I think I went into this book expecting too much. I wanted elaborate plots and political maneuvering, complex world building and epic quests. What I got was some of that, but not a lot.

At times, usually Merlin's bits, things we a bit slapstick. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of humor, but pop culture references only the reader understood and a guy who rarely acts like I had imagined a really old wizard to be like threw me for a bit. As the story went on, we dived deeper into Merlin's past and story, but it felt so out of place sometimes when three pages later Ari treats him like a kid needing a minder.

I also found myself disappointed in Ari. The most visual, worthwhile action against Mercer was done by her knights instead of her, I felt like. I wanted to know a lot more about Gwen and Lionel then Ari and her homeworld. Ari's main action against evil was a bit of vandalism, a tiny jailbreak, and calling the Administrator out, and then sharing a video file. Gwen was a political leader who fought the oppression of her planet for years, keeping resistance alive in the universe, and saving thousands of people.

Overall, this book felt simple. A simple villian, a simple quest, a simple solution. And there's nothing wrong with that, but what I had wanted was a meaty book that dealt with some of the complexities of the original myths.

I did enjoy all the rep. I picked this up for the ace rep, so I wish that showed up sooner, but everything else is here. Gay, bi, lesbian, and nonbinary characters. This is a very inclusive story and my queer self loved that.