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konohimawari's review against another edition
5.0
I knew from the moment I picked this one up at the bookstore that it would be a 5star read. I'm not usually a fan of retellings (was this historically accurate? not at all), but you just have those gut feelings sometimes. It was funny, it was lighthearted (for the most part), it was enemies to friends... it was something I was in dire need for. I'm seriously in love with all of the characters and while the last 25% of the book was a bit sudden and quite violent, though not totally unexpected, I enjoyed every second of reading this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
seventhswan's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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
April's read for book group: I don't think I ever would have picked this book up of my own accord, as YA isn't a genre I tend to gravitate towards, but I found plenty to like about it. The characters were endearing without being overly irritating and the main storyline, while nothing new or groundbreaking, kept me invested. Everything was fairly tropey and predictable, but as a lighthearted, escapist romance, this worked.
Where this book fell down for me was the final few chapters. The story moved away from romance to more serious depictions of battle, which were well-written but didn't really fit with the tone of the first two-thirds of the book, and meant the conclusions to the romance storylines didn't get properly finished. I wonder if perhaps the author was trying to leave the door open for a sequel? The pacing in general was a bit off, too - to start with I wished the plot would move along faster, and then the ending felt rushed.
Delighted to see not only lesbian, bisexual and gay representation in this story but also characters with a range of disabilities and of various races! I tend to be wary these days of reducing books to good/bad Representation TM, but in books for children and teenagers it does feel more objectively important, for reasons I can't fully articulate.
Where this book fell down for me was the final few chapters. The story moved away from romance to more serious depictions of battle, which were well-written but didn't really fit with the tone of the first two-thirds of the book, and meant the conclusions to the romance storylines didn't get properly finished. I wonder if perhaps the author was trying to leave the door open for a sequel? The pacing in general was a bit off, too - to start with I wished the plot would move along faster, and then the ending felt rushed.
Delighted to see not only lesbian, bisexual and gay representation in this story but also characters with a range of disabilities and of various races! I tend to be wary these days of reducing books to good/bad Representation TM, but in books for children and teenagers it does feel more objectively important, for reasons I can't fully articulate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism
talasterism's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
4.0
liked it more than i thought i would! the characters were fun, i loveee arthur gabriel dynamic, i also just love arthur - "im partial to being adored"??? what a bitch /pos ! some parts were meh - like the part that made the least sense to me is that it doesn't show in many ways that homophobia is prevelent or even a thing in this world, its only ever said like a fact, yet thats the biggest conflict but like? noone seems to have an issue w that apart from the good ol "you must have kids as a royal" so that inconcsitency in stakes was a bit annoying. also bridget is such an icoooon
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia
lex_is_bookish's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, and Violence
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
It's been too long since I last picked this up, and quite frankly, too long since I've started reading it to not be finished it by now. I was enjoying it whenever I did pick it up though, so I will probably return to it at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Violence
Internalised homophobia/lesbophobiasydapel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
3.0
This was quite wholesome and slight foolish for the majority before a really strong tone change in the last few moments that honestly threw me for a loop. Additionally, while the prose of it is a super light easy read, some of the vernacular doesn't quite fit in the time period, which took me out of the world a bit. I'll admit that's mostly a picky personal thing though. However, I found Arthur and Gwen to be really well rounded characters with delightful banter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Blood
ktame001's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, War, Homophobia, Violence, Death, Blood, and Emotional abuse
btorsi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
i'm not going to lie and say the beginning wasn't slow af. i almost didn't get through the first hundred or so pages. and the summary on the jacket isn't very accurate -- it boasts a fun arthurian romance, but this book was so much more than a romance. in fact, the romance was staggeringly less than i expected, especially between gwen and bridget. but the characters were lovable, the dynamics were so fun, the dialogue was funny as hell, and the plot sure did heat up. by the end i was the one in love. but it's not 5 stars bc of the slow beginning.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Death, Alcoholism, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Princess Gwendoline of Camelot has been betrothed to Arthur DeLacey since the day she was born. There are two problems with this: 1, they cannot stand each other. And 2, her romantic interests lie elsewhere. When Art is sent to Camelot for the summer to prepare for their upcoming nuptials, it goes about as well as expected. Until Gwen discovers Art has a secret love too. Playing along to distract the world from their real feelings, might events conspire to allow them a true happily ever after? Or will they be stuck together forever, definitely not in love?
