Sword in the Stars by Amy Rose Cappetta and Cori McCarthy (Once & Future #2)

Reviewed by Sam!

**We picked up an ARC of this at ALA Midwinter. We’d like to thank Amy Rose, Cori, and Jimmy Patterson Books for the opportunity. This book comes out on April 7th and you can get it here or at your local independent bookstore. Please use the indie – they’re struggling rn**

Review for Once & Future here. This review will have spoilers for book 1 so go check out that review if you’re interested in these nerds and their story.

What I drank prior: “if you die before you’re over the hill I will find your ghost and haunt you. That’s not how it works but it’s what’s gonna happen” Ginny says when I talk about how there’s a global pandemic and I may not make it to being over the hill. HEY FOLKS! Here I am after a whole damn bottle of wine at the end of day 3 of mandatory telework. Ginny, P, and I got on the videochats and watched the season finale of Doctor Who. Let’s see how long it takes before I lose my damn mind.

Goodreads Overview:

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…

Drunk Overview: this is the sequel to Once & Future and it was exActly what I needed. If I only got one advanced copy in 2020 this is the one I wanted. We’ve got Ari and her squad spiraling back in time to literal medieval times. They’ve gotta steal a cup… or something… to save the universe from the evil Mercer.

Spoiler-free Thoughts: FOLKS I wanted this to be the best and I GOT WHAT I WANTED. This finale was just so satisfying. So fucking satisfying.

Characters: What can I say? These kids are vying for my favorite children. Ari is just so raw and real and honest and I love it. Gwen… I feel like if I relate with any character it’s Gwen. Smart as shit (if I do say so myself) but also makes stupid choices for emotional reasons. Merlin… oh my god Merlin. He’s had to deal with the backward aging thing and this is super accelerated in this book but he’s still my son. Then we’ve got Val and Jordan and Lam and they’re just the fucking best.

Plot: this was an immediate plot continuation of book 1 and it was just go go go. I couldn’t put it down. It had its moments of “ughhhhhh groan omgggg” but I didn’t hate it. Frankly, I needed it.

Writing Style: I’m not sure what I said before but DAMN this was incredible.

World Building: you would worry with a duology that spans both space and medieval times that it would be scattered. I’m here to tell you, gentlefriends, it wasn’t. It made a hell of a lot of sense and you’re gonna be mad you didn’t see it coming.

What to pair it with: a solid ale. Not a lame ale, we’re talkin a good micro brew ale. You know it’s gonna be tasty. You know it’s gonna do the job. And so you pick it up and it’s never disappointing.

Rating: 4/5 shots

COMMENT DOWN BELOW: What’s your favorite LGBTQ+ story right now?

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,
Sam