A realm touched and forgotten by magic. A young queen orphaned by disease. A prince after her heart.
Queen Rosemary Avelia knows little about ruling a kingdom, and even less so about the ancient legends of her land. Since no one has been born Talented in centuries, she simply scoffs at the idea of magic. However, when the charming Prince Gryffin Danicio arrives just as her kingdom is under a deadly threat, he shows her that not all kingdoms of the Magian Peninsula have so quickly dismissed the legends of the Talented. Perhaps the Talented should not so easily be forgotten.
Of Legends and Roses is the first book in The Crowned Chronicles, a series following passionate and determined Queen Rosemary as she faces reign, love, the threat of war, and the mystifying world of the Talented.
Ashley W. Slaughter was born in south Louisiana and grew up amidst the sugarcane fields lining the banks of the Mississippi River. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Louisiana-Monroe in 2018 and worked as a veterinary assistant and wildlife biologist before pursuing her career as an author. Writing has always been a passion of hers, as shown through her near-to-bursting manila folder of short stories she'd written throughout grade school, and a collection of life events has allowed her to rediscover this passion. She enjoys spending time with her husband and pets, hiking, kayaking, beach-going, and, of course, reading.
Queen Rosemary is a straight boss. I love how independent she is and the personal growth she goes through to fight for her Kingdom. I adore her and Zeke's relationship. He's got to be one of my favorite characters. There is an array of characters and they all are lovable in their own ways. The political side of things was very intriguing.
There are twists and turns that I think will catch some off guard and it does end on a cliffhanger that I'm not even mad about. Ashley has built an amazing world that I can't wait to visit again, in book two of The Crowned Chronicles Series!!!
Of Legends and Roses is the first book in the Crowned Chronicles series by debut author Ashley Slaughter (what a fantastic fantasy author last name!) Of Legends and Roses was a great debut novel and really made me interested in continuing on with The Crowned Chronicles series. This book has lots of great world building and character development, along with mystery, secrets and plenty of political intrigue.
In Of Legends and Roses, we meet our main character Queen Rosemary. Rose is a young queen, who rose to the rank earlier than expected with the passing of her parents. Her advisors are pushing her to marry, and Rose is reluctant to do so. This may or may not partly have to do with a certain best friend of hers....I enjoyed Zeke, Rosemary and the whole cast of characters. Ashley Slaughter does a wonderful job of setting the stage for an awesome sounding fantasy series. I am completely intrigued and pleasantly surprised with some of the twists and turns that were present in the book.
I am also super interested to see what is going to develop on the magic front. Magic is all but gone from these lands at the start of our story. It has been so long since anyone has had any magical abilities (called the Talented in this story) that people just starting to think of magic as a thing of legends. I cannot wait to see what is to come of magic in the next book. I have some thoughts of my own, but I am super excited to see it develop more. Of Legends and Roses was an easy read that left me anxious for more from this series. I can't wait for the next book.
What if you were the queen to a kingdom and everyone relied on you?
Of Legends and Roses is a fun and witty tale. The twists and turns of magic and mystery are engaging and the banter between Zeke and Rosemary is perfect. They have the kind of friendship everyone should experience at least once. I thoroughly enjoyed this look into a world where magic is thought to be extinct--until it isn't--and being stubborn might save your life. I received a copy of this book through R&R Book Tours. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Of Legends and Roses by Ashley W. Slaughter is a FANTASTIC fantasy novel that I really had trouble putting down. I almost read this in one sitting, the only thing that stopped me was sleep!
This is the first book in The Crowned Chronicles series and I already can’t wait for the next book innthe series. The writing is fantastic. I love the world building. I love the politics and the mystery. Such compelling story telling!
I love the characters. They are so well written and the author does a fantastic job keeping each person separate so it was never confusing to tell who was who.
Overall, I absolutely loved Of Legends and Roses and cannot wait to continue the series. Highly recommended!
Thank you to R&R Book Tours for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
Such and easy-to-read classic YA novel! I truly didn’t see some of the twists coming and LOVED the ending. Also the map is a 10/10. Can’t wait to read the next one! I need more Zeke please 😬
I. AM. HOOKED. This story was enchanting and had me devouring it as if it were my last meal! Rosemary has a tough road to traverse, and it’s full of twists you won’t see coming! But who she becomes is really something worth appreciating - her strength and endurance inspires me to be just like her!
