I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this one. I gathered from the title that this would be some retelling of The Once and Future King. I was pleasantly surprised by a female "Arthur" and then intrigued by the idea of the setting so far into the future. I wished for more details on the Mercer Corporation. It felt very flat and for a book on the legend of Arthur, politics and world building are essential. The book missed out on an opportunity there to have something beyond just a cartoon villain. It was clear early on that Mercer would not be explored in the depth I wish it would be.

I was thrilled by the LGBTQ representation in this book. Almost everyone is queer and I am here for it. It's so normalized by Ari's time that no one thinks anything of it. It was refreshing to read from that perspective and I hope that we can get to that point in our society in the future.

This book is strongest in its characterization, especially of Ari, Merlin, Gwen, and Kay. Characters help and hurt one another both intentionally and unintentionally. They have successes and failures. They make mistakes with real consequences. Occasionally the story needed to slow down and give the characters (and the reader) more time to soak things in, but Capetta nailed it with her characters.

I have an ARC of the sequel and I can't wait to read it.

** For parents and teachers, this book does contain some sexual encounters, but they are not graphic and no body parts or activities are explicitly described. There is a hint about masturbation. Many of these encounters involve LGBTQ characters. It's not any more than what you'll see in the average junior high or high school book.**