Hai Beautiful!

The stunning sequel to my favourite book of all-time!

Aghfkdgildh!!!

I don’t know what to say. The equal that I have waited almost an entire year for has finally reached me and it is the best thing to ever have been created.

I may say things like this occasionally about some books but this one. This one is the best in every single way it can be, but most importantly, it retold a classic story the right way and ended with a bang!

Blurb:

In this epic sequel to Once & Future, to save the future, Ari and her Rainbow knights pull off a heist...thousands of years in the past.
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...

There is so much I want to say about Sword in the Stars, mostly relating to the careful way in which Amy and Cory handled the space-time continuum and also the non-dismissive manner in which they retold a legendary story.

Before I even start the review, I want to say the biggest thank you to both authors for working so hard and putting their entire hearts and souls into this series. If they ever see this, I want them both to know that they have created something absolutely special and unforgettable. A story that will certainly be timeless and a treasure to all of those who have the privilege of reading it. Once again, Thank You.

REVIEW!

There are a few things to note about this novel. (1) There is a lot of time-travel; (2) The middle ages aren’t what you think they were.

Never in my years of reading have I encountered a novel that has handled time-travel and the entire space-time-continuum with the amount of care that these authors have. Now there isn’t only one way to describe time travel and after the whole Avengers Endgame multi-dimension bullsh*t they pulled off, I really had no hope in time travel stories, but Amy and Cory really know what they’re doing.

The entire concept of time is not linear, but circular and Merlin actually learning this over the course of the novel really helped to understand the entire concept so much more. As he learnt, we learnt. As he travelled, we travelled.

You might say that the entire duology is about Ari, Arthur and the legend coming to life, but in reality, the entire story is one of Merlin’s own. It is his own self-discovery, from old age to infant.

It’s funny because this book could almost be considered a coming-of-age novel about a young wizard who finds his family and matures his powers in order to help the hero save the world. Only to find out that he, himself is the real hero.

It’s funny because it could be true if he hadn’t been a childish old man before he was actually a child.

I have also never ever experienced a novel about a retold story in which the authors detail and address the injustices, misogyny and hatred of the historical story and the story-tellers.

It felt liberating reading this novel. It was as if the authors themselves were whispering to me, telling me the truths I’d been denied by the re-tellers of the old legends. I, like Arthur, felt like I was one with Ari as I was taken on this adventure and seeing a new side to old tales.

I have a newfound respect for Amy and Cory after reading this series. If you want to be properly educated and read a book that is so fun it will make you fall in love with every single character, then pick up this series. Please, I beg you.

★ Rating ★

I rated this book a ★★★★★ (5/5 stars) because well, I think you can tell by now. I better get a job soon so I can buy absolutely every single edition of Once & Future and Sword In The Stars.

I could talk for hours upon hours about this novel but to truly understand what I am raving on about, you need to pick up Once & Future and experience the brilliance for yourself.

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