. I found Celeste's story a little confusing. I maybe just had to re-read that part again to fully understand how the world came to be the way it is, but honestly I found I just wanted to move on from that part. The lakes were interesting. Each lake had a different emotion and they would be challenging for Bree to defeat. I enjoyed hearing the backstory we did of Bree, Adien, Morrigan and the guards life (I'm sorry his name is escaping me at the moment). The guards story was heartbreaking and I'm so glad Aiden was able to give him the peace he needed.

One of the more interesting characters was Lucas. We didn't have him for long but I have a feeling he's important in another story. I really thought this story tided into "A Forest of Dreams and Whispers" but it's been a while since I've read it. I may need to do a re-read.

The Unseelie King didn't feel that horrible, except when he was sucking the souls of his people/demons. I guess that's pretty bad.

Overall it was a beautiful ending for our heroes. I would love to re-read this series as one some time. It was a wonderful, magical, romantic ride.
Profile Image for Cat Bowser.
Author 6 books43 followers
March 24, 2024
I received an ARC copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.

Well, leave it to Kate to end on a banger. With such an amazing build up, I didn’t know if she could pull it off but I shouldn’t have doubted. Not only does she pull it off but she pulls it off magnificently.

I love all the emotional beats we go through here. Some I expected, others I didn’t and I certainly didn’t expect them to hit as hard as they did. Though, by now, I should know better.

The political intrigue was done very well. Usually, that kind of stuff takes me out of a story, mainly because it’s hard for me to follow. But this book tackled it well—I understood the ramifications but the plot didn’t lose itself in them. The main focus stayed where it should be: on Brianna and Aidan.

And those two were the highlight and reason to read this book. I love how Kate writes so many different couples and they all manage to be unique in their style, their interactions. Seeing these two finally establish what their relationship is and where it’s going was such a joy to read but it also felt right with their personalities and the timing wasn’t rushed. A hard feat to pull off!

As always, I continue to love the references to the Arthurian legends. They give the story a nice little flavor.

I love the teasing Kate gives us and I can’t wait to see where she takes it.
Profile Image for Meera.
122 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2024
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
If you haven't read this series, there will be spoilers!!!




The ending of the second book was epic. Though it was also sad since Briannas father was killed. I felt the writing for Brianna being Queen and her still mourning her father made perfect sense and not putting her love for Aiden first. So in time she began to open up for him. I also liked the fact she was able to change the law about killing fey. It was a little weird she and Aiden would sometimes openly tell others that they were part fey, but I guess it was part of them being liked by people and to help people in general.

It was also interesting when they went forward to Abbadon to get to Morrigaine and the unseelie king. I liked the fact it was not black and white about Morrigaine being the evil guy. In the end she helped them.

I think I would have wanted an explanation about the blight in the second book because it was not a big part in the second book. However the explanation did make sense I just think it came a bit late.

But the fact that they met the real Celeste and explanation about the world became more expanded was really good.

Overall it was a good conclusion to the series. I also like the fact that the author is able to expand on the series if she wants.

Profile Image for Laura.
199 reviews13 followers
June 23, 2024
Quest'ultimo libro è un crescendo di emozioni a partire dall'inizio dove i personaggi devo mettere insieme i pezzi che provengono dal finale del libro precedente e cercare di capire quale sarà da ora in poi il loro posto nel mondo. Ho sofferto insieme a loro in questa prima parte, l'autrice è stata molto brava a descrivere quello che provano.

Ho apprezzato tutto il viaggio che arriva dopo, la leggenda diventa più pericolosa, l'apparizione di un nuovo personaggio (sono rimasta sorpresa quanto i protagonisti) e nuove rivelazioni metteranno Brianna e Aidan davanti a nuove sfide, sempre più difficili.

Ho amato il rapporto tra loro due, c'è una scena verso la fine che è il massimo del libro, è toccante  ed è così bella che bisogna leggerla, questa è una trilogia che vi consiglio, il world-building è descritto benissimo, mi è sembrato di ritrovarmi lì, in quei luoghi, la mitologia celtica si sente e la storia arriva ad un finale che veramente si ama e basta. Se vi piacciono gli slow-burn e tutti gli altri elementi di cui ho parlato, questo libro fa per voi.

