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Once & Future #1
Once & Future
King Arthur as you've never imagined! This bold, sizzling YA retells the popular legend with the Once and Future King as a teenage girl -- and she has a universe to save.
I've been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I've always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.
Now I'm done hiding.
My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.
When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.
No pressure.
I've been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I've always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.
Now I'm done hiding.
My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.
When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.
No pressure.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 26, 2019
607 people are currently reading
40k people want to read
About the author
A.R. Capetta
19books883followersA. R. Capetta (all pronouns), the author of Echo After Echo and The Lost Coast, has lived in Austin and worked as a professional baker and holds a master of fine arts in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. A. R. Capetta is married to author Cory McCarthy, and they live in Vermont with their young baker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,294 reviews
March 26, 2019
He apologized for breaking his promise not to use magic as he took down the guard with the needle. Then another apology -- "sorry, quite sorry" -- as he zinged the one holding Hex.
"Why are you being so nice to them right now?" Hex asked.
"I'm British!" Merlin cried.
It's times like this when I really wish I'd never started leaving star ratings for books because it just doesn't adequately express all that I want to say. There were some moments of comedy gold in this book, and so much wonderful diversity and queerness, but, overall, I think I have to admit that this book was written in a particular style that has never been to my tastes.
I didn't realize this before reading, but is that strange blend of sci-fi and quirky comedy that some people seem to love-- think but way more diverse and modern. I've never really "got" it. With important themes like illegal refugees and corporatocracy, I had wrongly assumed this book would feel more drama-and-politics-based.
The plot follows Ari, who is the 42nd reincarnation of King Arthur (42nd? Definite Douglas Adams vibe). We learn from Merlin - who is aging backwards - that the Arthurs are doomed to repeat the same cycle of Arthur obtaining Excalibur, Arthur falling into a doomed romance with Guinevere, and Morgana finally killing him. Ari is a bit different, though, and not just because she's a girl.
This reincarnation of Arthur takes place centuries into the future when Old Earth has been left behind and humanity is spread over three galaxies, all controlled by the evil corporate giant, Mercer. In this future, gender and sexuality are just not a big deal. The characters are boys, girls, "fluids", gay, bi, pan and literally no one gives a shit. It's freaking awesome. What's less awesome is the reach of Mercer, who has placed a barricade on the entire Arab-settled planet of Ketchan-- Ari's home planet. Making Ari an illegal refugee.
It's actually very light and silly in parts, but not in the straight-up comedy way of, say, . To me, it reads like it doesn't know what it wants to be. The book zips between a brewing revolution, revisiting tragedies of the past, and Merlin getting drunk and singing Katy Perry to himself as he lets off fireworks. It's funny, sure, but it doesn't seem to fit together with the rest of the book.
The pacing, too, is all over the place. At certain points, we are bombarded by an almost constant stream of action, which made it even more noticeable (and comparatively dull) when the pace slowed. I saw another person note that they thought the romance between Ari and Gwen felt forced, which I didn't, but I did think it felt rushed. They had so much chemistry in the early chapters that I was disappointed that the authors had them jumping into a political marriage, consummated off-page immediately (I swear queer girls never get sexy build-up 🤔) and that was pretty much that. It is also strange that what is set up as Ari's main motivation is more or less resolved just over halfway through the book.
I think I would have preferred if it had picked one or the other. I would have been so ready for an action-packed sci-fi retelling of King Arthur that was about critiquing capitalism and defeating the all-powerful Mercer corporation. I also would have very much enjoyed a light fluffy romcom about drunk wizards and lots of queer romance. Having the two all mixed up together gave me a huge emotional disconnect.
Still, if sci-fi comedy is something that sounds appealing, you should definitely read this. While I did have some general complaints, a lot came down to personal taste. If it doesn't sound like it floats your boat, I highly recommend Capetta's instead.
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February 18, 2021
If you aren’t someone an evil capitalistic corporation wants dead for being the on-the-run refugee who ignited a galactic revolution with the help of a cranky wizard, a mythical sword and a group of knights.... are you really living?
So, what’s this book about?
When Ari, a refugee from an Arab-settled planet, draws Excalibur from a tree on Old Earth and an ancient cycle shudders to life, that was only the tinder. The spark comes when Ari is dubbed the 42nd incarnation of king Arthur by Merlin, the backwards-aging wizard whom the doom of endlessly reliving Arthur’s tragic story hung on like a shawl for centuries. Determination, like an electric shock, sears through Ari’s whole body and whatever hesitancy might have been in her is parched away when Ari is given hope of saving her mothers and overthrowing Mercer company, a tyrannical corporation with a checkered history of suppressing their crimes like an unpleasant rumor before it had a chance to be heard.
But Ari doesn’t stand a chance alone. She needs the collective strength of people who, like her, have borne too much and would risk no more, forget nothing and show no mercy. The cry of this revolution fits into the hollows of the dreams of her knights, and, together they embark on a whirlwind mission to bring peace to humankind…even if it came with danger and ended in doom.
Once & Future is a queer and inclusive adaptation of the Arthurian legend that turns over ideas about oppression, about classism and capitalism, and, most of all, about how none can hold a candle to the most infinitesimal spark of hope, all while on a high-stakes rollercoaster quest to save humanity�and that’s no mean feat. While the story of King Arthur is used as a basic premise, the authors craftily unweave the original tale, using threads of it to inspire different characters, only to subvert the whole with lost desert civilizations, spaceships and interdimensional travel. Once & Future alsointroduces a diverse mix of characters from different backgrounds and with differing sexual orientations, all frankly discussing their identities and futures (Ari is pansexual, is from an Arab-settled country and has two moms, Lamarack is black, disabled and identifies as gender-fluid, Merlin is basically a gay disaster, and there's also a sapphic romance between Ari and her Gweneviere).
I liked how this book doesn’t shy away from the harsh economic realities of everyone’s lives. It doesn’t gloss over the fact that bad things happen and that it’s awfully hard work to fix them. Evil regimes come. People are held captive. Good people do nothing. Bad people demand everything and are given even more. However, I think by choosing topersonify Mercer with an evil CEO,Once & Futuremisses a crucial point: You're not fighting one person, you're fighting an entire system. And it felt like a missed opportunity when we could have had a clearer look into the corruption of the institutions trying to smother Ari and her people.
But I think the core thread of mydissatisfaction with this book is thatI'd been braced for a surge of wonder, and expecting it to be wrenching, but it just...wasn’t. There were an awful lot of other bits to quibble over, and my enjoyment of the story kept bobbing under their weight. For instance, there’s a sort of dichotomy in terms of pacing, one that I’m still uncertain how to feel about. On the one hand, things happen in flurries of action, which is very exciting and engaging in a soapy sort of way, but, on the other hand, revelations occur haphazardly, awkwardly delayed and then in a rush, in such a way that a number of high-stakes turns seem trite and arbitrary and characters are reduced to a single trait, their motivations wavering and switching in accordance with plot contrivance more than their own development.
I really expected more from this book than a sequence of interesting, but overtly dramatic, situations. The price the book pays for this is a loss of emotional engagement on the reader’s part—I felt set apart from the characters� emotions and that made it very difficult to care. Furthermore, I'm usuallyperfectly content with the easily-accessible writing some YA authors settle for but this one just didn't work for me at all.
In the end, I just don’t have any strong feelings about this book, and, as a reader, that’s what I fear the most: the middle ground, the lukewarm, and reading while constantly having to chase off the loose-limbed lassitude that threatens to rise and overwhelm.
Overall, whileOnce & Future triumphs in term of inclusiveness and introducesa subversive and original premise, it just didn't quite commit to its potential.
If you liked this review please consider leaving me a tip on !
So, what’s this book about?
When Ari, a refugee from an Arab-settled planet, draws Excalibur from a tree on Old Earth and an ancient cycle shudders to life, that was only the tinder. The spark comes when Ari is dubbed the 42nd incarnation of king Arthur by Merlin, the backwards-aging wizard whom the doom of endlessly reliving Arthur’s tragic story hung on like a shawl for centuries. Determination, like an electric shock, sears through Ari’s whole body and whatever hesitancy might have been in her is parched away when Ari is given hope of saving her mothers and overthrowing Mercer company, a tyrannical corporation with a checkered history of suppressing their crimes like an unpleasant rumor before it had a chance to be heard.
But Ari doesn’t stand a chance alone. She needs the collective strength of people who, like her, have borne too much and would risk no more, forget nothing and show no mercy. The cry of this revolution fits into the hollows of the dreams of her knights, and, together they embark on a whirlwind mission to bring peace to humankind…even if it came with danger and ended in doom.
Once & Future is a queer and inclusive adaptation of the Arthurian legend that turns over ideas about oppression, about classism and capitalism, and, most of all, about how none can hold a candle to the most infinitesimal spark of hope, all while on a high-stakes rollercoaster quest to save humanity�and that’s no mean feat. While the story of King Arthur is used as a basic premise, the authors craftily unweave the original tale, using threads of it to inspire different characters, only to subvert the whole with lost desert civilizations, spaceships and interdimensional travel. Once & Future alsointroduces a diverse mix of characters from different backgrounds and with differing sexual orientations, all frankly discussing their identities and futures (Ari is pansexual, is from an Arab-settled country and has two moms, Lamarack is black, disabled and identifies as gender-fluid, Merlin is basically a gay disaster, and there's also a sapphic romance between Ari and her Gweneviere).
I liked how this book doesn’t shy away from the harsh economic realities of everyone’s lives. It doesn’t gloss over the fact that bad things happen and that it’s awfully hard work to fix them. Evil regimes come. People are held captive. Good people do nothing. Bad people demand everything and are given even more. However, I think by choosing topersonify Mercer with an evil CEO,Once & Futuremisses a crucial point: You're not fighting one person, you're fighting an entire system. And it felt like a missed opportunity when we could have had a clearer look into the corruption of the institutions trying to smother Ari and her people.
