I received this copy from Netgalley for an honest review! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book
! Although, I was granted this ARC less than 4-5 days before its release date, so I had to finish my previous books to dive into this one.

Kiersten White DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I loved " As I Darken" trilogy- the whole world was badass, a little dark, massive girl power ( and a historical fiction junky here). I really enjoy a tad dark YA books and excited to know the author was coming out with yet another retelling of a loved retelling.

I do admit it was a tad slow read for me in the beginning, but it was definitely worth the push through. Guinevere's persona grows throughout the book, has a lot of feminism in the book as well ( I did mention badass girl power).
Overall, the book lived up to my expectations not as much as As I Darken, probably because I really enjoyed the historical portion of the trilogy, but also because I felt that the story plot building was a slow build for me. Not saying the book was bad, but for me, a tad slow in this series.

I will probably re-read this book as I did try to rush through to get my honest review before the release date, weep weep, so my review could potentially change :)!

Thank you again Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read Kiersten White's next book!

Kiersten white writes the books my heart craves for. While not as dark as her previous books I am so excited to read the rest of the series.

I was so excited to get this ARC! I love this author and I absolutely love stories of Arthur, Guinevere and the kingdom of Camelot. I thought the author did such an outstanding job with the world building of this story. There was such a lyrical quality to the writing and the characters were phenomenal. There were so many amazing female characters. The women of this story were not just helpless damsels in distress. No, they were all independent and feisty, especially Guinevere. I loved the quiet intensity of the romances. It was so perfect for that time period. There were so many secrets revealed towards the end and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series to find out what happens. My only note was that there were a few parts of the book that dragged a little with the plot in relation to other parts. But it was still an excellent read.

I love Arthurian legend. I did my freshmen thesis in university on: The Role of Mordred in Arthurian Legend and How it Changed Through Time. So when I say that I love Arthurian legend, I mean I love it and have done more research on it than maybe the average reader. I love checking out retellings of Arthurian legends too. However, this year hasn’t been my year for Arthurian retellings (Check out my review of Once & Future). But I had a lot of hope for The Guinevere Deception because I have loved some of Kiersten White’s other novels. I love The Conquerors Saga and I love The Chaos of Stars, but I didn’t love The Guinevere Deception.

One of the reasons that I didn’t love this book, as much as I hope I would, was the pacing of this book. The pacing for the first 75% of it was just slow. It was a two star read for the first 75%, occasionally bordering on a one star because I wanted to skip, skim, or even at times just DNF it. However, the last 25% of the book was vastly more interesting, quick-paced and action packed. The conflict had finally fully arrived, but for me it was almost a little too little too late. The plot just took off a little too slowly for my liking, partially because she introduces the antagonists so late in the story.

There are two main antagonists in this story, one is human and one is not. One is just the “main” antagonist for this first book, but the second is most likely the antagonist for the series. However, the antagonist for this first book didn’t really become active until the last 20% or so of the book. He’s mentioned once or twice, and we meet him earlier, but he doesn’t really come into play until the very end. He also serves little to no real purpose because his wickedness is undermined really quickly by the coming of the main villain for the series. He’s basically a sacrificial pawn and only there to say, “Yes, this story had an antagonist specific to this book.” It was really a waste, when he could have been introduced so much earlier. However, this entire book just felt like set up for the next in the series.

This book took way too much time setting up characters, setting, and backstory. Things that should have taken up maybe 30% of the book (and I think I am being generous) took almost 70% of it. It was boring and tedious. The setting is one that we’re fairly familiar with, but yes, we know this is a spin so it’s different. We’re kept in the dark so long in terms of plot and characters that it was hard to get invested for the vast majority of the book. I can’t even really tell you what most of the main characters actually look like because it was that forgettable. I can remember what Guinevere (sort of), Arthur (sort of), and Mordred (sort of) look like. Speaking of which I was really hoping for a different path for Mordred, but I can’t say too much on that without giving stuff away.

It’s really hard for me to say what I should be rating this book or if I should recommend it. If it was a standalone book it would be awful. However, it is the first book in a series. I hate it when authors use the entire first book just to set up the rest of the series. It’s a waste of a book and to a certain extent a readers time. I also don’t know if I should recommend books based on the last 25% of a book, when those with less desire to see it through would DNF it quite a bit earlier than that. I also have conflicting feelings because I have really like Kiersten White’s other books, but just because I like an author doesn’t mean they get an automatic five star pass. I think this book was just okay.

Overall, if you’re a really dedicated reader of Kiersten White books, you are going to read it no matter what I write in a review. If you like Arthurian legends and retellings, you may read this not matter what I write in a review also. I’m also on the fence about whether I will continue this series. However, if you’re borderline or just want to try a Kiersten White book, read The Conqueror’s Saga. I will say, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, but a cover doesn’t make a book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delcorte Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are definitely my own.

