Author: A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy
Publication Date: 26 March 2019
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Page Count: 368
Dates Read: Jan 16 – 19
Reading Method: Physical – YA Backlog
Review
Once and Future is an original take on the King Arthur story, where everything is set in space. There’s so much to love about this story – it’s funny, it’s queer, it’s got a female Arthur! I did *not* realize it was part of a duology, but that’s on me. I’ll be adding the next book to my tbr, but probably not at the top of the list.
The writing felt a bit clunky, which I think might be a result of having two authors. It just didn’t seem to flow as well as I would have liked and there is an awkward time jump in the middle of the book. These characters get themselves into some crazy situations, which leads to a lot of laughs, but the dialogue was weird and unrealistic at times.
Representation was huge in this story, which I loved! The entire makeup of the round table knights is quite diverse, and they have no issue correcting Merlin when he gets their pronouns wrong. I liked the new take on the relationship between Merlin and Morgana, with Morgana becoming one of my favorite characters. The relationships in this story are all over the place and seem a bit rushed. There are sweet moments between all the participants and I loved the Val and Merlin dynamic.
I will warn you, there is a pretty traumatic death towards the end that I wish hadn’t been included and described in such great detail. It made me very uncomfortable and seems like it could have been something that was touched on and then described in a less horrific way.
Overall, I liked it but I didn’t love it. I will likely continue on with the second book, but it’s not a priority at this point.
About the Book
When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind. No pressure.
About the Authors
Cory McCarthy (they/he) and A. R. Capetta (all pronouns) are the acclaimed bestselling authors of books for young people. Highlights include: the coauthored Once & Future, an ALA Rainbow List selection and finalist for the New England Book Award; A. R.’s queer genre titles Echo After Echo, The Lost Coast, and The Brilliant Death duology; Cory’s cinematic novels Breaking Sky, Now a Major Motion Picture, and You Were Here. The coauthors met while earning MFAs at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and soon after fell in love. During the release party for Once & Future at their local indie bookstore, they became engaged and were married shortly thereafter. They are riotously happy.
