{"product_id":"the-other-merlin-isbn-9780593351024","title":"The Other Merlin","description":"\u003cb\u003eONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR!\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Simultaneously heart-pounding and hilarious, Robyn Schneider gives us a veritable romp through Camelot fueled by adventure and romance.\"\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e—Kerri Maniscalco, #1 \u003ci\u003eNYT\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Kingdom of the Wicked\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eStalking Jack the Ripper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChanneling the modern humor of \u003ci\u003eThe Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue\u003c\/i\u003e, bestselling author Robyn Schneider creates a Camelot that becomes the ultimate teen rom-com hotspot in this ultra-fresh take on the Arthurian legend. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWelcome 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 lie, and Emry Merlin has arrived at the castle disguised as her twin brother since girls can’t practice magic.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLife at court is full of scandals, lies, and backstabbing courtiers, so what’s a casually bisexual teen wizard masquerading as a boy to do? Other than fall for the handsome prince, stir up trouble with the foppish Lord Gawain, and offend the prissy Princess Guinevere.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhen 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBEST BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR - OUTSTANDING MERIT\u003c\/b\u003e —Bank Street\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBEST FICTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS\u003c\/b\u003e —Young Adult Library Services Association\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA RISE: FEMINIST BOOK PROJECT SELECTION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"Schneider’s first foray into fantasy, a clever trilogy starter based in the King Arthur mythos, changes most of the canonical facts but gets everything that matters right in this funny, sharp, romantic, magic-filled book.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"Rollicking humor, wry wit, and smoldering romance flourish amid political intrigues.\"\u003cbr\u003e—Bank Street College of Education (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Charming and sharply hilarious, Schneider’s entrance into historical fiction is such a natural fit, demonstrated by the strength of her storytelling and joyous voice throughout this fun, clever (and queer) tale.\"\u003cbr\u003e—Buzzfeed\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This book was a delight to read. Schneider crafts a deft world, painted alongside delightful characters and the perfect dash of wit. Everything I look for in my favorite novels—including a smoldering romance!—can be found in \u003ci\u003eThe Other Merlin\u003c\/i\u003e, which is a wonderfully fresh take on Arthur and his storied knights of lore.\"\u003cbr\u003e—Renee Ahdieh, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Beautiful \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Wrath and the Dawn\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Simultaneously heart-pounding and hilarious, Robyn Schneider gives us a veritable romp through Camelot fueled by adventure and romance. A wonderfully smart, refreshing take for fans of Arthurian legend,  but also simply a great read for anyone wondering about their place in the world.\" \u003cbr\u003e—Kerri Maniscalco #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Kingdom of the Wicked\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eStalking Jack the Ripper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Robyn Schneider brings everything I love about her contemporary books into fantasy with rich emotional arcs and friendships that are as compelling as the romance. These characters draw you in as the story keeps you guessing. I have no doubt this series will become a favorite for YA readers.”\u003cbr\u003e —Adrienne Young, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eFable \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSky in the Deep\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"An absolute joy from start to finish. It has the feel of a party you're just chuffed to have been invited to—sparkling characters, witty dialogue, and of course, great stories of derring-do. Schneider takes a familiar story and gives it the relevancy it deserves: with queerness, friendship, and, naturally, the woman wizard we've been waiting for.\"\u003cbr\u003e—Maggie Tokuda-Hall, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Mermaid, The Witch, and The Sea\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Witty banter, engaging characters, risqué references, plus zero devotion to the source material add up to a read perfect for fans of The Lady Janies series. One part Arthurian legend, one part teen dramedy, all parts enjoyable.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Funny, thrilling, brave and bold, The Other Merlin is the perfect way to pass the time until the next Renaissance Faire. Schneider’s Arthurian tale stands out amid a crowd of old, dusty duplicates.