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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.0
Look y'all. It's looking like 2023 is the year of King Arthur retellings for me. Specifically, awesomely queer YA retellings. I loved The Other Merlin a few weeks ago and, while I'm waiting for my library to *hopefully* get the second book in that duology, I decided to go ahead and pick up this duology as well. Thankfully, both of these books are already at the library, so I can binge the entire thing without a waitt.
This is a queer YA retelling of King Arthur...in space. In the future, after Old Earth has long been broken and abandoned, Ari and her brother, Kay, find themselves on the surface of the old planet after making an escape from the tyrannical corporation, Mercer, that runs their post-post-capitalist world. While there, Ari pulls a sword from an old tree and restarts the most recent cycle of "the one true king to take down the great evil and unite the world." But this is the first time the sword has ever chosen a girl, and it's also one of Merlin's last chances to successfully complete his mission of guiding Arthur to success, so everything about this iteration of the story is different and the stakes have never been higher. Ari and Merlin must bring together the "knights" and navigate the complicated interpersonal dramas that keep replaying amongst them (this time with added teen hormones), while also saving Ari and Kay's parents from an planet-prison, expose the evils of the Mercer corporation, face down ancient magical beings like the Lady of the Lake, and contend with a myriad other magical and political threats.
Alright, this was great fun. But also, if I'm being honest, definitely not as good as The Other Merlin. There are a couple reasons for this. And I'm going to start with those, so you know what they are, and then close with the good things. Because there were quite enough of those that I am totally planning to pick up book two as soon as possible. First, the writing itself had a choppiness to it. In both the dialogue and the unfolding of events (sequence and plot development), there was just a lack of smoothness and connectivity. Now, this is something that I moved past more or less without issue, because this was a fast and entertaining read and I chose not to get bogged down in the holes between details and to just enjoy the ride. But if that would be a bigger turn-off for you, just be aware. The second issue I had is mostly related, actually, but felt worth a separate mention to me. Some of the capitalism references and euphemisms and critiques are a bit too on the nose, like manhandled into the text. I mean, I agree with them. But it was clunkily done. However, again, I'm choosing to give leeway because this is for a YA audience. And I chose to read quickly and move past these flow issues.
I did enjoy the mix of more serious issues and lighter entertainment vibes that this retelling had. I always love a future world where issues of discrimination based on sex/gender/sexuality are a thing of the past, and this novel had that in spades. Almost all the characters were queer in some way and it was bittersweet in all the best ways to see how Merlin, the only one of them to have lived through myriad generations of Old Earth's murderous prejudice on this front, was able to find his own freedom in this more accepting future. Loved that. So basically, all the sex positivity (in an ace inclusive way) and queer love was *chef's kiss.*
Though it is very in your face, I am team "take down capitalist overreach" so that facade for the "big evil" is one I can get behind taking down. There was always some action going on as well, whether it was the fighting kind or the prisonbreak kind or the relationship kind, that kept things moving at a good clip throughout. And I appreciated, as always, the ways this both lined up and diverged from the "original" story. That's the reason I come back to retellings: the creative ways the author's put new spins on these stories, keeping things fresh but familiar. There was also some very sweet and very snort-level funny sprinkled throughout this book, that are lovely in their different ways and keep the entertainment level high. Of note, let me just say lolz, I see you with Ari being Arthur 42.
Anyways, reading this was totally diverting. The fun escapist ride I was looking for. With where the story left off, I am invested in seeing where the second book takes us (and by "where it takes us," I mean the plot and the characters' developments, because it's very clear where in space/time we're going!). I'm hoping for a fun and fulfilling conclusion, with all the same complicated young romance, King Arthur Easter eggs, corny jokes and throwbacks to "old" Earth, and taking-down-the-bad-guys action as this first one.
“Because too many people believe that difference is the enemy of unity.”