The writing is fantastic. There was never a dull moment - I was never bored or felt disinterested, and I know part of that is due to how well the supportive characters are written too (especially Zeke). It has a forbidden romance which I adore, lots of action, and an ending that punches you in the gut! But in a good way I promise 😉.
A first-person fantasy romance novel full of mystery, great politics, and smart strategy.
Queen Rosemary ascends to the throne after her parent's death. A year later, her advisers are focused on finding her a husband and Rose must suffer the visits of many suitors whom she declines... until Gryffin (from a neighbor kingdom) arrives. Torn between the love for her childhood friend Zeke whom she can't marry, and the novelty of Prince Gryffin's presence, Rose must decide for the future of her people. But this choice is not what threatens her family and kingdom. War may be at their door soon.
Rose is a strong-born leader who doesn't ignore her emotions but has no doubt that her choices will have consequences on her people. I praise her sense of responsibility. We have access to her thoughts and dilemmas but also her strong and quick decisions.
All the chapters are very well written consistently in style and mood. Whether it's a fun scene between friends or kin, a council discussion, or a party, the author has us enthralled in a great storyline.
Also, the author is very careful to keep the readers well informed. We never lose track of who is who or what they do.
There is a lot of action that keeps us turning the pages. I'm very curious to read the next volumes, for this one ends with a lot of promises. Also, Rose's sisters are very interesting. Can't wait to see what they or the Talented can add to the plot. p.s - Hazel is a character who warms my heart.
It's an empowering series that I strongly recommend.
Thank you to the author and Nerdy Book Tours for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
So many emotions while reading this. As a new queen, who doesn’t seem to have a lot of training for it, Rosemary is not seen thinking things through almost all the time. This was a little disappointing since everyone keeps her on a pedestal.
There was a magic element that was a little touched upon but never discussed. I wish to learn more about it. I wish there was more to world building.
I enjoyed watching the characters interact. The sisterly love was a huge plus with the way it was written. Rosemary’s love for her country and her people was inspiring!
The story was intriguing and I am excited for the sequel after that ending!
This story follows Queen Rosemary who has been ruling as queen for the last year ever since her parents died from a disease called Atroxis. While having suitors thrown at her by her advisors to find the next king consort, she is trying to navigate being queen, and do what she can to take of her sisters and kingdom. One day she is almost assassinated, but is saved by Prince Gryffin, who happens to be the next suitor she is to meet and she is rather drawn to him, especially with all his talk about the legendary Talents who used to have magic. Another assassination attempt is made and Rosemary realizes someone is trying to hurt her and she needs to find out who and why, while also trying navigate court life of being queen, getting to know Prince Gryffin and fighting her feelings for her best friend Zeke.
This is a unique fantasy with some political intrigue. Rosemary is very close with those who work in the palace and you can see she really cares about the people and wants to do what is best for everyone. I really enjoyed her relationship with her sisters, and her "friendship" with Zeke(I mean let's be real here, there's more going on here). I did adore Zeke though! I mean such a charming cutie! The world is also interesting with the legends of people who used to have magic and were called Talents who created each of the kingdoms today and each had their own unique talented ability. There was not much touched about them, but I'm expecting to learn more in the next book.
My only issue with the book was the strange etiquette. I mean Rosemary is very informal with the people, which is fine to an extent, but as a queen, some of the things she did and people allowed I thought odd...like allowing Zeke into her bedchambers and speaking to him alone....yah not sure about that, but they're just friends, right? There were just little things like that that seemed a bit contradictory.
Overall, I really did enjoy the story, and the ending was quick and fast-paced, I am curious to see how the story continues. Thank you to the author for sending me free gifted copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 3.5/5 stars.
“Loss is fickle like that. You suddenly remember the small details.”
A great debut fantasy romance book with politics between kingdoms and a young queen torn between following her duty or her heart.
The plot is quite interesting, the politics part doesn't bored me out and written in a way that keeps me interested and informed of what's going on. The pacing is pretty well with well developed characters.
Being a queen in such a young age, Rosemary still need a lot of time to learn. The readers can see her thoughts and dilemmas when trying to make the right decision for her kingdom. At first, her character seems to changes a lot which confuses me but later on I found out the reason why and everything started to make sense.
Despite it all being good, I kinda wish there's more information or exploration regarding the magic and the Talented people. Perhaps, we'll see more about it in the second book.
Overall, it's a great start for a fantasy series. Unique world building with likeable characters as well as some action scenes near the ending which is a nice touch to the story. I have a really good time reading this and I'm looking forward to read the sequel in The Crowned Chronicles series.
