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emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, War
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Vomit
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The dialogues really were peak comedy! When I started that book I didn't think I would relate to Arthur this much 🤠
But the story was really slow and sometimes dragged on, so it was a little hard for me to get through the book.
But the story was really slow and sometimes dragged on, so it was a little hard for me to get through the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, War
Minor: Incest
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
Was expecting a cutesy little romance and got hit with ✨trauma✨ but it was worth it
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, War
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
Royal sons meant promise – they carried the hope and glory of their lineage, however reluctantly; royal daughters were born to be promised to somebody else.
A friend recommended this book to me as a "YA historical," but I think it's more of a... post-Arthurian fantasy with no magic. The vaguely medieval England is steeped in Arthurian legend, not actual history (and oh how I loved the characters poking fun at all the staples of the Arthurian myths!), and the characters behave in a rather modern way—and all of that is without a doubt part of the book's charm. I very much enjoyed this story with its quirkiness, queerness, and focus on found family. I also found myself way more immersed into this fictional England's politics than I expected to be. Mostly, though, I was invested in the characters.
In the early chapters, Art and Gwen made me think about one of my favorite childhood animated movies, Princess Swan. As I read about their recollections of their childhood shenanigans, I swear I had This Is My Idea playing in my head! :D Though unlike Dereck and Odette, when these two meet again when they're older, they don't immediately fall for each other. Instead, they catch each other being decidedly non-heterosexual with other people and strike a pact: "Let's fake being nice with each other so our parents leave us to our own devices."
Now, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, and fake dating are all among my favorite romance tropes in the world. But apparently, I also love it when they're all mixed together and given a non-romantic spin! This was so refreshing and fun to read. I also loved how these two's arcs mirrored each other as they both struggled with the expectations their families and society placed on them. I think Gwen's way was more relatable to me, but Art's was more interesting to read about... though at some points of the book, it was kinda vise versa? Honestly, both of them are so relatable and interesting, and I can say the same for all the other characters. Sydney in particular absolutely stole my heart, and my one regret about the book is that Gabriel didn't get any POV chapters.
An awesome read, definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I'll be looking out for more novels from Lex Croucher now!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Death of parent, War
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Still wondering if I can give a book a 5.75 rating cause this one would be It.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism
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:
Yes
“The path to true love never did run straight.”
I absolutely adored this book. A lighthearted LGBTQ+ romance, it read like a Medieval YA rom-com. It was a delight.
I’ve said for ages now that we need books that have the vibes of A Knight’s Tale and this book captured that perfectly. Set in a world where King Arthur is transitioning from historical figure to legend, there are knights, tournaments and royalty a plenty.
I loved each of the characters and their relationships - I mean, how fun is childhood enemies to reluctant co-conspirators/secret keepers/wingmen? Gwen and Art brought each other out of their shells, and I love how they grew from hating to caring about each other. I also really liked Bridget and Gabriel and Sidney and Agnes… just the whole gang. They were funny and cute and feel good.
It was a lovely, easy to read book. I had a great time with it.
I absolutely adored this book. A lighthearted LGBTQ+ romance, it read like a Medieval YA rom-com. It was a delight.
I’ve said for ages now that we need books that have the vibes of A Knight’s Tale and this book captured that perfectly. Set in a world where King Arthur is transitioning from historical figure to legend, there are knights, tournaments and royalty a plenty.
I loved each of the characters and their relationships - I mean, how fun is childhood enemies to reluctant co-conspirators/secret keepers/wingmen? Gwen and Art brought each other out of their shells, and I love how they grew from hating to caring about each other. I also really liked Bridget and Gabriel and Sidney and Agnes… just the whole gang. They were funny and cute and feel good.
It was a lovely, easy to read book. I had a great time with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a strong witty novel. I've haven't seen anything quite like this in the market before!
Its a refreshing gay take on Arthurian legend-ish that doesn't take itself too seriously and is mostly here to be a fun time for YA readers seeking non-contemporary representation in books. I found the dynamic between Gwen + Arthur to be hilarious, but I especially loved how heartfelt and comforting Gwen and her brother Gabriel's relationship was.
Gwen's personality was a bit more petulant than I thought was necessary for plot purposes, but seeing her grow throughout the course of the novel was satisfying.
Arthur was fantastic and I honestly wouldn't have minded the book to be mostly from his perspective, I found his romantic relationship to be more compelling than Gwen's in the end, too. Gwen needed more scenes just getting to know her knight in shining armor for me to feel as interested in her romantic outcome, personally.
Things get a bit disjointed in the last 25% of the book, like the author had more ideas than they were allowed pages for, but, regardless, it was fun read that I think a lot of people are going to love (including myself, ultimately!).
Its a refreshing gay take on Arthurian legend-ish that doesn't take itself too seriously and is mostly here to be a fun time for YA readers seeking non-contemporary representation in books. I found the dynamic between Gwen + Arthur to be hilarious, but I especially loved how heartfelt and comforting Gwen and her brother Gabriel's relationship was.
Gwen's personality was a bit more petulant than I thought was necessary for plot purposes, but seeing her grow throughout the course of the novel was satisfying.
Arthur was fantastic and I honestly wouldn't have minded the book to be mostly from his perspective, I found his romantic relationship to be more compelling than Gwen's in the end, too. Gwen needed more scenes just getting to know her knight in shining armor for me to feel as interested in her romantic outcome, personally.
Things get a bit disjointed in the last 25% of the book, like the author had more ideas than they were allowed pages for, but, regardless, it was fun read that I think a lot of people are going to love (including myself, ultimately!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War
Minor: Homophobia
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Lesbophobia
Minor: Religious bigotry
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gore, Homophobia