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!

I should have known from the beginning that this book wouldn’t be what I expected. I picked it up right away once approved and after reading a bit, didn’t find myself wanting to pick it back up. I didn’t read anything for a few days. Since this came out yesterday, I knew I needed to get it done but I just didn’t want to. At least I can say I finally finished it and here we are.

The hype got to me for this one and even the synopsis sounded like it would be quite the book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I expected when it came to a retelling for Arthur and the other characters.

One word that could easily sum up this whole book is bland. There was nothing that jumped out at me. The plot was bland. The characters were bland. The romance was bland. Even the plot twists were bland. Nothing really happened when it came to the villain until around 86%. I shouldn’t have to wait until the sequel to get something worthwhile. It will turn me off and I will not want to pick up the second book.

There was nothing special about Guinevere. She wanted to be painted as this strong character but she wasn’t. The men helped her more than once and she was pining over Arthur even though they hardly had anything to do with each other. There was nothing I liked about her.

Arthur may have been charismatic but he seemed lost in the clouds. Whenever Guinevere tried to have a serious conversation with him, he would brush it off. He talked about being more than just partners and finally felt something after she was kidnapped? He just seemed oblivious to everything.

The other characters were not much better. Basically the whole book was more about getting to know the characters. The thing is, I didn’t want to get to know them. Not one stood out. Not one was interesting enough.

The plot and plot twists, like I said above, were bland. Nothing surprised me and I found myself just eye-rolling throughout. There wasn’t much romance and even if there was more, it still wouldn’t have saved this book for me. I guess you could say there was a bit of a love triangle, but not really. The romances were always one-sided.

When it came to the retelling, I guess you could say it was a retelling but it went so far that the characters had no traits that left them like their counterparts. It really wasn’t for me. Retellings are hard for me to be pleased with and this one didn’t cut it.

Overall, I didn’t like it. There was not one thing that I enjoyed about this book.

The Guinevere Deception is the first book in author Kiersten White's Camelot Rising series. While most books in the Arthurian era focus solely on King Arthur and Excalibur, Guinevere has managed to stay a secondary character at best in a majority of those stories. Guinevere has been living in a convent, but is now on her way to Camelot to marry King Arthur. Guinevere arrives at Camelot hiding a secret. She has just been sent to Camelot to protect Arthur from evil magic outside the borders of the kingdom.

In order to do so, she must hide her true identity from the people of Camelot, and Arthur's trusted knights who all seem to accept her without much reservation. Arthur has been told to expect her, and sticks to the story throughout by not letting out who or what Guinevere really is. She must keep her identity, find out the unseen evil that Merlin saw coming, and also keep up the charade of being queen. Guinevere thinks her mission is straightforward, but encounters with the king's nephew Mordred, the mysterious patchwork knight and Arthur himself soon have her reconsidering.

How can she know what is the right choice when everyone is keeping secrets? Guinevere is so much more than that just a Princess who becomes a Queen, But, she's afraid to let any of it out, afraid to be caught, afraid to leave Arthur without magical protection when enemies are close at hand and moving closer to causing more issues for Arthur. In this world, Merlin and magic both have been banished. But, magic begins to creep out of it's hiding place, and so to does Guinevere's. This takes an interesting twist by adding characters like Tristan, Isolde, as well as Brangien, who in my mind is actually Branwen.

Depending on whom you talk to, Tristan may or may not have been one of the Knights of the round table under Arthur. While Isolde does not make an appearance in this book, she's not far from the minds of either Tristan or Brangien who ends up being maid to Guinevere. Brangien is a pretty interesting character as well. Guinevere is not a end all for the issues in Camelot. In fact, she's often confused as to why she has no memories of her past, or who she should trust, and whether or not to let Arthur in to her heart.

There is some gender bending of a surprising cast member who I won't spoil. As Guinevere struggles and grows throughout this story, we get an inside look at the Camelot that is something of legends. Arthur has spilled blood in order to defeat his father Uther Pendragon, as well as the Dark Queen. Arthur strives for peace and order with every breath of his being. He's a legend who has had to deal with the circumstances of his birth, as well as the banishment of his good friend Merlin. Arthur inspires unbreakable loyalty within all who come to know him, even Guinevere who may be tempted by the fruit of another hanging branch, but ends up surprising readers in the end.

There are not enough stars for this book, and five stars in no way do this book justice. You know you love a book when you spend three nights in a row reading way into the night because you are just so captivated by the world and characters an author has created.

