I wasn't too keen on Once and Future but wanted to give this a chance but sadly it just didn't improve. I am afraid I didn't finish it as it just couldn't keep my attention. Such a shame as I am a huge arthurian legend fan.

What a wild ride. McCarthy and Capetta definitely made the King Arthur legend their own and ran with it. A gay Merlin singing Cher to save the day is exactly what I needed during this pandemic.

Sword in the Stars is entirely precious. I loved the characters so much! They're diverse, full of heart, and brought back to a time where they have to hide who they are to survive. Sword in the Stars introduces time travel to the mix and if I thought I couldn't be more entertained, I was wrong! Our intrepid queer adventurers have to come to terms with our past mistakes, the way we catch up to us, or we to them. At the same time, we are asked about the role of destiny and agency in our lives.

Time travel can get messy. There's the Butterfly Effect and more, but Sword in the Stars plays with this idea in an entertaining and action packed way. It becomes so self-reflexive in its exploration, and play, with the re-telling aspect. Honestly, Sword in the Stars is one of those books where you can feel the authors having fun. And that fun is contagious!

I love love love everything about this book. It was the escape I absolutely needed right this week. It was beautiful and funny. It is literally my favorite Arthurian retelling ever.

Since this is the second book in a series, I probably won't be adopting it in any of the classes I regularly teach. It's hard enough to get my students to finish one book.

But if I ever get to teach an Arthurian lit class? My students will read both Once and Future and Sword in the Stars along side older iterations of the tale.

Yes, it had a few dark moments, but most of Sword in the Stars was uplifting, fun, and hopeful. It was full of the representation that always gets left out of history. It was incredibly gay in all the best ways.

This is a book I could probably reread a hundred times and never get bored.

It's a while since I read Once and Future, so I didn't really remember who most of the characters were. Even beyond that, though, while I enjoyed this read I thought it could be much better. The action sequences didn't seem to be very clear to me - I had a lot of trouble picturing what was going on from the way it was described. It's an interesting series and I think it'll sell well, but I'll be recommending a reread or a look at a character list before starting.

Absolutely superb sequel. I'm not a huge fan of time travel books, avoiding them usually, but this one was really great! Most time travel books either bamboozle me with science or are so simplistic as to be farcical. But this one was just the right level - and dealt with the 'grandfather paradox' absolutely perfectly, using it to further the story & complete it, making it make perfect sense, instead of allowing it to contradict. This book was the perfect blend of science-fiction and fantasy, magic playing a huge part, whilst being obviously sci-fi.
Such a perfect 2nd part and ending to this duology. One of the best books I've read this year: highly recommend.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The duology was fantastic! The whole idea was brilliant. I loved the diversity in characters that isn't seen nearly enough! The plot had everything in it, adventure, love, mystery, loss, wisdom...
The spin on the tale of Arthur and Merlin (who is fabulous), was so new and refreshing. Completely different from any other retelling or twist, it sucks you in.
Sad it's ending, but so worth it! Perfect conclusion with enough drama, tears and happiness to leave a reader satisfied and wishing for more.

I'm so glad I decided to stick with the Once & Future duology from Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy because it just gets better from where it left off. While the first book was a fun adventure, it didn't quite blow me away like I was hoping it would but Sword in the Stars picks up the slack. It's so much fun and quite a unique retelling at that. The characters have grown quite a bit throughout the course of the story and series. The pacing has also pretty drastically improved from book one, or at least it worked for me more in this case. I particularly loved that we got to see the medieval King Arthur and Camelot and how Merlin, Ari and company interact with them and their world. Plus, there's a heist - a time heist. I knew this was going to go well with that opening quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. If you enjoy that classic comedy along with the tv series Merlin, the movie The Kid Who Would Be King, and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, I have a feeling this duology will be right up your alley.

OMG!!! I am soo fortunate to receive the ARc from NetGalley!! With the craziness of the world, I hadn’t had the chance to finish the novel until late last evening! First and foremost, I am a massive James Patterson fan, his YA stuff is fabulous along side with his house publications. When I found out I received an ARC I flipped out !!!

Since this novel is not set to release until April 7th, 2020, I shall be providing a spoiler free review, and as we all know… I struggle with being spoiler free haha

For those who might not know, Sword in the Stars is the sequel to Once & Future which was published last year. While I tend to go for the YA Fantasy focuses on heterosexual relationships, I am glad that I was fortunate enough to widen my reading genre and sub genres!

Sword in the Stars is a teen/YA fantasy, LGBTQ novel. I love the Camelot/King Arthur aspect of the novel, but with bad ass women! One thing that I appreciate with this novel is that it picked up right where the last one left off… so if it’s been a minute since reading Once & Future, read the last chapter and then you’ll be set to start Sword in the Stars!

I love the diverse take on the classic King Arthur legend and I honestly think you guys will too. My go to motto for picking novels is… when in doubt, go to your trusted publisher, and mine are Bloomsbury and James Patterson. They have never steered me wrong!

This novel will suck you and make you loose track of time. The best components of any novel!

It is evident that Capetta and McCarthy enjoyed writing the novel together! I am so happy that I was able to secure this ARC and read the epic conclusion to the Once & Future series!!

When I finished the first book in this series I didn't think I would be reading the second. I was just disappointed in the first installment even though I was stoked for a female King Arthur. Be that as it may, when I saw this one pop up on Netgalley I figured I'd give it a try because I am not a quitter! I am glad I did because this installment was so much better than the first. So if you read the first and felt like I did I would still give this a try it just may be worth the effort!

