GoodReads Summary:

Review:
I have to start this review off by sending a thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest (and very late) review. I'm glad to have gotten this one, even if it was approved only days before the release date because I don't know how long it would have taken me to get around to buying it. Now that I've already read (and loved!) it, I'm planning to go buy my own copy this weekend.
The Guinevere Deception is a retelling of the myth of King Arthur and Camelot, but with a more feminist focus. We follow Guinevere instead of Arthur. I know little to nothing about the original mythology (which I will talk about a bit later in the review), so for me this was a fun and fantastical read with characters I vaguely knew of.
I loved Guinevere. She's sent to Camelot to protect Arthur from something, but Merlin hasn't told her what that something is. She has magic, which has been banned from Camelot. So she must keep her magic a secret. Of course, she doesn't. But the few she entrusts her secret to are characters I really like. Guinevere is determined not to let Arthur down and even might fancy him a bit. But though she is his Queen, it is not real. Honestly, I was rooting for a little more romance between Arthur and Guinevere. I totally ship them and didn't particularly care for the almost love triangle that was going on for a bit.
I loved all of the supporting characters too. Guinevere's lady's maid, Brangien. She was more than just a maid and I really liked that. She supported Guinevere and helped her with everything she was supposed to already know. Also, Brangien's love interest and how Guinevere helps them see one another melted my lil heart.
Now, the patchwork knight was my favorite. The mystery of their identity and whether or not they were involved in nefarious things was excellent. And I was more than pleased when we do finally figure out who the patchwork knight was.
I even liked Arthur, even though he wasn't really center stage in this book. I'm hoping we get more of him with Guinevere in the next book because I totally want these two to love each other forever and ever.
I thought the writing was beautiful and the characters were loveable. So when I went to mark this book finished on goodreads I was more than surprised to see that it has almost a 3.5 star average. I think that has to do with how well loved the original myth of King Arthur is. As I said above, I'm not overly familiar with it, so I wouldn't know one way or the other how close it stayed to the original or didn't. Many of the reviews I read that spoke negatively of this book were readers that pointed out they love the original mythology. But that wasn't something that was a factor for me.
So, maybe don't pick this one up if you're a huge fan of the story of King Arthur, but if you're like me and vaguely know it. You might love this one like I did.
Keep on reading lovelies, amanda.

This book was incredibly boring and I felt like it dragged for so long. I loved White’s And I Darken series and I expected it to be like that it terms of its tone and fierceness when it came to female leads but I felt like this missed the mark.

I really enjoyed that the setting didn’t feel generic, nor the mysteries contrived. I had a good grasp on who all the players were and (though maybe because it’s built on established canon) Camelot felt real and unique to me. I also thought the magic system was well-crafted and memorable.

I wish there had been more about who Guinevere is, toward the end of the book. I felt as if that got brushed aside for plot and I was left hanging. On the other hand, the character dynamics and unanswered questions will definitely draw me to the sequel, so maybe that’s worth an open-ended feeling!

I'm not much of an Arthurian legend fanatic but I know the very basic bare bones stuff of it.

I liked how the author tried to give Guinevere some agency compared to the original tale. I enjoyed the parts where she wove magic and used it to find or do the things she want. But, honestly, there was still something missing from this recreation of her character. First of all, there isn't any explanation of the motivation behind her being sent - as in what's in it for her? Why did she agree to do this? What does she get out of it? Love? Riches? Camelot? All good questions but they aren't fully answered in the text which makes me unable to connect or root for her. Which in the end still makes her seem a bit more of a quiet, pushover character.

The pacing is slow with more of the day to day things without real action happening. Much of the exciting parts of the Arthurian legend has already taken place so we're left with the after. The writing is much the same as when I read her first book, Paranormalcy, so it's not bad by any means. Very readable.

I wanted more and didn't get it. The cover artist better have been paid handsomely for the great work they did.

I'm not too familiar with the Knights of the Round Table tale, and that might impact how someone reads this story... as for me, I'm obsessed.

It took me a little bit to get into the story, I'm not sure if it was where we were dropped into the story, the character names, or the narration, but something was holding me back for the first couple chapters. But once I got to chapter 3, I started getting really hooked into the story.

I love the character relationships! Guinevere and Brangien, just the best friendship! Guinevere and Arthur, complicated but intriguing. Guinevere and Modred.... I was really into that. In fact so interested that 90% of the things I highlighted had to do with him... I'm not sure what this says about me but oh well.

I'm very interested in seeing where this goes. There's queer characters, magic, and mystery and that's really all I could ever ask for.

