Member Reviews
I really loved this book! I have been in a reading slump and this book caught my eye. I finished it in a day because it was so good! I loved the first book of this series but this one was even better. I will be purchasing this book for my libraries YA collection.
While the novel has endearing friendships and a retelling concept full of potential - Guinevere as a changeling witch with many classic Arthurian figures recast in a more diverse or queer light - it falls short of being great. There are characters and moments that are awesome - and then large stretches of the book that left me bored. The Camelot Betrayal suffers from "middle book syndrome" - almost none of the readers' questions are answered, and most of what happens is filler, holding off meaningful reveals until the third and final book. It seems like this series might have worked better as a single standalone title; there just isn't enough plot or character development to justify the stretching out of this series. Plot devices are rehashed over and over again; for example, Guinevere finds herself kidnapped or held at knife-point no less than 3 times in this book. Despite my issues with pacing and filler content, the book seems to have done its job - I desperately want answers to Guinevere's amnesia and her relationship to the Lady of the Lake and Merlin, and so I'll be picking up the third book in the series to (hopefully) get the answers.
Recommended for tweens and younger teens looking for a diverse Arthurian retelling and fantasy with strong female friendships.
#Edelweiss #NetGalley
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An exciting addition to the trilogy about Guinevere and her adventure in Camelot. I love White's retelling with women in the forefront of the action.
Plus, I'm in love with this cover!
Thank You, Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Queen Guinevere's journey continues. This sequel to the Camelot Rising series explores how the Queen is fitting or not fitting into her new role in Camelot. She personally has questions regarding the self and her relationships with others.
She also contemplated some bigger themes like respect of country, the price paid for meeting a goal, and leadership. She recognizes that there are threats however, sometimes is unsure of where the threats are coming from. Great characters including a loyal knight, and a romantic King are all present. I
I thought the book did a good job of showing Guinevere's internal struggle. I also enjoyed the magic used. This is a fantasy novel and I thought the situations were enjoyable to read.
I liked the picture painted of Camelot. This retelling was detailed.
Overall, this is a great series and am glad to have read this book.
Very strong sequel, and, I don't know because I remember things about things, but I think it might work as a standalone (despite the lack of resolution). The characters are a bit impetuous, but still end up likeable and...strong.
I was surprised by how much more I enjoyed this sequel than I did the first book! The pacing was good and I felt like Guinevere felt more real as a character. The ending was unexpected and has me ready for the next book!
In "The Camelot Betrayal," Kiersten White maintains the moment and suspense of the first novel in the Camelot Rising series - without getting bogged down in the usual failings of a sequel. The novel is tensely paced, quickly catching the reader up and then progressing at a nice clip between our characters and the inevitable action.
As usual, White focuses on all of the characters except King Arthur. Guinevere and Lancelot lead the charge, but all of Guinevere's friends feature heavily and are further fleshed out as they become embroiled in the action. While some of the sidequests and scenes may be just a little too constructed, they also seem like they wouold be natural in the fairy tale trappings of Arthurian legend.
From start to finish, "The Camelot Betrayal" is a great read and will leave the reader wanting more. Recommended for all readers.
Firstly. I love, love, LOVE this series and I love this author! The first book took me by surprise in how much I loved it and I could not wait for the second book. This is a fun sequel and plays so well into the plot points established in the first book. I loved he playfulness White has with bringing in other stories like that of Isolde and Tristan. The complication of Guinevere and Arthur's relationship and their own feelings was such interesting thing to have play out. Mordred is a further complication and fun in exploring that complexity. Guinevere in this retelling is strong and willful and full of selflessness. She's formidable and powerful and such a strong women and overall character. I loved this book as the next part of this series, and cannot wait for what's in store in book three.
Another great story by Kiersten White! While I really enjoyed this story, it had a lot of the same issues that happen in a lot of second book. The main focus and problem in the story was very internal and focused on Guinevere's internal battle with who she was and who she wants to be. While this book was important to moving forward in the story, I didn't blow through this book as quickly as I did the first one.
We also don't get to see one of my favorite characters as much as we did in the first one, although it looks like that's going to change in the third book. White definitely made up for it with the new characters she introduced who rounded out a lot of the hard edges of the other characters. This book also showed us a better view of Arthur which had me cheering them on more than in the first book where I was 100% team Mordred. Now I'm not really sure who I want her to end up with, which is a really hard thing for an author to do since I usually decide after the second chapter.
Overall I thought this was a really enjoyable story even though it did suffer from the second book slowness for a little while there. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone!