bad_fatty's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
rosiethespy's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty silly and very queer space retelling of the King Arthur legends. Definitely some interesting stuff happening in terms of "retelling" a centuries old story, excellent representation of diverse gender and sexuality experiences, and some really funny parts. But part of it was just absolutely ridiculous, and there were some choices made in service to creating both parallels to the original legend AND surprise twists that were hard to accept in this world and story. I think the sequel is going to be very different, but I'll probably still read it.
midgereads's review
I won’t give up on this book yet, but right now it was not for me. I felt like the dialogue was either really good or really cringy, and the two chapters that I read were a little bit too confusing. I’m also not a big fan of the writing style.
labocat's review against another edition
3.0
I love a good Arthurian retelling, especially one that takes a lot of liberties with it while at the same time taking it down to its essence, and this certainly does that. I love the inclusion and diversity (racially, gender, and sexuality-wise), the concept of the cycles, and the themes it brings up of corporations as the future dictatorship.
However, it falls flat in a lot of important places. Pacing-wise, it jumps all over the place, with short bursts of action followed by long-drawn out conversations about the consequences of everything. It also falls prey to one of my least-favorite sci-fi pitfalls: entire planets represented by a single city or people. Settings feel in service to necessity of the plot or Arthurian saga rather than organic worldbuilding. There's also an odd sense of scale, flashing back and forth between whether or not these actions will carry any weight when it's on a planetary-scale and then having one impromptu moment in a market square be of equal weight.
It also doesn't know what sort of tone it wants to have, and while nothing needs to be doom and gloom and destinies all the time, Merlin being an incessant pop culture machine (endearing gay disaster that he is, he's also clearly supposed to be the closest thing to an audience proxy, so despite references to having lived through cycles that extend past our own time, most of his references are solidly 20th/21st century focused) in addition to the disjointed pacing means that it never quite settles into a groove and so loses a lot of its potential impact.
It gets a lot of points for its treatment of Morgana, by which I measure most retellings these days, as well as giving Gwen(ivere) importance and agency. It loses some of them by how it chooses to end, with a decision that left me entirely off-kilter, even though I probably will get the book from the library in the end.
However, it falls flat in a lot of important places. Pacing-wise, it jumps all over the place, with short bursts of action followed by long-drawn out conversations about the consequences of everything. It also falls prey to one of my least-favorite sci-fi pitfalls: entire planets represented by a single city or people. Settings feel in service to necessity of the plot or Arthurian saga rather than organic worldbuilding. There's also an odd sense of scale, flashing back and forth between whether or not these actions will carry any weight when it's on a planetary-scale and then having one impromptu moment in a market square be of equal weight.
It also doesn't know what sort of tone it wants to have, and while nothing needs to be doom and gloom and destinies all the time, Merlin being an incessant pop culture machine (endearing gay disaster that he is, he's also clearly supposed to be the closest thing to an audience proxy, so despite references to having lived through cycles that extend past our own time, most of his references are solidly 20th/21st century focused) in addition to the disjointed pacing means that it never quite settles into a groove and so loses a lot of its potential impact.
It gets a lot of points for its treatment of Morgana, by which I measure most retellings these days, as well as giving Gwen(ivere) importance and agency. It loses some of them by how it chooses to end, with a decision that left me entirely off-kilter, even though I probably will get the book from the library in the end.
ancsanna's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
laurenbaggy's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
I enjoyed this book. I think it was fun, exciting, and full of action. I liked the characters and their relationships.
However, I did have a few issues. For one, it seemed to jump about so much that it was just action sequence after action sequence and a lot of the in-between just wasn't there. There were also a few incidents where relationships went from strangers to best friends incredibly quickly, with little explanation. Between that and the full on action, it was very difficult for relationships to grow or to build suspense because there was never any build up.
There were also a few references and moments where I was thinking that it wouldn't have been common knowledge that far in the future, which were a bit jarring.
However, I did adore the representation of LGBTQ+ characters, and the general lack of labelling sexualities as anything. It seemed to be a matter of a person is into who they are into and no one asks any questions or requires any deeper understanding. The calling out of Merlin's misconceptions and poor language choices was also great. I just love this aspect of the idealistic future that the authors created.
Overall, fun read. I will probably pick up the next one. It was an easy, fun read. I can't resist space stuff.
I enjoyed this book. I think it was fun, exciting, and full of action. I liked the characters and their relationships.
However, I did have a few issues. For one, it seemed to jump about so much that it was just action sequence after action sequence and a lot of the in-between just wasn't there. There were also a few incidents where relationships went from strangers to best friends incredibly quickly, with little explanation. Between that and the full on action, it was very difficult for relationships to grow or to build suspense because there was never any build up.
There were also a few references and moments where I was thinking that it wouldn't have been common knowledge that far in the future, which were a bit jarring.
However, I did adore the representation of LGBTQ+ characters, and the general lack of labelling sexualities as anything. It seemed to be a matter of a person is into who they are into and no one asks any questions or requires any deeper understanding. The calling out of Merlin's misconceptions and poor language choices was also great. I just love this aspect of the idealistic future that the authors created.
Overall, fun read. I will probably pick up the next one. It was an easy, fun read. I can't resist space stuff.
evalina's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
francisopal's review against another edition
5.0
Full review: https://bookpeopleteens.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/review-once-future/
Overall, actually-in-love Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta (their engagement video made me cry) have written a perfect YA novel that’s fun, diverse, and meaningful, with plenty of magic and swords to keep it interesting. While a reincarnation of King Arthur may not seem like the most original idea, the way Amy Rose and Cori have written it is completely unique and fantastically surprising. Once & Future is neon bright and mind-blowingly cool, packed with loveable characters and enough rebelling against The Man for any reasonable teen. Rating: five/five
Favorite quotes:
- “Fashion came and went, but Merlin had always believed that jeans - like cockroaches - would survive into any possible future.”
- “That’s what resistance looks like, Merlin. It’s not one glorious, shining victory. It’s a torch that you keep burning, no matter what.”
- “We can play battles and knights and kings, but in the end, we just want to exist.”
- “A girl they couldn’t control, who wouldn’t stop talking. That’s the scariest damn thing in the universe.”
Overall, actually-in-love Cori McCarthy and Amy Rose Capetta (their engagement video made me cry) have written a perfect YA novel that’s fun, diverse, and meaningful, with plenty of magic and swords to keep it interesting. While a reincarnation of King Arthur may not seem like the most original idea, the way Amy Rose and Cori have written it is completely unique and fantastically surprising. Once & Future is neon bright and mind-blowingly cool, packed with loveable characters and enough rebelling against The Man for any reasonable teen. Rating: five/five
Favorite quotes:
- “Fashion came and went, but Merlin had always believed that jeans - like cockroaches - would survive into any possible future.”
- “That’s what resistance looks like, Merlin. It’s not one glorious, shining victory. It’s a torch that you keep burning, no matter what.”
- “We can play battles and knights and kings, but in the end, we just want to exist.”
- “A girl they couldn’t control, who wouldn’t stop talking. That’s the scariest damn thing in the universe.”
genie110's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0