Once and Future

Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy

Review:

Once and Future was an amazing novel that included a really diverse set of characters and an amazing spin on the legend of King Arthur and his nights. Normally I don’t really like the type of writing style that this novel was written in, but I surprisingly did not mind it for this story. I found it suited the novel well given how much more modern this Arthurian story was written as. Another thing I loved about this novel was how funny certain scenes could be while other scenes could be so heart wrenching. It was also really interesting seeing the contrast in dynamics of everyone in Ari’s team. Everyone was so different and seeing them interact and slowly fight their way towards a common goal was part of the appeal of this novel.

Characters:

All of the characters had some sort of fault which made them all human and relatable. I once again loved how diverse this set of characters were and loved to see how they were all still learning together. My favorite character would definitely have to be Merlin. I really enjoyed reading his POV and seeing him sort through how to adjust to the future that is now his present was really fun. Also the whole aspect of him aging backwards really made the story ten times more interesting. Another character that I really loved in this story was Morgana. Over the course of the novel she really started to warm up to Ari and I liked seeing her develop a soft spot for her.

One person that I had a hard time adjusting too was Gwen. She never failed to get on my nerves and I always felt like she was never clearly thinking. her whole character persona was supposed to be that she was the levelheaded, calm one, but she always gave me the vibes of someone that is always panicking.

Conclusion:

In the end, I loved how this novel was a fun twist to the classic tale of King Arthur and his knights and I loved the diverse set of characters in this novel. I especially loved seeing each character adapt and adjust to their new settings and seeing them form new bonds and relationships with their team. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good retelling and is looking for an easy read. I can’t wait to read the next book in this duology.

Cover Art:

This awesome cover art was made by Billelis.

Let’s Talk:

• Have you read Once and Future? If so, who was your favorite character(s)?
• Do you like reading Arthurian retellings?
• What is your favorite retelling? (It doesn’t have to be about King Arthur)