In my opinion, this series is getting better with time. I was much more involved and felt more for the characters in this installment than I did in book one. There are still questions that need to be answered but more happened in this novel. WAY more action this time around.

I always find it difficult to review the middle book in a series because I don't want to give anything away. I honestly cannot wait to find out what happens, next but cannot think of a way to tell you why I am so excited without giving away some pretty massive spoilers.

Looking forward to book three!

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this was a decent sequel to the first book. I do, at times, find Guinevere to be a bit over-the-top with her hand-wringing and "Who am I! Why do I always hurt people!" It gets old, since she does it frequently in this book. I understand it is all for the plot purpose of White moving to get Guinevere to choose to leave Camelot. I predicted a bit of the ending because of this, and I can't say I'm not disappointed in how this book ended, especially because it ends on such a cliff-hanger.

However, there were moments of really good action and character development, and intrigue. I enjoyed the continued building of this Arthurian world, and seeing how White has repurposed it for this re-telling. I love the magic and it's a strong fantasy novel. I am curious to see how it will end and I will read the next installment, even if I'm afraid what's going to happen will probably disappoint me.

Initial Thoughts

I was super excited to be chosen for this tour. I really enjoyed the first book and I love a good King Arthur retelling. I also loved the way Tristan and Isolde’s story was woven into the plot and was eager to know more about them.

Some Things I Liked

As mentioned above, I love the Tristan and Isolde elements. I hope we get more Isolde in the next book and that Tristan also finds someone special. I loved the idea of weaving these tales together.
The Last Kingdom vibes. For anyone who’s read my blog posts before, you know I’m a big fan of the show. I loved the way Hild, Isolde, and even Guinevere’s stories felt like the hit Viking show. Guinevere’s identity crisis is very reminiscent of Uhtred’s and I also really enjoyed the morally grey characters and their parallels.
Mordred. He’s definitely my favorite. I wanted more of him but I loved every scene I got. He’s such an interesting and, I suspect, misunderstood character. I really hope he’s featured more prominently in book 3.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

The romance. It’s way to slow burn for my taste. Also, the love square is unbearable. Everyone is going to get hurt and the only resolution I can see for that is if two or more characters involved die and I would just hate that. For the record, I’m Team Mordred.

Series Value

I’ll definitely stick with this series. The beginning of this book had a slow start but it really picked up in the second half. The titular betrayal cut me deep and I’m going to be on the edge of my seat waiting for book 3.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. I was a little bored in the beginning because the romance was slow and there wasn’t much action but it really ramped up and the second half was fantastic. I can’t wait to see what happens in the final installment.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White – I am super excited to read the next book in this series. Despite not having a release date, I’m still patiently waiting for it. I have no doubt it will be a thrilling conclusion to this series.
The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae – if you are also Team Mordred, and you enjoy moral greyness, and a charismatic villain, try this series.

REVIEW: The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

*spoiler alerts from here*

I received this e-ARC from @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse in exchange for my review.

In the sequel to The Guinevere Deception, Guinevere tries to find out who she is and what her place in Camelot is supposed to be.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

What I liked:
⭐️ I have been rooting for Guinevere and Arthur this whole time, even if I shouldn’t be. I really love Arthur as a character and think they balance each other out well. There was a lot of development on this front in this book.
⭐️ Guinevere really gets to develop strong, lasting relationships in the sequel. Her bond with Lancelot is especially powerful, but I was happy to see her connecting with people more and more.

What I didn’t like:
⭐️ Nothing... really... happened? There would be instances of action, followed by chapter of Guinevere feeling guilty for what she had caused with her magic. But nothing really driving the plot forward.
⭐️ The end felt mismatched with everything else. I think we were supposed to feel confused, because Guinevere was, but really, it felt like a different book.
⭐️ Brangien and Isolde are reunited, and I was happy for both of them but disappointed to see Brangien become a much less significant character after this. She stopped being involved in almost anything. I know Guinevere was protecting her, but the vibe that she could no longer be useful because she was “coupled” was strong and I didn’t love it.

In conclusion: I was disappointed by this sequel, and I had hoped for more.

The Camelot Betrayal takes place shortly after the events of the end of The Guinevere Deception and it was surprising how easily I was able to fall back into the world of Camelot and this story. This book focused a lot on Guinevere and her character development and I was 100% here for it.

Guinevere continues to struggle to figure out how she belongs in Camelot and her place as Queen. Throughout The Camelot Betrayal, she has to make tough decisions and she ends up questioning herself, especially when it came to the use of her magic. Character-driven books are either hit or miss for me, but since I was so invested in Guinevere I absolutely loved the focus on her growth.