But I think the core thread of mydissatisfaction with this book is thatI'd been braced for a surge of wonder, and expecting it to be wrenching, but it just...wasn’t. There were an awful lot of other bits to quibble over, and my enjoyment of the story kept bobbing under their weight. For instance, there’s a sort of dichotomy in terms of pacing, one that I’m still uncertain how to feel about. On the one hand, things happen in flurries of action, which is very exciting and engaging in a soapy sort of way, but, on the other hand, revelations occur haphazardly, awkwardly delayed and then in a rush, in such a way that a number of high-stakes turns seem trite and arbitrary and characters are reduced to a single trait, their motivations wavering and switching in accordance with plot contrivance more than their own development.
I really expected more from this book than a sequence of interesting, but overtly dramatic, situations. The price the book pays for this is a loss of emotional engagement on the reader’s part—I felt set apart from the characters� emotions and that made it very difficult to care. Furthermore, I'm usuallyperfectly content with the easily-accessible writing some YA authors settle for but this one just didn't work for me at all.
In the end, I just don’t have any strong feelings about this book, and, as a reader, that’s what I fear the most: the middle ground, the lukewarm, and reading while constantly having to chase off the loose-limbed lassitude that threatens to rise and overwhelm.
Overall, whileOnce & Future triumphs in term of inclusiveness and introducesa subversive and original premise, it just didn't quite commit to its potential.
If you liked this review please consider leaving me a tip on !
� � � � �
March 7, 2019
ARC provided by Hachette in exchange for an honest review.
“Buried in the trunk of the thousand-year-old oak was a sword.�
I have a very big soft spot in my heart for Arthurian legend and I will never turn down a retelling of the epic tale. And when I heard that we were going to get an ownvoices series, written by a couple, I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist. Also, Morgana is one of my favorite villains of all time, and I actually think Once & Future is one of my favorite interpretations of her, ever.
King Arthur is a story about a king who was betrayed by the people he loved most in the world. He was trained and befriended by a wizard named Merlin, who helped guide him to become the king his people needed. He tried to fight for his people, and do what he believed was right for them, but in the end it was not enough for Camelot or his Knights of the Round Table.
Once & Future completely takes that tale and turns it on its head, making something really unique and really fun. Merlin and Morgana are magic wielders who sleep while waiting for the next Arthur to come and free Excalibur and to free them from their slumber, so they can try to change the world for the last time. This time, Arthur (42) is Ari, a girl who was rescued and adopted at very young age, but carries the scars (both externally and internally) of a past she can’t remember.
“Find Arthur
Train Arthur
Nudge Arthur onto the nearest throne
Defeat the greatest evil in the world
Untie all of mankind�
This book has so much good rep, that my queer heart was honestly living its best life while reading this entire book. From sexual and gender representation from all over the spectrum, to representation for disabilities, to mirroring the refugee crisis, to talking about how colonialism is a very real and very sad thing, to how important and simple it is to ask someone their pronouns and not to just assume. This is a very inclusive and very heartwarming book, truly. And so much of the rep I’m about to talk about is also ownvoices representation, and I believe this book should be completely celebrated upon release, because it is going to let so many kids see themselves in the badass SFF retelling of their dreams.
� Ari - From Arabic descent, a refugee, and either pan or bi. (everyone is saying she is pan, but I didn’t read that word in my ARC copy, so� I’m not sure if it was added or not, but as a pan person you all know this would mean the world to me, so *fingers crossed*)
� Kay - Ari’s big brother (adoptive)
� Merlin - Wizard, aging backwards, gay, and set to train Ari.
� Morgana - Also has a mission, but it might not be what Ari and Merlin want.
� Lam - Black, gender fluid, missing a hand, and Kay’s bff.
� Val - Black, Lam’s sibling, pan or bi.
� Gwen - Pan or bi, and the new queen.
� Jordan - Ace, and the black knight that protects Gwen. (Jordan is easily the best character, imo)
And this full (and super queer) set of characters come together and truly create a fun and fast-paced story where they are trying to push back against the Mercer corporation, who have a monopoly on the entire universe. But this book is truly about oppression, and how these kids are fighting a system that was built to keep them down. This may be a Sci-Fi retelling, but the parallels are so very real. And the unequal power distribution is a very real problem that impacts marginalized voices in every single walk of life.
Okay, but on to the not so great. I felt like this story really jumps around too quickly. It makes it hard to actually care about the characters and their situations, especially the side characters. And the timeframe feels very disjointed and abrupt because of the way the story is told. And, again, it makes it really hard to feel things, because the reader is just jumped to the next thing. Also, this has a trope that I personally really hate; where siblings have feelings for the same person, and it really hindered my reading experience.
“To wonder why your heart has turned into a hurricane and how love could be possible when you’re supposedly a cursed, dead king in the presence of a very powerful, very alive queen.�
Overall, I did enjoy this one, despite the trope I really dislike. But I still completely recommend this one and will support it with my voice completely. Also, this book is so sapphic, and the main f/f storyline and the side f/f of Ari and Kay’s moms really warmed my heart, too. And the m/nb romance also put a big smile on my face. I just think this story is so much fun and so unique and I honestly can’t wait to see where the authors take it with the second book.
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The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
Content and trigger warnings for abandonment, talk of plague, talk of past rape, animal death, suicide, loss of a loved one, and war themes.
Buddy Read with & ! �
June 22, 2020
Ok, so this book was hilarious. I had a stupid grin on my face the entire time. I was literally laughing out loud while reading, a very rare thing for me.
And maybe that was the problem?
This book was extremely funny and I absolutely loved that. I also really loved the writing. I honestly didn't expect to like the authors' writing this much. It was fluid and fun and just felt good to read. Another thing I really liked was the characters, especially Merlin. Seriously though, Merlin deserves a hug. Ari, I didn't totally love, but she was alright. The rest of the crew was also pretty fun and extremely diverse.
So, why was this only a three-star book? And why does it currently have a 3.59-star rating on ŷ?
Personally, I think it's because this book has an awkwardly inconsistent tone.
This book deals with a lot of serious topics liked the dangers of capitalism and consumerism. It deals with the destruction and pollution of our planet, with illegal immigration, with massacres and genocide and familial betrayals.
And then it's also a comedy.
The kind of comedy that never allows the tension to build because seconds before something serious happens, the characters make a joke. Then they make another joke seconds after said serious thing occurs. The tone of the book is very comedic, but it doesn't work quite as well when the reality of the novel and of the character's lives is actually quite sad and actually tragic.
It might have worked as satire, but it's not. It's a serious novel with serious topics that try to be funny. Or maybe it's a comedy that tries to include too many serious things?
Another issue I had was that the book makes too many sudden jumps, never allowing me to get fully invested in any one thing that was happening.
One moment the charcters are trying to escape the evil Mercer corporation, the tension is raised, the stakes are high and you're on the edge of your seat. in the next paragraph, they are already safe and sound on another planet, making jokes about their escape.
Things also came too easy for the characters. They would talk about a problem and talk about how they would solve it and in the next paragraph, the problem was already solved.
Things felt rushed and awkward. Every bit of tension was killed by quick, unfulfilling and haphazardly delivered revelations, and then completely undone by the following comedy.
Overall, this book was a very fun read with a lot of minor flaws that kept accumulating until I couldn't quite enjoy it as much as I would have liked. The general plot and base of the novel are quite interesting. The characters, especially Merlin, are fun to read about. The writing was clear and fluid, and the diversity was great. Sadly, those things aren't enough to blind me, or any of the people who've rated this on ŷ, from its very obvious problems in tone and pacing.
That said, I did enjoy it and do look forward to reading the sequel,The Sword in the Stars next year.
Follow Me Here Too: || || || || ||
And maybe that was the problem?
This book was extremely funny and I absolutely loved that. I also really loved the writing. I honestly didn't expect to like the authors' writing this much. It was fluid and fun and just felt good to read. Another thing I really liked was the characters, especially Merlin. Seriously though, Merlin deserves a hug. Ari, I didn't totally love, but she was alright. The rest of the crew was also pretty fun and extremely diverse.
So, why was this only a three-star book? And why does it currently have a 3.59-star rating on ŷ?
Personally, I think it's because this book has an awkwardly inconsistent tone.
This book deals with a lot of serious topics liked the dangers of capitalism and consumerism. It deals with the destruction and pollution of our planet, with illegal immigration, with massacres and genocide and familial betrayals.
And then it's also a comedy.
The kind of comedy that never allows the tension to build because seconds before something serious happens, the characters make a joke. Then they make another joke seconds after said serious thing occurs. The tone of the book is very comedic, but it doesn't work quite as well when the reality of the novel and of the character's lives is actually quite sad and actually tragic.
It might have worked as satire, but it's not. It's a serious novel with serious topics that try to be funny. Or maybe it's a comedy that tries to include too many serious things?
Another issue I had was that the book makes too many sudden jumps, never allowing me to get fully invested in any one thing that was happening.
One moment the charcters are trying to escape the evil Mercer corporation, the tension is raised, the stakes are high and you're on the edge of your seat. in the next paragraph, they are already safe and sound on another planet, making jokes about their escape.
Things also came too easy for the characters. They would talk about a problem and talk about how they would solve it and in the next paragraph, the problem was already solved.
Things felt rushed and awkward. Every bit of tension was killed by quick, unfulfilling and haphazardly delivered revelations, and then completely undone by the following comedy.
Overall, this book was a very fun read with a lot of minor flaws that kept accumulating until I couldn't quite enjoy it as much as I would have liked. The general plot and base of the novel are quite interesting. The characters, especially Merlin, are fun to read about. The writing was clear and fluid, and the diversity was great. Sadly, those things aren't enough to blind me, or any of the people who've rated this on ŷ, from its very obvious problems in tone and pacing.
That said, I did enjoy it and do look forward to reading the sequel,The Sword in the Stars next year.
Follow Me Here Too: || || || || ||
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 19, 2019DNF @ page 68
You know when you take a bite out of something and immediately go “ugh, I don’t like that� and pull a face? Well that’s how I’ve felt reading this.
I love a good retelling and I’m all for mixing stuff up, but sometimes it’s too much.
