The Once and Future Queen

by Clara O’Connor

Published by Harper Collins One More Page

Series Review (so far) by Susan Stradiotto

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for the eARC. This in no way affects my review.

I requested this book before realizing it was the 2nd in the series. So, in the last month, I’ve furiously worked to read both Secrets of the Starcrossed and Curse of the Celts. I also requested it based on the cover alone. I was initially taken aback by the technologically advanced setting, but it did grown on me.

I’ll say that the second book is much more gripping than the first. In the first, I struggled with piddly details like the attraction happening too fast and the world either not feeling complete or feeling like a melting pot of other dystopian works that have gone before. By the end, of book 1, I felt a little more grounded, and book 2 begins on a super dramatic note and ends in a shocking cliffhanger.

In both books, I’m not a huge fan of the romance aspect. It feels a bit forced. However, I am one of those people who like more subtle romance or where it seems like the characters are not trying to be together. The constant reminder of how much Cass desired Devyn niggled at me a bit. Some love this though, so…

What I truly adore about this series the blending of the backstory steeped in (1) an alternate history where Rome never fell and the impact on the well-known rulers (Yorks, Plantagenets) from before and (2) transitioning into the more earthy lore around the Celts and druids.

Obviously, what drew me in was the triskele on the front of the book.

For this one 4* from me.