Scan barcode
A review by mganaim
Once & Future by Cory McCarthy, A.R. Capetta
I feel this will be more rant than review, I was so hyped for this book. I held so much hope that there was going to be a good story on Arthur and Merlin, a story I love so much, a story I've followed through books and the TV Show.
Having waited for this book for a while, before the cover was even released I loved the goodreads description, going around telling everyone about this SCI-FI FANTASY. Alas we get to the book and we are already hating it within the first few chapters. We are introduced to too many things too quickly and with so many forced aspects. We learn about all the different sexualities these characters encompass, we learn about how Arthur, Ari, are an Arab runaway, hiding from the government because the planet the Arabs have inhabited rebelled against the government. I'm all for representation of all races, sexualities and ideals, but when one forces them into a story it doesn't blend well and we are hit with these things as if they make the character who they are. A character should be more than their sexual interests, which in this book is hardly the case where the authors pair everyone off as quickly as possible and make sure we are well reminded of their sexuality.
From Merlin mis-gendring someone by accident, having been asleep for a large number of years where genders were still a thing one could assume, the reaction of those around him is over the top, 'Dude! Lam is Fluid!!' in a dialogue that seems disappointed in Merlin for not knowing that about this person he met less than a page ago. Merlin then moving on to ask everyone their preferred pronouns in a way to not offend anyone is over the top with the authors trying to show growth and understanding when he could simply have noted that and let the story flow better. With the authors being in a gay relationship with one another one would assume their take on the LGBTQ+ community would be so much better rather than having everything be what a sixteen year old wattpad fan-fic author would conjure to seem inclusive for reads.
The authors waste no time at all to go and pair everyone off with someone who just so magically happens to be the same sexuality in such a small friend group. The authors have left, not a single, not even one, even the ghost had to end up with someone. The ghost needed to have a sexually interest in someone because lord forbid a YA novel isn't riddled with people getting into relationships in a matter of moments. Merlin and Val, one day of knowing each other Val goes to Merlin 'I feel like we should be kissing by now.' How is everything about screwing each other, I saw this in another review where they said, every character is either hysterical or horny. And honestly, there is no other way to describe them.
0 Character development.
0 Plot development.
0 Single people, even the ace person has a love, being a knight for their queen.
Merlin, supposed to be an ancient wizard turned teenager with his crappy 2000's references, 'Hello darkness my old friend'. To when he needs to summon fireworks and starts singing fireworks by Katy Perry??? These badly placed references are a way for the authors to link the readers of this era to those of the future are so bad its hard to get through one let alone multiple, especially his spice girls references.
The writing is shockingly bad, it feels more of a first draft than an actual polished version. The authors note says that Cori wanted to write this book so bad but she couldn't bring herself to write it until she asked her partner, Amy to write it with her, and honestly it should've stayed unwritten. I cannot even begin to explain my disappointment. A BEAUTIFUL COVER AND AMAZING CONCEPT, destroyed by the obsession to make it all inclusive, for literally every character - but one - needed some form of representation that was done with one line. And the one straight person ended up sleeping with his sisters wife (in the pantry). Because heck, drama? Tension? Who knows.
If you want to make a book that is inclusive for all, introduce them in a manner that isn't, let us fill the first ten pages with every single letter of LGBTQ and then focus on who sleeps with who and stick to the main plot. I cant even.
Having waited for this book for a while, before the cover was even released I loved the goodreads description, going around telling everyone about this SCI-FI FANTASY. Alas we get to the book and we are already hating it within the first few chapters. We are introduced to too many things too quickly and with so many forced aspects. We learn about all the different sexualities these characters encompass, we learn about how Arthur, Ari, are an Arab runaway, hiding from the government because the planet the Arabs have inhabited rebelled against the government. I'm all for representation of all races, sexualities and ideals, but when one forces them into a story it doesn't blend well and we are hit with these things as if they make the character who they are. A character should be more than their sexual interests, which in this book is hardly the case where the authors pair everyone off as quickly as possible and make sure we are well reminded of their sexuality.
From Merlin mis-gendring someone by accident, having been asleep for a large number of years where genders were still a thing one could assume, the reaction of those around him is over the top, 'Dude! Lam is Fluid!!' in a dialogue that seems disappointed in Merlin for not knowing that about this person he met less than a page ago. Merlin then moving on to ask everyone their preferred pronouns in a way to not offend anyone is over the top with the authors trying to show growth and understanding when he could simply have noted that and let the story flow better. With the authors being in a gay relationship with one another one would assume their take on the LGBTQ+ community would be so much better rather than having everything be what a sixteen year old wattpad fan-fic author would conjure to seem inclusive for reads.
The authors waste no time at all to go and pair everyone off with someone who just so magically happens to be the same sexuality in such a small friend group. The authors have left, not a single, not even one, even the ghost had to end up with someone. The ghost needed to have a sexually interest in someone because lord forbid a YA novel isn't riddled with people getting into relationships in a matter of moments. Merlin and Val, one day of knowing each other Val goes to Merlin 'I feel like we should be kissing by now.' How is everything about screwing each other, I saw this in another review where they said, every character is either hysterical or horny. And honestly, there is no other way to describe them.
0 Character development.
0 Plot development.
0 Single people, even the ace person has a love, being a knight for their queen.
Merlin, supposed to be an ancient wizard turned teenager with his crappy 2000's references, 'Hello darkness my old friend'. To when he needs to summon fireworks and starts singing fireworks by Katy Perry??? These badly placed references are a way for the authors to link the readers of this era to those of the future are so bad its hard to get through one let alone multiple, especially his spice girls references.
The writing is shockingly bad, it feels more of a first draft than an actual polished version. The authors note says that Cori wanted to write this book so bad but she couldn't bring herself to write it until she asked her partner, Amy to write it with her, and honestly it should've stayed unwritten. I cannot even begin to explain my disappointment. A BEAUTIFUL COVER AND AMAZING CONCEPT, destroyed by the obsession to make it all inclusive, for literally every character - but one - needed some form of representation that was done with one line. And the one straight person ended up sleeping with his sisters wife (in the pantry). Because heck, drama? Tension? Who knows.
If you want to make a book that is inclusive for all, introduce them in a manner that isn't, let us fill the first ten pages with every single letter of LGBTQ and then focus on who sleeps with who and stick to the main plot. I cant even.