Merlin is ageing backwards so he is currently a teenager (like really? What a stupid YA thing to do), I liked the idea of Ari (a girl) being the new Arthur. But the whole Sci Fi aspect was again, just too much. I like the old story, this one messed with it a tad over the top for me.
No likey, no lightey.
You know when you take a bite out of something and immediately go “ugh, I don’t like that� and pull a face? Well that’s how I’ve felt reading this.
I love a good retelling and I’m all for mixing stuff up, but sometimes it’s too much.
Merlin is ageing backwards so he is currently a teenager (like really? What a stupid YA thing to do), I liked the idea of Ari (a girl) being the new Arthur. But the whole Sci Fi aspect was again, just too much. I like the old story, this one messed with it a tad over the top for me.
No likey, no lightey.
Read
October 23, 2019DNF at page 100
I'm still considering finding this on audiobook and finishing it because I didn't hate it, but my time outside of work is so limited that I don't want to spend my time on this book if I don't think I'm gonna love it. To be frank, I was making faces at it more than I was enjoying it. The plot of it is so fast and under-explained, but the writing style was funny. I just vastly preferred Merlin's chapters to Ari's, and I don't want to skim read this book for the parts I enjoy, so I gave up;
I'm still considering finding this on audiobook and finishing it because I didn't hate it, but my time outside of work is so limited that I don't want to spend my time on this book if I don't think I'm gonna love it. To be frank, I was making faces at it more than I was enjoying it. The plot of it is so fast and under-explained, but the writing style was funny. I just vastly preferred Merlin's chapters to Ari's, and I don't want to skim read this book for the parts I enjoy, so I gave up;
May 19, 2019
I've put off writing this review for a long time because I feel so painfully disappointed by this book. You only have to look at my excited squeeing below to know how much I was looking forward to reading this. Seriously, a gender bent, sci-fi King Arthur reimagining should be a winning book for me so it pains me to say I was so bored I couldn't even finish reading it.
To start with the positive I love what the authors were trying to do by creating such a diverse cast of characters, we people of all colours and characters from all the way across the LGBT spectrum and that is something we desperately need more of in YA fantasy - especially when people's sexuality or race isn't a major part of the plot or a reason that they're treated badly. Unfortunately when the first (and pretty much only!) thing you know about most of the characters is their race and their sexual preference it starts to feel like the authors are just on a box ticking exercise to make sure they collect a whole set and to me that's what happened here. I get that the authors were probably trying to show that their cast was diverse and that it wasn't a big deal in this world (both wonderful things!) but it just didn't work for me in this case. It didn't help that I could pair up the entire cast before they even expressed their romantic interests, I've not actually read far enough to see all of those pairings but from reading spoilers I was right with every guess.
I think my biggest disappointment was Merlin though. He's supposed to be a wise wizard who has been reincarnated for the 42nd time to train Arthur (or Ari as she is in this incarnation). Every time Merlin comes back he finds his body has gotten younger but he retains all of his memories and therefore has 41 lifetimes worth of experiences. So why is he now reduced to nothing but a horny teenager? His character was infuriatingly stupid, he acts like a bumbling, foolish idiot and turns into a hormonal wreck at the sight of a boy he fancies. I was expecting Merlin to be a cool character, someone who Ari and the others could turn to for advice and what I got was a blushing teenage idiot. This is especially disappointing as he's a POV character so you have to spend time inside his head and that just wasn't a place I wanted to be.
I get that I'm not exactly in the target age group for this story but I read, & love, a lot of YA so that really shouldn't have been a problem. You only have to look at reviews to see that this story is polarising so don't let me put you off giving it a try, hopefully you'll enjoy it more than I did. But I can't be anything other than honest when I write my reviews and the fact is I disliked this book so much I couldn't even finish reading it.
___________________
I am sooooooo happy to have an arc of this!! And it's pretty cool that Rock the Boat included one of my overexcited tweets about it in there LOL.
______________
A King Arthur reimagining. Set in space. And King Arthur is a GIRL!!! I am soooooooooo ready for this! Is it 2019 yet?
To start with the positive I love what the authors were trying to do by creating such a diverse cast of characters, we people of all colours and characters from all the way across the LGBT spectrum and that is something we desperately need more of in YA fantasy - especially when people's sexuality or race isn't a major part of the plot or a reason that they're treated badly. Unfortunately when the first (and pretty much only!) thing you know about most of the characters is their race and their sexual preference it starts to feel like the authors are just on a box ticking exercise to make sure they collect a whole set and to me that's what happened here. I get that the authors were probably trying to show that their cast was diverse and that it wasn't a big deal in this world (both wonderful things!) but it just didn't work for me in this case. It didn't help that I could pair up the entire cast before they even expressed their romantic interests, I've not actually read far enough to see all of those pairings but from reading spoilers I was right with every guess.
I think my biggest disappointment was Merlin though. He's supposed to be a wise wizard who has been reincarnated for the 42nd time to train Arthur (or Ari as she is in this incarnation). Every time Merlin comes back he finds his body has gotten younger but he retains all of his memories and therefore has 41 lifetimes worth of experiences. So why is he now reduced to nothing but a horny teenager? His character was infuriatingly stupid, he acts like a bumbling, foolish idiot and turns into a hormonal wreck at the sight of a boy he fancies. I was expecting Merlin to be a cool character, someone who Ari and the others could turn to for advice and what I got was a blushing teenage idiot. This is especially disappointing as he's a POV character so you have to spend time inside his head and that just wasn't a place I wanted to be.
I get that I'm not exactly in the target age group for this story but I read, & love, a lot of YA so that really shouldn't have been a problem. You only have to look at reviews to see that this story is polarising so don't let me put you off giving it a try, hopefully you'll enjoy it more than I did. But I can't be anything other than honest when I write my reviews and the fact is I disliked this book so much I couldn't even finish reading it.
___________________
I am sooooooo happy to have an arc of this!! And it's pretty cool that Rock the Boat included one of my overexcited tweets about it in there LOL.
______________
A King Arthur reimagining. Set in space. And King Arthur is a GIRL!!! I am soooooooooo ready for this! Is it 2019 yet?
April 13, 2019
I'm going to preface this review by saying that I have been waiting for this exact book, a queer, genderbent, space fantasy/science fiction retelling of King Arthur for over two decades. I have wanted it so badly that I've tried to write it myself a few times. I was the key target for this book. This book is my dream book. The moment I heard about it I preordered it. And I am so disappointed to say that it was kind of a train wreck.
Spoilers below.
The characters were flat, filling their stereotypical roles without any kind of depth that a retelling of King Arthur written now should have. Their relationships were confusing and forced at best, bafflingly weird at worst (the quick jump from one character having sex with another character's brother because they both thought their wife/sister was dead, only to have that character come back and promise to raise the baby of the union between her wife and her brother when her brother is brutally killed in a bizarrely unemotional moment was a lot to take, my friends). The pacing moved by so quickly that I frequently missed entire beats because I couldn't keep up. The plot was a string of confusing action and scene changes without any kind of arc or flow. The tone was all over the place, feeling like a middle grade book (think early Percy Jackson) filled with random, immediately meaningful sex between characters who met twenty pages and sudden, explicit death.
I felt like we were playing a bingo game of stuffing as many quick and out of context references to the King Arthur myth as we could, which should have been fine as one of the great things about a retelling is that we get to see the pieces of the old story showing up in the new story as little gems and satisfying reveals, but was jarring in this book because the entire premise is that the characters know they're acting out the myth. They are aware of the story, and who they are in it. That in and of itself could have been very interesting, if much more complicated, but it was played for laughs most of the time and it was never explored in any kind of meta-textual way, so it just ended up as comical and hilarious and immersion-breaking when it was not supposed to be. Think Medieval Times in space played as a serious drama and you get the general experience of reading this book. I also have problems with the world these authors have created, where gender stereotyping and homophobia no longer exist, but racism does. The world as a capitalist dystopia is also barely realized, as we are told over and over that the corporation that controls the galaxy is Evil and Must Be Defeated, instead of fleshing out the conflict and giving us a villain we think might win. There was no tension. There was no drama. It was just a stream of consciousness from the narrative telling us what to feel.
I also really didn't enjoy the fact that this book seemed to revel in the fact that it was Queer! and Diverse! I stopped counting how many little wink-wink nudge-nudge's we got reminding us that King Arthur's a girl this time because it became so tedious I started glossing over those parts. The supporting characters were just there, despite the fact that the book tries to give them all these personalities that just don't exist on the page. As a queer woman who craves queer relationships in my traditionally published media, I got really tired of the book telling me over and over again that it was super gay, isn't that great, when every other part of the book was half-realized and sloppily put together. I want a story that examines those relationships and explores them in the same ways straight relationships are examined and explored. I don't just want to be beat over the head with the fact that Merlin is gay, like super gay.
Which brings me to my biggest frustration with this book and books like it that are all premise, no substance: if you're going to write a book with a catchy elevator pitch, you have to deliver. You can't rely on the tagline. You need to write about characters that can stand up on their own when removed from the context of the retelling, you have to tell a compelling story on top of the story you're drawing on, you have to make me care about what's happening even though I know how it's going to play out because I know the original story. A retelling has to be better than its original incarnation, or it fails. I've gotten to the point where I actively avoid books that are sold as retellings, but gay! or diverse!, because I have read so few that were actually good on their own. It's not enough to make King Arthur a pansexual, Arab woman. You have to make me care about her. Otherwise it feels like you're asking me to give you brownie points for having a neat idea. And that's not enough anymore.
Spoilers below.
The characters were flat, filling their stereotypical roles without any kind of depth that a retelling of King Arthur written now should have. Their relationships were confusing and forced at best, bafflingly weird at worst (the quick jump from one character having sex with another character's brother because they both thought their wife/sister was dead, only to have that character come back and promise to raise the baby of the union between her wife and her brother when her brother is brutally killed in a bizarrely unemotional moment was a lot to take, my friends). The pacing moved by so quickly that I frequently missed entire beats because I couldn't keep up. The plot was a string of confusing action and scene changes without any kind of arc or flow. The tone was all over the place, feeling like a middle grade book (think early Percy Jackson) filled with random, immediately meaningful sex between characters who met twenty pages and sudden, explicit death.
