This book was pretty fun. I did get mildly confused on the familial relations but the main character, Rosemary, was just as confused as I was so it added to the experience. It was very much a goofy Y/A book with a not like other girls FMC, a quirky best friend, and 2-3 love interests that seem to only be love interests because Rosemary was bored. I got mildly frustrated with Rosemary at times. but in the way I would get frustrated with any 16-year-old making dumb 16-year-old decisions. I was also confused at the dynamic between Rosemary and Merlin. Romance was hinted at, but the characters did not interact romantically at all. However, this was a book that knew what it was, and it did that well. It was a quirky little YA fantasy book, and it did a good job being fun and enjoyable. Additionally, I listened to this as an audiobook, and I greatly enjoyed the narrator. I do not know that I would have like the book as much without the narrator, but I think she did a great job. My reading experience was greatly enhanced by the narrator.

Really captivating! I love the sass of the main character. so many twists and turns. You fall in love with the characters with how well the relationships are written. My negatives about this book I had was that I wished it gave more background knowledge about the history, I felt it was rushed or just mentioned briefly to make the scene make sense. The other negative I have is the incest. I understand that this is a YA so it is age appropriate to talk about but it doesn't add to the story nor should it be aimed at the 16 year old character.. It ends up being a good portion of why the character is being targeted. Overall, it was a good book and really enjoyed the voice actress.

I did not know what to expect going into this book! I had never read about King Arthur before, so this was my introduction!

I love this book, I do not have a single negative thing to say about it. I am a reader who LOVES reading action scenes, and this book had a great amount of them, as well as drama, all mixed together. I flew through this book, and I am going to be impatiently waiting on the second book to come out.

I did not give spoilers to any book friends that I have, however, I did tell them that this book needs to be on their radar whenever it comes out in July.

The character Rosemary was a very likable teenage personality, which is different for me! I usually become easily frustrated by teenage characters. (Ex. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly) She responds as reasonably as she can to all the new changes in her life and kicks ass while doing it. I appreciate the detail of her personality, and how I was able to understand her thought processes throughout the book.

Secondly, I LOVE MERLIN! He is such a sweet person, and makes me so sad at times throughout this book, especially when he talks about his wife. I cannot imagine living for so long and living so far past your partner that no one else remembers her except him. The thought breaks my heart.

Lastly, I found that this book made me want to look into King Arthur stories more, and watch the Merlin shows! Just so I can get more understanding of who the books characters are based on.

AMAZING BOOK!! I will be buying the physical copy as soon as it comes out.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Interesting premise, it just didn't draw my attention as much as I thought it would. Decent story overall and I think would be a well liked by many. The narrator did a good job.

Having a very American narrator regularly attempt a Welsh accent for a single character is a bold choice. It worked, don't get me wrong! I totally bought in to the world, but when I had to pause and then resume my listening? It felt a bit silly. But the main character has great taste in music and I really enjoyed the character dynamics all around, so I can’t complain. I felt like I was riding the wave right along with the characters and while I found a few of Rosemary’s musings around the Lust Borne Tide prophecy to be a bit too specific to be listening to while I was vacuuming, it was a fun time all around.

Enjoy listing to it but wasn’t entirely my cup of tea. However I do think it is a good book and other could really enjoy it.

Wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. Used it more as background noise to fill the silence. My younger cousin however enjoyed it!

Book one in the American Martyr Trilogy, we follow Rosemary Benson, a high school athlete as she discovers her Arthurian heritage and how she fits in with a long ago prophecy.
I was obsessed with all things King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table around age 17 and this had some pleasant nostalgia and spin on the classic tale.
Many of the key players are in this story, and the next generations are popping up as angsty, sarcastic yet powerful teenagers.The audiobook was awesome, the narrator did a fantastic job with English and Welsh accents.

I enjoyed reading this story. It is funny, and you learn more about the world of king Arthur (if you dont know much already). It's also really interesting to see that in the context of the world we live in now. However, the story unfortunately did not live up to my expectations. I do not know why but it didnt fully get me, felt a bit superficial. Maybe im feeling like a lot of the story is still missing? However, it was still enjoyable and i do recommend for fans of arthurian stories.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review.

