I am a sucker for anything related to Camelot and King Arthur; and just a good retelling in general. “The Camelot Betrayal” by Kiersten White is both of those things. It is book two in the “Camelot Rising” trilogy. I would recommend reading these books in order. I loved the first two and am now dying for the third installment!

“The Camelot Betrayal” is really Guinevere’s story. I think the first book, “The Guinevere Deception,” set up a lot of things for the rest of the series. In “The Camelot Betrayal," Ms. White zeroes in on Guinevere and the path she takes. I found the beginning to be a little more slowly paced than I prefer, but then it really gets going, right up to the mind-blowing ending (and I still need answers!)!

Guinevere must make a lot of hard choices and find her place as a queen and a witch. She really grapples with balancing those two things and finding herself and her place in the world. At first, I was upset by and frustrated with some of her choices. But I think that is the point and Guinevere has to learn some hard lessons. She struggles with whether she should use her magic, even if it will hurt others. Is she just like Merlin? She does not feel like she belongs—either as queen or even in Camelot. There are a lot of twists that will keep you guessing as to what will happen next. There is also a bit of a love triangle and I am interested to see how it plays out.

If you love historical fiction, Arthurian legend and retellings, you will want to grab a copy of "The Camelot Betrayal!”

Content: I give this book a PG-13 rating. Some examples of the content are: LGBT characters; sexual innuendos; words “da*n,” “hell,” “bastard” and “sh*t” are used; people are drunk; people consume alcohol.

Rating: I give this book 5 stars.

I want to thank Kiersten White, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

Worthy second entry in this retake of Arthurian lore. Main character Guinevere is continuing to work at protecting Camelot at Arthur's side, but she's taken aback when her sister--the sister of the real Guinevere!-- arrives to visit unexpectedly. There's a wedding to travel to, surreptitious magical arrangements to be made, and strange dreams that make Guinevere question her memories, her past, and even her identity even more intensely. The action is nonstop, rarely a peaceful moment for Guinevere or the reader to catch a breath, right up to the cliffhanger ending. New revelations abound and surprise. As with the first book, the titular betrayal teases throughout the story: does it happen early on, or later, or in the last sentence?
As this is a sequel, readers should definitely be familiar with the events in The Guinevere Deception before reading this one. Unlike the first book, readers are left hanging here. This reader is ready for book three now!
Thanks to NetGalley for the preview!
Recommended

Love, love, love!!!

I love a slow burn and this is exactly what this story is. I love their relationship, even just as friends.

This story got even better in this installment. I’m even more invested than before. (That ending!)

I enjoyed the first book and was excited to read the second installment. This was a slow burn that caught fire by the end. I love seeing Guinevere and Lancelot's dynamics. Having Lancelot as a woman, I think makes their friendship even stronger. I could care less about the relationship between Arthur and Guinevere. Instead, give me all the Guinevere and Mordred. You can tell he truly cares about her and wants what is best for her. The character growth Guinevere goes through in this book truly make it a great read. I'm excited to see the adventure continue and where it leads.

Ohh, this is FUN and sinister and plotty and shocking... and so many more adjectives! I really love what White has done with the King Arthur mythos by centering Genevieve. RTC.

Rating is 3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this installment however I am not really a fan of Guinevere and I also am not sure how I feel about her relationship with Arthur. I did like the strong friendship between the Queen and Sir Lancelot, and Mordred.

I don't want to spoil anything for the first book but this one picks up from where book 1 left off. One thing I did like was the the inclusion of a female/female relationship.

I do plan to read book 3 because I want to know who Guinevere is and what happened to her memory...

There’s always something about Kirsten books that’s missing for me, but I can never put my finger on it. The sequel in the Camelot betrayal was more of a second book-syndrome situation than what I actually expected from it.

I wanted to love this book, and for the most part, I did. The world-building, friendships, red herrings and plot twists captivated me. I enjoy Arthurian legends (maybe because I read Avalon High 100 times as a tween) and love the female-centric spin that White put on the story. My only complaint is that this felt a little like a filler book for the character of Guinevere. Her exploration of relationships and her own self-worth are well deserving of their own novel, but I was most intrigued by the mystery surrounding her identity and wish that it had been answered. Guess I'll just have to read the third book to find out!

