Thank you to Viking Books and Bookishfirst for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider is the first book in a series and an exciting new feminist take on Arthurian legend. The story revolves around Emry Merlin, the famous wizard Merlin's daughter. One day, she's playing a boy in a theater when a soldier arrives summoning Merlin's son, her twin brother Emmett, to court. She decides to take his place and arrives at the castle disguised as her brother. Soon, she's catching feelings for the handsome prince Arthur and entangling with other famous characters like Lancelot and Guinevere. Will Emry be able to keep up the ruse? And how will she be able to find true love when everyone thinks she's a boy?
Here is an interesting excerpt from an opening chapter, which is from Emry's point of view:
"It was all so enormously unfair. This was why their father hadn’t wanted
to teach her. Why he’d brought her dolls and ribbons and had frowned
when she’d mastered spells faster than her brother. He’d known this would
happen.
...
Emmett drained his second glass of wine and rambled on about his
day, but Emry had stopped listening. All she could think was, Emmett’s going
to London, to live in a castle and learn magic. And not because he’s smarter than me, or older, or more talented. Because he’s Merlin’s son, and I’m just his daughter."
Overall, The Other Merlin will appeal to fans of Tamora Pierce's classic Song of the Lioness quartet and this year's Half Sick of Shadows. This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. I was so looking forward to a book that combined "teen rom-com" and high fantasy, according to the synopsis I read. I enjoy both of those genres, so I was expecting to really enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. I took off one star, because the characters barely leave the castle. I was so interested to learn more about the world, but I didn't get to see much of it. I took off another star, because the jokes felt a bit "young" / immature to me. A lot of YA fantasy books appeal to adults, but this one did not appeal to me. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, you can check out this book when it comes out in September!
The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider is the first book in a series and an exciting new feminist take on Arthurian legend. The story revolves around Emry Merlin, the famous wizard Merlin's daughter. One day, she's playing a boy in a theater when a soldier arrives summoning Merlin's son, her twin brother Emmett, to court. She decides to take his place and arrives at the castle disguised as her brother. Soon, she's catching feelings for the handsome prince Arthur and entangling with other famous characters like Lancelot and Guinevere. Will Emry be able to keep up the ruse? And how will she be able to find true love when everyone thinks she's a boy?
Here is an interesting excerpt from an opening chapter, which is from Emry's point of view:
"It was all so enormously unfair. This was why their father hadn’t wanted
to teach her. Why he’d brought her dolls and ribbons and had frowned
when she’d mastered spells faster than her brother. He’d known this would
happen.
...
Emmett drained his second glass of wine and rambled on about his
day, but Emry had stopped listening. All she could think was, Emmett’s going
to London, to live in a castle and learn magic. And not because he’s smarter than me, or older, or more talented. Because he’s Merlin’s son, and I’m just his daughter."
Overall, The Other Merlin will appeal to fans of Tamora Pierce's classic Song of the Lioness quartet and this year's Half Sick of Shadows. This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. I was so looking forward to a book that combined "teen rom-com" and high fantasy, according to the synopsis I read. I enjoy both of those genres, so I was expecting to really enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. I took off one star, because the characters barely leave the castle. I was so interested to learn more about the world, but I didn't get to see much of it. I took off another star, because the jokes felt a bit "young" / immature to me. A lot of YA fantasy books appeal to adults, but this one did not appeal to me. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, you can check out this book when it comes out in September!