This was my first introduction to Kiersten White. I was drawn in by the description and the fact that this retelling takes place in the magical world of Camelot. “Guinevere” was brought to Camelot to wed King Arthur and protect the king. This book got off to a pretty slow start and there were some pacing issues. However, I got much more into the series toward the end and would definitely give the next book a shot. I would say this book was a 3 star read in the first half and 4 stars in the second. I really love the character of Guinevere and look forward to seeing her growth in the upcoming novels. Lancelot was a great character with an interesting twist. Arthur was a little shallow and I would like to see more from him in the next books. The Guinevere Deception will definitely appeal to fans of Kiersten White and Athurian legends.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A slow start to what could be an interesting series.

It took Guinevere too long to really come into her own and not much really happens for a large part of the story. And I’m still a little confused by some pieces that weren’t totally explained or fleshed out.

But it felt like it has potential. I definitely want to see where the story goes from here.

If you can get past the introduction, this book is a wonder of a retelling. At first glance it reminds me of ACOTAR in its lack of compelling narrative, but just like those books, after a sharp vicissitude where things – no spoilers - start to happen, the book becomes wholly consuming and fun to read.
One of the biggest sells is the positioning of a feminist narrative in the Arthur retelling. Women felt well-rounded as opposed to one-dimensional plot devices. Even more so, the sense of sisterhood and female/female support was championed, which was refreshing – women weren’t shoved into the normal catty and vicious stereotype. Although you could argue this has a homogeneous hetero message, it does break from status quo with the inclusion of intriguing LGBTQAI+ characters. And, although not in fully consequential protagonist roles, they were well-written and didn’t feel like an after-thought inclusion. Sure, almost every character starts seemingly pigeon-holed into a neat, bland box, but they slowly degrade that characterization and become more compelling and thoughtful – human, even.
I would recommend this book and all successive ones, especially if you’re a fan of darker themes, myths, feminist/LGBTQIA+ positioning, and surprising twists. Tough out the beginning, it gets so, so much better.

Thanks to NetGalley and a friend with the arc for the early review!

I did enjoy this book quite a bit and am excited to see what comes next.

This book went through some ups and downs for me. Sometimes I wanted it to go faster to get it over with, and sometimes I wanted it to go faster because it was just so good. I really liked Guinevere's character and I can't wait to see her grow and learn more. I liked the diversity and the acceptance of the diversity in the story. I'm excited to see where this series goes and I'm looking forward to the next books!

I love Kiersten White's writing and her ability to tell a story. She took the story of King Arthur and Guinevere and turned it on it's head, and made it a refreshing tale about feminism and magic. I loved Guinevere's character and how her magic worked. Lancelot's character is also incredible. For Kiersten to take a famous character, Lancelot, and turn him into a woman who is determined to become a knight and do all she can for her country was surprising and amazing! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for book two!

This is a 3.5 out of 5 for me. I would even say a 3 for the first two thirds and a 4 for the final third of the book. I feel like I’m still looking for a good retelling from this time period. I am very familiar with this time period and I felt like this missed the mark (for me). Now, I didn’t not like this book. It had good notes, and not many necessarily bad notes. I feel that I really struggled in the beginning with timing and character development. I enjoyed the end of the book much more and still have a few questions.

I found that the most character development happened during the second half of the book when the plot took off. I found the foundation laid in the first half of the book to be slow and of low importance. The reader is kept in the dark for far too long. As I crossed the half way point, I found myself more invested in the secondary characters rather than in Guinevere and Arthur. Their relationship had a few good sparks but could have been elevated more.

The pace was a little off for me in this book. I wasn’t sure how much time was passing or if the amount of time passing justified the results of each conflict. I also found that at times, plot twists and reveals were underplayed when they could have been drawn out, and things that were drawn out could have been shortened. The reveal of Lancelot’s secret near the end would be my example of this.

I did really enjoy a lot of this book. I liked the dialogue when it was less controlled, the nods to the legend itself and the potential for this series. I just want more development of the MCs and their relationships. More of it all!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One of the best reimaginings of King Author and Guinevere I have read! I enjoyed it so, so much. There are so many retellings of King Author, but not many that really delve into Guinevere and I loved this take on her. It was different than anything else written about them and I truly appreciated a fresh take.

I felt so invested in the characters--my heart literally couldn't take it by the end, I swear. I got to see some of my favorite characters in a new light and I loved it.

I loved it! The story just pulled me in with the first page. I have always loved the story of Camelot, but this version provides a great female lead. I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy.