I felt like we were playing a bingo game of stuffing as many quick and out of context references to the King Arthur myth as we could, which should have been fine as one of the great things about a retelling is that we get to see the pieces of the old story showing up in the new story as little gems and satisfying reveals, but was jarring in this book because the entire premise is that the characters know they're acting out the myth. They are aware of the story, and who they are in it. That in and of itself could have been very interesting, if much more complicated, but it was played for laughs most of the time and it was never explored in any kind of meta-textual way, so it just ended up as comical and hilarious and immersion-breaking when it was not supposed to be. Think Medieval Times in space played as a serious drama and you get the general experience of reading this book. I also have problems with the world these authors have created, where gender stereotyping and homophobia no longer exist, but racism does. The world as a capitalist dystopia is also barely realized, as we are told over and over that the corporation that controls the galaxy is Evil and Must Be Defeated, instead of fleshing out the conflict and giving us a villain we think might win. There was no tension. There was no drama. It was just a stream of consciousness from the narrative telling us what to feel.
I also really didn't enjoy the fact that this book seemed to revel in the fact that it was Queer! and Diverse! I stopped counting how many little wink-wink nudge-nudge's we got reminding us that King Arthur's a girl this time because it became so tedious I started glossing over those parts. The supporting characters were just there, despite the fact that the book tries to give them all these personalities that just don't exist on the page. As a queer woman who craves queer relationships in my traditionally published media, I got really tired of the book telling me over and over again that it was super gay, isn't that great, when every other part of the book was half-realized and sloppily put together. I want a story that examines those relationships and explores them in the same ways straight relationships are examined and explored. I don't just want to be beat over the head with the fact that Merlin is gay, like super gay.
Which brings me to my biggest frustration with this book and books like it that are all premise, no substance: if you're going to write a book with a catchy elevator pitch, you have to deliver. You can't rely on the tagline. You need to write about characters that can stand up on their own when removed from the context of the retelling, you have to tell a compelling story on top of the story you're drawing on, you have to make me care about what's happening even though I know how it's going to play out because I know the original story. A retelling has to be better than its original incarnation, or it fails. I've gotten to the point where I actively avoid books that are sold as retellings, but gay! or diverse!, because I have read so few that were actually good on their own. It's not enough to make King Arthur a pansexual, Arab woman. You have to make me care about her. Otherwise it feels like you're asking me to give you brownie points for having a neat idea. And that's not enough anymore.
Read
August 1, 2023I feel this will be more rant than review, I was so hyped for this book. I held so much hope that there was going to be a good story on Arthur and Merlin, a story I love so much, a story I've followed through books and the TV Show.
Having waited for this book for a while, before the cover was even released I loved the goodreads description, going around telling everyone about this SCI-FI FANTASY. Alas we get to the book and we are already hating it within the first few chapters. We are introduced to too many things too quickly and with so many forced aspects. We learn about all the different sexualities these characters encompass, we learn about how Arthur, Ari, are an Arab runaway, hiding from the government because the planet the Arabs have inhabited rebelled against the government. I'm all for representation of all races, sexualities and ideals, but when one forces them into a story it doesn't blend well and we are hit with these things as if they make the character who they are. A character should be more than their sexual interests, which in this book is hardly the case where the authors pair everyone off as quickly as possible and make sure we are well reminded of their sexuality.
From Merlin mis-gendring someone by accident, having been asleep for a large number of years where genders were still a thing one could assume, the reaction of those around him is over the top, 'Dude! Lam is Fluid!!' in a dialogue that seems disappointed in Merlin for not knowing that about this person he met less than a page ago. Merlin then moving on to ask everyone their preferred pronouns in a way to not offend anyone is over the top with the authors trying to show growth and understanding when he could simply have noted that and let the story flow better. With the authors being in a gay relationship with one another one would assume their take on the LGBTQ+ community would be so much better rather than having everything be what a sixteen year old wattpad fan-fic author would conjure to seem inclusive for reads.
The authors waste no time at all to go and pair everyone off with someone who just so magically happens to be the same sexuality in such a small friend group. The authors have left, not a single, not even one, even the ghost had to end up with someone. The ghost needed to have a sexually interest in someone because lord forbid a YA novel isn't riddled with people getting into relationships in a matter of moments. Merlin and Val, one day of knowing each other Val goes to Merlin 'I feel like we should be kissing by now.' How is everything about screwing each other, I saw this in another review where they said, every character is either hysterical or horny. And honestly, there is no other way to describe them.
0 Character development.
0 Plot development.
0 Single people, even the ace person has a love, being a knight for their queen.
Merlin, supposed to be an ancient wizard turned teenager with his crappy 2000's references, 'Hello darkness my old friend'. To when he needs to summon fireworks and starts singing fireworks by Katy Perry??? These badly placed references are a way for the authors to link the readers of this era to those of the future are so bad its hard to get through one let alone multiple, especially his spice girls references.
The writing is shockingly bad, it feels more of a first draft than an actual polished version. The authors note says that Cori wanted to write this book so bad but she couldn't bring herself to write it until she asked her partner, Amy to write it with her, and honestly it should've stayed unwritten. I cannot even begin to explain my disappointment. A BEAUTIFUL COVER AND AMAZING CONCEPT, destroyed by the obsession to make it all inclusive, for literally every character - but one - needed some form of representation that was done with one line. And the one straight person ended up sleeping with his sisters wife (in the pantry). Because heck, drama? Tension? Who knows.
If you want to make a book that is inclusive for all, introduce them in a manner that isn't, let us fill the first ten pages with every single letter of LGBTQ and then focus on who sleeps with who and stick to the main plot. I cant even.
Having waited for this book for a while, before the cover was even released I loved the goodreads description, going around telling everyone about this SCI-FI FANTASY. Alas we get to the book and we are already hating it within the first few chapters. We are introduced to too many things too quickly and with so many forced aspects. We learn about all the different sexualities these characters encompass, we learn about how Arthur, Ari, are an Arab runaway, hiding from the government because the planet the Arabs have inhabited rebelled against the government. I'm all for representation of all races, sexualities and ideals, but when one forces them into a story it doesn't blend well and we are hit with these things as if they make the character who they are. A character should be more than their sexual interests, which in this book is hardly the case where the authors pair everyone off as quickly as possible and make sure we are well reminded of their sexuality.
From Merlin mis-gendring someone by accident, having been asleep for a large number of years where genders were still a thing one could assume, the reaction of those around him is over the top, 'Dude! Lam is Fluid!!' in a dialogue that seems disappointed in Merlin for not knowing that about this person he met less than a page ago. Merlin then moving on to ask everyone their preferred pronouns in a way to not offend anyone is over the top with the authors trying to show growth and understanding when he could simply have noted that and let the story flow better. With the authors being in a gay relationship with one another one would assume their take on the LGBTQ+ community would be so much better rather than having everything be what a sixteen year old wattpad fan-fic author would conjure to seem inclusive for reads.
The authors waste no time at all to go and pair everyone off with someone who just so magically happens to be the same sexuality in such a small friend group. The authors have left, not a single, not even one, even the ghost had to end up with someone. The ghost needed to have a sexually interest in someone because lord forbid a YA novel isn't riddled with people getting into relationships in a matter of moments. Merlin and Val, one day of knowing each other Val goes to Merlin 'I feel like we should be kissing by now.' How is everything about screwing each other, I saw this in another review where they said, every character is either hysterical or horny. And honestly, there is no other way to describe them.
0 Character development.
0 Plot development.
0 Single people, even the ace person has a love, being a knight for their queen.
Merlin, supposed to be an ancient wizard turned teenager with his crappy 2000's references, 'Hello darkness my old friend'. To when he needs to summon fireworks and starts singing fireworks by Katy Perry??? These badly placed references are a way for the authors to link the readers of this era to those of the future are so bad its hard to get through one let alone multiple, especially his spice girls references.
The writing is shockingly bad, it feels more of a first draft than an actual polished version. The authors note says that Cori wanted to write this book so bad but she couldn't bring herself to write it until she asked her partner, Amy to write it with her, and honestly it should've stayed unwritten. I cannot even begin to explain my disappointment. A BEAUTIFUL COVER AND AMAZING CONCEPT, destroyed by the obsession to make it all inclusive, for literally every character - but one - needed some form of representation that was done with one line. And the one straight person ended up sleeping with his sisters wife (in the pantry). Because heck, drama? Tension? Who knows.
If you want to make a book that is inclusive for all, introduce them in a manner that isn't, let us fill the first ten pages with every single letter of LGBTQ and then focus on who sleeps with who and stick to the main plot. I cant even.
Shelved as 'forthcoming'
September 22, 2017A sci-fi retelling of King Arthur where King Arthur is a GIRL?!
May 28, 2019
So I have the actual book but I still ended up listening to it. LMFAO - I'm evil. Or lazy.
Once & Future was a pretty funny book to dive into. Which wasn't what I was expecting - yet, I thoroughly enjoyed. I absolutely loved every character that was introduced within this book - Merlin might have been my absolute favorite. Besides him, there's Ari and she was nice and all.. but Mer was my guy. Ya know those King Arthur films? Doesn't matter when they were made or nothing - I'm a total geek for them. No idea why, but if it's a thing I probably watched it already.
Other than all of that, I enjoyed this book. It had some bumps along the way like the weird time hops. Yet, I enjoyed it. Since someone already knows that I don't remember a single thing about the ending of this book (because I was so focused on my work that it took me a while to realize that the book finished a long ass time ago) so I wont even try to mention anything about it. Must've been a nice one or maybe something tragically wonderful. I will never know until the day that I decide to dive back into the book.. so whenever book 2 comes out.
