I'm sorry I was not able to read and review this book before it was archived due to serious health issues

I've always been a fan of anything relating to King Arthur and especially stories following Guinevere. This was an especially interesting take on the legend.

Guinevere is probably my favorite character in the Arthur myth, aside from Merlin, and I was excited to see her have a series of books featuring her as the main character. In general, this book gave me what I was looking for, and there were big parts of the book I loved and a few that genuinely surprised me, but ain't think I would've been better served reading these books as a series instead of combined in one volume. In the middle of the second book I got fatigue and stopped reading for a while, when I picked up I got back into the story quickly but it happened again while reading the third section.
At times, I found the writing to be a tad tedious and slow paced with some repetitive sections that slowed me down, Overall, I liked the stories and wish more people focused on Gwen instead of Arthur.

This is an interesting and richly textured look at Guinevere's story that offers a lot of realism and historical context alongside the legendary aspects of it. It would be hard to review without a comparison to The Mists of Avalon - it's of a similar level of density in terms of the intricacy of character development, but what it reminded me of most in the Avalon sections was Evian Steel by Jane Yolen, one of my favourite Arthurian short stories. The language is complex, but readable. Obviously the length of this as a box set makes it a little daunting, but it's well worth a read. Four stars.

"The Guinevere's Tale Trilogy" is a somewhat lengthy series with a focus on Guinevere. I find that it wasn't really my cup of tea overall. I didn't like any of the characters very much at all but the writing is done well.

This is the first Arthurian retelling I have read where I have actually liked Guinevere. Evelina somehow manages to create a sympathetic and likeable character with her own integrity and sense of honour and her own journey through an Arthurian narrative that is familiar but made new and seen from her perspective. Like Helen of Troy, it is usually difficult to like a character who chooses their own desires above all else but this Guinevere is a woman who loved Lancelot before she ever met Arthur and who did her best in a marriage where she was always second best to his true love, Morgan. and who put her personal feelings to one side until she thought they were both free. . Evelina has created a character who is relatable and who you want to see have a happy ending. I thought the story should have ended with Arthur's death however, the third book felt a little forced as it goes beyond that point and tries to give Guinevere an ongoing story which wasn't all that interesting. However that is a minor criticism as overall the trilogy is well-written and worth reading.

I've been trying for the past few months to make it through this book, however it just hasn't gripped me. I may go back to it in the future, but at this point in time I don't think I will be able to make it through.

There was nothing particularly wrong with this book, it just didn't grip me.

I so love Arthurian time books, and really what's not to love in a trilogy that doesn't actually follow the one always in the front line - aka Arthur - but Guinevere?

Three amazing books, that you just keep wanting more and more because Nicole's writing is just so amazing that keeps you transfixed in every word wanting to know what comes next!

For those who like me enjoy books with this theme, I cannot recommend this enough!

I loved this book. I loved hearing that Arthurian legends from Guinevere's point of view. It shows a strong warrior priestess and how she dealt with challenges. I loved the first part of this trilogy as it dealt with her becoming a preistess. This was such an easy read and I was so engulfed in the story it was hard to believe it was 800 pages.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I received a free copy via NetGalley for a true and honest opinion.

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. It is about 800 pages long but it is actually really easy to read through. I love anything to do with the legends of Arthur but this book actually focuses on Guinevere. More especially, it doesn't depicted her as this traitorous adulator or weak helpless woman. She is depicted as a warrior priestess. This trilogy is about Guinevere and her challenges and life from her point of view, so while it does have Arthur and Camelot etc., its not about them.
I think I would have loved this book in hard copy or if I had read them separately, I found with the e-Book I was often skimming very quickly, which I didn't lose from the story but I do prefer physical copies.

I actually really liked the character Morgan, even more than maybe Guinevere. My favourite was the second book.

I think overall I would give it 3.75 stars

A stunning retelling of the life of Guinevere from Arthurian mythology, this trilogy was brilliant from start to finish.

Book One (Daughter of Destiny):
I adore books based on Arthurian mythology (have since I was a child), so I was really intrigued to see how this novel would do its own take on the history of King Arthur - especially from the perspective of the woman who seems to be equally loved and hated, depending on the adaptation and source material.

This a great start to the trilogy, one that provided a really fleshed out background as far as Guinevere's history prior to her marriage to King Arthur, and is probably the first I've read that has done so. Her background is brilliantly done and incredibly rich with so many hardships to face (visions, lost love, family troubles...) and her rivalry with Morgan in particular definitely hints at something more to come in the rest of the trilogy - after all, Morgan tends to be the villain in many King Arthur novels, and this book really did give a strong (and brilliantly done) background for how she might get to that stage.