Guinevere wants to be useful. She wishes to be anything but a dainty queen trapped in a castle.
She is strong and fearless, ready to fight the threat of the newly risen dark queen with King Arthur.
This is the second book in the Camelot Rising series, and it started out a lot slower than the first book.
Guinevere is a bit of an unreliable narrator, with her amnesia, and I liked that--I like unreliable narrators.

One of my only criticisms is that her relationships with most of the characters were somewhat flat. It was insta-friendship with Brangien and Dindrane, and even things with Arthur felt a bit forced.
The only relationship I really liked was with Mordred.
I want more of Mordred. He is so wickedly delightful.

Overall, I really enjoyed that Kiersten White changed things up and made some things her own, but I want more Mordred!

I finally had a chance to read the precursor to this title so I could fully understand and embrace this book. I think it works best if read as a sequel (vs. a stand-alone). Guinevere is a great strong female lead character, but she is also a bit self-focused. I can forgive that, being that most of the audience (YA readers) are also self-absorbed.
Overall I found this to be a capturing world and we've already added this to our order for the library.
thanks for the galley!

Arthurian Legends and stories hold a special place in my heart! For some alpha-male reason, I love Arthur. That lead me to read this series. Guinevere deception was my first book from White and I was awestruck. I totally loved the first part and I had my doubts because sometimes second books disappoint me, but with The Camelot Betrayal, White did not betray my expectation.

Much like the first book, this also deals with character development, self-doubts and lot of magic! Guinevere is torn between her identity of being a Queen and a witch.. she must realise who she is, what Arthur means to her and she must help him destroy the dark forces. All the beloved positive and negative characters return in this story too, with enjoyable twists. I loved the feminist touch and the Excalibur action... woah Chef’s kiss!! The story breaks down to doing the right thing at any given circumstance. Plot is fast moving, with magic and action. I read this in less than two days. Excited for the third book!

This series is a must read for any Arthurian legend lovers. Thank you Netgalley, Delacorte Press and Kiersten White for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you so much, Random House Children's and Delacorte Press, for the chance to read and review this book.

In Camelot king Arthur is expanding his kingdom's influence and queen Guinevere is at his side, but even though she accepted this new role, Guinevere fights against the feeling of not belonging. Plagued by nightmares and lost memories, Guinevere isn't able to find her place in Camelot, not with her friends, each of them occupied with their own problems and troubles: Brangien pining for her lost love Isolde, Lancelot, fighting to prove her worth as Queen's knight and Arthur, with his kingdom to deal with and less time for her.
When the younger sister of the real Guinevere comes to Camelot, Guinevere has to struggle with more and more deceptions.

The Camelot Betrayal is the second book in this new fantasy series and it explores magic and its consequences, romance, betrayals, memories and loss.
Like the first installment, The Camelot Betrayal is full of plot twists, magic and questions, with an intense main character who is struggling to understand who she is, what memories are real, what really happened and is happening around her and Camelot.
Hurt and betrayed by Mordred, fascinated and scared by him and by the Lady of the Lake, Guinevere tries to fit into a role made for someone else, wondering what and who she should be. Wife? Sister? Queen? Witch? While Arthur is busy with politics and the Dark Queen, Guinevere has to deal with missing memories, intrigues, romances and more and more questions about everything. Her character is really complex and relatable in her wondering, in her trying to do the right thing, protecting her loved ones and her city.
Interesting her thoughts about magic and its aftermath, about her own intricate feelings about Arthur and Mordred and Merlin.
The Camelot Betrayal is full of strong female characters, both old and new, characters determined to protect, fight and save and do the right thing.

In a world mixing politics and magic, roles and romance, enemies and allies, The Camelot Betrayal is an intriguing sequel, full of plot twists, sweet and intense moments, magic, love and friendships.

What drew me to Camelot Rising was the characters and the story in the first book. As someone well-versed in Arthurian legends, I knew that there would be things that would bother me a little about a retelling. Yet, I still found myself enjoying book one a lot. Book two was interesting as well, but I'd definitely say that it suffers from second-book syndrome. It felt like a lot of building up and not much happened.