Once & Future was a pretty funny book to dive into. Which wasn't what I was expecting - yet, I thoroughly enjoyed. I absolutely loved every character that was introduced within this book - Merlin might have been my absolute favorite. Besides him, there's Ari and she was nice and all.. but Mer was my guy. Ya know those King Arthur films? Doesn't matter when they were made or nothing - I'm a total geek for them. No idea why, but if it's a thing I probably watched it already.
Other than all of that, I enjoyed this book. It had some bumps along the way like the weird time hops. Yet, I enjoyed it. Since someone already knows that I don't remember a single thing about the ending of this book (because I was so focused on my work that it took me a while to realize that the book finished a long ass time ago) so I wont even try to mention anything about it. Must've been a nice one or maybe something tragically wonderful. I will never know until the day that I decide to dive back into the book.. so whenever book 2 comes out.
March 23, 2019
A Gender-bent King Arthur reimagining set in space with a cast full of LGBT+ rep, what more could we possibly need in 2019?
Not a damn thing.
When I received an e-mail from the publisher asking if I would be interested in a receiving a copy of this book the screech I let out would have been loud enough to send my neighbors into a panic that there was a serial killer in my house. But alas, no one was home so no need for anyone to lose their minds EXCEPT ME, because King Arthur has always been one of my favorite stories, and now we are getting a story where King Arthur is a GIRL?! Hell yeah.
But here's the thing, I read my ARC of this back in November-ish with my bb , and since then I saw a picture of the book posted by the author with about 1,001 tabs of all the changes that were made since the ARC's went out. So, I'm planning on rereading this at some point to find out all of the changes that were made, and I'm excited! Because oooooof , did I struggle in the beginning of this book. The first 75 pages were WILD. Everything happened so fast while you were still trying to figure out who was who, and I'm not going to lie it was rough.It really just started off so messy but by the end it all tied together pretty well once the pacing slowed down.
By the middle of the story all the rushing around in the beginning started to settle down and you could finally, somewhat, kind of understand the direction the story was going in. Don't get me wrong though, it still takes a lot of dramatic twists, but that was when I started to have fun reading this as well as being more invested in the characters. Come the end of this book I was so invested in all of the characters and their wellbeing, plot lines, and what the hell is going to happen next.
If you're looking for a book with lots and lots and LOTS of amazing LGBT+ rep, then look no further, because this is it, my friends. This has one of the most amazing, fun, and diverse group of characters I've ever read. Plus, this is an ownvoices book so it honestly doesn't get more perfect than this! It all felt so natural to the story and UGH I just loved it so much. This book also talks about oppression and challenging the system which can be tied into today's society in so many ways.
All in all, I'm so glad I was able to read this book with one of my very best friends here in the book community and that I was able to get to read a book with such diverse characters. They are the shining stars of this book who deserve all the world and then some.
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Not a damn thing.
When I received an e-mail from the publisher asking if I would be interested in a receiving a copy of this book the screech I let out would have been loud enough to send my neighbors into a panic that there was a serial killer in my house. But alas, no one was home so no need for anyone to lose their minds EXCEPT ME, because King Arthur has always been one of my favorite stories, and now we are getting a story where King Arthur is a GIRL?! Hell yeah.
But here's the thing, I read my ARC of this back in November-ish with my bb , and since then I saw a picture of the book posted by the author with about 1,001 tabs of all the changes that were made since the ARC's went out. So, I'm planning on rereading this at some point to find out all of the changes that were made, and I'm excited! Because oooooof , did I struggle in the beginning of this book. The first 75 pages were WILD. Everything happened so fast while you were still trying to figure out who was who, and I'm not going to lie it was rough.It really just started off so messy but by the end it all tied together pretty well once the pacing slowed down.
By the middle of the story all the rushing around in the beginning started to settle down and you could finally, somewhat, kind of understand the direction the story was going in. Don't get me wrong though, it still takes a lot of dramatic twists, but that was when I started to have fun reading this as well as being more invested in the characters. Come the end of this book I was so invested in all of the characters and their wellbeing, plot lines, and what the hell is going to happen next.
If you're looking for a book with lots and lots and LOTS of amazing LGBT+ rep, then look no further, because this is it, my friends. This has one of the most amazing, fun, and diverse group of characters I've ever read. Plus, this is an ownvoices book so it honestly doesn't get more perfect than this! It all felt so natural to the story and UGH I just loved it so much. This book also talks about oppression and challenging the system which can be tied into today's society in so many ways.
"And you were the thing Mercer feared most," Gwen said, her words reaching across the rather notable distance between them. "A girl they couldn't control, who wouldn't stop talking. That's the scariest damn thing in the universe."
All in all, I'm so glad I was able to read this book with one of my very best friends here in the book community and that I was able to get to read a book with such diverse characters. They are the shining stars of this book who deserve all the world and then some.
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September 1, 2019
This just jumped from here to there and back again.
I couldn’t keep up with the storyline beyond the basics of the legend I know and what the authors were trying to create here.
Random sentimental scenes would be dropped in and then suddenly you are transported to another planet in another character’s POV that no one explains to you until you realise it’s a year later in book’s universe.
The characters didn’t connect with each other - their actions and emotions made no sense chapter to chapter. You couldn’t commit to immersing in any of them because they were all too bland but were trying to be obviously over the top.
Everything in this was far too rushed, none of it made sense.
I couldn’t keep up with the storyline beyond the basics of the legend I know and what the authors were trying to create here.
Random sentimental scenes would be dropped in and then suddenly you are transported to another planet in another character’s POV that no one explains to you until you realise it’s a year later in book’s universe.
The characters didn’t connect with each other - their actions and emotions made no sense chapter to chapter. You couldn’t commit to immersing in any of them because they were all too bland but were trying to be obviously over the top.
Everything in this was far too rushed, none of it made sense.
January 27, 2020
I finished this book a while ago and have been meaning to write a review, but life kept getting in the way. But in the meantime, I've kept recommending it to everyone I know, especially people who want more queer heroes, space action, fantasy adventure, and just plain fun. What I generally tell those folks is: "It's the future and King Arthur is reincarnated as a brown girl who's pansexual, and she still falls in love with Guinevere. And meanwhile, Merlin has aged backwards until he's a teenager, who falls in love with a hot knight. And there's tons more queer representation in this book. But also, this book hits the ground sprinting, and never lets up, and there's always something new and hilarious and wild happening on every page. There's an evil corporation and a whole planet of faux-medieval people, and finally we get a Morgana who's not just one-dimensionally evil, and it's just a sweet fun entertaining ride." All of which is true. But also, let me add... I'm kind of sick of King Arthur stories, after having gone through a run of underwhelming ones. And this book made me excited about Arthurian lore again. And did I mention it's super fun?
Want to read
November 23, 2020*weak laugh* the cover was pretty...?
January 16, 2019
I never knew I needed a queer feminist King Arthur retelling in space until I read this book!
I only know the basics about King Arthur. I haven't really read anything to compare this to, but this book makes me want to learn more now. Now I worry that it won't compare though. This book is so modern and has such amazing rep. I don't know that I can handle the original story now.
My favorite thing about this book is the characters. These friends who are a found family. That's something I love to read about. Their bond was so strong and it was obvious that they all loved each other very much.
"We create our families. We chose our homes, don't we?"
Ari is an immigrant that was rescued by Kay and his moms. She was from Ketch, a place that was standing up to Mercer, the main source of supplies for everyone. She is also Arthur number 42, but she doesn't know that yet. Their moms were taken prisoner three years earlier and Ari is determined to get them out. She makes a mistake and gets noticed by Mercer. She and Kay leave in their ship, Error, and try to hide. They end up on Old Earth and Ari finds a sword there. This also awakens Merlin who must find and train the newest Arthur and hopefully end the cycle.
Find Arthur
Train Arthur
Nudge Arthur onto the nearest throne
Defeat the greatest evil in the world
Unite all of mankind
They end up getting help from their friends. Merlin is aging backwards, so he is a teenage boy. Morgana doesn't have a body, but uses magic. Lam and Val are siblings. Gwen is the queen of Lionel and Jordan is her friend and protector. Gwen and Ari decide on a political marriage to help keep Ari safe. But they also have a history together from when they were young and they quickly fell in love.
Mercer controls everything on every planet. Every person is dependent on them. This group decides to fight back. This ends up being much harder than they expected. People are afraid to stand up. They're so used to Mercer deciding whether they live or die and they are scared. Things don't go as planned. There is a lot of fighting, scheming, and death. But throughout the story, this group of friends continue to trust each other, love each other, and fight.
"And you were the thing Mercer feared most," Gwen said, her words reaching across the rather notable distance between them. "A girl they couldn't control, who wouldn't stop talking. That's the scariest damn thing in the universe."
I also need to mention the rep in this story. There is so much and it all feels natural. Not once does it feel like the authors were just putting it in the story to have it. It wasn't forced. I loved the relationships in the book.
As you can probably tell by now, I loved this and cannot wait for the second book. There is death of a person, death of an animal, swearing, sex, and violence in this book. It's also political. Just a heads up for everyone. Besides the death, I can't find a single bad thing about this book. The pacing was great and the story pulled me in right away.
I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to James Patterson Presents/Little Brown for sending me a copy for review. All quotes are taken from an arc and may change before final publication.
I only know the basics about King Arthur. I haven't really read anything to compare this to, but this book makes me want to learn more now. Now I worry that it won't compare though. This book is so modern and has such amazing rep. I don't know that I can handle the original story now.
My favorite thing about this book is the characters. These friends who are a found family. That's something I love to read about. Their bond was so strong and it was obvious that they all loved each other very much.
"We create our families. We chose our homes, don't we?"
Ari is an immigrant that was rescued by Kay and his moms. She was from Ketch, a place that was standing up to Mercer, the main source of supplies for everyone. She is also Arthur number 42, but she doesn't know that yet. Their moms were taken prisoner three years earlier and Ari is determined to get them out. She makes a mistake and gets noticed by Mercer. She and Kay leave in their ship, Error, and try to hide. They end up on Old Earth and Ari finds a sword there. This also awakens Merlin who must find and train the newest Arthur and hopefully end the cycle.