Arthurian Legend meets 21st century. Not a bad idea and it was fun finding out who is who in this story but I was never really hooked. However I wouldn’t say it’s bad. But it also kind of lost me during the last 25%. Maybe it was just me but things suddenly seemed to happen super quickly and the ending just felt really unsatisfying.

In The Sword And The Sophomore by BP Sweaney and narrated by tami Stronach it’s the first book in the series about a teenager name Rosemary it isn’t bad enough that her and her boyfriend football player Benz Cook broke up and her rivalry cheerleader Avery wants to have boy band Angels Maybe play the prom she also keeps getting attacked by magical beings it won’t be until she becomes friends with welsh “transfer student“ Emerson that she will learn much more about these attacks her life and the past. Avery is the queen bee in the top adversary for Rosemary and although Rosemary sees magic around her everywhere it will be Rosemarys human traits that changes the best things in her life. There is so much I want to say but don’t want to give anything away because this is a WOW book!!! I found the ending bittersweet but apropos to the story and I cannot wait for the next book I thought the narrator did a brilliant job Setting the tone and giving voice in different dialects to the mini characters I thought she was one of the best narrators I’ve heard in teen Syfy. If you love sci-fi at its best in love a great series I do believe you be getting in early on a great one if you read The Sword And The Sophomore if you love Gwennavere and Arthur‘s story then you’ll definitely love this book. I want to thank recorded books and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I was enchanted and enthralled by this book. It is a fast paced book/ audiobook.
Quick plot: Strong teenager finds out that she has historically famous parents and is entangled in a prophesy but just wants to get through sophomore year in one piece.

I enjoyed that Rosemary and her mother were tough and strong from the start. The author also captured the thoughts and feelings of a teenager quite well.
I love the Arthurian legends woven into this book. I loved the BBC Merlin as a kid so it was nostalgic at times.
It was cool to have real life references to music. I listened to the songs mentioned, to be more immersed.
I liked the narrator. Very upbeat. Suited the voice of a teenage girl. I also enjoyed the Welsh accent for Emrys.
Heartwarming and emotional scenes made it a joy to listen to.
Can’t wait for the sequel. I also want to get this as a physical book so I can read it again.

I think this concept - a fantastical story of a modern teenager based loosely on Arthurian legend - is good. I think this really needs a rework. The story doesn't flow well, it feels as though the story is trying to cram TOO much inspiration into the book. Arthurian/Buffy/Mean Girls/Harry Potter/Bejamin Button with a high-handed intellectual vibe, and a very "pick me" FMC. It's grating, and it makes Rosemary hard to like.

The lack of warning about SA and the way it's handled are extremely offputting to me, and this isn't the place to make this a main plot point.

The Sword and the Sophomore was more frustrating than anything else, because teenagers deserve more credit than this. The MC is so unlikeable, shallow, and immature, and we don't get character insight on anyone else. We have an interesting plot and take on the traditional Arthurian legends, but the story just doesn't live up to what it could be.
The narrator did a fantastic job though, I will say that for the audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books for this ARC Audio Copy!

YA- Arthurian retelling about a high school sophomore who has unexplainable talents even from a very young age. After experiencing a break up she ends up in a situation that causes her powers to grow exponentially and secrets to be revealed about who her parents are, and her destiny.

As an adult that reads a lot of YA books, I would say that this one is more specifically tailored to a younger audience it was still enjoyable and the premise was interesting and able to hold my attention.

The Narration was also really enjoyable on this audiobook.

The question here is where do I start?

I was extremely disappointed. I am giving this one star. And it saddens me that I have to do that

This book was not enjoyable for me at all. I love the prologue, and I wish more of the book was told that way by that person’s perspective even if it was an outsider narrating the story because that first snippet of the book was the best part.