I could not finish “The Guinevere Deception,” I read 30% of the book and had to quit. I really wanted to like this book but felt no connection to it. “Guinevere” was a dull character. The author tried to make her a mysterious creature but she didn’t have much personality. Also, everything seemed too unknown. Guinevere would talk about how she was unsure of some magic (such as touch magic) but that she would try it anyways. The first 30% of the book is Guinevere traveling, walking or vaguely speaking of magic. Overall the book was slow moving and the characters weren’t intriguing. I couldn’t bring myself to keep reading it.

I have always held a special place in my heart for the tales of Arthur and his knights, and I always love a chance to read a retelling of some of my favorite stories. Having read Kiersten White before, I was eager to read The Guinevere Deception as she has a way of capturing retellings and making it fresh and new. Kiersten White's retelling twists it to a more feminist aspect where Guinevere is actually the one who is trying to keep Arthur safe.

While she might be called Guinevere, we the reader know that the real one is dead and our Guinevere is the daughter of Merlin, and marries to Arthur to protect him from those who might destroy the young King. Arthur was forced to banish Merlin as magic has been forbidden and Guinevere must  hide her identity as not everyone is to be trusted. 

The beginning of the book feels like the author is trying to establish characters and rebuild Camelot from the inside out so at times it can feel very slow paced. We get lots of introductions to the multitude of characters and some twists that keep the story interesting but still a little too slow for my liking. The story picks up very close to the end and it sets up a lot for subsequent books but it takes a long time to get to that part. You can see the threads of darkness working and weaving its way throughout the book but the fact that it really doesn't come together until those last 75 pages or so was frustrating, not going to lie. I'm really eager for the next book because of that set up, but it took so long to get there. I still love Kiersten White's writing style and the twists to make it more feminine, especially in a story that has always been told about Arthur and his very male dominated world. I think, reading my own review, I would still hope people pick this up because I did like the book and I think readers should give it a chance.

**3.5 Stars**

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

I’ve been around long enough to read a fair share of King Arthur and Camelot legends. I remember devouring The Once & Future King by. T.H. White and The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley back in high school! I was obsessed. But it has been awhile since I’ve been interested in the legends and when I heard of The Guinevere Deception, I was intrigued!

This story is told through Guinevere’s perspective and what a view it is! We revisit Camelot through Guinevere’s eyes but deception is everywhere in this book. All is not what they seem at Camelot and magic is forbidden at Camelot, so what does that mean for Guinevere who was sent there for her ability to do magic? Arthur is under threat and she must protect him this time but is she able to or will all her efforts become unraveled?

What I Liked:

*The familiar characters from the Arthurian legends is nostalgic. It’s hard to resist a story about this boy who pulled a sword out of stone and is now a man and a most beloved, golden king. We have the knights and the villains, the legends have been retold so many times, it was nice to enter the world of Camelot again.

*The story of Camelot is really magical with Merlin the wizard, the knights of the round table and Guinevere. I loved the world building of Camelot in this story, it reminded me of why I fell in love with the legends in the first place.

*Kiersten White is a talented author and I’ve read a few of her books and love them. Once again, her writing shines and sucks you into the story.

*The backstory on the characters is important especially for someone new to the King Arthur legends and I thought it was done well. It helped jar my memory about certain characters I had forgotten.

*Love the twists about Guinevere, Lancelot, and even Mordred! I like how this book is reimagined for our current times. The author added LGBT relationships, and tweaked a few things about the story but I really enjoyed the changes.

*The book cover is amazing. 😍 I can only imagine what it looks like in real life!

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:

*I loved the beginning of the book because we meet Guinevere. But about 15%-20% into the book I felt like I was just waiting for something more to happen. I understand though that the backstories of some characters are important, but after Guinevere gets to Camelot it felt like the story slowed down.

*I struggled in the middle of the story because here is Guinevere who is sent to protect Arthur…but her magic seems so minimal. It seems like nothing much happens for a good half of the story, just world building, but the second half has much more action.

*I hope we get more character depth in the sequel because outside of Guinevere they were kind of bland. Sometimes even Guinevere was a bit blah…I’d like to see if Merlin comes back into the equation and maybe see Arthur being tested (like he was in other legends) and even Guinevere, the ending shows us there is much to learn about her!

Final Thoughts:
Overall, I enjoyed The Guinevere Deception, but the second half is much more engaging than the first half. It gives a some backstory for newcomers to the Arthurian legends and I enjoyed the changes and twists in the story. It’s a solid debut for this series and I look forward to reading the sequel!

Absolutely wonderful read! I enjoyed the plot, characters, and prose so much. Would definitely recommend it to anyone!

The Guinevere Deception is a reimagining of the story of King Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin and Lancelot. I love stories like this, where the author takes an old familiar story and spins it with new twists and unexpected surprises. However, in the case of The Guinevere Deception, I was not all that familiar with the original Arthurian legend. I think that perhaps took away a little of my enjoyment in this retelling.

