"The Other Merlin" by Robyn Schneider is a captivating modern take on the Arthurian legend that seamlessly weaves fantasy into contemporary life. Schneider's reimagination of Merlin, the legendary wizard, in a modern setting offers a fresh and unique perspective.

The story follows the protagonist, a teenage boy named Arthur, as he discovers his magical abilities and unravels the mysteries of his past. Schneider masterfully blends elements of magic, friendship, and self-discovery, creating a narrative that is both enchanting and relatable.

One of the strengths of the novel lies in Schneider's ability to balance the fantastical with the everyday challenges of adolescence. The characters are well-drawn, with Arthur's journey serving as a metaphor for the universal struggles of identity and acceptance.

Schneider's prose is engaging and evocative, transporting readers into a world where magic and reality seamlessly coexist. The pacing is well-managed, keeping the plot dynamic and full of surprises.

"The Other Merlin" is a delightful read that offers a fresh perspective on a timeless legend. Schneider's modern twist on Arthurian lore, coupled with compelling characters and a well-crafted narrative, makes this novel a standout in the realm of contemporary fantasy literature.

This was a delight to read. The characters felt real and different even with the callbacks to the Arthurian mythos. Looking forward to reading the two sequels.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

I'm a sucker for King Arthur stuff and YA with banter, which is why I really enjoyed this book. In a Shakespearean twist, Emry takes her twin brother's place at King Uther's court as wizard apprentice and pretends to be Emmett. Chaos ensues, as you might imagine. While the majority of the story is oh so predictable and full of well known tropes, it was just so much fun and it also was so queer! Nothing of this is historically accurate, there are gaping plot holes but whatever, it was just very entertaining and I was rooting for wizard apprentice Merlin & Lance & Gawain & Arthur :D

4 stars

I love this series so much! I'm trash for Arthurian retellings and The Other Merlin scratched that itch so well! I enjoyed every moment I spent in this world. This book was such a funny and delightful read, and I will always love the girl-dresses-as-a-boy trope. I've already read the sequel as well. I am DYING for third and final book to be released!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read! Found the book on NetGalley only to realize that it had already been published and that the sequel was already out. Now I've read them both (twice) and am eagerly awaiting book 3.

The Other Merlin is a fabulous retelling of the King Arthur story with women's rights and LGBTQ themes. Merlin is a girl, Guinevere and Arthur never fall in love, Sir Lancelot isn't the bad guy, and they are a group of teenagers trying to figure out their worlds. Emry Merlin has just the right amount of moxie and irreverence. The group is navigating a world of political takeovers and changing opinions. Excellent!

I thought this was going to be a genderbend story, but it was just run-of-the-mill girl-dresses-as-boy-to-get-equal-opportunities. I think the trope is tired at this point.

Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the ARC.

DNF 11% in. I just couldn’t get into this and i also tried the audiobook to see if that helped but it didn’t. I think a lot would like this but I just didn’t.

I love this verision of the Matter of Britain. The characters are very young, unusual and Merlin is a bit different but it's one of the possible incarnation of the most famous British wizard.
I had fun and rooter for the characters.
A cute and entertaining story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I am currently taking a medieval literature class and my professor offers extra credit for those who read, attend, or watch things to do with the Arthurian era. I convinced my professor that this book should count so that is an automatic 2-star rating for me. However, this book was also highly enjoyable and I loved every second of it.

If this book wasn't based on Arhurian legend, I would love it. It makes it difficult to root for a romance between Arthur and Emry.

I’ve always enjoyed stories involving Camelot and with The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue as a comp title, this was an easy request from NetGalley.

When Emry’s twin brother Emmett receives a summons from King Uther to train as the court’s wizard, she’s naturally jealous. Emry is easily the better wizard and far more responsible than her brother, but girls can’t practice magic. After a situation prevents Emmett from his duties, Emry masquerades as her brother and assumes his position at the castle. Surely she can handle it for a week, and then they can switch again. Easy peasy, right? Not so much.

Between Emry, Arthur, and Lancelot, I honestly couldn’t choose a favorite character. I loved Emry’s ambition and determination, Arthur’s preference of books over most people, and Lancelot’s charm and humor. The friendship and banter between Arthur and Lancelot are so well done – they support each other unconditionally, and they both need someone in their corner considering their circumstances. I dreaded Guinevere showing up, but she turns out to be a bright spot in the story and fits in well with the cast of characters.

Clearly the author takes a lot of liberties with the classic tale, but that’s what a retelling is all about. Friendships, romance, a bromance, Excaliber, wizards, plenty of humor, court politics – I enjoyed this novel from the first page. It doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger but sets the stage nicely for the next book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is a rare gem. It is a humorous YA fantasy novel with a unique retelling of the Arthurian legend. Readers will easily get caught up with the story. The Merlin from earlier novels has disappeared. Twin Emmet is sent to take his place in King Uther's court, but it is the female twin, Emry, is the magical one. Highly enjoyable, if this is the first in the series, we will looking for future titles to come out.

Thank you to Penguin and Net Galley for allowing me to read this in return for a fair review.

