Scan barcode
toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.75
Really enjoyed this book! It really married the scifi and fantasy elements well, had twists despite being a retelling, and the characters and worldbuilding were really compelling! Not sure how medieval fans would feel about it, but as someone only tangentially aware of that time period and Arthurian myth, I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Xenophobia, and Genocide
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Suicide
neilibra's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Animal death, and Genocide
Moderate: Sexual assault 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.eve_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
2.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ At times this book was really fun and wacky, but it also felt like the authors prioritized humor in life or death situations and it lowered the stakes and conflict of the story overall.
⁕ Even though he’s not the main character, the best character is Merlin. I love how they steered away from the traditional archetype of old mentor and really complicated his role in the story.
⁕ There is such a diverse representation of queer characters in this book! I was sad b/c the main romance felt rushed and I wanted more time for it to develop!
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ At times this book was really fun and wacky, but it also felt like the authors prioritized humor in life or death situations and it lowered the stakes and conflict of the story overall.
⁕ Even though he’s not the main character, the best character is Merlin. I love how they steered away from the traditional archetype of old mentor and really complicated his role in the story.
⁕ There is such a diverse representation of queer characters in this book! I was sad b/c the main romance felt rushed and I wanted more time for it to develop!
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Genocide, and Death of parent
More...