Thank you to Netgalley and JIMMY Patterson for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had read the first book in this series last year and was very disappointed in it. It had so much potential and amazing representation but all the characters felt extremely flat and one dimensional and the story was all over the place. It was like the book did not know what genre it wanted to be and the pacing was very off. I really wanted to like it so I thought that I would give the second book a try and see if any of the issues I had with the first book were resolved and unfortunately I found this book had many of the same problems and eventually I gave up reading it. The pacing was perhaps a little better in this book and the cover is gorgeous I just wish the writing matched.

I LOVED this book. It made my heart happy. I laughed, I cried, I squealed, I felt a lot. The King Arthur myth is legendary, the fact these authors took such a beloved myth and turned it into something that made me so happy is amazing. Hats off to the authors. The storytelling, the inclusion, the diverse characters that felt like real people made for an incredible reading experience. I recommend this book to everyone that loves a good story; for this is storytelling at its finest with moments of uproarious laughter and tearjerkers the next, it captured my heart. I am grateful for the opportunity to read this book.

So I requested this book just as I started the first book because I honestly had high hopes and thought that I would want to delve right into the second book...

I found myself struggling with the first book and ended up not being able to finish it after constantly putting it down in favour for another book.

It sucks because I really wanted to love this series. The writing style is beautiful and honestly I think it's just a 'me' problem. I know a lot of people who enjoy this series but it wasnt for me and now I feel stupid having requested this book!

I love Amy Rose Carpetta’s work. The Lost Coast was one of my top reads of 2019. I wasn’t too sure about the first book in this series and unfortunately this one just confirmed it for me. It’s really not the book or the author, it’s me. I know too much about the Arthurian mythic cycle in all its incarnations to completely switch off. Add to that a choppy style choice and this just wasn’t for me. Considering that I’ve adored all of Carpetta’s other books, this must just be a head canon clash.

I adored Once & Future and have been looking forward to Sword in the Stars for a good many months, so I was very grateful to be given an E-ARC by the publisher. I'm glad to say that Sword in the Stars does not disappoint and, in my opinion, doesn't suffer from the lack of momentum that second books in duologies and trilogies tend to. One of the things that saves it from doing so is that it picks up almost immediately after the events of the first book and doesn't spend the first few chapters recapping what happened in Once & Future, instead dedicating this time to moving the story forward. The pacing is good, balancing enough time with the characters in ways that develop them and their motives with action and learning about the outside influences that are affecting them. There is very little time when there is nothing significant happening, which prevents the narrative from stagnating.

Gwen and Ari remain one of my favourite couples and I love that there are so many plot pieces in Sword in the Stars that are often used in fiction as reasons for couples for have misunderstandings and for relationships to break down that are actually used as things that bring them closer together and keep them together. Both of them are unpredictable and delightfully headstrong, and while this sometimes leads them being surprised by each other and not anticipating exactly what they're going to do, they don't chastise each other for it or seek to have the other change to make things any easier on them. They see and applaud each other's strengths, and while Ari's role is that of the 'hero', Gwen is by no means any less significant, clever or strong, and it's fantastic to see a couple who are unapologetically themselves and not expected to be 'less' for the convenience of their partner or the story. I would love to write a lot more about the both of them, but I don't want to ruin the book for anyone!

Sword in the Stars is a brilliant blend of fairytale retelling, science fiction and social commentary and I enjoyed every minute of it (I would be very, very happy to read more about Ari and co at some point in the future!). Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

I was very happy to read the continuation of the series as I love basically everything to do with Arthurian Legend - especially unique takes.

This installment was as easy to read as the first. My only complaint is that it picked up where the first left off, and I felt a little lost to begin with, and had to go back and reference the first book. Sometimes I felt that plot points developed and I got lost ad had to go back and re-read sections to catch what I missed.

Otherwise, good book.

Overall, I think this story is  written well. I found the entry into the story and the complex storyline very good. The writing style was very good and pleasant to read. All shown characters whether main or supporting are authentic and interesting. Especially because they are all different and have been presented in a pleasant way. I also like the character development. I think the cover really suits the book and genre nicely. The narrated story is  coherent in itself and the suspense is constantly present, thereby and through the great, detailed language,

Imaginative with diverse characters, specifically Yaz. Nice use of Muslim and Arab vocabulary such as abaya and thawb.


Thank you for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and James Patterson publishing for the E-arc copy of #SwordintheStars.
I cannot tell you how much I enjoy the two ladies collaboration in the first novel. I was looking forward to the second installment of their work together. Sword in the Stars is so much more than the first book. The reader becomes involved in the timeline and you want to see Ari succeed. She is the backbone of the novel. I am not a fan of time travel novels, but these I have made an exception for gladly.

This book was received as an ARC from JIMMY Patterson in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read many modern adaptations of King Arthur's Court and Sword in the Stone but after reading Once and Future and loving the book so much, I had high expectations for this book and the result was strongly positive. Ari has made it through her Battles against the tyrannical Mercer corporation but a bigger war is at stake that could affect the present and future and it all dated back to King Arthur and now Ari and Merlin must battle the time continuum and fight this war. All they need to do is STEAL King Arthur's grail and that is an heirloom that helped reshape the history of the present they are living today. Merlin says it the best, he never knew the past could be so dangerous. I was along for the ride with Ari and Merlin cheering them on to complete their quest and come out on top but the ending does leave the reader hanging. I know our readers will have questions on this book and would want more and I hope their is a third installment to this series.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.