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A review by gabalodon
Once & Future by Cory McCarthy, A.R. Capetta
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! :)
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! :)