Find Arthur
Train Arthur
Nudge Arthur onto the nearest throne
Defeat the greatest evil in the world
Unite all of mankind
They end up getting help from their friends. Merlin is aging backwards, so he is a teenage boy. Morgana doesn't have a body, but uses magic. Lam and Val are siblings. Gwen is the queen of Lionel and Jordan is her friend and protector. Gwen and Ari decide on a political marriage to help keep Ari safe. But they also have a history together from when they were young and they quickly fell in love.
Mercer controls everything on every planet. Every person is dependent on them. This group decides to fight back. This ends up being much harder than they expected. People are afraid to stand up. They're so used to Mercer deciding whether they live or die and they are scared. Things don't go as planned. There is a lot of fighting, scheming, and death. But throughout the story, this group of friends continue to trust each other, love each other, and fight.
"And you were the thing Mercer feared most," Gwen said, her words reaching across the rather notable distance between them. "A girl they couldn't control, who wouldn't stop talking. That's the scariest damn thing in the universe."
I also need to mention the rep in this story. There is so much and it all feels natural. Not once does it feel like the authors were just putting it in the story to have it. It wasn't forced. I loved the relationships in the book.
As you can probably tell by now, I loved this and cannot wait for the second book. There is death of a person, death of an animal, swearing, sex, and violence in this book. It's also political. Just a heads up for everyone. Besides the death, I can't find a single bad thing about this book. The pacing was great and the story pulled me in right away.
I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you to James Patterson Presents/Little Brown for sending me a copy for review. All quotes are taken from an arc and may change before final publication.
June 6, 2022
The last 115 pages were absolutely batshit insane�.I’ve tried to figure out how to describe it but truly I’m baffled.…The main characters brother thinks his sister (Ari) is dead so he has SEX WITH HER WIFE (Gwen) AND GETS GWEN PREGNANT?? And then Ari gets over this incredibly fast and then her wife admits SHE ONLY HAD SEX WITH ARI’S BROTHER BECAUSE HE REMINDED HER OF ARI????? HELLO???? WHAT????
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2019
i have many questions (34) and no answers
Rep: wlw Arab mc, bi li, gay mc, black nonbinary side character, black gay side character
Rep: wlw Arab mc, bi li, gay mc, black nonbinary side character, black gay side character
April 8, 2019
I’m not even sure how to approach writing about this book, because it is so ambitious. Once & Future is a queer, sci fi retelling of the Arthur myth, with a female Arthur. It’s somehow simultaneously dystopian, sci fi, and fantasy. Also, it's SO QUEER. Almost the entire cast is queer! m/m and f/f relationships, a non-binary character (they/them pronouns), and an asexual character!
I loved this book. It is epic and feminist and queer. It’s about resistance and survival, making connections and refusing to back down. It’s being bravely vulnerable. I loved that I got to know this whole ridiculous crew, who all add to the story. They become a family, in their stubborn, arguing, loyal way. It’s fast-paced, captivating, funny, and feminist. Despite the action and comedy, it’s also deeply emotional.
Full review at .
I loved this book. It is epic and feminist and queer. It’s about resistance and survival, making connections and refusing to back down. It’s being bravely vulnerable. I loved that I got to know this whole ridiculous crew, who all add to the story. They become a family, in their stubborn, arguing, loyal way. It’s fast-paced, captivating, funny, and feminist. Despite the action and comedy, it’s also deeply emotional.
Full review at .
December 2, 2020
A super fun sci-fi retelling of the Arthurian legend! So much happens in this book; it's packed with drama, adventure, heartbreak, and battles, and I think I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
- Follows Ari, a fugitive refugee from an Arab-settled planet, who pulls the sword Excalibur from a tree - and discovers that she is the 42nd reincarnation of King Arthur.
- All the characters were wonderful - interesting, fun to read about, and the dynamics between them so intriguing and integral to the story. I loved how unapologetically queer this book was too!
- This book is really fast-paced - things happen non-stop and it's a fun ride.
- The pace can be a bit too fast though; certain moments that are meant to be impactful weren't given enough weight and moved on too quickly, which I found a bit jarring at times - and like these moments were missed opportunities?
- I liked that this book was a critique of unfettered and unchecked capitalism, and how dependent people can become in system that is all-encompassing that it becomes intertwined with people's way of life.
- This book is pure fun! Not really a book that'll leave a lasting impact on me, but it was fun to read while I was reading it.
Trigger/content warning:
- Follows Ari, a fugitive refugee from an Arab-settled planet, who pulls the sword Excalibur from a tree - and discovers that she is the 42nd reincarnation of King Arthur.
- All the characters were wonderful - interesting, fun to read about, and the dynamics between them so intriguing and integral to the story. I loved how unapologetically queer this book was too!
- This book is really fast-paced - things happen non-stop and it's a fun ride.
- The pace can be a bit too fast though; certain moments that are meant to be impactful weren't given enough weight and moved on too quickly, which I found a bit jarring at times - and like these moments were missed opportunities?
- I liked that this book was a critique of unfettered and unchecked capitalism, and how dependent people can become in system that is all-encompassing that it becomes intertwined with people's way of life.
- This book is pure fun! Not really a book that'll leave a lasting impact on me, but it was fun to read while I was reading it.
Trigger/content warning:
February 8, 2019
Okay, wow, this was SO much fun and SOOOO very queer. Love.
March 6, 2019
> 3.5 stars
Full review to come, but this was essentially a really fun novel with incredible diversity (an almost entirely queer cast, a central sapphic romance, an enby character, PoCs) but rather haphazard plotting with irregular jumps in the narrative that weren't easily overlooked, and twists towards the end that I didn't like as much. (But either way, some of these things might be fixed in the final copy and it was a brilliantly diverse book with interesting worldbuilding & I would recommend it.)
Buddy read with & / #fffebruaryreads
Thank you to the publishers for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review
Full review to come, but this was essentially a really fun novel with incredible diversity (an almost entirely queer cast, a central sapphic romance, an enby character, PoCs) but rather haphazard plotting with irregular jumps in the narrative that weren't easily overlooked, and twists towards the end that I didn't like as much. (But either way, some of these things might be fixed in the final copy and it was a brilliantly diverse book with interesting worldbuilding & I would recommend it.)
Buddy read with & / #fffebruaryreads
Thank you to the publishers for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review
April 25, 2019
* I read this as part of the OWLs readathon as the Arithmancy prompt *
This book is one I picked up based almost entirely on cover and blurb alone as there were nearly no reviews about it when I saw it in the bookshop. However, I am so very glad I did pick it up, because although retellings aren't usually my thing, and although trying out new authors can be good or bad, I think both of the things I was skeptical about really paid off for me here. This is a queer space-based gender-flipped retelling of the Arthurian legends and myths, and I loved it. It was filled with action, had a whole lot of sass, and definitely kept me smiling throughout. There are SO MANY queer characters and relationships, and they are done so well, and the story itself feels fresh enough even though it's a retelling.
We follow a few characters, Ari is our main one and she is supposedly the reincarnation of King Arthur. We also have Merlin who is, as his name suggests, Merlin the wizard and he's the staunch companion to Arthur (whether wanted or not). These two meet very early in the book, and the story of humanity's peril and Arthur's quest to restore balance begins.
I have to say, I didn't care about Ari quite as much as I wanted to, but I did like Merlin a lot. He's pretty cynical and entertaining as he has been alive so long and seen so many things, but at the same time each time he is reborn to try again so much has changed and he's so out of his depth that he's also like a child. I loved these mixes in his character, and enjoyed reading his parts.
I also love the action and fast-pace of this plot. There's a big corporation called Mercer who are the bad guys and they are trying to rule over everything and capture Ari as she's an escapee from a rebel planet. There's some good boss-fight scenes and some more tender, slow moments too. I think the authors got the balance of this one right for a YA and I felt compelled through the story, but also as though I got to enjoy the world and characters along the way.
The author Cori identifies as non-binary and therefore they have done a super job with representation of some of the queer minority groups. I liked seeing the character of Lam and also the lesbian mothers and the relationships forming through the story. There was a lot of great scenes, and I think this comes largely from Amy and Cori doing a very thorough job on research and representation.
4*s from me and highly recommended :)
This book is one I picked up based almost entirely on cover and blurb alone as there were nearly no reviews about it when I saw it in the bookshop. However, I am so very glad I did pick it up, because although retellings aren't usually my thing, and although trying out new authors can be good or bad, I think both of the things I was skeptical about really paid off for me here. This is a queer space-based gender-flipped retelling of the Arthurian legends and myths, and I loved it. It was filled with action, had a whole lot of sass, and definitely kept me smiling throughout. There are SO MANY queer characters and relationships, and they are done so well, and the story itself feels fresh enough even though it's a retelling.
We follow a few characters, Ari is our main one and she is supposedly the reincarnation of King Arthur. We also have Merlin who is, as his name suggests, Merlin the wizard and he's the staunch companion to Arthur (whether wanted or not). These two meet very early in the book, and the story of humanity's peril and Arthur's quest to restore balance begins.
I have to say, I didn't care about Ari quite as much as I wanted to, but I did like Merlin a lot. He's pretty cynical and entertaining as he has been alive so long and seen so many things, but at the same time each time he is reborn to try again so much has changed and he's so out of his depth that he's also like a child. I loved these mixes in his character, and enjoyed reading his parts.
I also love the action and fast-pace of this plot. There's a big corporation called Mercer who are the bad guys and they are trying to rule over everything and capture Ari as she's an escapee from a rebel planet. There's some good boss-fight scenes and some more tender, slow moments too. I think the authors got the balance of this one right for a YA and I felt compelled through the story, but also as though I got to enjoy the world and characters along the way.
The author Cori identifies as non-binary and therefore they have done a super job with representation of some of the queer minority groups. I liked seeing the character of Lam and also the lesbian mothers and the relationships forming through the story. There was a lot of great scenes, and I think this comes largely from Amy and Cori doing a very thorough job on research and representation.
4*s from me and highly recommended :)
December 17, 2023
How is this...so good?