Another aspect of the story with a heavy focus is Guinevere’s background, thanks to the arrival of Guinevach, the real Guinevere’s sister. New pieces of information are revealed and speculated upon, but nothing is confirmed. Guinevere’s background is one of the thing’s that intrigues me the most so I was hoping for more concrete information, however, even with the small crumbs we were given I was happy that I had guessed one of those pieces correctly. I’m really looking forward to learning the whole picture in the next book!

I know I’m in the minority with this opinion, but I really loved Guinevere’s budding romance with Arthur! Maybe it’s because I was never a fan of Mordred, but I found it to be very sweet and realistic. There is clearly a lot of respect, trust, and friendship already between theme, and the spark of desire that has now been flamed was perfect. I don’t believe they’re without flaws and I’m not sure if I even believe they’ll actually fan into anything more, but a girl can dream!

For the most part, the plot was pretty forward moving. There were a few spots where it seemed to slow down too much for my liking, but it picked back up pretty quickly afterward. I will admit that I had expect a bit more action-wise regarding the Dark Queen and magic and struggled to find the “main plotline” for this book. Once I came to terms that there really wasn’t more going on other than important character development for Guinevere and other smaller plots involving beloved side characters, I was able to move past my reservations and enjoy this more fully.

The Camelot Betrayal was an excellent installment for this series and continued to be full of all the Arthurian folklore I love. The story is more focused on Guinevere’s character growth than anything, but it was all beautifully written. I cannot wait for the third book!

I really liked the first book in the series (see my review here), and I absolutely love King Arthur and Camelot stories. I absolutely loved how this is the very first book I’ve read that is told from Guinevere’s POV and it doesn’t paint her as arm candy or a total ninny. And Lancelot is a female knight! There’s some really strong girl-power vibes in this series, and I was all about it.

Like the first book, this one is seriously slow for so much of the book. It took me so long to get into it, because I kept reading and reading and waiting for something to happen. Instead, there were a lot of things going on and it felt like the groundwork was being laid for a bunch of subplots that I knew would somehow get all rolled up together, but it just took forever to happen. But then I hit the last quarter of the book and things started moving really quickly. I still didn’t see how everything worked out until close to the end, so it wasn’t very predictable, which is a good thing.

I like Guinevere’s character, and I think her character flaws make her more relatable. At times, I found her irritating, but then I had to remind myself that she’s only 17 and deals with some really heavy burdens, which made it easier to like her. So much of the book focused on her internal struggle to figure out who she is, who she wants to become, and how to reconcile the things she has done. On top of that, she had an incredibly frustrating tendency to run away from situations rather than just address them directly, but I think that’s going to become a big part of her growth process as both a person and a queen. But I still got the feeling that she’s a good person, who is tough and loyal, and genuinely wants to help. I think that she and Arthur are good for each other.

I love Brangien and Lancelot’s characters. I think they make the story, especially since they’re the characters that we really get to know the best. Arthur is less of a well-developed character than the women are, and I kind of feel like it’s payback for the boatload of male-centered Camelot stories that are out there.

As usual, this one left off on a major cliffhanger, and I immediately want to read the next one, even before this book has actually been released. Hopefully the final book in the trilogy will be a little faster-paced, but I’m definitely going to be tuning in for the conclusion.

3 STARS


Last we saw, Guinevere had brought back the Dark Queen.

It wasn't entirely her fault, given that Mordred tricked her. But now, back in Camelot and with the threat temporarily beaten back, Guinevere begins to doubt her role in the kingdom. How can she protect Camelot if she has had a hand in releasing such power? How can she protect Arthur?

And more importantly, why is she here? Because Merlin lied to her, so clearly lied to her, and now, whatever purpose she once held close to her heart is muddied. What is her role truly meant to be in Camelot, where her magic is forbidden and her existence is founded on a lie? What can she say to the sister she has never known, now knocking at her doors? And when the danger comes calling, is there anything she can do, or is this the end of it all?




The Camelot Betrayal is the political intrigue counterpart to its adventurous predecessor.

That's not to say it's lacking in adventure. After all, there is a rescue, a dragon, a wedding, and plenty more still after that to go around. What else could you ask for in an Arthurian tale? But rather than focusing on protecting Arthur and Camelot, this time, Guinevere is focused on knowing herself.

It's a difficult thing to do, given the blank spaces in her memory. She cannot remember a time before Merlin, cannot recall the true name she so long ago gave away to the flame. Her own existence is a mystery to her, and as concerns close in around her, Guinevere can't help but face the flaws that come hand in hand with this lack of knowledge. How can she be a proper queen of Camelot when there's still so much she doesn't know about herself? Worse, how can she be a queen when there is so much she cannot tell her people?