I'm not usually one for the fake dating trope, but the fact that this one comes with a bit of a twist makes it much more enjoyable to me. I was more invested in the development of the relationship between Gwen and Art purely because it was clear that there wouldn't be any romance between them; I was intrigued to see how far they would move from enemies to friends, and just how it would be achieved. While they do bounce off of each other very well, I will be honest and say that I much prefer Art as a character - he's the lovable rogue; the confident, cocky young buck compared to the petulant teenager that is Gwen. She does improve as the book progresses, but even her 'heroic' moment is quite muted compared to Art's.
While the story overall is a fun, lighthearted ride, and the ingenuity of the setting - a Camelot that knows King Arthur existed and is trying to recapture his magic, even though his story has faded into legend - is brilliant, I did feel that the writing lacked purpose. None of the characters, with the possible exception of Art, have much depth to them; even the love interests feel more like rough outlines rather than fully fleshed out people.
Similarly, the plot was fairly limited and, while there are a couple of moments that hit the mark, more seem to be trying to set up a sub-plot that don't go anywhere, or are moments of intrigue introduced far too late and wound up far too quickly. Likewise, a lot of the 'revelations' lose their impact or are overshadowed by wider events - it feels like there are so many missed opportunities. I just wanted more of everything!
Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable read and I would like to see a sequel dealing with the newest version of Camelot - there's plenty of scope for more from these characters!
I'm not usually one for the fake dating trope, but the fact that this one comes with a bit of a twist makes it much more enjoyable to me. I was more invested in the development of the relationship between Gwen and Art purely because it was clear that there wouldn't be any romance between them; I was intrigued to see how far they would move from enemies to friends, and just how it would be achieved. While they do bounce off of each other very well, I will be honest and say that I much prefer Art as a character - he's the lovable rogue; the confident, cocky young buck compared to the petulant teenager that is Gwen. She does improve as the book progresses, but even her 'heroic' moment is quite muted compared to Art's.
While the story overall is a fun, lighthearted ride, and the ingenuity of the setting - a Camelot that knows King Arthur existed and is trying to recapture his magic, even though his story has faded into legend - is brilliant, I did feel that the writing lacked purpose. None of the characters, with the possible exception of Art, have much depth to them; even the love interests feel more like rough outlines rather than fully fleshed out people.
Similarly, the plot was fairly limited and, while there are a couple of moments that hit the mark, more seem to be trying to set up a sub-plot that don't go anywhere, or are moments of intrigue introduced far too late and wound up far too quickly. Likewise, a lot of the 'revelations' lose their impact or are overshadowed by wider events - it feels like there are so many missed opportunities. I just wanted more of everything!
Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable read and I would like to see a sequel dealing with the newest version of Camelot - there's plenty of scope for more from these characters!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, War, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Lesbophobia, Vomit, Grief, Homophobia, and Cursing
kjurewicz's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m going to be brutally honest - this book was a disappointment. I had heard about it online and was so excited to stumble upon it in the library. But it was very painful to get through. I thought this would be a twist on the original story of Guinevere and Arthur, but I was sorely disappointed to find out that these characters only had loose ties to their namesake. In fact, these characters were very dull and I had a hard time getting excited about any of them. Some plot points were obvious (like the fact that Lord Willard, Lord Delaney, and The Knife were major villains) <\spoiler> ;others were poorly explained or had a missed opportunity to be more significant (such as the “magic” necklace Arthur receives and Morgana the Crow). <\spoiler>The background about Merlin and the cultists was not incorporated well, so there were large chunks of boring “history.” The resolution was also unclear, especially in terms of Gwen and Bridget’s relationship. <\spoiler> Overall, this book had a lot of potential but ended up being a struggle to get through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia