Sword in the Stars

Hello! This is a short disclaimer that this is a review on the sequel to Once and Future and this review might contain spoilers for the first novel if you are planning to read it. You can read my review of Once and Future here. Thanks for coming to my blog and I hope you enjoy!

Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy

Synopsis:

Ari Helix may have won her battle against the tyrannical Mercer corporation, but the larger war has just begun. Ari and her cursed wizard Merlin must travel back in time to the unenlightened Middle Ages and steal the King Arthur’s Grail—the very definition of impossible.

It’s imperative that the time travelers not skew the timeline and alter the course of history. Coming face-to-face with the original Arthurian legend could produce a ripple effect that changes everything. Somehow Merlin forgot that the past can be even more dangerous than the future.

Review:

This novel was absolutely amazing and, dare I say, better than the first one. Since this is the sequel, there wasn’t as much explaining necessary to understand the plot and setting, which provided more room for an amazing continuation of the story. This time, Ari and her squad went back in time to Camelot in order to get King Arthur’s Grail. But, since this particular group of people are from a more advanced (socially and technologically) future, adjusting to “old Earth” Camelot was a little harder. Reading about how everyone had to navigate their way through Camelot was a better plot point than I initially thought it would be. I was expecting some really cheesy scenes between the characters from the future and the people from the past, but that is not what happened at all. I enjoyed every moment of reading this book and wish there was more.

Characters:

Gwen has definitely grown on me. I originally thought she was annoying and had a hard time reading scenes she was in, but in this book she was definitely more likable. She was actually the levelheaded queen the authors made her out to be in the first book. Of course Merlin is still my favorite character, but now Lamorak is now one of my favorites also. They were so cool in this book (not that they weren’t in the first book) and I feel like you get to see more of them in this novel and it was so cool. Another great thing about this story is that it explores more of Merlin as a character and his origins. This cleared up some things about the story and was really interesting to read. When I read the first book, there were a lot of mysteries around Merlin, but now that I know his true origins everything makes more sense. I especially loved how once he learned about his past he was able to unlock his true potential.

Conclusion

In the end, this was a fantastic book that ended Ari, Merlin, and the rest of their family’s story well. I wish this wasn’t over so I could keep reading about this chaotic group of friends, but if there had to be an ending, this is the perfect one.

Cover Art:

This awesome cover art is by Stephanie Yang!

Let’s Talk:

• Have you read this duology or the first book, Once and Future?
  • If so, did you enjoy it?
• Do you enjoy retellings?
• Do you think retelling King Arthur’s story but in space is a good idea?