SWORD IN THE STARS is a satisfying conclusion to a delightful YA fantasy retelling of King Arthur in space! Picking up right after the first left off, we now catapult into the past- to the original King Arthur as the team must procure the Holy Grail. Merlin is still aging backward and getting frighteningly young, Ari is still in love with Gwen, and Gwen is still pregnant with Ari's brother Kay's baby. Merlin still has the hots for Val, though that is getting more complicated as he gets younger in appearance. Jordan is still protecting Gwen, and Lam is still along for the ride.

They must infiltrate King Arthur's court without changing the future too much- a feat that proves more complicated when they assume the roles of the story. Merlin also finds himself to be a bit much- and apprentices himself to himself while trying to solve the mystery of his condition and try to reverse it.

If this plot sounds like a lot of fun, it's all delightfully packaged with quips, sarcasm, LGBT love stories, and plenty of twists and turns in the plot that surprised me along the way.

What I loved: This duology is probably one of the most unique and charming retellings (if you can even classify it as such) I have read. The character diversity is amazing with characters identifying as nonbinary, aro/ace, bisexual/homosexual, and of many different races. I love how they all fit together and the different perspectives we get to see by following different characters in third person limited points-of-view.

The writing flows really well and sweeps the reader away into this magical other timeline with comedy, mystery, and engaging characters. This wraps up the major storylines really well, and is quite a satisfying conclusion to such a great duology.

Final verdict: Unique, clever, and delightfully charming, SWORD IN THE STARS is a fantastic conclusion to an epic duology. Highly recommend for people who love sci-fi, comedy, mystery, fantasy, or retellings. There is something for everyone to love in this series!