The Guinevere Deception is a five-star read for me and one of my top ten books of the year. I hadn't read any Kiersten White before this book and am certainly not an Arthurian buff, but for whatever reason, I just really wanted to read this. And I'm so glad I did. I've seen other commenters note that it can be slow-paced in the beginning followed by a huge amount of action at the end. While I somewhat agree, I really wasn't bothered by the pace. I think the book moves quickly and I liked how things were being setup. I didn't find Guinevere's actions or circumstances to be slow, but again, I can see how others could feel that way. The ending was a jaw-dropper and I CANNOT wait for the follow up books. So many good things were started here and I'm very much looking forward to what's in store next.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

"Stories are not nails to be driven home. They are tapestries to be woven."

While I’m not big on Arthurian legends, I have always enjoyed reading about the stories of Queen Guinevere, King Arthur, and Merlin. A new story with these three characters told in a new light served as an exciting premise to dive into for new possibilities (I will admit, however, Mordred as a good guy almost had me fooled).
I highly recommend this for readers who enjoy magic, retellings, and especially the BBC series Merlin.

I go through reading cycles where my interest in Arthurian legend ebbs and flows. Recently, it’s been rising to the surface again and it was just in time for Kiersten White’s recent release of The Guinevere Deception, the first novel in her new YA Camelot Rising Trilogy. I had read something by her a while back and remembered her name. While I didn’t enjoy the story of that novel enough to continue in that series, I did appreciate her writing itself. Mixing that with the familiar characters from Camelot and I was ready to try another of her series. And having finished this initial installment for the Camelot Rising Trilogy, I will absolutely keep an eye out for when to expect the second book.

While Guinevere is making her first journey to Camelot, accompanied by Arthur’s knights with her wedding to take place upon arrival, she muses on her true mission. She is not really Guinevere. She is Merlin’s daughter and he has sent her to Arthur so she can use her own skill in magic to protect the young and idealistic king from magical threats. In his rise to power and his quest to reform Camelot, Arthur defeated the Dark Queen and banished magic (and those who use it, including Merlin) from his kingdom. The true nature of Guinevere is only the first of many twists in what promises to be a new take on the ancient legend, designed with a modern audience in mind.

I read The Once and Future King in either high school or middle school and read excerpts of various other tales in the Arthur mythology during my literature studies in college, so I have a working knowledge of most of the major characters and the outlines of the biggest commonalities. That knowledge certainly helped with regard to a bit of what unfolded in The Guinevere Deception, but it also made some of the twists more entertaining. Rather than being completely predictable, there was a predictable layer to most of the twists and turns, with a more satisfying surprise underneath ­– the kind of element you expect, that lulls you into thinking you were right, only for the real twist to hit its mark with greater impact.

Following Guinevere so closely (but not in a first-person narration, for which I was exceptionally grateful), there are times when it’s clear she’s jumping to a conclusion too quickly or is being too naïve. Though it could be annoying or frustrating, it is perfectly in keeping with her character, both because of her personal background and because she’s only supposed to be sixteen (and Arthur is only eighteen, which I had a difficult time remembering a lot of the time).

Thematically, Guinevere’s struggles with her identity are the most prominent in the novel. The decision to make her Merlin’s daughter and for her to be impersonating another is part of what drew me to this novel. As events progress and Guinevere learns more about Merlin and the role he played in Arthur’s life and Camelot’s reimagining under Arthur’s rule, she questions everything she’s known and ultimately looks to what (and who) she wants to be in the larger scheme of things. The more traditional questions about right, wrong, justice, and mercy spiral out from Guinevere’s personal grappling.

I look forward to the continuation of the series, hopefully sometime next year (and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to preview it).

The problem with retellings is that readers may have both knowledge of the story you're retelling as well as strong attachment to specific pieces of the original. Think of it like this, in music let's say there's a famous song that everyone loves. But if an artist comes in to do a cover of this song there might be specific melodies or notes or inflections that if changed would leave the audience unsatisfied and wishing for the original. That's kind of how I felt about The Guinevere Deception. Granted, I haven't delved extensively into King Arthur's stories and what I have read was like ten or fifteen years ago. So not everything is fresh in my mind. However, there are certain key things that I knew I didn't want messed with or had been hoping Kiersten White would go in a specific direction. And well...she did not.

I was all for bringing some strong(er) female characters into this world, but one of the things that I'm coming to find is that oftentimes this is done at the expense of strong male characters. That's not always the case, but it does happen. And I was a little conflicted with how Kiersten White chose to go about her changes to the females in this story.