I’d always admired Guinevere and Arthur and his court but yet.. I had never bothered to read anything based on this world. Up until this book, I had just heard stories and knew who were the bad guys and good guys but this book? It opened my eyes SO much, it taught me that Guinevere was her own woman not to be over shadowed by a King, even if it was such a king as King Arthur. I learned that even those who you think are the bad guys, can seduce you into thinking they are good only to betray you in the worst way possible, and I learned that a boy king whose had the weight of the world dropped on his shoulders, is still a teenager and is going to make many a mistake before he finally gets his shit together.

I absolutely cannot wait to read the second book, because not only did this book leave me in such a want for more knowledge, I can’t wait to see where this author will take these characters I so easily fell in love with.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

Let me just say first of all that Arthurian legends are one of my favorite literary pockets on the planet.
So I was really excited to see a new take on this. And it did not disappoint.
Specially since this one took Guinevere out of her traditional tale of being a side piece in Arthur's tale, the wife he could never love, with no real part of her own.

Seeing that turned on it's head was incredibly refreshing.
We arrive after all the good stuff has happened, this is set after Arthur is already claimed Camelot, and fought his great battle with Excalibur, given to him by the Lady of the Lake. The battle is seemingly won, or is it?

If you aren't familiar with the tale, it might help if you do a little homework on this first, otherwise I think it might be a bit hard to follow.

Guinevere isn't exactly what she appears, she certainly isn't the mild mannered convent raised girl she was supposed to be. Merlin is moving all the pawns and everyone is in the dark, controlling everything from behind the scenes. What is true is that Arthur and Guinevere are going to need each other more than they know. An old threat is rising, Guinevere must look inside herself to figure out who and what she truly is and use everything in her arsenal to keep Arthur safe.
Without revealing to anyone that she is a user of magic, as it is completely forbidden in Camelot.
I enjoyed the twist on Lancelot's character! That was a true surprise that made me really happy to see!

This feels less like a retelling, and more of a sequel. But I'm enjoying it, and look forward to seeing how the upcoming tension between humans and magic turn out, and to see Guinevere's further development.

So I loved this book enough to procrastinate my organic chemistry studying, which is saying a lot bc I really need to know my ochem ASAP for my test. But I digress.
SO I am a SUCKER for retellings, especially of tales like Robin Hood or King Arthur. (this was obviously King Arthur). I love the turn the author took with this tale. Enough of it was new and interesting but enough was old and familiar. I don't want to get too detailed because I don't want to spoil anything. I also LOVED the magic present in the book. SO interesting and I've never really seen it done but I loved it. I do wish we got to see more of Merlin, but this tale takes place after the bulk of the King Arthur tale we know and love. There was a part of the book at the end that felt very de ja vu, like I'd read it before (or maybe seen it, on BBC's Merlin?) but i could be crazy. Or it could be part of the original tale the author pulled in. I did feel like the end wrapped up very suddenly, and I don't feel like the main character has much depth yet, but I still loved reading about her and I'm interested to see the growth she and the other characters will experience in later books, as well as what twists and turns await us.

I read this book quickly, so it is obviously compelling, but there were some flaws that marred the overall experience. As noted in other reviews, there is a superficiality in character development that pervades the book. Motivations are unclear and pasts are shrouded in mystery. This is especially true with the protagonist, Guinevere. This lack of clarity simultaneously drives the novel forward while mildly irritating the reader. It is disconcerting to have a protagonist know so little about him/herself, but it helped build suspense and culminated in the long-awaited reveal at the end of the book. White was kind enough to drop hints of Guinevere's origin throughout the book, but it was still maddening to wait until the end to uncover her truth.

Another flaw borne of this superficiality is a lack of connection with the characters. The overwhelming lack of depth prevented an emotional attachment, keeping readers at a respectful distance. The main characters were certainly likable, but they contained no spark or essence that would bind them to the reader. They were not particularly memorable and will fade in time, awaiting resurrection in the sequels.

In spite of these issues, I enjoyed reading The Guinevere Deception. I have always loved Arthurian Legends and I like the twists incorporated by Kiersten White. She offers a distinctly feminine and feminist perspective of Camelot and the alterations to the story are imaginative and fun. I look forward to the continued evolution of the characters and their stories. White has effectively snared my interest and I fully intend to read the sequel (s).

3.5 stars.

While The Guinevere Deception didn't leave me as wowed as I'd have liked, I still found it a solid start to a series.

First off, the magic was so fascinating. I loved the concept of knotting magic and how all these different types (fire, water, etc.) came with a price. Guinevere herself was intriguing due to her faulty memory, and I loved the depth this added to her character. She struggled with her past and future as well as her identity, and the unreliable nature this gave her made her story all the more engaging. The plot itself moved along a bit slowly, but I didn't have a problem with this on the whole. I also really liked the concept of the Dark Queen and the bits of narrative we got from her. The romance didn't do much for me (honestly because I don't think it's meant to at this point), but I liked the friendships Guinevere formed, especially with a certain patchwork knight.