But to cap it all off, this time, Guinevere must navigate court politics as they challenge her relationships with her dearest friends. The arrival of the real Guinevere's sister sets her qualifications into question, whispers of impropriety create a rift between her and Lancelot, not to mention Lancelot and the other knights, and still she and Arthur have no heir, something Camelot has noticed but neither party is ready to approach, not with their relationship built on necessary secrets.



"Threats could be vanquished or disarmed, but questions lingered as long as wounds."

This is where The Camelot Betrayal falters. As much as I loved seeing Guinevere explore the options and consequences of her actions, she was almost painfully introspective. Diving into the same questions over and over while pushing the supporting cast away is more frustrating than anything, and lends itself painfully well to a case of second-book syndrome. This could have been a story where Guinevere leans into her own agency and begins to sever her connection to Merlin, who used her for his own gain. It could have been a story that highlights the good relationships she does have in Camelot these days.

But in spite of a few scenes of greater character depth for the supporting cast (particularly Lancelot, the likely lesbian after my own heart), it's a lot of internal doubt and questioning on Guinevere's part. And questions lingering as long as wounds is no fun when it's the same questions for nearly three hundred pages.

It leaves us teetering on the edge of a great book, or at least a great finale. These questions must lead somewhere, and we're so close to seeing exactly where. But in the meantime, they've slowed the book's pace and left us spinning in circles next to Guinevere, while once again, Arthur rides forward. For a series about Guinevere finding herself, there's perhaps a little too much acceptance in being left behind. And too many poor consequences for the moments where she does forge ahead as herself.



I'll still be around for the Camelot Rising finale.

Too much still lies unresolved, and I need to know if Lancelot and Guinevere get together. I can't keep being teased with all these love interests when there's a perfectly good, perfectly devoted butch lesbian knight right there! Let them kiss, dammit!

But shipping preferences aside, I think The Camelot Betrayal is laying the groundwork for an explosive finale. I'm sure we'll get to see Guinevere decide which iteration of herself is the truest, and we'll see all the consequences fall on Camelot, be what they may. 

But in the meantime, The Camelot Betrayal suffers from second book syndrome, and I wish it hadn't. Nonetheless, if you have any interest in seeing this trilogy through, be sure to pick it up starting tomorrow, November 10th! There's at least a good heap of sword and sorcery in it for you if you do. ⚔️✨



CW: violence, animal death, child death, loss of a loved one, sexual assault mention, implied domestic abuse, suicide mention

[This review will go live on Hail & Well Read at 10am EST on 11/9/20.]

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have questions. So so so so so so SO many questions right now guys.

The Camelot Betrayal was a really good book to dive into. I mean, I got sucked in and each chapter and page was going by so fast. A lot happens in this book and the twists and such made me think so many things.

Honestly, so many ships and so much chemistry and sparks flying left and right throughout this book. Of course things happen that tried to sway me from my potential ships but I stayed strong and kept pushing through. Not sure what the outcome will be for anyone romantically but I'm hopeful for someone to be happy in the end.

Also, I got more of Mordred and I was a very happy girl. Also Lancelot was still lovable in this book as well. Ugh, so many characters to fall in love with - except for that little girl. Other than that, Guinevere definitely grows throughout the book and is starting to figure out who she truly is. It just sucks that I'm confused about it all right now.

I'm not going to lie. That cliffhanger ending has me developing so many questions. Heck, the whole book gave me a long list of them. I'm hoping that the next book will give me some amazing answers and excitement.

What a great sequel! This is so fast paced, twisty, and entertaining. We pick up right after the first book, in the aftermath of Mordred's betrayal and the Dark Queen rising. Guinevere is trying to get over her feelings for Mordred and form a relationship with Arthur when her sister, or the real Guinevere's sister, shows up and causes some chaos.

The thing I liked a lot about this was that Guinevere isn't perfect and we see her make the wrong choice and hurt others because of her actions. She's learning and growing, becoming mature and starting to know when to rely on others to help and when to do things herself. Her friendships with Brangien, Lancelot, and even Isolde are great, I love when women boost each other up.

My one complaint is that Mordred isn't in this much. I think it's clear that Guinevere should be with him and not Arthur, who treats her more like a sister and a duty. We do get some glimpses and the ending gave me hope for more moments next book!

Some of the plot twists were so good and I have a lot of questions about Guinevere's past and what Merlin was doing. I'm already so excited for the third book and I can't wait for this to be available to the world!