First there Guinevere who is not Guinevere. We still don't learn her real name, and honestly, I'm not sure she even remembers it by the end of the book. She's Merlin's daughter and thus can use magic. She believes she's sent to Camelot by Merlin to protect Arthur from an unknown magical threat. To remain close to him, they marry and she becomes queen. Even though she's active in trying to find the magical threat against Arthur, I was a little disappointed that her biggest accomplishment (from Camelot's view) is planning and executing a tournament. I feel like there could have been some better uses of her within the story and in Camelot that might defy the traditional role of a woman and/or a queen from that time period beyond the magical. My issues with this are complex and would take a great deal longer to discuss than I want to do here in this review.

Brangien is Guinevere's maid. She also becomes her closest friend. She came to Camelot with Sir Tristan when he was banished for his love affair with Isolde. Only Tristan wasn't the one in love with Isolde. So while I loved Brangien as a character, Tristan and Isolde's story is one of those pieces of the source material that I wasn't fond of being twisted. It's like taking the high note out of I Will Always Love You as sung by Whitney Houston.

Dindrane...I couldn't decide how I felt about her. She's one of those characters that most people would hate but Guinevere saw beyond the surface and took on as a friend. I guess knowing that the things she says are mostly her attempts at protecting herself emotionally helps, but at times she could appear delusional. Thankfully Dindrane knew that Guinevere wasn't really buying what she was selling and so her comments became comical where they could have been more grating. I wasn't sure she was fleshed out enough. Or maybe Kiersten White knew her well enough but the reader doesn't get to understand her as much as I would have liked. I was excited to see her have the possibility of a romance though.

Rhoslyn was fine. Nothing really to complain about there.

I (mostly) liked how Kiersten White chose to write Lancelot. I never have liked the love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere in the original legends. Lancelot probably accomplishes the most (beyond Guinevere) of what Kiersten White was trying to accomplish with her approach to this retelling. However, there's one line that becomes a Mountains Out of Molehills issue for me.

I definitely appreciated how Kiersten White chose to write Arthur. He is no less captivating than he should be. The way that he's written is supposed to keep you guessing as to his feelings and intentions toward Guinevere, but I found everything about him to be the exact reason for me pressing on and continuing this book when at multiple times I thought about putting it into the DNF pile. If anything, I am curious to see the continued development of Arthur as things move forward, but to be honest, I'm not sure I'll finish the series as further books are published. I'll see how I feel after some time has passed and what the descriptions look like for the remaining two books.

Mordred kept me guessing the most. Was he an enemy? An ally? In love with Guinevere? Would he expose Guinevere if he found out about her use of magic? So many of my questions revolved around him. And I bounced back and forth between whether I liked him or not.

Kudos to whoever designed the cover for this one because it is stunning in my opinion.

All in all, I felt like Kiersten White didn't just want to write an empowering, female-strong version of King Arthur and his court so much as a politically correct, LGBT friendly one which resulted in her twisting some of my favorite pieces of the original stories. In some areas, I enjoyed the twists, and in others, I felt like she strayed too far. The analogy I used above was of someone covering a Whitney Houston song without hitting the high notes or changing the melody. Some pieces of the original are too ingrained and left me feeling unsatisfied with the changes she decided to make. I bounced around so much with my enjoyment of the book. At times I was dying to get back to it, and other times I was considering DNFing it. I had to go back to my rating scale which lands me at 2.5 Stars. I can't say it was completely "ugh" but I don't think I can give it a "pretty good" either. Have you read The Guinevere Deception? What did you think? Let me know!

I was given this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can't remember the last time that I read a book that made me feel so much or that I enjoyed as much as this.

I don't think I've ever read the original King Arthur, so my knowledge is limited to a couple of films.

I've also never had the pleasure of reading a Kiersten White piece before although I've been tempted more than once.

Having finished this one I can say that her work is atmospheric, the prose is nearly lyrical, and the story crafting was absolutely everything I wanted.

When you read as frequently as I do you start to notice patterns in storytelling, and it's not easy to be caught off guard. The ending was a shock that I'm honestly still reeling.

I love this feminine reimagining. I love focusing on the girls that are so often over looked. For the first time in such a very long time, I had trouble pickinga favorite character because they were all so wondeful.

I don't want to ruin anything for you, but if you're on the fence about it, get it! You won't be dissapointed. Perfect for high fantasy fans. I'm dying for the next one!

Helloooo, gorgeous cover!

