A review by blurrypetals
Once & Future by Cory McCarthy, A.R. Capetta

2.0

This one is a really unfortunate victim of DNF Day for me. This book actually proves there is such a thing as too much representation. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about representation of any sort, but the rep felt incredibly forced and stale and dead on arrival. Rather than working in characters' identities as the story went on it was as if each character was obligated to state their name, the Arthurian character they were based on, their sexual orientation, and their race the second they were introduced. It's weird and inorganic and it was instantly off-putting in every way. I want to read stories from LGBTQIA+ voices that feel authentic, like what Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli do, or what Sarah Rees Brennan did in In Other Lands, where the world is beautiful and fantastical and our main character also just so happens to be bi. This feels like a fun, great concept that was ruined by bad fanfiction.