Actual rating: 3.5⭐
A huge thank you to Ashley W. Slaughter for giving me this digital copy of the book and also to R&R Book Tour for allowing me to be a part of the book tour!
***Please refer back to my bio for how I rate books*****
I enjoyed this book and found the magic system to be very interesting!This was jam packed with so much, emotion, childhood love interests, the swoop in Prince Charming! This was giving me Anna vibes from frozen! Main character has to take over this kingdom after her parents died. She must be a big sister, mother, and friend to her sisters. That’s a lot to put on a person.
Rosemary is naive ,we get that immediately but she does a good job about picking herself back up. Both love interest are hard not to swoon over. But y’all know you can only have one! I’m not a big fan of love triangles but this trope as mush as it frustrates me. When you know something will change then trajectory of the relationship or situation, you got to hate to love it!!
Favorite character for sure is Zeke and I hope to read more about him in the next book.
I enjoyed the book, there is a cliffhanger at the end but so worth the read! Book two comes out in November I believe. So not too long to wait!
You know this kind of story. An orphaned queen with a family and kingdom to look after. The looming threat of war and destruction. Two young men who send her mind spinning and her heart thumping. And ancient magic that’s almost forgotten by time, revealed to be real and brought back front and center. Yeah, I was familiar enough with that kind of story, and my suspicions right from the beginning were confirmed when everything came together in the end. But Ashley’s writing just drew me in.
As familiar some of the story elements were, I thought that the book’s strongest point was its characters. Ashley has a talent for crafting them, and, most importantly, making her readers care about them. A lot of my favorites, in fact, are the minor characters, who, if this were a movie, would’ve had limited to no screen time. That’s where I found the magic in this tale.
Looking forward to joining the adventure in the sequel! And learning more about the Talented, as that seemed to be the promise at the end of the book.
This was an excellent YA fantasy. It draws you in, and before you know it you're deep in the book, and it's magical world. I loved Rose, she's smart and strong, and while she doesn't ignore her emotions, she also doesn't let them rule her decisions. The story itself moved along smoothly, and there were just enough twists to keep you engaged. It's easy to follow the story itself, and the characters have wonderful depth to them. I was a little sad to return to the real world when I finished the last page, and cannot wait until book two!
First off, the cover is absolutely gorgeous. Kudos to both the designer and the author for creating an amazing piece of artwork that made me want to dive right in.
Now, to the story: the world-building and political climate was very well done. It's so easy to simply word vomit all of the information in the first chapter, but I felt the author created the world and all its facets organically. Rosemary, as well, was a well-developed character who is caught between her childhood friend, Zeke, and the newcomer, Prince Gryffin. The side characters were interesting enough for me to WANT to read (and not simply skip to Rosemary's POV).
The characters are well fleshed out and unique! I love Rose! She's strong for her people but still a real person with needs and wants. I loved watching her character grow! The pacing is great! I couldn't put it down! There's magic, political intrigue, romance, and action! I mean what more do you want in a romantasy?! I read this in one sitting and can't wait for the next book!!
One word for this book AMAZING.This is the first book in The Crowned Chronicles series and I am dying for the next book .I found all the characters interesting. Zeke is definitely my fav .I couldn't put it down . It has twist and turn . And the ending was just shocking. I didn't like Gryffin from the first .There is magic elements present which I am hoping to read more in the second book Recommended for all ya romance fans.
Of Legends and Roses fantasy romance novel full of mystery and it's an absolutely fantastic story! The writing is fantastic and the characters are all done wonderfully! I honestly can't think of one thing that I didn't like about this book! From the very first chapter I was hooked! I started reading it at 8 in the morning and thirteen and a half hours later I was finished! I can't wait to read the next book! Such an amazing start for a new series!
Read if you like: 🌹 Love triangles 🗡 Forbidden magic 🌹 Court intrigue 🗡 Intense battle scenes ⚔️ Queen’s Assassin & Red Queen & From Blood and Ash
What I enjoyed the most was the mystery of whether or not Gryffin was a hero or a villain. Ashley W. Slaughter did a great job foreshadowing the ending. The last chapter had me on the edge of my seat!
What I liked the least was this story suffers from the mid-book slump. There was too much training sessions/battle scenes for my taste. But that’s just me- war completely disinterest me- I zone out.