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe BookPage\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Schneider’s delightful reimagining of Arthurian legend sets Camelot as a hotbed for hormonal young nobles, who­—between dramatic turns of lust and love—partake in a lively blend of chivalry, questing, and courtly romance.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"The Other Merlin, a swoony and smart young adult fantasy novel that reimagines Camelot and its broad cast of characters in a new and clever way, with a young female Merlin at the center.\"\u003cbr\u003e—The Mary SueRobyn Schneider grew up in Southern California, where she spent her childhood reading fantasy novels and searching for secret passages. She’s a graduate of Columbia University, where she studied creative writing, and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, where she earned a Masters of Bioethics. Robyn is the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Beginning of Everything\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eExtraordinary Means\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eInvisible Ghosts\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eYou Don’t Live Here\u003c\/i\u003e. Her work is available across the world in over a dozen languages. She lives in Los Angeles with her TV producer husband, their tiny puppy, and far too many books.\u003cbr\u003e Everything was going to be fine.\u003cbr\u003e     Emry Merlin staggered out the back door of the theater and gulped down the warm summer air. It wasn’t much cooler outside than backstage, but at least it didn’t stink of unwashed armpits. She hunched forward, hands on her knees, willing her heart to stop pounding.\u003cbr\u003e     There was no reason to be nervous. She’d filled in for a missing player plenty of times before. Besides, Pell’s was a small part. A few lines, a skirmish of swords, a quick death halfway through the first act. And it was only the town theater—it wasn’t as though they were performing for their patron, the Earl of Brocelande, at his manor.\u003cbr\u003e     And yet, it \u003ci\u003ewas\u003c\/i\u003e dangerous. There was nothing wrong with employing a girl to help with the special effects—so long as Emry stayed backstage. But the theater troupe would be in trouble if anyone discovered she was also their understudy.\u003cbr\u003e     At eighteen, she was tall and skinny enough to play a boy’s part, provided she flattened her chest and tucked her long black hair under a cap. Thankfully, most people assumed it was her twin brother onstage, a mistake Emmett was all too willing to encourage—especially when the mistaken party was a pretty girl.\u003cbr\u003e     A bead of sweat ran down her temple, and Emry wiped it away with the back of her hand. It was a scorching afternoon in June, and any sensible person would be indoors, wearing as few layers of clothing as possible.\u003cbr\u003e     Unfortunately, Emry wasn’t sensible.\u003cbr\u003e     “Smart as spades, but foolish as hearts,” her father used to say. Whenever he’d turn up, which wasn’t often, he’d give Emry a pretty ribbon for her hair and take Emmett out to the woods to learn magic. Emry found this arrangement enormously unfair, and campaigned to be included.\u003cbr\u003e     When Father refused, Emry made her twin teach her everything he’d learned. The next time their father had shown up, Emry had tucked her hair under a cap and switched places with her brother. Their father quickly realized he had the wrong twin, because Emry learned twice as fast.\u003cbr\u003e     She was included in the lessons from then on, although Father never failed to remind her that she was learning things she could never use, which was both impractical and foolish.\u003cbr\u003e     Emry didn’t care. She just wanted a chance to prove herself before being told no. She couldn’t help being a girl any more than she could help having magic, but she’d be damned if she sat home with a box of hair ribbons, letting boys have all the adventures.\u003cbr\u003e     It was the same with the theater. At sixteen, she’d bullied the property master into letting her handle their special effects. Flammable powders and pig’s blood were expensive, messy, and no longer necessary. Not if he hired her to conjure illusions of fire and blood. Even better, illusions wouldn’t need to be scrubbed out of the costumes between performances. Marion, the dresser, had insisted her father hire Emry immediately, and the two girls had become fast friends. When one of the players was struck ill, it was Marion who had pointed out that Emry would fit into his costume, and Emry who had promptly lowered her voice and reeled off his dialogue with a devilish grin.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e    Screw being sensible, \u003c\/i\u003eEmry thought.\u003ci\u003e Being trouble is so much more fun.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e     Still, she could have done without Pell’s coat, which was not only far too warm, but stunk of flop sweat.\u003cbr\u003e     That, at least, was something she could fix.