“The path humans took through time was less the mythical arrow of progress, and more of a squiggle that doubled back on itself, curling and looping. A roller coaster designed by a drunkard.”
“The greatest power is a hand on your shoulder, a whisper in your head, gentle but insistent. These people don’t want to see what’s happening, so they don’t see it.”
“That’s what resistance looks like, Merlin. It’s not one glorious, shining victory. It’s a torch that you keep burning, no matter what.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Pregnancy, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Genocide, and Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation and Confinement
cookiecat73's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and War
Minor: Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Dysphoria, Grief, and Self harm
mikc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Chronic illness
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
longlost's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
this is the superior king arthur mythos adaptation
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Genocide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Kidnapping, Racism, Pregnancy, and Cursing
Minor: Sexual content and Rape
violet_pages's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, and Animal death
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Confinement, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Minor: Rape and Sexual content
ha1yan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
Once and Future had a lot of awesome concepts, but it unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations! It might have benefited from being a longer book to fit in more worldbuilding and make the important plot points longer. The romance could have been more compelling, especially between Ari and Gwen, but I finished the book feeling unsatisfied with the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Confinement, Genocide, and Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Rape
confusedmuse's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, and Sexual content
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The pace at the start of the book is so fast it was almost dizzying, like running while crying and laughing. I got a good sense of who the MC is and her dynamic with her brother, and I liked how the worldbuilding stopped just shy of infodumping by making a bunch of things happen so they could narrate to the reader as they ran. It’s genre-savvy and pretty self-aware, knowing how ridiculous everything looks doesn’t lessen the stakes when they’re often life-or-death. It’s a fun kind of darkness, the kind that “futuristic Arthurian retelling in spaaaaaace” invokes, one with queens, cosplay, corporations, kinship, spaceships, magic, and quests. It introduces more serious and tragic elements lightly at first, later returning to them to dwell in their plot significance, then doubles down in the second half of the book as things go from “frustrating but maybe solvable” to “a lot of people have died and more people will die if we don't fix this”.
The way Merlin kept thinking or talking about where characters fit in the cycle was helpful, especially early on, since I have a little familiarity with the Arthurian canon but not enough to know where all the players fit in a retelling unless the narrative gives me some help. It also grounded his perspective on them, establishing him as much as it introduced them.
The main frustrating thing for me was that a character comes out as ace in a "we could have avoided all this tragedy if you'd ever asked anything about me" way, and it made it feel like their identity was a plot point to help misdirect other drama. The other queer rep in the book felt really good and the whole thing adds up to an almost entirely queer cast with just the canon rep, so having that character's identity only come up one time to explain someone else's issue was disappointing.
This is part one of a longer saga, and it does a good job of setting up who these versions of the characters are. The ending is a "to be continued" situation, but enough of this volume's plot wrapped up for me to be satisfied. I'll definitely be checking out the sequel, this is a cool and weird world and I want to know where it goes next.
The way Merlin kept thinking or talking about where characters fit in the cycle was helpful, especially early on, since I have a little familiarity with the Arthurian canon but not enough to know where all the players fit in a retelling unless the narrative gives me some help. It also grounded his perspective on them, establishing him as much as it introduced them.
The main frustrating thing for me was that a character comes out as ace in a "we could have avoided all this tragedy if you'd ever asked anything about me" way, and it made it feel like their identity was a plot point to help misdirect other drama. The other queer rep in the book felt really good and the whole thing adds up to an almost entirely queer cast with just the canon rep, so having that character's identity only come up one time to explain someone else's issue was disappointing.
This is part one of a longer saga, and it does a good job of setting up who these versions of the characters are. The ending is a "to be continued" situation, but enough of this volume's plot wrapped up for me to be satisfied. I'll definitely be checking out the sequel, this is a cool and weird world and I want to know where it goes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual assault
CW for misgendering (minor), sexual assault (backstory), confinement, plague, violence, blood, gore, animal death, genocide, parental death, major character death, death.
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