Reviews

Once & Future by Cory McCarthy, A.R. Capetta

lbarsk's review

4.0

Aw this was SO fun! I love this take on the King Arthur myth, and I appreciated one of its overarching themes — breaking painful patterns of behavior and trying new things. Looking forward to the sequel in 2020!

hannahhbic's review against another edition

3.0

It’s got extreme pacing issues and the authors need to find a way to meld their voices together, but it’s the queerest YA book I’ve ever read and for that, I loved it. Hearing the phrase “her wife” over and over was extremely affirming for me. The only thing I didn’t like about the audiobook specifically is that the narrator’s voice for Kay was so gruff that I had to turn the volume down for his dialogue. I finished this book last night and the words “Mercer” and “Ari” are still in my brain. That’s definitely meaningful, as books don’t typically stay with me this actively. The ending was one hell of a cliffhanger. Can’t wait for book two.

pirlo2018's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition

1.0

1/5

DNF

I went into this book ready for a fun adventure with space and magic. I am sorry to report they didn't mix well in this book. Believe me, I wanted to enjoy it. I made it to page 112 before I forced myself to stop. The characters had so much potential to me, but it was not to be. I was hoping not to dnf any books this month but look at that, already five days in and I already have the first one of the month. I'm hoping the books I read next will keep me entertained. I have a feeling I have been in a reading slump since finishing Red Queen. The good news is I will hopefully get to the second book in that series sometime soon.

kellys_bookcase's review against another edition

I had to return this to the library, but I am open to trying this book again in the future.

issa_her's review

adventurous medium-paced

devs_thevintagechaosbat's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was amazing!!

The representation was on point, and I was completely pulled in by the first page.

The authors managed to take a classic story and create a truly magical book, with beautifully written characters, and perfectly timed humor!

10/10, will definitely read again

winesharksea's review against another edition

2.0

an entertaining read and concept but left me with way more questions than it answered and things became super dicey in the 2nd half...

gabalodon's review against another edition

4.0

Fun rompy take on a very popular classic. The diversity and rep was excellent, the characters were loveable, and it was fast-paced and warm-hearted. I have only two complaints, and one of them is more personal and less objective.

1) The start of the book may have been /too/ fast-paced, which I don't usually see. We get very abruptly jerked from place to place and plot-point to plot-point until the whole gang is together. I would have much rather seen this book split into two, and have the first book dedicated to the gang meeting and finding each other and really building those relationships and executing their first big quest. This would have also helped with me second, more personal complaint...

2) For reasons that completely escape me, one of the most popular King Arthur legend subplots that gets pulled into almost every rewrite is the Gwen/Arthur infidelity thing. It also happens to be my least favorite part of every rewrite. That being said, Once & Future took a very fresh and less exasperating take on this than usual, which was nice. But it still meant I didn't really enjoy their relationship (again, some of this is due to the lack of exposition) and it took me a long time to trust and even begin to like Gwen's character, and it's difficult to fully relate to her until the book is almost over. But at least I found her problematic in new and exciting ways. I just really wish I could have liked and related to her sooner.

I guess that's what book 2 is for! :)

scribe391's review

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Capetta and McCarthy reimagine the legend of King Arthur, setting it in space.