I love a good re-telling and I meant to read the first book in this series, but I wasn't able to before needing to get a review written for this installment. Even so, I know the story of Arthur and Guinevere, so I wasn't as lost as I could have been. This is a very well-written re-telling and the character development is stellar! I really enjoyed the nuances and relationships between the characters! Kiersten White is a great author and this is perfect for fans of the Arthurian tales or those who aren't familiar with them and want a new perspective!

Fantastic world-building, fast-paced action, and wonderful descriptive prose make this a standout this Fall! The perfect novel for me and I would recommend to any YA fans, medieval tales, Arthurian tales, strong female leads, fantastical settings, and a healthy dose of action!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Super excited for this to release in November!

Hmm... how to review this one. I kind of didn't like it as much as the first book. It almost felt that Guinevere was complaining throughout the whole book. I felt that there was a little too much focus on the younger sister than there should have been, it felt a little drawn out to me and shifted focus away from things that were more of a threat. Not to say that Guinevere shouldn't have been worried about "her" younger sister showing up and exposing her as not the real Guinevere, but more than half the book was trying to uncover what her purpose there was.

The threat from the outside, the Dark Queen, and Mordred were supposed to be more of a threat, and they were all but ignored. There was one minor battle involving her at the start of the book and then nothing involving her for the rest of the book. I just felt, that with how the first book ended there should have been more.

It could be that this book was supposed to be more about Guinevere finding herself, but she was always more focused on everybody else that it didn't feel that she was actually trying to find herself more.

One of the best things about this series so far still though, is the relationships she does have. Her friendship with Lancelot and Brangien, and the one she starts with Isolde. Her relationship with Arthur is, strange to me. I don't really know what to make of it. They care for each other, but I don't feel that he has any romantic notions towards her, and she is split in a sense between duty and how Mordred made her feel. It's just a complex situation.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully, Guinevere gets the answers she's been wanting

I have read almost everything that Kiersten White has wrote. I find her retellings of old stories to be in-depth and additive. Camelot Betrayal is the 2nd in her series that focuses on Guinevere from the King Arthur tales. Much like the first book Camelot Betrayal is just as amazing. The characters, the plot, the language of her writing style are all wonderfully formed. This book does leave you wanting even more of Guinevere and it makes me sad how long I have to wait to read more of her story.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Press.

What do you do when the sister of the dead woman who your pretending to be shows up and wants a relationship?

This is one of the questions poor Guinevere has to figure out while ruling Camelot.

This book expands on Arthurian mythology in a most delightful way!

And that cliffhanger is a doozy!

I loved The Guinevere Deception so I was really looking forward to this 2nd installment in the series and it did not disappoint. I really do love the relationship between Guinevere and Lancelot. They have such a deep friendship. I love Brangien as well and the role she plays in Guinevere's life.
I struggle some with the relationship between Arthur and Guinevere and I love the choice he gives her towards the end of this book. Guinevach was an interesting character and I loved the twists and turns surrounding her character and the uncertainty of where that storyline was going. Of course the book ended with me needing the next book in my hands right now.

I really enjoyed the character growth Guinevere had throughout this book following The Guinevere Deception. She's still unsure, but she's actively trying to figure out what kind of person she is. I loved the relationships she had with Lancelot, Arthur, and Mordred. Mordred remains my favorite of the three. There's a chemistry there that's incredible. The ending was a cliffhanger that I need the next book immediately!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

There wasn't much improvement with this sequel. I am still not a fan of Guinevere. She is terribly naive and I did not agree with almost all her decisions which saddens me because I thought for sure she would grow on me with the sequel but nah. It just didn't happen and that is okay. It's obviously this isn't for everyone and I am left unsure if I will read from this author again in the future. I think the only positive was the strong friendship and connection between the Queen and Sir Lancelot, and Mordred. The chemistry between those particular characters was undeniable that oftentimes, I forgot about her growing feelings for Arthur.

Considering everything—it’s definitely a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ read. I can understand why most readers will gravitate towards this YA fantasy retelling but my issues with connecting with the characters and immersing myself in the storyline was problematic and affected my reading experience. I didn’t care enough to finish this and I hope other readers can at least find some joy with this release.