This story does get off to a slow start, but the action picks up towards the end. I think I read the first half of the book in 10-20 page increments, but once I finally got into it, I finished the last half of the book in one sitting. It was an entertaining story, and even though I am not super familiar with the original Arthurian story, I did find the twists to be fun and enjoyable to read.

I would have loved to see more depth to some of the characters, Arthur especially felt somewhat shallow. Perhaps the next books will be able to explore his character more deeply, because even though this is a book centered on Guinevere, I still wanted to know more about Arthur and dig deeper into his story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is now available!

The Arthurian legend is used as a slim basis for what is essentially a newly imagined fantasy world, with many elements from familiar tales (a dark enchantress, magical woods, changelings) shaken up and recombined. I liked a lot of these ideas -- Guinevere's role in particular is a welcome departure from the usual, and I loved the image of Camelot as a rock-born fortress in the midst of a river -- but as a whole I wasn't pulled in enough by the story or characters to keep reading. I read enough to know this is a respectably written effort that will please many readers, though it wasn't compelling for me.

Camelot is in danger. Evil may have been defeated, but it still lurks in wait. Now that Merlin has been exiled from Camelot, though, he can’t protect Arthur from these threats. Merlin instead sends his daughter, disguised as Guinevere. Guinevere has to find out where the threat is coming from, all while hiding her magic, and pretending to be someone she’s not.

I received an advanced reading copy of The Guinevere Deception in exchange for an honest review.

The Guinevere Deception is a fantasy novel by Kiersten White, who also wrote The Conqueror’s Saga, which I reviewed on this blog a while ago! So when I got an opportunity to review an advanced reading copy of this book, of course I jumped at the chance! Especially because I’ve always been a huge fan of Arthurian literature and stories. How could I not read this one?

This is a very different and interesting concept to the story of Guinevere and Arthur. It’s great to see Guinevere in a stronger role, especially since she’s so often a victim of fate and her main plot is being involved with someone who isn’t her husband. But now she’s powerful and has a magical ability, and while throughout the entire novel I had the original story floating in the back of my mind, this new Guinevere stood out as different, but still reminiscent of the original story.

Guinevere is also a very determined character. She’s compassionate and stubborn, although she is often very naive. She’s a bit of a “born yesterday” trope, but instead of going with the “she must be protected” thing, she’s the one doing the protecting. And she’s protecting someone who doesn’t usually need protecting in these sort of books: the king, Arthur.

Other characters are also very different, especially as White changes the story to integrate women much more than previously, as well as LGBT themes. I applauded each of these changes, even as they surprised me, and I especially loved the community of women that White built in this story. Yes, men tend to get all the glory in Arthurian tales, but the women in these stories are also strong and powerful, and the way they support each other in this book were beautiful.

In general, there was a lot of beauty in the pages. I could tell that White had much love for Arthurian lore, but was also working to bring out the characters who don’t always shine through in the frequently-told stories. I really enjoyed the story, both the main plot of Guinevere seeking out the magical threat that Merlin told her about, and the subplots of Guinevere’s mysterious past, and the stories of other characters. Again, White focused a lot more than some authors do on secondary characters, giving them all individual plots and stories, all of them standing out from the others.

I have to say that, while I didn’t expect that specific twist at the end, I did expect who would be doing the actual twist. Maybe it was my knowledge of Arthurian stories that immediately made me suspect this character, but White did a good job of trying to lead me off the scent. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, though.

The Guinevere Deception was an excellent read, and I loved seeing another side of Arthurian myths and legends, one that focused on a different selection of characters and made their stories more prevalent. This book is also part of the Camelot Rising series, and I believe we might be getting the next book next year! I’ll definitely be picking it up when it’s released.

The Guinevere Deception was released yesterday by Delacorte Press. You can order your copy at this link here.

It's been over five years since I last read anything of White's, but a Camelot retelling definitely caught my attention! I have enjoyed several of these in the past, but it's been a while, so I was quite curious to see what fresh take White would spin!

Told from Guinevere's point of view, it quickly becomes clear that this Guinevere is far more than the cheating queen... and that this may not actually be Guinevere at all! The mystery of real identity drives the reader to turn pages just as much as the other action - from woods that spring up overnight, to plotting kingdoms to the north. Not to mention familiar characters like Arthur, Mordred, Lancelot, Merlin - even Tristan shows up! Some characters are more traditionally presented than others, but many have more drastically fresh twists from their classic inspirations. This all combines to make this feel very fresh despite the overall familiarity of the story.

The magic in particular is original and I really enjoyed this even more than I expected. I definitely plan on continuing on with this series! It's a solid re-telling with a lot of original elements and makes for a fast and fun read!