The introductions of so many of the "major" players in the mythology (Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, Aggrivaine, Morgan, Gawain and of course Guinevere) were all incredibly done and I loved the richness and variety of their background in this before the "main King Arthur" storyline was even introduced! I really look forward to seeing how things will continue in the second book, when Guinevere as Camelot's Queen and Arthur's wife.

Book Two (Camelot's Queen):
As the second installment in the Guinevere's Tale trilogy, this novel primarily focuses on Guinevere's life following her marriage to King Arthur, and boy was it brutal and intense from the get-go. With Guinevere still in love with Aggrivaine, and Arthur also in a relationship with another (surprise!), their marriage to one another really started out as little more than duty and with no true loving feelings between the two it certainly seemed doomed from the start.

The reintroduction of Morgan in this novel was quite a surprise, with her being married to one of Arthur's family members, and thus technically a member of the royal family and in a great position for her and Guinevere's feud/rivalry to continue, and I felt that for much of this she did seem to be portrayed as more of a seductress and rival for Arthur's affections than as any true villain (though maybe that's to come in the final book?) I actually felt quite bad for Morgan - and Guinevere - in this ass both were in situations beyond their control and really it seemed that they just wanted the chance to be with the one they loved and have a life they love... unfortunately it seemed that it was not to be, for either of them.

And then we have the proper introduction of Lancelot in this, and from the start you could really see just why it was that they might end up in an affair; they held similar ideals and beliefs - such as the best way to treat and train horses for battle (seems like an odd thing, but it made sense I swear!) and then when Guinevere was [spoilers removed]... well, it's no wonder that she turned to Lancelot and they started their affair ._. Poor Guinevere ;u;

There is honestly so much to unpack in this novel, and whilst it was a hard read at times [spoilers removed], I felt that the novel was absolutely phenomenal all around, and well worth the read.

Book Three (Mistress of Legend):
Mistress of Legend is the third and final installment of the brilliant Guinevere's Tale trilogy, focusing on Arthurian myth through the perspective (and life) of the often scorned "character" of Guinevere. In this novel, we see aspects of the traditional end to Arthur's reign, in that final battle with his usual opponent Mordred, but in this novel that's really just the beginning, as it then follows through everything that came after as far as Guinevere's life was concerned; she didn't begin and end with Arthur, but had so much more to her, and so much more to come.

This novel truly showed what a powerful figure Guinevere was to not only Camelot and Arthur's people, but also so many others around "Britannia", and just how much of a leader she was to so many different figures, both as a warrior and as a mother.

I really did feel deeply for Guinevere in this, as after all that had happened in her life - and with her marriage to Arthur - all she wanted was to be able to live out the rest of her days in peace with the man she had fallen in love with, though sadly that was not to be. From witnessing the death of those close to her [spoilers removed] through visions whilst hidden in a convent all the way to having [spoilers removed] before one last deciding battle... she really just got so little peace in this, that it was a wonder she managed to make it through as unscathed as she did.

Despite all that happened though, I felt that the ending was satisfying - if bittersweet - with really everything coming full-circle, for a beautiful and rather tearjerking ending. A really wonderful novel.

This book was received as an ARC from Lawson Gartner Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a huge fan of King Arthur and the Arthurian legends and all of the drama that goes with them. I have read so many interpretations of the legend and I was most excited to read tales from Guinevere's point of view. Guinevere was so powerful as her own and it was interesting to read the stories of how her and Morgan went through so much together and how powerful Guinevere truly is. Every book was more exciting than the last and every page was a new twist that I never saw coming. Such an exciting trilogy to read and I must say out of all the Arthurian legends I have read, I was most attracted to this one the most. Such an exciting read.

We will consider adding this title to our Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This is a wonderfully evocative story full of details and a sense of place that transports you back to England in the 400s. I didn't realise it was a trilogy until my kindle told me I had 17 hours left in the book! However, this didn't really matter since reading this is truly transporting, like going back in time or getting lost in a film.

It tells the tale of Guinevere, and breaks many popular myths about her, since it is she who narrates. From castles to Avalon and from paganism to the new and handsome king, young Arthur, this is a sweeping and colourful tale. When I finished (eventually) I wanted to climb back and re-enter the book, like when you wake from a vivid dream and try and go back.

This would make a terrific Netflix series!

This is truly a fascinating book about Guinevere. There is so much more to her character than what we have previously known, so much more than only Arthur's wife, Lancelot's lover...highly recommended. Don't let the length of the book keep you from this epic story.