I do wish the other characters, Arthur in particular, had been more developed, as most were rather bland. And Merlin? I wanted to see so much more of him, both in the narrative and in Guinevere's memories, because the way he's presented was super interesting. And while I didn't mind the general pacing, there were some instances in the latter half that felt rushed and underdeveloped; perhaps this is because I was reading an ARC, but I couldn't help but wonder at these moments when emotions and important events were glossed over.

I have theories, and I need answers, so I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. I'm hoping that the series will grow stronger, as was the case with White's Conqueror's Saga, so I remain optimistic.

“There was good, and there was evil, but there was so much space between the two.”

Ok. So before reading this one I read some of the negative reviews, so I was mentally prepared for the first parts of the story to be slow rolling. And it was exactly that, slow slow rolling. But oddly, I enjoyed it. I am someone who does NOT usually enjoy so much building of a retelling world, but this is sort of an alt universe Camelot, so there was a bit of building that was necessary. It definitely picks up around the halfway mark as reveals are made and we stop building so much.

Guinevere, or not Guinevere, is the POV that we follow along the journey in book one and having her see Camelot and the roads before from “fresh eyes” really worked. I also loved the new parts of Camelot and even the attributes to characters that I’ve read in past iterations of these stories. I don’t want to say TOO much, but I will say that White has written a story where the characters have room to grow. This is book one of three and I think she gave us a GOOD starting point in a new world. I saw some complaints that the beginning of this story is so anti-feminist and I really didn’t get that. I would expand on that opinion, but I feel that it could spoil some of the book, but I personally think the author is doing something brilliant here. A message is weaved tightly in this one and it’s there if you’re paying close enough attention. It’s unique and I enjoyed it.

There is a “coming of” storyline with Guinevere. She is finding herself, because at this point she really doesn’t know what’s wrong or right or what to believe. There is a bit of a confusing/frustrating love story. There is a bit of LGBTQ+ representation, and the potential for more to come. There is mystery and suspense. There is lore and magic. There is a reimagining of a story we’ve probably heard/seen numerous times over the years, but I enjoyed this fresh take on it.

I don’t know. I just genuinely ended up liking this one. I didn’t want to put it down to take care of real life things, and to me that is an indicator of a good book. It starts off slowly, but I feel the ending and the possibilities for the future, make this one worth pushing through for.

3.5/5 Stars

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher/Imprint: Delacorte Press

Edition: e-ARC, 257 Digital Pages

Hardcover Publication Date: November 05, 2019

A Spine that Shines? Partially

*This review is based on the e-ARC edition provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All quotes used in this review come from the uncorrected proof. These are my honest opinions. Thank you.*

"There was dangerous magic in pretending. Pretend long enough, and who could say what was real?"
-Kiersten White, The Guinevere Deception

Initial Thoughts:

The Guinevere Deception was my first experience reading a Kiersten White book. Honestly, I have mixed feelings after finishing this book. I love reading retellings based on various legends and mythologies. Unfortunately, this Arthurian retelling wasn’t exactly what I was hoping it would be.

Let’s begin with the more positive aspects of this review:

You will find plenty of characters from Arthurian legend in this novel. There is a great twist concerning the Lancelot figure.
The mountain structure of Camelot itself is unique; the entire city has been carved on the side of a mountain, surrounded by water.
Excalibur possesses an interesting power, and I thought that added a nice twist to the story.
The final 25% of the book is full of fun and action! That is certainly my favorite section of the story.
It is also nice to see some disability representation. One of Arthur’s knights has a withered arm. What I found most unique was a blind horse, who is not hindered by her blindness because her master guides her effortlessly, as if they were one.
The Guinevere figure possesses an interesting ability to sense things through touch – “touch magic.”
The short italicized snippets of narration (from the POV of a villain) in between chapters add a creepy, sinister element to some otherwise boring segments.

"There was good, and there was evil, but there was so much space between the two."
-Kiersten White, The Guinevere Deception

What Didn’t Work So Well?

The Plot Pacing & Withholding of Information:

In my opinion, the main issues were the pacing of the plot and the author’s decision to deliberately withhold information. I believe the two are connected, because the information is withheld for too long, and not all of it is clarified by the end of the novel.