The Other Merlin is a rewrite of the classic Arthurian legend, with a few twists. First, the original Merlin is missing, having left behind twins when he vanished, now being raised by their grandmother. Second, many of the younger members of the court are very open in their interpretations and acceptance of LGBTQ+ issues - an attitude not shared by their elders. Third, when the first Merlin's son, Emmett, is called to court to apprentice to the court wizard, Ambrosius, he is unable to attend because a spell he cast backfired and left him unconscious, so his twin sister, Emry, goes in his place, planning to cover for him until he awakens and can take his proper place; after all, King Uthyr of Camelot would never accept a female wizard in his court. This is where things begin to truly diverge from the more common retellings of the Arthur legend, although many of the incidents remain the same: Arthur comes into his own after he pulls the sword from the stone; he receives Excalibur and an enchanted sheath from the Lady of the Lake; he is betrothed to Guinevere, and so on. But even within those commonalities, the details change.

This is an enjoyable update to the legend, one that stays reasonably true to the the original, maintaining the setting while updating details of social interactions to be closer to the attitudes among today's youth. And then, the conversion of the original Merlinus Emrys into this volume's Emry Merlin creates opportunities for a range of different interactions between Arthur and Merlin. A complete novel in itself, as befits the first volume of a projected series, it nonetheless leaves an open plot point for the sequel indicated at the end; I can only hope the sequel will be as good as this volume proved to be. Recommended for older middle school students to adults.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was FANTASTIC!! It was a different take on Arthurian legend and it felt current. The characters were written very well and Emry and Arthur's relationship was super sweet to read as it unfolded. Lancelot funny and the book dived into modern topics that relate to its readers. I will be continuing on reading the series and I can't wait to read book 2!

Okay so when I say I want a fantasy with kickass loveable characters, LGBTQ+ rep, and a medieval setting- this is always what I mean. I'm a sucker for a King Arthur setting because it never fails to be interesting, but sometimes fantasy books take themselves too seriously and you wish you could get the Princess bride, Monty Python, knights Tale side to that world. Well folks here is it and it is marvelous! This book was fun and cute and compulsively readable and way to much fun. Seriously the rush of serotonin should've come with a waiver. Read this immediately!

I loved this book. I did not have any expectations going into it but it was such a fun book to read. The characters were great and dynamic. The story was faced paced. I will definitely be reading the sequel.

An Arthurian version of Mulan? What more could I possibly want?

Emry Merlin is the daughter of Merlin who goes to Camelot to fulfill her destiny and learn to master her magic, all while masquerading as her twin brother. As she perfects her craft, she hits it off with Prince Arthur, unravels some shocking family secrets, and strives to keep her identity (and her heart) from being exposed.

Pros: I love a good Arthurian retelling, so I was very excited for this book. It had some very similar plot points to Mulan, which I also found very enjoyable. I really liked the friendship between Arthur, Emry, and Lancelot, and how despite each being an outsider in their own way, they found solace in each other. I also liked how the identity reveal was handled. I was worried it would be a very drawn out process, but in reality, it was resolved in the perfect amount of time.

Cons: The plot was a bit anticlimactic. While it made sense that the primary focus was on Emry settling into court and not being discovered, I really needed more action, quests, or magical mishaps. For all the similarities this book had to Mulan, it could have used a comical dragon sidekick or wizard’s familiar to add some more excitement. While there was some action in the last few chapters, it didn’t seem high stakes enough. I’m hoping that the sequel will be more captivating now that the characters’ relationships have already been established.

While this mostly read like a YA book, there were some abrupt switches between adult jokes and painfully juvenile joke (ex: calling Excalibur “Aunt Matilda” for no discernible reason) and I wished that this book was more decisive as to which genre it was.

I also really disliked Emry’s brother and I wished he had more growth.

Hopefully these issues will be resolved in the sequel as I am looking forward to reading it. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend for existing fans of Arthurian legend, but not so much as an introduction to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for providing an ARC in exchange for my thoughts on this book.

3.5/5 wizards (rounded up)
🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🪄

I have always loved the work of Robyn Schneider and this book was exactly as you'd expect from her exceptional writing. The premise was fascinating and I really loved the world building and character development. Love or power? Age old question after all!

I admit that I couldn’t stop reading this somewhat snarky and completely non-conformist (for the fictional time) rewrite of The Sword in the Stone. Emry Merlin is the female half of Merlin the Wizard’s twin offspring. Far more gifted than her lazy, womanizing brother, Merlin the elder only begrudgingly trained her in the magical arts. Years later, brother Emmet is called to be Court Wizard for a bookish Crown Prince (Arthur). Emry must take his place (disguised as her twin) as Emmet is indisposed, having tried a difficult spell which backfired spectacularly.

It’s a YA book in that all the characters — Emry, Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, Guinevere — are in their teens. Fun writing, great backstories, and a plot that manages to stick to all the classic events but with completely different (and sensible) explanations. A very clever combination of modern sensibilities and ethics with classic environments and plots. I’m not a big fan of rewrites but I had a great deal of fun with this one — probably because no character was harmed in the writing (meaning that no character was suddenly a bad guy if they weren’t before) and there were no (IMHO) stupid plot points required to make it work. In keeping with the modern sensibilities, some fun romance and matter-of-fact variable sexual preferences that were not treated as any big deal. FYI this is book one! No cliff hanger but there is a lot of the King Arthur tale left …

Perfect for my recently returned from beach vacation.