Ps: i personaggi secondari sono un altro punto di forza di questa storia, anche loro scritti con i contro cavoli e ve ne innamorerete.
138 reviews10 followers
April 8, 2024
I was thrilled to read an advanced reader’s copy of The Once and Future Queen by Katherine Macdonald. Brianna has taken over as the Queen and struggles under the weight of the responsibility of ruling. The relationship between Brianna/Celeste and Aide/Red Wolf suffers after the truths revealed in the prior book The Lady by the Lake. Queen Brianna strives to find a way to end the suffering of the Fae and bring human and Fae folk together. The book takes us into Abaddon in search of the Unselie King. There are epic battles, unexpected alliances, and a deep emotional reading experience. The story reached its magnificent conclusion, or so I thought. The story continued in a most satisfying way, clearing up any unresolved issues and adding even more to the story while leaving hope for future tales. A Throne of Pearls and Bones trilogy was a wonderful addition to the romantic/action fantasy genre, and I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Angela.
938 reviews38 followers
April 8, 2024
The Once and Future Queen
A Throne of Pearls and Bones book three
Katherine Macdonald
Stars: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Spice: .5🌶️
Time read: 4 hours
HEA
* MY REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
* ALWAYS READ TRIGGER WARNINGS!

Tropes/tags:
Retelling (sword in the stone)
Fae
Friends to l0vers

Brianna & Aiden

This is the absolute epic conclusion to A Throne of Pearls and Bones series. Outstanding work! Katherine once again reminds me why I love fantasy so much ❤️. She was able to create a romance book that kept me hooked despite its lack of smutty scenes. There’s a few almost fade to black scenes (extremely none descriptive) and I would let my children read this if they wanted to. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
Profile Image for Kelly.
2,469 reviews117 followers
March 29, 2024
I've read the previous two books in this series, so I enjoyed reading about these characters again. I only wish I could recall the events of the previous two books more clearly. I don't think it would have made sense to read this at all, if I hadn't read the first two books prior to it.

I definitely felt the romance between Aidan and Brianna, and the intensity of their connection. I found this too long to read all at once, but it is definitely worth reading if you enjoyed the previous two books.

Thank you to Booksprout and the author for a free copy to review.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
330 reviews7 followers
April 3, 2024
What a fantastic ending for this trilogy. The A Throne of Pearls and Bones series has become one of my favorite series and Brianna and Aidan have also become one of my favorite couples. I loved the new adventures in a new world and also the new characters. This book was captivating and the character development of both characters was very well written. It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, but I loved it. I would be happy about a sequel to get to know this world and other realms better. I can only recommend this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Dorothy Garcia.
61 reviews
April 15, 2024
Oh boy I know that the last book in a series is the best but this one took it all the way.

This book gave me everything I suspected and more, I have been dealing with a lot of hard things right now and I am sorry for being late but I was able to escape from my mind and emotions with this book.

I love how intense the love is between them all and how no matter what they don't give up and when they think that everything will be lost it's just not in their plans.

This is a wonderful series about love, discovery, standing up for what's right, redemption, friendship, family and more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
8 reviews3 followers
March 27, 2024
Thank you Booksprout and Katherine MacDonald for letting me read and review an ARC of this book.

First of all, beautiful cover! My favorite part about this series has always been the Arthurian references, and I loved Brianna and Aidan more and more with each book, both as a couple as well as individually. Actually, just the character interactions and growth in general was great, and the political intrigue had me on the edge of my seat! It may not be my favorite Katherine MacDonald series, but it definitely pulled through in the end!
27 reviews
April 4, 2024
I am amazed at how this series has developed. Once you start, you can't put it down. Celeste and Wolf come to life, once again, and have their very selves challenged in every way, only to come out better each time. I am hoping that this isn't truly the end, but if it is, this series has been an awesome ride! Twists and turns don't even describe what you have when you delve into the worlds of Brianna and Aiden, otherwise known as Celeste and Red Wolf. Their pasts divide them, yet unite them in ways you can't even comprehend. Love, mystery and adventure await, good luck reader, and enjoy!
Profile Image for Marie Ricci.
Author 3 books36 followers
April 5, 2024
I took a look at my review of the very first volume of A Throne of Pearls and Bones, and realized that in less than one year, we got 3 magnificent volumes of this epic story and I don't know, this is so impressive to me. I'm deeply grateful to be able to have so much greatness to read haha. I don't like when stories that I love come to an end, so I won't say this is my favorite book (also I cried a lot for this one), but I completely enjoyed it, it was a blessing to come back to this wonderful world. Thank you so much for writing and sharing this story with us ~
88 reviews3 followers
April 8, 2024
What an amazing and absolutely perfect ending to this trilogy! Wow! I am so happy to have completed this journey, and the only thing wrong with this novel is that it is the last.