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Guinevere may be the queen of Camelot, but it doesn’t feel real for her. She is still trying to balance being the wife of Arthur, the queen protected by the Knight Lancelot and a friend to those she holds dear. Part of her problem is she doesn’t remember who she was before she became Guinevere. As she is trying to push herself to accept her role as queen, she always has the voice of Mordred in the back of her mind telling her she isn’t worthy. As if that is not enough, when the real Guinevere’s younger sister turns up at Camelot, Guinevere begins to wonder if the charade is about to fall to pieces.

The Camelot Betrayal is the second book in the Camelot Rising series. This series continues to break the mold of Arthurian tales with a female Lancelot and a changeling Guinevere. Readers will still enjoy having the foundation characters in their places, even if their roles are slightly skewed. White was able to introduce a few more twists in the storyline while also answering a few questions that were left unresolved in the first book. I can’t say it is one of my favorite Camelot retellings, but it was still a fun read.

I didn't read the book before this one, but I found myself pulled into this strange new world and I loved it. The whole story around Guinevere being an imposter was a wonderful change to the norm. She was a fantastic character and so was her sister. They really played off each other well and made me wonder the whole story what was going to happen. I can't wait to read the first book to catch up on this wonderful character.

My review will go live on the Book Confessions Blog on 11-18-20.

OH YES I LOVE KIERSTEN WHITE AND I LOVE THIS SERIES. Dear god she's good. SO GOOD. White writes these characters SO WELL. They're not one dimensional. They're complicated. They have heft and weight and I get so absorbed in their stories. Definitely adding to my school book shelf on the 10th!

I didn't like The Camelot Betrayal as much as book 1, The Guinevere Deception. I'm not sure why exactly this book was so different for me from the first but I really struggled with Guinevere herself in this one. I found her really bratty and I just didn't like the way she lashed out at the people around her, specifically I mean her sister, when she felt threatened in regards to beauty and popularity. Overall there were still some really interesting parts, I find this world and the magic really cool and fun to read about but it just wasn't my favorite in the end.
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If she had been right about her sister being evil or a threat in some way then I would feel differently because it would have shown that her instincts were trustworthy and that she was able to see a threat where everyone else was mislead. Instead, it turns out her sister was just sad and lonely and it made Guinevere come off as a child over the entire situation. Now I get that she is 16 or 17 and her feelings and behaviors aren't unreasonable but I still just found it annoying.

Guinevere is so annoying. She's selfish and naive, and makes all the wrong decisions. I couldn't stand her, nor any of the other characters the whole book. She also feels like she's nine, so the fact that she's in a love triangle didn't sit well with me. Really didn't like it, and sadly, I think I am done with Kiersten White altogether. I have tried almost everything she has written and almost none have worked for me.

First of all, thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for approving me for this eARC!

I am a huuuuuuuge fan of Kiersten White, and I read an ARC of The Guinevere Deception last year, so I've been eagerly anticipatign book 2 of the trilogy!

Without spoiling anything from book one:
Camelot Betrayal has a similar slow-burn. We get action, new characters, and character development, but don't expect a super action packed book. I'm glad we got to know the characters a lot more, and compared to other Authurian retellings, I really love the way Kiersten is twisting this tale!

Everything could go wrong in Camelot, and Guinevere is waiting for them to find out who she truly is. Does Guinever belong? Or is the deception falling apart?

Cannot wait for the final book in this trilogy!!!

The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White is fantastic. This series has moved up the list of my favorite series. I enjoy all things that involve retellings of older stories. And Kiersten White has hit it out of the park with this one I love everything about this book. Characters, storyline, action. Its all fantastic.

Annnnnd Kiersten White has done it again folks! She's not my favorite modern author for nothing. THIS WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE. I loved the first book in the series so much and usually the middle books disappoint (from experience) but this was somehow even better than the first but, again, it's Kiersten White so no surprise there! I had such an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story is still very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

In my review of the first book I closed by saying that I couldn’t wait to see what the sequel did, and I was absolutely not disappointed! However, the second book of Kiersten White’s Camelot Rising series plunges right into the narration, picking up shortly after the first book left off, so if you didn’t read the first book (or, like me, don’t remember it terribly well a year after reading it) good luck!

After unwittingly betraying Arthur, Guinevere is doing her part as queen to try to stave off the Dark Queen’s encroachment with the help of her allies Brangien, Lancelot, and the rest. (Remember, Brangien and Isolde are lovers and Lancelot is a woman in this telling!)

There is a great deal more development of Lancelot in this book, and knowing the Arthurian legends, I read with a great deal of interest to see how things turned out with her, particularly when the arrival of the real Guinevere’s younger sister, Guinevach complicates matters, leaving Guinevere isolated from her circle and her people.