“There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl on the cusp of womanhood.”


I was especially excited to see this was an Arthurian retelling from Guinevere’s POV, and that it deals with the clash between magic and, well, men. Arthur was made king because of magic (a sword, Merlin) but can only stay king by pushing out that magic (banishing Merlin, turning to Christianity). This also leads to a curtailing of women’s power – both magical and political. The Lady in the Lake and the Dark Queen may have had far-reaching powers, but the Queen of Camelot is reduced to seating charts for banquets and visiting the other ladies of court, a footnote in Arthur’s story. Because of that, the book does move somewhat slowly – there’s some adventure, but a lot of it is Guinevere exploring the limits of her life as a lady of Camelot.

“She was not Arthur’s wife, not really. But she was sad nonetheless. It was not easy, revolving around someone who did not revolve around her.”


I felt let down by the romance plot. Obviously, there’s something between Arthur and Guinevere, but there’s also a third character as well. I’m not much of a big fan of love triangles, though I’m more accepting of them in YA, and honestly at points I wanted to throw up my hands and tell Guinevere to hightail it out of Camelot and find some farmer or something. There were some good scenes between Arthur and Guinevere, but most of it is bookended by Guinevere fretting about why she couldn’t be interested in him. This was also compounded by the fact that Arthur felt bland to me. This may be by design – Arthur puts Camelot above everything else, including himself, and certainly above his wife. As for the other love interest, I loved their interactions, but, due to being familiar with the Arthurian legends, I had a pretty good idea how this would all end up.

“I believe in King Arthur. I believe in his story. And I want nothing more than to be part of it.”

With all that said, there was a lot I liked about this book. Guinevere’s friendship with Brangien, her lady’s maid, and other women in the castle and beyond were lovely. There were a lot of plot twists throughout the book, some obvious to me (the Patchwork Knight) and some not. While all those twists were exciting, it was also jarring, as it felt like a lot of information was being withheld from the reader for too long. I did like how Guinevere started the book as a blank slate and then slowly grew into her power and sense of self, accelerated in the last portion of the book. I’ve mentioned the slower pacing before, and it’s the end where everything really picks up and there’s action and plot twists a-plenty.

Overall, while the book wasn’t what I was expecting and seriously suffers from first-in-a-series syndrome, I’m still curious enough about what happens to Guinevere to read the next one. I'd rate the majority of the book as 3 stars, with the last portion being more 4 stars, so rounding down to 3.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I love Arthurian myth retellings, and I realized as I waited for the other shoe to drop on this book that I'm quite picky about them. But everything Kiersten White's done here in the first book in the Guinevere Deception series is right up my alley.

The characters are well realized, funny, interesting, and I would love to read a story from any of their points of view. But we're with Guinevere, a strong choice! Especially given the plotting of the story and the given history of the world White has built. The magic is interesting, but not too obtuse and detailed. It makes its own kind of sense and it's believable for us as an audience without too many details because it means things to the characters who practice it.

There's a pseudo love triangle where I'm rooting for both choices, and the turn that was bound to happen was so well done, I couldn't believe it. It was strange because I thought White would wait to have the character pivot until the second book or so, but it really works right at the end.

This was the first Kiersten White book I've read, but I'm dying to read everything else.

DNFed at 50%
I was super excited when I received this book from Netgalley, sadly this book was not for me. I normally really like her books and her retellings but this was just fell short for me.
It just didn’t hold my interest at all and I finally DNFed it at around 50%.
For one it just felt like the story or Guinevere, who by the way bot really Guinevere (not a spoiler it states it right in the beginning) ll over the place, we bounce around a lot in the story. It also was a bit on the slow site and it felt like never ending.
I also had a hard time connecting with the characters, Arthur who was not there a lot but mentioned and talked about I liked but again it was hard for me to connect to him if he is hardly there.
Guinevere seemed lost herself and all over the place with no real direction so I had a even harder time to connect to her.
Of course there were another people but most just were meh….. I had some thoughts about what is about to come and will be a plot twist so I asked a friend who read it all how it ends and such. But I was not surprised and basically everything I thought would happen did happen.
Overall, meh book for me. I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it this time around. I’m sure there will be plenty of people who will love it.
I rate it 2 ★

I loved this magical retelling of King Arthur! The plot was gripping from the very first page and kept me wanting to read more the entire time. I can’t wait for the the story to continue in the next book!

