I adore this series which is so surprising cause I HATE the covers. Gender bent King Arthur/Merlin retelling. Great storytelling, characters, and world building.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Gay Arthurian retelling with all the best tropes?????? Yeah I don't think you have to really say more than that for it to be the best thing since sliced bread. Only thing is... make sure you know this is a sequel before you get sucked in!😂

The Future King was such a fun story and I was so enthralled with the world behind it - the world building is amazing and I found myself falling in love with every character. Schneider's writing is light and easy, allowing me to devour this book in one sitting.

After reading The Other Merlin, I HAD to read The Future King! It's an amazing follow up to the first book and so so fun to read. This book definitely goes a bit deeper into the angst, but balances it out with the fun adventure vibes so well. As a lover of Arthurian legend, I loved reading this.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an arc!

I practically ran here after finishing ‘The Other Merlin’

I’m so invested in this story and our characters, and I desperately need to know how this whole series ends up. Truly though, I’m enjoying the journey, which is not always the case!

This book definitely wasn’t as light as the first one in the series, there’s a little more angst to go with the comedy. Still that didn’t make me love it any less. I was actually really glad to see the characters developing realistically even along with the humorous tone of the story. The twists and turns kept everything eventful and entertaining. As the plot continues to layer there’s still some open ended questions to be answered, and I’m glad that means there’s likely another book coming!

Cannot recommend this highly enough!

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

Phenomenal! Just absolutely amazing! I loved how the cast f characters diversified even more than the first book and the slow burn between Emery and Arthur just gets better and better. I loved seeing them handle their own problems in this book and also come together to solve a few. Cannot wait for the next one!

I was thrilled after reading the first book in this series, The Other Merlin, because it was the first truly good modern reinterpretation of Arthurian Legend. The second book in the series also doesn’t disappoint, and continues Robyn Schneider’s truly unique and wonderful take on a very old story.

You can argue that Arthurian Legend is the original buddy adventure, and this series is very much in that tradition. Best pals having adventures together is my favorite fantasy trope, and this series does it better than most.

There are a lot of creative spins on Arthurian plot points incorporated into this series, and Schneider has also done an outstanding job of adding new plot points and seamlessly involving new characters into the story.

Though there’s a critical villain from Arthurian canon yet to become involved, so far the conflict has been good without ever getting too angsty, and Arthur, at the very least, is decidedly less emo than most past Arthurs, and that creates the perfect lighter, swashbuckling tone that has made this series so intriguing and fun.

While The Future King was a good continuation of the series, it lacked a lot of the focus on diversity that The Other Merlin had. It was still a fun read, but not quite a great one.

Book Review of The Future King (Emry Merlin #2) by Robyn Schneider

Cover Story: Thank U, Next
I try to abide by the old “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” adage. So I will just keep it simple: I want Emry’s dress.

The Deal:
After masquerading as her twin brother to apprentice as Court Wizard, Emry Merlin nearly lost her life. But thanks to the intervention of Arthur, she’s kept her head—and her position in Camelot’s court. And she’ll continue to keep it, as long as she stays away from Arthur.

That’s easier said than done, however, both because of her feelings but also because the job of Apprentice Court Wizard comes with actually being a part of the Court.

BFF Charm: Mixed Bag
Emry gets to keep her Yay BFF charm, although her unwillingness to actually talk to Arthur about the things happening in her life made me a bit frustrated. Arthur, too, was king of an idiot at various parts of the book—I’m sure it can be hard to be Crown Prince, but that doesn’t mean you need to be a jerk—but he’s still the adorable bookish boy who stole my heart and a True Love charm.

The new POV we get in The Future King, however, gets a big ol’ Caution charm. Although we don’t get to know her that well, and there are some outside influences making her do questionable things, Morgana is sus AF.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Emry and Arthur spend much of The Future King trying to deny their feelings for each other because of their situation: her, a commoner, him, the crown prince—who also happens to be betrothed to someone else. I get the reasons, but their tendency to turn to meanness rather than open conversation had me Roger Murtaughing a bit. And when they do finally talk—and do more than talk—we get very little of the actual action, and the swoon falls flat. That said, I’m really rooting for these two. They’re perfect for each other.

Talky Talk: Quippy
Schneider continues to delight with her witty prose and mix of modern elements with courtly intrigue. I particularly love when she leans into the “Emry’s just one of the guys” dialogue that’s a holdover from when everyone thought Emry was Emmett. Emry continues to be wonderfully snarky, too—she’s not afraid to speak her mind, and her internal thoughts are hilarious.

The door was flung open, and Emry came face-to-face with a scowling man who looked to be in his late thirties. He had pale skin and dark, slicked-back hair that curled around his ears. He was dressed entirely in black, from his billowing tunic to his skintight trousers, to his kneehigh leather boots. Charcoal was smudged around his eyes, and a collection of strange amulets hung around his neck, from pieces of bone to feathers wrapped with colorful cords and marked with runes. He looked, Emry thought, like a conceited pirate who had fallen ill, and had grudgingly taken to penning poetry until his health recovered.*

Bonus Factor: Ball Jokes
I’m talking about tennis balls, folks. Get your minds out of the gutter.

“It is,” Arthur agreed. “And I’m to watch a tournament of a new sport called tennis, which apparently involves whacking people’s balls.”

“Are you sure you have that right?” [Emry] asked.

“Er, no, not exactly,” Arthur admitted. “The gentleman who explained it did so in very rapid French.”*

Anti-Bonus Factor: Bridge Book Blues
Although I really enjoyed this book, thinking back, very little (of consequence) actually happens. Yes, it moves us from The Other Merlin to what I hope is an eventual third book, the plot is mostly just transitional.