Magic – along with Merlin – has been banned from Camelot under Arthur’s rule. A fake Guinevere has been sent by Merlin to protect Arthur from a magical threat. However, she must use magic to protect him. Hmm.
Furthermore, the Guinevere figure must protect Arthur by marrying him. This is supposedly the only way she will be close enough to protect him. Why couldn’t she have impersonated a different person in the castle, or a distant relative? The reason given is this: Arthur does not want to marry politically, because if he did so, his choice could offend one of the nations adjacent to Camelot’s borders. Easier for him to marry someone from afar. Personally, I’m not sure that justifies a marriage. I think this plot point would have worked much better if a certain person was not aware of Guinevere’s impersonation.
In addition, Merlin does not bother to tell Guinevere what the magical threat actually is. So for a while, she wastes a lot of time waiting around because she can’t find the real threat.
We also don’t learn exactly who – or what – Guinevere is. I mean literally, the author withholds the girl’s real name through the entire novel. Because of this, I felt a bit detached from the character; names are supposed to be a powerful element associated with a person’s identity. Thus, without the girl’s true name, how can I as a reader fully understand who she is?
The pacing feels quite slow for several hundred pages. Aside from a few exciting moments here and there, I’d say I was fairly bored for most of the first 75% of the novel. There is a lot of waiting around for something to happen while Guinevere goes about daily life in Camelot. The final 25% of the book was a blast of fun, and I really wish the pacing had been handled better in the earlier segments as well. That final quarter of the book had 4-star vibes. But unfortunately, the first 75% of the book kind of outweighs the exciting 25%.

The Love-Interests:

The main romance in this novel revolves around Guinevere, Arthur, and Mordred, who is Arthur’s nephew.

Honestly, I didn’t find Arthur very interesting. He is this good, perfect ruler who almost always acts for the good of Camelot. Okay. But half the time, he hardly notices Guinevere – even though they are married. She often feels neglected by him.
In my opinion, Mordred is way more interesting and complex as a love-interest. He actually notices Guinevere, and he cares about her in his own way. In fact, if I read the sequel, I’ll probably read it to find out what happens with Mordred. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just leave it at that.

"Was there not enough peril in the world already without the dangers of simply being a woman?"
-Kiersten White, The Guinevere Deception

Final Thoughts:

I also wish there had been more of Merlin. There are very few scenes that include Merlin, and he behaves rather cryptically in them. As is, he just seems like a stock wizard character, included in the story for the sake of Arthurian legend.

Nevertheless, I am still curious about this author’s previous novels and would be open to giving them a chance in the future. As I mentioned, I really enjoyed the final 25% of The Guinevere Deception. Because of that, I’m glad I pushed through to the end of the novel. If you’re interested in Arthurian legend, don’t let my review stop you from giving this novel a try. These are my personal opinions, and every novel is the result of an author’s hard work and effort. Perhaps other readers will enjoy this one more than I did. Happy reading :)

I am actually really sad. I love Kiersten's writing and her previous series, so when I heard that she was going to be publishing a Camelot retelling I was hyped. Anything King Arthur and Merlin related should have my name written on them, because I am here for it. But As much as I wish I could say that I loved this story, I didn't.



My biggest problem is that I felt like the reader is kept in the dark for way to long. I get that not everything is going to be revealed in the beginning and there is going to be a build up, but you do get little answers that help the world building and progression of the story. But I felt like in this case that as the reader I had no idea what was happening. I know that Guinevere isn't the real Guinevere but actually a witch sent to protect King Arthur, but other then that: nothing.



Overall The Guinevere Deception wasn't for me sadly, but I still say that if you are looking for a King Arthur retelling that is going to put the female character as the hero then this book is one you should check out!

I love Kiersten White. Her And I Darken series is one of my all time favorites so I think I went in to The Guinevere Deception thinking the books would be similar and thus this book was one of my most anticipated of the year. I think due to my high expectations I was a little let down.
Guinevere is a strong character but in such a different ways from Lada. It took me a little while to adjust to this version of the character and accept her for who she was rather than who I thought she'd be. And while it's not fair to compare the two, I could not help it. Lada just appears so fully formed with Guinevere takes a little molding. I did love Guinevere's journey of self discovery and her relationships with the other female characters (very un-Lada like indeed).
I thought I knew how this story would go and I loved that this book was able to surprise me. The choices were bold but in ways I did not expect. I really liked the ending in particular. This book laid some very interesting groundwork for the rest of the series and I cannot wait to dig more into Guinevere's past and the history of Camelot.
Like some other reviews mentioned, the book was a little slow to get into, but I warmed to it about midway through as Guinevere and Brangien grew closer. The only part I really didn't like was the bit with the dragon- it better come back in a big way in another book because I thought that was a weird and too long side quest.
The best character for me was truly Mordred, I'm sorry but I have a Type.