Merlin and Arthur in space. Without any of the rules I know and love.
And yet? I loved it. So much. So much fun I had. Gah.
Read
March 24, 2019That was somehow even queerer than I dared hope?? Fun and adventurous and sexy and sometimes just weird, and I'm so looking forward to the next one.
March 24, 2019
Once & Future, a retelling of the legend of King Arthur and set in space, is a great read, although it wasn't quite as gripping as I'd hoped. I feel this will be a book you'll either love or hate with little to no middle ground. It certainly has a lot going for it - magic, romance, love, corruption, the obligatory evil corporations and a diverse and wonderful LGBTQ+ cast. All the famous characters from the original tale are here but are given a makeover - for instance, Merlin is gay and King Arthur is a woman. There is plenty of action throughout and dramatic events around every corner. The humour interspersed throughout is a welcome part of it too.
The writing was a little clunky and problematic, though, making it more difficult to get through than is ideal. However, I did appreciate that there were twists in the tale which sets it apart from the original and adds unpredictability. That said, there were a lot of happenings throughout that felt contrived and cringy and each time I encountered one my level of enjoyment dropped. I also felt that the characters, although inclusive, required more depth of personality. I particularly liked the fact that the usual labels of gender and sexuality were no longer pertinent in this entertaining sci-fi space opera.
Many thanks to Rock the Boat for an ARC.
The writing was a little clunky and problematic, though, making it more difficult to get through than is ideal. However, I did appreciate that there were twists in the tale which sets it apart from the original and adds unpredictability. That said, there were a lot of happenings throughout that felt contrived and cringy and each time I encountered one my level of enjoyment dropped. I also felt that the characters, although inclusive, required more depth of personality. I particularly liked the fact that the usual labels of gender and sexuality were no longer pertinent in this entertaining sci-fi space opera.
Many thanks to Rock the Boat for an ARC.
February 10, 2022
Star Rating: �&; 4.5 Stars
Gahhh SO OBSESSED WITH QUEER ARTHURIAN RE-TELLINGS! This was AWESOME!!!
Gahhh SO OBSESSED WITH QUEER ARTHURIAN RE-TELLINGS! This was AWESOME!!!
March 23, 2019
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum
Lots of interesting and unique ideas are happening in young adult sci-fi and fantasy right now, and when the author can pull them off while being diversity-minded and still nail the trifecta of characters, story, and world-building, it can be incredible thing to see. However, I’ve also found these cases to be extremely rare. To wit, I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve come across a book with amazing representation and great ideas, only to have everything else be a convoluted and fractured mess. And it pains me greatly to admit that this was similar to what I found with Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy.
Credit where credit is due though, I have to say this was one of the most ambitious YA novels I’ve read in years. When I first heard about a gender-bending queer retelling of the King Arthur legend in space, I knew I had to read it, but I was also curious to see how it would be done. As it turns out, the answer is a doomed cycle and some nebulous form of reincarnation. In a nutshell, this means that all the characters of the Arthurian legend have come back again and again in one form or another, ever since the time of the first Arthur.
So now far into the future, in a universe ruled by an evil megacorp called Mercer, we get to meet our 42nd reincarnation of the great king, who is a determined teenage girl name Ari. Cut off from her home planet of Ketchan, which has been barricaded off by Mercer, Ari finds herself constantly on the run with her brother Kay to avoid being captured. Then one day, she crash-lands on Old Earth and finds an ancient sword among its ruins. You know the rest of the story: the chosen one, awakened when the world is at its greatest need for heroes. In due course, Ari rallies a group of loyal knights to her cause, including Lam, Val, and Jordan, and even finds her queen Gwen, the ruler of the medieval recreation planet Lionel.
Of course, we also mustn’t forget Merlin, the man of myth and magic. And here’s where things get a little weirder. Cursed to age backwards reliving the tragic story of King Arthur over and over, this iteration of Merlin emerges from his crystal cave the moment Ari draws the old sword, looking younger than ever before. Fearing what would happen if he fails his liege this time, Merlin places his last desperate hopes on Ari, who granted isn’t the Arthur he expected, but might turn out be the one to finally break the vicious cycle.
I’ll give Once & Future this: considering all the elements the authors had to pull together to make this work, the ideas behind the book are surprisingly well realized and great fun. I also didn’t think I would enjoy the style of humor, but I did. Offbeat but not too silly, the jokes and playful banter actually helped make this novel a smoother ride and more enjoyable.
That said though, I found most of everything else to be a struggle, especially the story. Despite the high stakes, there’s a distinct lack of depth to any of our characters� actions because all the plot points involved are so shallow and simplistic. In a way, I suspect this might in fact be a side effect of the world-building, which I also felt was flimsy and superficial and even a bit goofy—though on this point, I am less sure whether or not this is by design. We seem to be constantly waffling back and forth between a serious space opera in which our characters deal with some pretty grave matters versus an over-the-top sci-fi comedy where the lines between retelling and straight-up parody are being blurred. As a reader, I found this split incredibly jarring and difficult to engage with.
Furthermore, after the first quarter of the book, we started to run out of things to feel excited about. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the refreshing diversity of our characters and the representation in the novel, but like I always say, a gesture like this is diminished if everything else—story, characters, world-building, etc.—isn’t tightly written. And indeed, a lot of these elements fell a bit short. The pacing was haphazard, with examples like our characters becoming best buds in an eyeblink, or time jumps being handled less than ideally. The plot, which started off being so promising and chockful of all these wildly creative ideas became progressively less interesting as the story retreated back to more familiar territory with regards to aspects of the King Arthur legend.
Ironically, I think it’s the reincarnation angle that’s the most intriguing but also the most restrictive feature of this story. Here is a retelling of the Arthurian legend in space where the possibilities are essentially limitless. However, because of the direction the authors have chosen, we’re locked into the same patterns that we’ve seen countless times before, superimposed upon a typical YA dystopian tale of oppression and resistance, reskinned with a sci-fi setting with planets and spaceships.
Ultimately, I believe Once & Future was a case of many well-developed ideas and themes that sadly did not come together as well as they could have. Taken individually, I loved many aspects of this book, including the central premise and diverse characters, but presented as a whole, the experience somehow felt empty and unfulfilling. I’d say this novel is still worth the read for the things it does well, but at the same time, be prepared for the things it doesn’t.
Lots of interesting and unique ideas are happening in young adult sci-fi and fantasy right now, and when the author can pull them off while being diversity-minded and still nail the trifecta of characters, story, and world-building, it can be incredible thing to see. However, I’ve also found these cases to be extremely rare. To wit, I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve come across a book with amazing representation and great ideas, only to have everything else be a convoluted and fractured mess. And it pains me greatly to admit that this was similar to what I found with Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy.
Credit where credit is due though, I have to say this was one of the most ambitious YA novels I’ve read in years. When I first heard about a gender-bending queer retelling of the King Arthur legend in space, I knew I had to read it, but I was also curious to see how it would be done. As it turns out, the answer is a doomed cycle and some nebulous form of reincarnation. In a nutshell, this means that all the characters of the Arthurian legend have come back again and again in one form or another, ever since the time of the first Arthur.
So now far into the future, in a universe ruled by an evil megacorp called Mercer, we get to meet our 42nd reincarnation of the great king, who is a determined teenage girl name Ari. Cut off from her home planet of Ketchan, which has been barricaded off by Mercer, Ari finds herself constantly on the run with her brother Kay to avoid being captured. Then one day, she crash-lands on Old Earth and finds an ancient sword among its ruins. You know the rest of the story: the chosen one, awakened when the world is at its greatest need for heroes. In due course, Ari rallies a group of loyal knights to her cause, including Lam, Val, and Jordan, and even finds her queen Gwen, the ruler of the medieval recreation planet Lionel.
Of course, we also mustn’t forget Merlin, the man of myth and magic. And here’s where things get a little weirder. Cursed to age backwards reliving the tragic story of King Arthur over and over, this iteration of Merlin emerges from his crystal cave the moment Ari draws the old sword, looking younger than ever before. Fearing what would happen if he fails his liege this time, Merlin places his last desperate hopes on Ari, who granted isn’t the Arthur he expected, but might turn out be the one to finally break the vicious cycle.
I’ll give Once & Future this: considering all the elements the authors had to pull together to make this work, the ideas behind the book are surprisingly well realized and great fun. I also didn’t think I would enjoy the style of humor, but I did. Offbeat but not too silly, the jokes and playful banter actually helped make this novel a smoother ride and more enjoyable.
That said though, I found most of everything else to be a struggle, especially the story. Despite the high stakes, there’s a distinct lack of depth to any of our characters� actions because all the plot points involved are so shallow and simplistic. In a way, I suspect this might in fact be a side effect of the world-building, which I also felt was flimsy and superficial and even a bit goofy—though on this point, I am less sure whether or not this is by design. We seem to be constantly waffling back and forth between a serious space opera in which our characters deal with some pretty grave matters versus an over-the-top sci-fi comedy where the lines between retelling and straight-up parody are being blurred. As a reader, I found this split incredibly jarring and difficult to engage with.
Furthermore, after the first quarter of the book, we started to run out of things to feel excited about. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the refreshing diversity of our characters and the representation in the novel, but like I always say, a gesture like this is diminished if everything else—story, characters, world-building, etc.—isn’t tightly written. And indeed, a lot of these elements fell a bit short. The pacing was haphazard, with examples like our characters becoming best buds in an eyeblink, or time jumps being handled less than ideally. The plot, which started off being so promising and chockful of all these wildly creative ideas became progressively less interesting as the story retreated back to more familiar territory with regards to aspects of the King Arthur legend.
Ironically, I think it’s the reincarnation angle that’s the most intriguing but also the most restrictive feature of this story. Here is a retelling of the Arthurian legend in space where the possibilities are essentially limitless. However, because of the direction the authors have chosen, we’re locked into the same patterns that we’ve seen countless times before, superimposed upon a typical YA dystopian tale of oppression and resistance, reskinned with a sci-fi setting with planets and spaceships.