A bittersweet moment: I am happy to finally have the full story, but alsot sad that this was the end. I think I will be rereading all the books again sometime.

All I could wish for was some more details in the spicy scenes.

Cross my fingers for more books from this author set in this world - I would love reading them.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Debbie Eyre.
5,893 reviews116 followers
April 18, 2024
It’s been an incredible journey but little did we know that this final book would be one hell of a ride. Our characters have been through so much and grown so much and I have enjoyed being there alongside them and in this, there was so much more to come. The world building has been incredible and so descriptive, the characters strong and likeable and the storyline enthralling, captivating and magical and the author does such a great job pulling everything together for this incredible conclusion.
49 reviews1 follower
April 26, 2024
“I would wait forever for you. And if there’s an afterlife, I’ll wait there, too.”

Although I wanted more romance, and I'm not a fan of relationship troubles in books, this was still masterfully written, and I enjoyed it. That's just me, though. It didn't necessarily take away from the plot. I understand why Brianna might have acted the way she did. It's just not what I was expecting based on the last two books. It was still good though.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mimia The Reader.
453 reviews12 followers
June 7, 2024
A very good, entertaining story, very much un-put-downnable as well.
This was the closing of a trilogy, so it had many loose ends to tie, and tied they ended, in very nice bow!
At one point I felt too much still needed to happen and that the pacing would nog work out, I'm happy to say I was wrong.
Katherine Macdonald keeps showing us that she really knows how to write a good story!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
116 reviews
April 7, 2024
Loved this series. This book really held my attention and was filled with amazing world building. So many surprises, twists, and turns. I really enjoyed the end battle and hope that this world won’t end, even if the main characters story has.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Heather.
83 reviews3 followers
April 8, 2024
Wow what a way to end a series! This was a fantastic final to this trilogy. I'm afraid if I say more I'll ruin the ending so I'll keep this short and sweet! What a roller coaster of feelings this was, it was definitely the best in the series IMHO. If you haven't read this series, put down this review and go now to get these books!
Profile Image for Jodie Cary.
930 reviews7 followers
April 17, 2024
I love reading stories from this author. Always written well.
This is Book 3 and the final story of the series. I was hooked back into the story, from the start, and had a hard time putting it down. Exciting, action, twists and turns, with a HEA. I loved the characters and the storyline.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
277 reviews7 followers
April 25, 2024
While she is still reeling from the death of her father, Bree sets off on a quest to the other world to destroy the Unseelie King and rid the world of the Blight. Aidan, and a group accompanies her. The tale is action packed and is a fitting conclusion to this excellent series. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Rowan Creech.
1,519 reviews14 followers
April 3, 2024
This book culminates a wonderful adventure through a trilogy of books that made such a fabulous and magical story. Katherine Macdonald has a wonderful knack for storytelling and creating such endearing characters. This book and the others in the series are a must read .
Profile Image for Dawn Milligan.
2,657 reviews16 followers
April 4, 2024
Oh my lanta this was a wicked good read i really loved the journey so far and DANNNGGG does this deliver a rocking time to the happy ever after for our gitl this is a perfect way to end thing!! amazing read
205 reviews3 followers
April 5, 2024
This is book 3 of A Throne of Pearls and Bones. It does not disappoint. I love the characters and the storyline. Very entertaining, a page turner, spicy, action. Well written I highly recommend.
What a great series!!
Profile Image for Kaitlyn.
207 reviews
April 24, 2024
Amazing ending to these books. It’s exactly what I hoped for and I devoured it. I love all the characters and the story is definitely one I’ll reread in the future.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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