Relationship Status: Advisor
Our chemistry took a slight dip, Book, but I’m still ready and willing to stand by your side as you move into a somewhat uncertain future. I’ve got opinions aplenty!

*I pulled these quotes from a review copy; the final text might differ.

I really love this book and I’m super happy that I got an ARC of it. I loved watching the relationships of all the characters grow and I liked seeing Emry have to deal with her magic going crazy. I will say at the time of this review I haven’t finished the book but I am enjoying it so far.

The Future King by Robyn Schneider is a triumphant sequel to the Other Merlin. As one of my favorite books from last year I was ecstatic to read this one!

I loved this sequel! It's definitely a must read for all fans of the first book and while I'm not sure why any readers would be reading this review if they haven't read the first book, you should definitely check out the entire series if you haven't!

Emry is once again our badass Merlin with complete control of her powerful magic - or is she? I loved the arc this book took with giving Emery unpredictable magic. I fear her development as a character would have plateaued without it and I loved getting to see another side of her, struggling with magic, something that's always came easy to her.

I'm not even sure what the love situation would be called in this series - there's so many different arching love storylines! But I loved it. Everything was a little chaotic and it was very fun to read!

The wit and humor in this fantasy novel was as hilarious as the first one and it was definitely needed in some moments of dire straits!

All in all, readers of the Other Merlin definitely need to pick this one up to see where the story leads! Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an arc of this novel. All thoughts and reviews contained within this review are my own.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14+
Over All: 5 stars
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 5/5

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.
I am absolutely obsessed with this series! Obsessed, you hear me?
I gave the first book in this series 4.5 stars, because it was so much fun, but it felt a little slow at parts—I did not feel like that about this one! From the get go, I was flying through it. This series is the perfect balance of lighthearted teen dramedy and high fantasy magic that makes it so addicting. I fully squealed a few times reading this book because it’s just so fun!
This book is told in multiPOV, which isn’t typically my favorite. I think it’s the main thing that had me struggling slightly to get into book one at first, but I had no such issues in The Future King, because I was already so connected and obsessed with every character. I loved getting to see into all of their heads.
This was a strong sequel to an amazing series. My only complaint is that I have to wait a year for book 3!

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The first book in this series, The Other Merlin, was one of my favorite books of 2022. I loved the anachronistic Arthurian retelling, I loved the gender-swapped Merlin, I loved everything about it. I still greatly enjoyed this second book, but I feel like it may have suffered from a bit of second book syndrome. I can see what it's trying to set up and where it's going, but a lot of things that happened felt a lot like filler to get there.

Emry and Arthur were as awesome as ever, and I adore their budding will-they, won't-they romance. I feel a bit like some drama was manufactured for the sake of drama, but I love how it ended and can't wait to see what they'll be doing next.

I gave this a four out of five stars!

Reviews Posted: March 16, 2023
Goodreads
Storygraph

OMG, I loved this just as much as the first one. Part of me wanted to put it down just so I could savor it for longer.

One of my favorite aspects about this book was that there were more perspectives. I enjoyed getting to know so of the other characters more and seeing their own arcs and relationships was a lot of fun. They also didn’t take away from Emry or Arthur’s perspectives which I think was good. Instead, they filled in the plot points that would just not be possible from the two main characters.

I also really liked all the different romances that were blooming throughout the book. Somehow I loved all of them, which is rare. But I just wanted everyone to get their happily ever after.

I think the author did a great job of expanding the world and the magic in it. I loved learning more about Anwen. I think that it added a whole other layer to what was going on.

The plot was defiantly a little slower moving, but I didn’t mind that since it let me spend more time with more characters. Despite that, I still enjoyed the plot and loved watching the pieces fall into place. I also loved seeing how all the different and familiar pieces of the King Arthur tale fell into place as the book went one.

Overall, one of my favorite reads and one of my favorite series.

The first quarter or so of this needs tightening up, but is otherwise a pretty good second in the series start. You get the right amount of reminders with little setups mixed in that it's readable without being repetitive. Beyond that, these characters are genuinely fun to spend time with, though there are a couple of people I would have expected to make an appearance by this point who are conspicuously absent.

Plot: 3/5
I enjoyed the different story lines, each character focusing on their own issue but i found there were quite a few lulls in the story, especially in the middle. It felt a little bit like a filler, setting up the events of the third book.

Characters: 4/5
The characters in this installment of the series had much more developed growth arcs, all independent of each other. Emry and Arthur's relationship develops in great ways, I really enjoyed reading them grow closer and more comfortable with each other.

Writing: 4/5
The addition of more POVs really did this book a service. Schneider adds a great deal of humor into her writing, making it very enjoyable and easy to read.

Overall: 3.5/5
While this isn't quite as good as the first one, this series is a hidden gem and I can't wait for the third one!

What an amazing sequel to one of my favorite retellings! I fell in love with the characters even more and found myself unable to put the book down ever. Now I will just be patiently waiting for a third book...

3.5 stars
This was an exciting sequel to THE OTHER MERLIN, a King Arthur-inspired YA tale. We travel with our favorite characters to France, who have lots of will-they-won't-they drama and the threats of other kingdoms moving in. I enjoyed this book; it's fast-paced and has a decent amount of action, though I thought it lagged a bit in the middle; I breezed through the first half, and then for the next 20-30% I was a bit bored. There were a lot of perspectives to follow in this book, and all of them were pretty distinct and helped the story move along. Regarding Morgana's perspective, I thought it wasn't *as* necessary for her to get the page time she did, just because she didn't have as much of a role as her chapters lead us to believe (that's vague but I'm avoiding spoilers). If you enjoyed the first book, I think you'll also enjoy this one; it maintains the humor, lovable and diverse cast, and Arthurian tales that the first one had.