Ultimately, I believe Once & Future was a case of many well-developed ideas and themes that sadly did not come together as well as they could have. Taken individually, I loved many aspects of this book, including the central premise and diverse characters, but presented as a whole, the experience somehow felt empty and unfulfilling. I’d say this novel is still worth the read for the things it does well, but at the same time, be prepared for the things it doesn’t.
September 30, 2021
Update : Jan 26 2020
I rarely do this but I had to change this rating from a 2⭐️ to a 1⭐️ because the more that I thought about this book, the more I realize that I disliked it.
THIS WAS MY WORST READ OF 2019!!!!!
A gender bent Arthurian legend retelling set in space should have been a recipe for greatness but instead it was destroyed by the execution, plot and lack of character development.
This book reminded me heavily of how the musical, Cats, is told. In the show the opening energetic number is sung by aforementioned cats describing Jellico cats to a new cat on the block named Victoria. They also explain that there is a Jellico Ball which one cat can be named the winner of and the prize is a new life. The requirements on how to be chosen are not described and the majority of the show is each cat singing about what type of cat they are until one is cat is finally chosen and they float away in a balloon. Sounds ridiculous. Well that’s because it is and this book is no better.
We have an energetic opening that introduces the MC and her brother and the seedy underworld of where they are currently. This section has some action and makes you believe that we will be following beautiful character arcs and seeing awesome friendships and relationships develop. That we are going to be given some underlying hopeful message for the reader, and the MC, to constantly think about and hold on to even in the darkest of hours. Oh no, that would have made this good. Instead we get a half ass plot running in tandem with a half ass quest for our MC to unite humanity all while we meet new cats, oh I meant characters, along the way who are only defined by their sexual orientation and/or identity.
Honestly this was the most heinous crime this book committed. The characters and their lack of development. None of these characters had any real depth and any relationships that were forged felt meaningless and forced. You couldn’t believe in the relationship between Ari and Guinevere because you barely got any back story about them and they, as individuals, were surface level caricatures. Merlin, who is suppose to be a wise and powerful mage, has found himself resurrected to nurture the 42nd Arthur but in a 17 year old body. Well you’d think that at least his magic and wisdom would remain so that he can better assist this new Arthur but you’d be wrong. Nope instead this Merlin has to sing Katy Perry’s Firework to cast a spell.
If that doesn’t make you wanna a run, I don’t know what will.
This is just the tip of the bloody iceberg. There is a ton of plot conveniences, erratic pacing, literal time jumps and unexplained and unconvincing motivations by every character under the sun.
Needless to say this was a heart breaking read for me and I am so angry that I had to rate this so low.
Happy Reading you guys. I wish you better luck finding King Arthur retelling than I did
Jo
—Ĕ�
I wanted to love this book so much because I love Arthurian legend. I also loved the rep I this book but the plot people. The plot has to be concise. There was 50 million things going on and it would just jump from place to place with really establishing a definitive world and purpose. I never felt fully invested in any of the characters and that is a shame. This book just dragged for me and I questioned finishing it more than once.
I rarely do this but I had to change this rating from a 2⭐️ to a 1⭐️ because the more that I thought about this book, the more I realize that I disliked it.
THIS WAS MY WORST READ OF 2019!!!!!
A gender bent Arthurian legend retelling set in space should have been a recipe for greatness but instead it was destroyed by the execution, plot and lack of character development.
This book reminded me heavily of how the musical, Cats, is told. In the show the opening energetic number is sung by aforementioned cats describing Jellico cats to a new cat on the block named Victoria. They also explain that there is a Jellico Ball which one cat can be named the winner of and the prize is a new life. The requirements on how to be chosen are not described and the majority of the show is each cat singing about what type of cat they are until one is cat is finally chosen and they float away in a balloon. Sounds ridiculous. Well that’s because it is and this book is no better.
We have an energetic opening that introduces the MC and her brother and the seedy underworld of where they are currently. This section has some action and makes you believe that we will be following beautiful character arcs and seeing awesome friendships and relationships develop. That we are going to be given some underlying hopeful message for the reader, and the MC, to constantly think about and hold on to even in the darkest of hours. Oh no, that would have made this good. Instead we get a half ass plot running in tandem with a half ass quest for our MC to unite humanity all while we meet new cats, oh I meant characters, along the way who are only defined by their sexual orientation and/or identity.
Honestly this was the most heinous crime this book committed. The characters and their lack of development. None of these characters had any real depth and any relationships that were forged felt meaningless and forced. You couldn’t believe in the relationship between Ari and Guinevere because you barely got any back story about them and they, as individuals, were surface level caricatures. Merlin, who is suppose to be a wise and powerful mage, has found himself resurrected to nurture the 42nd Arthur but in a 17 year old body. Well you’d think that at least his magic and wisdom would remain so that he can better assist this new Arthur but you’d be wrong. Nope instead this Merlin has to sing Katy Perry’s Firework to cast a spell.
If that doesn’t make you wanna a run, I don’t know what will.
This is just the tip of the bloody iceberg. There is a ton of plot conveniences, erratic pacing, literal time jumps and unexplained and unconvincing motivations by every character under the sun.
Needless to say this was a heart breaking read for me and I am so angry that I had to rate this so low.
Happy Reading you guys. I wish you better luck finding King Arthur retelling than I did
Jo
—Ĕ�
I wanted to love this book so much because I love Arthurian legend. I also loved the rep I this book but the plot people. The plot has to be concise. There was 50 million things going on and it would just jump from place to place with really establishing a definitive world and purpose. I never felt fully invested in any of the characters and that is a shame. This book just dragged for me and I questioned finishing it more than once.
September 22, 2020
Reread for #WickAndJaneBookclub Sept pick!
I freaking love this retelling of King Arthur. And I definitely picked up some more Easter eggs rereading it this time. Ari is still my impulsive pansexual goddess and I am HERE FOR IT. Also this book is SUPER GAY, there is so much good queer rep in it and every time I read it, it feels like coming home. Can I please have more societies that are queer-normative like this? Because it is honestly the best, also there's no misogyny and ITS SUCH A BREATH OF FRESH AIR.
This book is full of a queer af disaster squad trying to save the world from capitalism, and I love it. There's so much good commentary on how the gender binary, capitalism and other prejudiced filled systems hurt society. Definitely read this book!! Also Ari is canon futuristic Iranian!
___________________________________________________________
I don't think I've ever read a more gay book in my life. I already want to reread this. ALSO THE MC IS CANON PANSEXUAL AND I THINK I JUST DIED FINSVIVBS
Once & Future has two main characters: Ari, the girl on the run from the law AKA the Mercer corporation that controls everything, and Merlin, the wizened wizard from the tale of King Arthur--however, since Arthur's death he has been reincarnated 42 times and each time he ages backward. These two cross paths after Ari pulls Excalibur from Old Earth and awakens Merlin from his enchanted sleep.
In this re-imagined world, we find that the population of Earth has left it to colonize other moons, planets and spacecrafts. I loved seeing the diversity of this solar system and getting to experience how life was on several of the difference planets. While this story starts off with only Ari and her brother Kay, their antics quickly lead to acquiring a crew of several people. The crew was so flawlessly diverse and not only in skin color, but in body shape and sexual orientation.
I am not super familiar with King Arthur legends, but getting small inside scoops from Merlin was so much fun and made me feel like I was in on the secrets with him. Not to mention, Merlin was so damn funny! I loved whenever he showed up, because he never failed to make me laugh. Plus he's like a super old guy in a 16/17 year old body, how can there not be an abundance of shenanigans from that alone!?
I really loved the way this story was crafted. I think the timeline was well thought out even if I screamed at one point because of the time leap. I loved how Ari and Merlin schemed their plans to take down Mercer. The ending was quite intense and I was a bit shocked with everything that happened. However, I really can't wait to see what will happen in the next book. I think there will be a lot of consequences from this book that will come into play.
I freaking love this retelling of King Arthur. And I definitely picked up some more Easter eggs rereading it this time. Ari is still my impulsive pansexual goddess and I am HERE FOR IT. Also this book is SUPER GAY, there is so much good queer rep in it and every time I read it, it feels like coming home. Can I please have more societies that are queer-normative like this? Because it is honestly the best, also there's no misogyny and ITS SUCH A BREATH OF FRESH AIR.
This book is full of a queer af disaster squad trying to save the world from capitalism, and I love it. There's so much good commentary on how the gender binary, capitalism and other prejudiced filled systems hurt society. Definitely read this book!! Also Ari is canon futuristic Iranian!
___________________________________________________________
I don't think I've ever read a more gay book in my life. I already want to reread this. ALSO THE MC IS CANON PANSEXUAL AND I THINK I JUST DIED FINSVIVBS
Once & Future has two main characters: Ari, the girl on the run from the law AKA the Mercer corporation that controls everything, and Merlin, the wizened wizard from the tale of King Arthur--however, since Arthur's death he has been reincarnated 42 times and each time he ages backward. These two cross paths after Ari pulls Excalibur from Old Earth and awakens Merlin from his enchanted sleep.
In this re-imagined world, we find that the population of Earth has left it to colonize other moons, planets and spacecrafts. I loved seeing the diversity of this solar system and getting to experience how life was on several of the difference planets. While this story starts off with only Ari and her brother Kay, their antics quickly lead to acquiring a crew of several people. The crew was so flawlessly diverse and not only in skin color, but in body shape and sexual orientation.
I am not super familiar with King Arthur legends, but getting small inside scoops from Merlin was so much fun and made me feel like I was in on the secrets with him. Not to mention, Merlin was so damn funny! I loved whenever he showed up, because he never failed to make me laugh. Plus he's like a super old guy in a 16/17 year old body, how can there not be an abundance of shenanigans from that alone!?
I really loved the way this story was crafted. I think the timeline was well thought out even if I screamed at one point because of the time leap. I loved how Ari and Merlin schemed their plans to take down Mercer. The ending was quite intense and I was a bit shocked with everything that happened. However, I really can't wait to see what will happen in the next book. I think there will be a lot of consequences from this book that will come into play.
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