What a great start to a series. This book will be a book I recommend to all my bookish friends. Rosemary is such a great character and I really appreciated getting into her head and learning how to deal with problems as a queen. I can’t wait for the sequel. I don’t want to give to many spoilers but I love Frozen and this fit right into that love!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy tale. Rosemary was an caring, fun queen and her relationships with her friends and staff was so sweet. The Prince was a compelling character and moved the story along well with his mystery and motives. I loved the concept of the Talents and caught myself daydreaming about which one I would like to have. Of Legends and Roses is a great fantasy that I read in one sitting!
You know when you read a book and just every detail of it makes your brain tingly and just obsessed! lol this book is that!! And it’s just book 1 🤩
So we’ll written, the story just effortlessly flows together! The story definitely gets twisty and relationships get tested. Can the young queen protect her kingdom?
Queen Rosemary has only officially be queen of Lecevonia for about a year now and so far, has successfully been balancing the needs of her people, the realities of leadership, and her own naivety in the aftermath of Atroxis, which has left many children parentless, parents childless, and kingdoms kingless, including taking the lives of both her parents.
In the past, it was said, that the Magian Peninsula was once home to the Talented, those born with abilities beyond the natural scope of possibility, but their existence was rare, and soon there were none left. Rosemary doesn’t believe in such ancient fairy tales, however in the course of trying to find a husband and king-consort to rule by her side, she meets charming Prince Gryffin who re-introduces her to that world.
Soon, though, an unexpected threat tries to take her life, and the lives of not only her three sisters, but all they hold dear, and threatens to take her kingdom as well. Rosemary must quickly decide who she can and cannot trust in order to protect her Kingdom from this new threat. But her inexperience just might prove as deadly as Atroxis.
Rosemary is a great character and I quickly became interested in her journey, from being forced to take over as ruler of her kingdom at a young age due to her parents deaths, and being the eldest of her three sister’s as well. I can already tell she is a strong, smart person and she will do whatever it takes to protect the lives of those she loves and her Kingdom.
This wouldn’t be a fantasy without a love triangle though, right? Zeke is Rose’s best friend since childhood and the person she trusts the most in the world. He would do anything to protect her, and she definitely holds his heart. But, she is royalty, and is supposed to marry a prince. Prince Gryffin is the only one that she’s met with that she feels something towards. But can he be trusted?
I loved this one and I can’t wait to read the next book: Of Deceit and Snow, which comes out next month.
Thank you to R&R Book Tours for allowing me a spot on the tour and to the author for providing me with an ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
After reading the synopsis for this book I was intrigued. I thought it sounded like something I would enjoy so I signed on to review it. I wasn't expecting to be drawn in so much by this book. This is a YA fantasy with some romance. Honestly, I loved everything about this book. The characters, the world building, the writing it was all amazing. Every time I picked this book up, I didn't want to put it down.
There was a reveal in the end that I was totally expecting but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book at all. All of the characters were well fleshed out and my favorite was Zeke. I need more of Zeke please.
I don't want to say anything else because I don't want to spoil anything. If you love YA Fantasy Romance, then you should definitely give this a go. You won't want to put it down.
How do I put into words how much I enjoyed “Of Legends and Roses!!” There was never a dull moment while reading… Rosemary is one of my newfound favorite romantasy heroines. She is adventurous, brave, and devoted. Not only is Rosemary a well rounded character, but also each of the inhabitants of The Magian Peninsula are distinct characters. Rosemary’s childhood friend Zeke, who is charming, dependable, and sincere, was a delight to get to know, and I hope to see more of him in the second book. Gryffin, Rosemary’s potential suitor, is ambitious, charismatic, and quick-witted. The forbidden romance between Zeke, and the budding romance between Gryffin was captivating, along with the politics and world-building. The writing is beautifully executed, yet not overly flowery. Criminally underrated, “Of Legends and Roses” is a thoroughly engaging book w/ semi-graphic violence and no swearing that you should add to your tbr. <3
Great read! The author really brought to life Rosemary’s adventures! I couldn’t put it down!! Can’t wait to see what happens in the next book! An aspiring new author!! Keep them coming!!!
This was an amazing book I couldn't put it down! I love the strength and weaknesses Queen Rosemary shows throughout the book.I loved that she was strong from the beginning and understood what her new role entails. I'm super interested in the magic and I can't wait to learn more about it. There was a few things I didn't see coming and I loved it. I love when a book keeps you guessing! The characters are so well written and there's a few I cant wait to learn more about and see what they bring in book 2. This book definitely leaves you wanting more and I can't wait for book 2!