Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Death of parents, blood depiction, emesis, near-death experiences, fire, imprisonment
Note that I bought this book, and now I own it. This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.
Score: Seven points out of ten.

After reading an OK Australian YA book, I was hoping to enjoy this one, and I did. However, I didn't feel it was perfect or got anything meaningful from this book, other than the fact that if there were improvements to fix some major issues, it would have been a much better read than it was. Where do I begin? Before the story commences, there is a prologue in which Merlin is relaxing in a hotel in Bermuda in the 21st century of all periods. However, that only lasts a few pages before the story starts. Arthur lived in London more than 1,000 years earlier. This is part of a series, but the order doesn't matter, so I can read any book since they can act as a standalone, so there's that. During the first part of the book, nothing much happens. The author tries to make it more intriguing by introducing multiple POVs of Arthur, Guinevere, Madam Mim and Merlin, but if it weren't for the 3rd person POV, I would've struggled to distinguish them. Arthur is proclaimed king after the last king dies without an heir. All he has to do is pull a sword out of the stone, but it wasn't supposed to happen. I was confused at first until I realised something. One, this book is an alternate reality that showed what could've happened, and two, that decision is part of Mim's plan to rule England, but I didn't believe that since she was over the top and loved chaos. Is that her only motive and characteristic?

Arthur befriended Mim's daughter Guinevere out of nowhere, and together, they tried to rectify the situation. They needed Merlin, who was nowhere to be found, so they found a time-travelling spell to meet him. That's where a flaw appears since Arthur wasn't a person I could root for, only because I couldn't connect or relate to him. His development's not even there. Oh, and that applies to all the others as well. The protagonists arrive in Bermuda, shocked at how different the place is. I found the language choices weird, like glass rectangle for phone, crystal blue pond for pool and most of all, they were surprised at the half-naked people there with Guin wondering where their modesty went. The book dragged on until the big epic climax that resolved effortlessly (shame), and the entirety of it ended in an unrealistic election. But when there's time travel, I guess it's a possibility. That's a high note there. ( )