Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Star rating: ★★★★ ☆ 4/5 stars
Format: library eaudiobook
Summary: In the distant future, Merlin awakens to train the newest reincarnation of King Arthur – a girl named Ari.
Review: Alright, so a female King Arthur in space– sounds awesome right? You’re darn right it was real awesome. I thought this was such a cool take on the Arthur myth, I really enjoyed how the authors reshaped the myth for this novel.
There are quite a few slow spots in the book and with its length it makes the book a bit unwieldy. I think it needed to be cut back quite a bit, I felt myself zone out fairly often. Most of it was relevant to the overall plot but there were enough times I lost focus because it needed some editing that it warrants mentioning.
I liked how there were nonbinary characters and lgbt+ characters as well. I liked how it was handled in the book, how Merlin was the weird one for not thinking all of it was completely normal. It was a cool look at a potential future, I mean not the ruined earth and corporate overlords.
Merlin ageing backwards and being a teenager was a cool plotline. I thought it was interesting to see him not as an old man but a teenager who has been around for forever. I feel that his origins will be explored more in future novels of this series.
I know this is a series but I can’t think of what else needs to be done in the stpry. I felt it was fairly tied up, there are a few small subplots but I don’t think there’s much beyond that. I don’t know, there another book coming out soon so I am sure it will be made more clear where the story goes.
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a fresh new twist on the Arthurian myth this is definitely what you need. It does drag some but overall it’s a good story.
2019 Popsugar Challenge Prompt: A book set in space
Pug and Books 