\u003cbr\u003e     Emry closed her eyes and focused. Rosemary, she decided. With a hint of lemon. She didn’t have her wand, but no matter. She pictured the wretched coat, mentally issuing the command that would fix it: \u003ci\u003eExtergio\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e     Emry gave the coat a tentative sniff. Much better. Everything was very nearly perfect—except for the play itself, which stunk even worse than the backstage.\u003cbr\u003e     \u003ci\u003eRonda and the Elf King.\u003c\/i\u003e It was supposed to be a comedy, but really, the whole thing was a tragedy. Perhaps one day the troupe would have license to perform in the city, where the latest playwrights supplied better fare. But until then, the earl demanded comedy, and so long as he footed the bill, comedy he would get.\u003cbr\u003e     She muttered Pell’s lines, which didn’t take long, and walked through the choreography for the sword fight. She was going over the lines again when a royal messenger rode up the lane.\u003cbr\u003e     Knights and their squires passed through Brocelande more and more these days, and a messenger was nothing \u003ci\u003etoo\u003c\/i\u003e out of the ordinary. The town was half a day’s ride from London, with a bustling market and a farrier who knew his way around a horseshoe.\u003cbr\u003e     The king’s messenger was sunburnt and dusty, and his horse was lathered with sweat, but his crimson livery blazed in the hot sun. The golden wyvern on his chest shone so brightly that it had to be made from the precious metal itself.\u003cbr\u003e     Emry stared down at her own costume, threadbare with a sloppy yellow stencil of a rising sun. It would look impressive enough onstage. The theater held its own sort of magic, which was, perhaps, why she was so drawn to it.\u003cbr\u003e     She glanced back at the royal messenger, expecting him to urge his horse down the hill to the inn, or up the lane to Brocelande Hall. Instead, he slowed outside the bakery, leaning down to ask a question of the baker’s boy. With only a moment’s hesitation, the boy pointed a plump and sticky finger toward the theater—no, not toward the theater, toward \u003ci\u003eEmry\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e     \u003ci\u003eWell, this isn’t good.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e     She pulled the brim of her cap low across her face, trying to quell her nerves as the royal messenger approached.\u003cbr\u003e     “Afternoon, good sir,” he called, sliding down from his horse.\u003cbr\u003e     Emry inclined her head in response.\u003cbr\u003e     “I’m looking for Master Merlin,” said the messenger.\u003cbr\u003e     “My father?” Emry frowned. “You’re about eight years too late.”\u003cbr\u003e     Seven years, ten months, and three days, actually. Father had left exactly as he always did, slipping away in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye. Except he’d never returned. Not to Brocelande, or to Castle Camelot, or to anywhere else.\u003cbr\u003e     “Then it’s a good thing I’m looking for his son.” The messenger removed a scroll from his belt and held it toward Emry. “Master Emmett Merlin, His Majesty King Uther Pendragon of Camelot requires your presence at court.”\u003cbr\u003e     Oh no.\u003cbr\u003e     Emry stared at the scroll, trying not to panic. The messenger thought she was her brother! And she didn’t dare confess the truth now. Not while she stood outside the theater in a costume, for god’s sake. She couldn’t betray the performance troupe, especially to an agent of the king.\u003cbr\u003e     With a trembling hand, Emry reached out and accepted the parchment, bowing deeply. “Thank you, sir,” she murmured, pitching her voice low. “It’s an honor to receive a summons from the king.”\u003cbr\u003e     “His Majesty will expect you two days hence.” The messenger wheeled his horse around and clattered across the courtyard before Emry could say another word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Why would a royal messenger give this to \u003ci\u003eyou\u003c\/i\u003e?” Emmett asked, frowning suspiciously at the scroll.\u003cbr\u003e     He was sprawled at the kitchen table, boots up, jerkin loose, and a goblet of wine at his elbow. With his black hair and pirate’s grin, he was devastatingly handsome, and what’s worse, he knew it.\u003cbr\u003e     “He got mixed up,” said Emry, taking down some bowls for their supper. “I was at the theater, and I didn’t look particularly, well, \u003ci\u003eladylike\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003cbr\u003e     “One day you’ll get in trouble for that.”\u003cbr\u003e     “Tell me something I don’t know.” Emry sighed, ladling out their stew. She passed a bowl to Gran, who was knitting by the hearth, and set theirs on the table.\u003cbr\u003e     “King Yurien invaded Northumbria again,” Emmett said, draining his wine goblet. “Bet you didn’t know that. Overheard it at the Prancing Stag.”\u003cbr\u003e     “What were you doing at the Prancing Stag?” Like she even needed to ask.\u003cbr\u003e     “Kissing the innkeeper’s daughters and betting at merils,” Emmett said innocently. “The usual.”