What if Arthur wasn’t supposed to be king?

This took awhile to get to as it was only sold in the UK and Australia but I finally got my hands on it! Set right after Arthur pulls the sword out of the stone, Arthur is having a hard time adjusting to royal duties. Sure, he got Excalibur but it doesn’t mean he knows what he’s doing. Worse is that since his fight with Merlin, his mentor has been off in Bermuda. Arthur is truly on his own.

Unbeknownst to him, the sword is not the famous Excalibur but a clever fake planted by Madam Mim so that she could choose a nice patsy to pull out the sword that she could easily control. She hadn’t realized that patsy was Merlin’s protegé who immediately rejects her suggestions to prove his kingly authority by going to war. But she had a plan b, her adopted daughter Guinevere will be the one to stick to Arthur’s side and get him off the throne.

I found the premise interesting but the first chapters felt cliché albeit in-character. For instance, Arthur shows off his first gesture of wisdom and kindness by figuring out the true owner of chicken bug suggesting the two feuding neighbors to cut it in half. Straight out of the Bible.

Guinevere’s story of being kidnapped as a baby and raised by a witch is straight out of Rapunzel’s tale including her daughterly love of Madam Mim who has turned her against Merlin by telling her that the wizard killed her parents and put this pretender, Arthur on the throne. Thus prompting a semi enemies to lovers as Guinevere initially believes Arthur is the enemy. But soon comes to know his real character and believes he’s an unwitting pawn so she’s stuck in the difficult situation of wanting to help him but keeping her initial intentions a secret.

Things get interesting later on when Arthur and Guinevere time-travel to the Bahamas in the 21st century. Arthur and Guin’s amazement and horror at 21st century clothing and hotels was funny and allowed for a more interesting plot twist of them returning home to a find a new shapeshifting pretender on the throne. Plus Guin grappling with the truth about Madam Mim and her childhood of lies.

So while the plot itself doesn’t feel the most original, the characters and their development is engaging. Arthur gets the bulk of the character development, starting as an unsure kid who doesn’t feel prepared for the role and wants to run away.

But he stays because even though he doesn’t have the physical strength or courage others (and he) believe a king should possess he has Merlin’s lessons to guide. To lead with love, kindness and knowledge. Most of all, he cares. He understands that he has to lead because he cares about England and that if he left the throne, it would be to unthinking, might makes right brutes like Kay.

There are also some heartbreaking moments like when Kay and Ector challenge Arthur to a dual for the throne which he reflects how much he wanted to earn his foster family’s admiration only to understand he’ll never get it. But the triumphant thing is Arthur coming to realize he does deserve the throne and to be more confident. Not because he pulled a sword from stone but because he is capable.

Guin’s characterization reminded me a lot of the one from the Merlin tv show. She’s kind, and generous but she has strong morals and backbone of steel in fighting for those morals and the ones she loves. Her background of being a princess of Summer County whom Mim stole because of the family’s strong fairy blood. But Guinevere shuns magic, it actually scares her despite the potential she has in small bouts of shapeshifting.

Even though it fits with the Arthurian legends as Guinevere was a regular queen, not a sorceress queen but it feels like there is lost potential in seeing her do magic since Twisted Tales is all about doing new things to canon. Nonetheless, I liked her journey of realizing the truth about her childhood and her willingness to go against her adopted mother’s wishes once she realizes she’s wrong.

She’s in denial most of the time or trying to explain alternate reasons for Mim’s behavior before she accepts the truth. Because it is hard for Guinevere to accept the truth. While Arthur and Merlin see Mim for her madness and destruction, Mim was like a mother to her. An eccentric, playful woman.

Mancusi’s characterization is wonderful as Mim’s villainy is different from classic Disney villains. She’s not in it for power or fame or money. She just enjoys chaos, everything is a game to her. Which makes her more unpredictable, more dangerous and more heartbreaking when Guin realizes Mim kidnapping and raising her was just another game of Mim playing mentor, tearing her away from her family for selfish whims.

Finally, Arthur and Guin’s relationship is simply so sweet and wholesome even though Guin’s lying about her intentions for the first few chapters. They have so much in common from being commoners taught by sorcerers to their innate sense of fair play and kindness.

In fact, the humor and fun shout outs to Arthurian are the highlights of the book even though some parts of it felt like other Disney tales with Arthurian aesthetic.

3 Excaliburs.