The Other Merlin
Ratings8
Average rating4
15
Ratings8
Average rating4
Welcome to the great kingdom of Camelot. Prince Arthur’s a depressed botanist who would rather marry a library than a princess, Lancelot’s been demoted to castle guard after a terrible misunderstanding, and nothing is going according to plan. Then Arthur accidentally pulls the sword from the stone (in his defense, he was drunk and mostly kidding), and now everyone’s convinced he’s some prophesied hero.
Emry Merlin is stuck in her small town. Her father, the legendary court wizard, disappeared years ago, and Emry’s been peddling theater tricks to make ends meet. When a royal messenger arrives summoning her far less talented twin brother to serve as Prince Arthur's right-hand wizard, Emry is understandably upset. But after Emmett becomes indisposed thanks to a bad spell, Emry disguises herself as her brother and travels to the royal court to impersonate him until they can switch.
Studying magic at the castle is everything Emry hoped for. But life in King Uther’s court is full of scandals, lies, and backstabbing courtiers. What’s a teen wizard masquerading as her twin brother to do? Other than fall for the handsome prince, stir trouble with the foppish Lord Gawain, offend Princess Guinevere, and make herself indispensable to the future of Camelot?
When the truth comes out with disastrous consequences, Emry has to decide whether she'll risk everything for the boy she loves, or give up her potential to become the greatest wizard Camelot has ever known.
Featured Series
3 primary booksEmry Merlin is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2021 with contributions by Robyn and Robyn Schneider.
Reviews with the most likes.
The legend of King Arthur, by way of Twelfth Night, Beverly Hills 90210, and Monty Python & the Holy Grail. Emry Merlin secretly takes her brother's place as the new apprentice wizard at Camelot and falls for Arthur, but if anyone finds out she is female the punishment will be deadly. Bookish Arthur wonders what the hell he's supposed to do now that he's pulled the sword from the stone, but is still a disappointment as an heir to his father.
I appreciated the twisty road to Emry and Arthur finding true love. But I felt even more invested in the fate of Lancelot, who was demoted to guard after being caught kissing another man; Gawain, who is morally ambiguous for most of the story; and Guinevere, who is a pawn in a political game. The characters frequently bemoan how their parents are ruining their lives and warn that drastic change in the social order is needed, which seems about right for a YA novel. Fortunately the angst is leavened by snarky humor and banter among this medieval friend squad.
There is no cliffhanger ending, but there are multiple plot threads that are very much still hanging. I had a lot of fun reading it and eagerly await the next book in the series.
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