Guinevere was not a likable character in Daughter of Destiny. She mostly played a passive role. Not much happened in the novel except many repetitive love making scenes. Rating: 2 stars

However, I adored her in Camelot's Queen. I could empathize with her plight in trying to live with a man she did not love and trying to rule Camelot. She eventually grew to be an excellent military strategist and helped Arthur win many battles. I thought that Ms. Evelina did a wonderful job in portraying Guinevere’s trauma after being kidnapped by King Maleagant. I was heartbroken for Guinevere when she realized Arthur had betrayed her. I could see why her pain turned her eyes to Lancelot. Through these hardships Guinevere became a survivor and a stronger person. Thus, I rooted for Guinevere to find her happiness.

Camelot’s Queen was a vast improvement over Daughter of Destiny. Unlike the first novel, she did not play a passive role. She played a more active role and was able to stand up for herself. The novel was also more fast-paced. There were more adventures and battles than in Daughter of Destiny. Rating: 4 stars

I was excited to read what was next in store for Mistress of Legend, but Guinevere went back to playing a passive role. There was not much going on in the novel, and she did not make any choices on her own. I also thought the ending was abrupt. Rating: 3 stars

Thus, the story was an okay version of Guinevere. It certainly portray a different version of her, but mostly a passive one. However, it makes more interested in learning more about her. It also made me want to research Arthurian lore and their legends.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

This is a hard review to write and not in a necessarily bad way. This was a separate trilogy that is now being offered as a box set. As the title hints this book is about Guinevere. The first book is Guinevere before Arthur, the second is with Arthur and the third is following Arthur. I described the books using Arthur but don't mistake this as a book about Arthur. I used that because most people think of Camelot and Arthur. This is a story about Guinevere and her challenges and life from her point of view.

The reason this was a hard book to review is because in e-format this is an overwhelming book. I think I would have loved this book in hard copy or if I had read them separately. As an e-book my ADHD led to me skimming parts. In book one I actually disliked Guinevere and her treatment of Morgan and it was a slow burn. In book two Arthur was not really my favorite and the stuff Guinevere puts up with I just find hard to accept based on her character from book one, she seemed a little power hungry. Which leads to book three. I still do not know how I feel about Guinevere. I actually liked Morgan and felt more sympathy for her than anybody else. Morgan had a worse deal than Guinevere by far.

That being said. I really love that Nicole Evelina created a really awesome world that wasn't all roses and brought to light that the woman of Arthur's life were strong and had a lot stacked against them. I loved how Evelina also allowed for multiple religions and showed that good and bad of multiple of the religions. This was written well. Yes I skimmed but that was because of my own brain not because of the writing. And to round it out I really did like how Nicole's author's notes was factual and let you know some of her thought process and why she adjusted them to fit her narrative.
4 stars to NetGalley because I do recommend this book but due to skimming I cannot give five stars. I did skim after all.
4 stars on Goodreads because I really did like this story. Yes there were parts that didn't resonate with me but I still liked it. I would pick up a book by Nicole Evelina again but I would not do a trilogy in one reading from her again. It just burnt me out a little bit.

I can't stop gushing about this trilogy.
It's a whooping 810 pages, but I flew through them. I love Arthurian legends and retellings and one of my favorite books of all time is "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

This book had to live up to it and it did!
You're following Guinevere and Morgan from their childhood onwards to being educated in Avalon and beyond into rivalry, relationships, marriage and war.
I simply couldn't put it down.
I'll buy my own copy for my library.

Trigger warnings for abuse and rape.

The only negative thing I can think of is the cover. I only accidentally came across it on Netgalley and don't think that I would've picked it up in a book store.

Thank you so much Netgalley for providing me with an ARC and introducing me to one of my new all-time favorite books!

I've seen so many Hollywood versions of the Arthurian legend through the years starting in childhood with Disney's Sword in the Stone, and also read several books about Arthur. But I've never read the story from Guinevere's perspective until now. Hollywood depicts Guinevere as a secondary character most famous for cheating on Arthur with Lancelot and nothing else. This book describes her life before Arthur as a priestess of Avalon and a strong warrior woman, forced into a marriage she didn't want. Her actions, described from her perspective, were justified and she became more the hero of the story than Arthur. I enjoyed this book so much! Thank you to Nicole Evelina and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this story.

Nicole Evelina writes beautifully and in epic fashion. The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy is full of adventure and timeless description. It’s historical, fantastical, and entertaining fiction. There is much story told in this volume.

I had my doubts when i decided to read this book, due to the length. I am so pleased that i did, as i thoroughly enjoyed and seemed to finish it within no time. It's a very well written book and one that i would happily read again one day. I would certainly recommend to all who enjoy fantasy, romance and legends.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.