\u003cbr\u003e     Emry shook her head. Not over her brother’s rakish ways, which she’d accepted long ago, but over the news about King Yurien. “Northumbria’s pretty far away,” she said.\u003cbr\u003e     “It’s not \u003ci\u003ethat\u003c\/i\u003e far,” Emmett insisted. “And it’s just as before. He took control of an unfortified castle along their border and burned the neighboring village. If he goes for Cameliard next, they’ll call for Camelot to intervene.”\u003cbr\u003e     He swallowed a mouthful of stew and started coughing.\u003cbr\u003e     Emry cautiously licked her spoon, making a face.\u003cbr\u003e     Not \u003ci\u003eagain\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e     “Gran?” she asked. “Did you add salt to the stew?”\u003cbr\u003e     “Yes, dear,” Gran murmured dreamily, knitting another stitch into a long grayish thing with a glove on one end and a sock on the other. “The weather \u003ci\u003eis\u003c\/i\u003e very nice.”\u003cbr\u003e     “\u003ci\u003eSalt\u003c\/i\u003e,” Emry insisted. “\u003ci\u003eHow much?\u003c\/i\u003e”\u003cbr\u003e     “All of it, from the taste,” Emmett muttered, pushing away his bowl. “If you fix the stew, I’ll tell you what King Uther wants.”\u003cbr\u003e     “It’s a simple spell,” Emry grumbled, reaching for her wand. “I don’t know why you refuse to learn it.”\u003cbr\u003e     “My father was the greatest wizard who ever lived. Why should I bother with basic household spells?”\u003cbr\u003e     \u003ci\u003eBecause they’re useful, \u003c\/i\u003eEmry thought,\u003ci\u003e unlike you.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e     She aimed her wand at their supper.\u003cbr\u003e     \u003ci\u003eAbdere\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e     She took a cautious taste. Spicy, which tended to happen when you magicked your meal. But no longer inedible.\u003cbr\u003e     “Ha!” Emmett cried triumphantly, flinging the scroll to the floor. “I’m going to be knighted!”\u003cbr\u003e      Emry let out a sharp laugh. “I didn’t realize sarding the innkeeper’s daughter counted as a noble deed,” she retorted.\u003cbr\u003e     “Well, I’m \u003ci\u003epractically\u003c\/i\u003e going to be knighted,” Emmett amended, shoveling a spoonful of stew into his mouth. “Ugh. Why does magic ruin the flavor of \u003ci\u003eeverything\u003c\/i\u003e? Anyway, King Uther wants me to live at the castle and train to be the next court wizard.”\u003cbr\u003e     Emry’s spoon clattered into her bowl. She’d imagined a handful of reasons the king had summoned her brother to Castle Camelot, but nothing like \u003ci\u003ethis\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e     “That’s—that’s wonderful,” Emry said, wishing she truly meant it.\u003cbr\u003e     “It’s about time Father’s legacy came in useful,” Emmett went on. “I bet half the ladies at court will take one look at me and drop to their knees.” He grinned wickedly. “Openmouthed.”\u003cbr\u003e     Emry blushed. “Don’t say things like that in front of Gran,” she scolded.\u003cbr\u003e     \u003ci\u003eOr me\u003c\/i\u003e, she almost added, even though, between Emmett’s miscreant friends and the theater troupe, she’d heard far worse.\u003cbr\u003e    “Well, it’s true.” Emmett shrugged. “Probably. I’ve heard Prince Arthur’s nothing special. And we all know King Uther’s bald as my arse.”\u003cbr\u003e     “Keep talking like that, and you’ll find yourself in the castle dungeons,” Emry warned. “Or worse, the gallows.”\u003cbr\u003e     “Three days,” Emmett muttered, ignoring her. He scanned the scroll again, making a face. “I should probably brush up on some magic. What’d you do with Father’s books?”\u003cbr\u003e     “Next to my bed,” Emry said. “Help yourself.”\u003cbr\u003e     Emmett yawned, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe later. The innkeeper’s daughter wore me out.”\u003cbr\u003e   \u003ci\u003e  Of course she did,\u003c\/i\u003e thought Emry.\u003cbr\u003e It was all so enormously unfair. \u003ci\u003eThis\u003c\/i\u003e was why their father hadn’t wanted to teach her. Why he’d brought her dolls and ribbons and had frowned when she’d mastered spells faster than her brother. He’d known this would happen.\u003cbr\u003e     Their father had served at the royal court. When he was alive, kings had trembled in fear of the great kingdom of Camelot, ruled by the powerful Uther Pendragon, and protected by the formidable Wizard Merlin. And now Uther wanted to continue that legacy, with Merlin’s son standing alongside his own.\u003cbr\u003e     \u003ci\u003eWell, good luck with him.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Emmett drained his second glass of wine and rambled on about his day, but Emry had stopped listening. All she could think was, \u003ci\u003eEmmett’s going to London, to live in a castle and learn magic. And not because he’s smarter than me, or older, or more talented. Because he’s Merlin’s son, and I’m just his daughter.\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Viking Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301208477925,"sku":"NP9780593351024","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593351024.jpg?v=1767740831","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-other-merlin-isbn-9780593351024","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}