I did not finish this book. I DNF’d at 50%.
if you got to the 50% mark, you probably know what my last straw with this book

I understand that the book is written in the perspective of a teenager. However, this teenager is so unlikable in my opinion. This author found a way to write the worst possible teenager in the worst possible . she has an attitude problem. She is disrespectful to her parents, calling them by their names saying fuck you to them. She punches students and the one thing that she cares about is getting back together with her boyfriend Benz, like with a Z like a Mercedes-Benz. I could not take the character seriously therefore, cannot take the story seriously.

The amount of times that horse manure is mentioned in this book. We should’ve just called this book the sword and the horse manure. Not to mention that we have a Merlin from the king of Arthur story and he is not only a 2000-year-old man aging backwards so now he is a hormonal teenager but he is also THE Benjamin button. And after all the talk about literal horseshit these exact horses shit they cleaned up one time but we have to hear about it throughout. The book are literally. Pegasus. There is nothing serious about this book and after listening to this book, it just felt like I was reading a parody of a fantasy book. I had my last straw with this book when Rosemary said fuck you to her parents when they were literally talking about their concern for her safety, and I understand that they were talking about touchy subjects such as sexual health that does not dignify Rosemary saying fuck you to her parents.

I however, do thank NetGalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This fantasy novel was a clever twist on Excalibur prophecy and the Camelot drama, loved that it features a strong, young main female character. The audiobook narrator was great, her voice and the story itself read like Jenny Hahn or Judy Blume novel.
3.5 stars

Summary: Rosemary, a young high school girl, is desperate to find a resolution for the boy she loves and loses. Her life is upended when a new student arrives at school, Emrys. There is something off, and she can't understand what it is when she has a chance to meet with him in the stables. She discovers her powers and exactly who her family really is, which begins a journey of self-discovery.

Genre: YA Fantasy, Fiction

Let me start by saying that I did like the main character, Rosemary. She was funny and sassy but cringy at times. The drama over the Benz was way too much for me. She worries about him, and how she will get him back is a significant flaw. She is superhuman, strong, and fast but is too concerned with the boy drama. It makes her character seem flimsy and lacking depth. Not all girls spend every waking moment thinking about boys. Also, I wouldn't say I liked the fact that her powers became fully realized until puberty and losing her virginity. It honestly made me want to put the book down. The pacing could have been more consistent, but nothing really happened after the stable scene. She tells her friends who she is and of her powers; they are not weirded out or hesitant about them. Even Benz says he already knew. I feel like a word count had to be reached, and the author had to hurry and wrap up the story. There is no excellent climax to the story; very blah.

I received this audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, Netgalley.

Rosemary Banson has always been more talented than the other kids she's grown up with. She's always been the fastest and strongest but has learned to dial it back so that she doesn't stand out as much. She's reeling from the recent breakup with her boyfriend, Benz. Rosemary's mother is one of the most beautiful people she's ever seen and is the only one who can keep up with Rosemary. When a Welsh exchange student arrives at their school things seem to shift. Rosemary can feel herself changing. When she is attacked by a stranger, who turns out to be a demon, she demands that Emrys, the Welsh student, explain how he knew what had attacked her. Rosemary then finds out that her mother is Guinevere and her father is Lancelot! She is the missing key to a long-held prophecy from the time of Arthur Pendragon.

I really enjoyed this book! I did not read the blurb ahead of time and was pleasantly surprised to find out who all the characters were. I appreciate the modern twist and the exceptional character development. This was a very fun story!

The Sword and the Sophomore is the first book in the American Martyr Trilogy. The story follows Rosemary Banson as she discovers her Arthurian heritage and a dubious prophecy.
Emrys aka teenage Merlin is my favorite character and makes a great great friend and mentor.
This book was funny and a good blend of coming of age, action, fantasy and humour. I can't wait for the next one.
This audiobook was fantastic I loved how the narrator was able to capture the different accents from American teenager, to Welsh boy or English Mom. I never felt like anything was over the top either. Rosemary's sarcasm was met with good
timing and humour.
I received this arc from Netgalley. This is my honest review.