One thing I like very much about this retelling is how it includes so many female characters, and how many of them come into their own, even though they are still frequently bound by the constraints placed upon them by being women in their day and age. Even better is how White resists the easy road of pitting women against one another in order to win over oblivious men who would only feel flattered by their competition if they knew about it. Instead, White has her characters talk to one another and work out their problems (eventually).

In addition to White’s skillful portrayal of Arthurian figures (including sly asides about the difficulties of telling apart different famous knights by name alone), she continues to excel as a writer, slipping in clever bon mots and observations about being human.

Something that did strike me as unusual, and which relates back to the asides about the similarities of knightly names is the inclusion of several full-on stories within the middle of the narrative. The information is important, and too long to tease out in the usual manner of dialogue, but I didn’t really like having sudden chapter breaks to tell characters backstories. It felt like padding for length.

The book ends on quite the cliffhanger, and I cannot recall if the first book did the same, but it definitely makes me eager for the third book and some resolution. (Maybe a happily ever after with Guinevere for Mordred?)

I would hesitate to recommend this book to someone who had not read the first book, but I would happily recommend the series as a whole.

The Camelot Betrayal is the second installment in author Kiersten White's Camelot Rising Trilogy. First, let me say that there is a whole lot to discuss about this book, including the ending, so I will try hard to avoid spoilers. Once again, the author creates a world based on a woman who history claims never existed. Guinevere has been portrayed as everything from a villainous and opportunistic traitor to a fatally flawed but noble and virtuous lady. It’s still debatable whether Arthur really existed, but there are historical aspects of the story that fits the time frame, including the Saxon’s and Pict's who changed the course of England’s history.

So, let’s get started to events of this book and a summary of past events. Magic is not allowed in Camelot, but Guinevere’s magic helps protect Camelot from the Dark Fairy Queen. There are only a few, including Arthur, Brangien, and Lancelot who knows that her magic is protecting Camelot. Meanwhile, Guinevere is still trying to figure out who she is and why she has no memories of the past. But, what's even more curiouser is her dreams of water, and the Lady of the Lake. Curious because she shouldn't be dreaming. She magically gave them away to Brangien to keep in touch with Isolde.

To top it off, she's still wondering if she made the right choice by returning to Camelot where she doesn’t know what her role is supposed to be, and not disappearing with Mordred who betrayed her and allowed the Dark Fairy to return. For the Mordred supporters among you, yes, he does return several times in this story always at the most interesting of times when Guinevere is in trouble. Then things really get twisted when Princess Guinevach arrives with her entourage from Cameliard claiming that she is Guinevere’s younger sister who she hasn’t seen in years. Guinevere, who still believes she is a changeling, is confused at why Guinevach recognizes her and does not see her as the impostor she is.

This part of the story is important since it gets close to revealing what really happened to her before she arrived in Camelot. The Guinevere deception worked because no one in Camelot or the surrounding areas had ever met the Southern Princess known as Guinevere. If you have read the first installment, which I hope you did, Guinevere was sent to Camelot by her alleged father Merlin to protect her. There are so many secrets that have not been revealed when it comes to Merlin and what he apparently did, and the Lady of the Lake who gave Excalibur to Arthur which destroys magic, including Genevieve’s.

There are several key moments in this book including Genevieve, Lancelot, Isolde, and Brangien going on a quest to rescue Isolde from King Mark. The author twists her own version of the historical duo of Isolde and Tristan to make it fit her own alternative version of the story. The author also digs more into Lancelot’s background. Lancelot isn’t like the other knights who owe fealty to Arthur. She wants to be the Queen’s Knight and protector for her own reasons which are touched on. Guinevere struggles how to handle Lily’s presence in Camelot, she questions her own identity, she questions what Merlin did to her, and finds out who the real threat was within the city all along.

The last part will be the background for the next installment. I must briefly say that readers will find themselves meeting an extremely dangerous woman who I don’t think hates Genevieve. I think she has revenge on her mind for what happened not only to Mordred, but her mother, and yes, the author does spend time on why she has revenge on her mind. I also think that Lancelot will be one of the key players in what choice Genevieve eventually makes to stay with Arthur and Camelot, or Mordred. I am hoping that the Merlin question is answered quickly. I have my own questions as to what happen, but I’ll reserve comment until the final installment is released.

While I loved (!) the first book in the series, unfortunately, the second novel falls a bit short. I'm not certain why Ms. White wanted to constantly (and a bit unbelievably) separate Arthur and Guinevere with clunky side plots for Guinevere and her crew. Additionally, the late plot twist/cliffhanger ending wasn't appreciated.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley for my honest review.