I really enjoyed reading this, and it was an absolute page-turner, but before I delve into all my favorite parts, I have one note. The ending of this book left me with a LOT of questions and felt rushed? I understand there are still books to come which will probably answer these questions, but it felt like the story ended too soon (but that may simply be because of how involved I felt while reading). Anyways, moving on to all that I did really enjoy!
The whole premise of an Arthurian retelling threw me off at first because I don't know much of the stories besides the absolute basics, but I very quickly fell in love with the whole world of Camelot.
The character development was beautiful. Also very mysterious and left me wanting to know WHAT IS REAL?!? ARE MY THEORIES CORRECT? (and I had a LOT of theories while reading this.
Overall, this was a great start to a series and definitely left me wanting the next book to come out ASAP!

I loved this book. I thought the plot was good and the characters were very fun and interesting. And I loved that it focused so much on the women. The magic was very nature based and the action was very exciting. I am really looking forward to the rest of the series.

“The Guinevere Deception” begins with a wedding where the new Queen works to protect King Arthur from an unknown enemy while hiding her magic from those who wish to see her death or banishment for simply wielding the craft but as the Dark Queen hungers for revenge Guinevere finds herself looking to the past to find the truth which can unmake the future.
I think this book had a lot of aspirations but unfortunately didn’t know what to do with them, it was clear we had to get from point A to point B over the course of the novel but everything leading up to that journey was such a drag that it took all the willpower I had to continue. There’s a lot of wandering and sleeping which I would have cut in favor of action or even character development but instead we get a noble King who graciously grants us his presence sparingly thought out the novel with lighthearted romance that is there if you squint your eyes just right, a witch Queen who wants to be the weapon she believes she is but is too often shuffled off or stumbling around the holes in her memory to really be useful and a cast of characters that filter in and out when they can’t have her sleeping anymore.
Lancelot was one I was eager to meet especially with the twist but unfortunately the knights appearance is made at the halfway point and a few times after without really making any sort of statement which was disappointing but I have hope for the character to have a larger role in the books moving forward I’m just not sure this was enough for me to want to stick around and see if it happens.
I feel like if you enjoy all things Camelot and the legends of King Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere and Lancelot there’s probably enough here for you to enjoy but if you’re coming into it from any other place it might leave much to be desired.

I liked this book.

Kiersten White builds worlds beautifully, her Camelot is well fleshed out, detailed, and concise.
Her Guinevere is unique from others I have read, without going into spoilers she is both more and less vulnerable than the standard "Damsel in Distress" type that has been the model for Guinevere in the past.
She writes with a strong sense of place, so her forests, castles, and caves are almost like their own characters, which makes for a fuller fantasy read.
Merlin, Lancelot, Mordred, Morgana, and Arthur all make appearances, both big and small, and many of them are not what one would expect from these characters of legend.

I understand that this book is the start of a series, so perhaps that is why the pacing was not great for me. I gave it 3 stars, honestly it's probably a 3.5, and I will most likely read the next book in the series when it is released.

Happy book birthday to Kiersten White’s newest novel The Guinevere Deception! I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley, for reviewing purposes!

The Guinevere Deception brings new life into the age old story of King Arthur and his Knights of the round table! Camelot has been a Kingdom devoid of magic, since Arthur banned its use to ensure the stability of the nation. After banishing Merlin, the threat of magic seemed to dwindle, but something dark has begun to stir in the forest. Guinevere has been sent to Camelot with a mission to protect King Arthur, but no idea what she is supposed to be protecting him from. Immediately upon her arrival in Camelot, she is wed to Arthur, forcing her to leave behind who she was and become Queen. Guinevere has not come to Camelot to be a Queen, though, and soon she finds herself frustrated by the ways she is limited by her position. Soon she finds herself caught, both by the wonderful world Arthur has built and the darkness that seems to lurk behind every corner.

Guinevere has often been an overlooked part of the story of Camelot, but she takes center stage in this fantastic novel full of mystery and magic! I have loved every novel from Kiersten White so far, but The Guinevere Deception takes the title of my new favorite! The characters are witty and full of depth, so that you find yourself rooting for conflicting sides throughout the story. I was constantly guessing at what would come next, and I was rarely correct in my assumptions. The Guinevere Deception is the Camelot revival I’ve been waiting for, since first hearing the legend and thinking, “What about Guinevere?”

You can get your copy of The Guinevere Deception now from Delacorte Press!

My Recommendation-
I would recommend this book to lovers of retellings (especially ones that outshine the source material in character expansion and world building)! The Guinevere Deception is equal parts mystery, fantasy and feminist retelling, so if you love any of those genre’s you won’t want to miss it!