I really liked the first book so I was more than ready to jump back into the story with this sequel. And that cover!! Unfortunately this one just didn't have the same magic for me. I felt like a lot of it was unnecessary and more like filler than anything. The story doesn't really progress a whole lot. I did like that we see some character back stories which was nice but I just wanted a lot more. I will definitely read the next book though so I can find out how this story ends.

The Camelot Betrayal is another book from November that I was totally behind in reading. While I enjoyed The Guinevere Deception I wasn't overawed by it and hadn't entirely committed myself to continuing the series. Well, I'm a sucker for a pretty cover and this one is just gorgeous so I figured I'd read it. I'm very glad I did because I liked it as much or more than the first book. 

We are now familiar with Guinevere who is not Guinevere (or is she?). She's caring and strong, but still remains unsettled by how little she knows herself. Her past is a mystery and she doesn't know if Merlin lied about her origins and the fact that he is her father. This is exacerbated when her (the real Guinevere's) sister Guinevach arrives unannounced in Camelot and claims to recognize her. Is this seemingly innocent girl an agent of the dark queen? On top of this, someone is invading her dreams and she keeps running into Mordred out in the world. Simply put, she’s pretty stressed out and Arthur keeps himself at a distance.

Many people have described this book as filler and I totally get where they’re coming from. It feels like the plot wasn’t advanced in a meaningful way in regard to the Dark Queen and the fight against her magic. And, it wasn’t all that much. Instead, this book focused largely on Guinevere and her relationships with Lancelot, Brangien, and Arthur and how she deals with her murky past. It was surprisingly compelling and certainly didn’t lack for action and daring rescues but I think it wasn’t what many people expected (or perhaps even wanted).  I, on the other hand, really liked it much more than I expected.

This was a solid book and gave much more depth to not only Guinevere, but her dear companions Brangien and Lancelot as well. It’s setting up some big moments in the next book though I’ll leave to read it for yourself so you can make your own conclusions! I’m officially on the bandwagon for this series and can’t wait for the next book!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from TBR and Beyond Tours and the publishers. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Camelot Betrayal

Author: Kiersten White

Book Series: Camelot Rising Book 2

Rating: 3.5/5

Recommended For...: Fantasy lovers, romance

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 384

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, gore, TW physical and emotional abuse, misogyny)

Synopsis: EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE IN CAMELOT: King Arthur is expanding his kingdom’s influence with Queen Guinevere at his side. Yet every night, dreams of darkness and unknowable power plague her.

Guinevere might have accepted her role, but she still cannot find a place for herself in all of it. The closer she gets to Brangien, pining for her lost love Isolde, Lancelot, fighting to prove her worth as Queen’s knight, and Arthur, everything to everyone and thus never quite enough for Guinevere–the more she realizes how empty she is. She has no sense of who she truly was before she was Guinevere. The more she tries to claim herself as queen, the more she wonders if Mordred was right: she doesn’t belong. She never will.

When a rescue goes awry and results in the death of something precious, a devastated Guinevere returns to Camelot to find the greatest threat yet has arrived. Not in the form of the Dark Queen or an invading army, but in the form of the real Guinevere’s younger sister. Is her deception at an end? And who is she really deceiving–Camelot, or herself?

Review: Overall, this is a good sequel. The book did well to continue developing characters and the world building was pretty good. The plot kept me hooked from beginning to end and I am excited to see the results of book 3.


While I liked the book I felt it didn't do well in the beginning to summarize the events of book 1. I felt so lost and confused for most of the beginning of the book because I couldn't remember the first book. The book had some very VERY fast pacing and I got whiplash while reading the book. The book is also very predictable and it was easy to see where the events were leading to and there was no romance in the book, only hints and maybes.

Verdict: It's good but read it back to back with book 1.

Hello! I actually was able to get a copy of this book from my local book store so I will review the first book as well as the sequel as soon as I get a chance :) Thank you!

Title: The Camelot Betrayal
Author: Kiersten White
Pub. Date: November 10, 2020
Rating: 3

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I read The Guinevere Deception in 2019 and enjoyed it. I’m a fan of Arthurian Legends and I love fresh takes on the myth. While I ultimately enjoyed this book, I often found myself rather bored and just waiting for it to end. I will be reading the next book, as I’m now too invested and, like with book 1, the ending leaves you wanting more.

I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to read this book. I remembered nothing from The Guinevere Deception, so going into this book I was a bit lost. In time I started to remember little things, but more often than not, I just found myself not caring. If NetGalley hadn’t approved my request for an eARC, I don’t think I would have picked this up. I don’t know what it is, but Kiersten White books are either hits or misses for me – and I’m starting to think that maybe she’s just not an author for me. I will be finishing out this series simply because I’m 100% a sucker for Arthurian Legends and I’m too invested. I need to know how everything ends – especially after how this book ends.

Overall, I just don’t have any strong feelings about this book. The ending was the best part, I actually cared what was happening. It definitely leaves you with the need to know what happens next. But other than that, I just didn’t really care. The world was vivid and came to life in my mind, I enjoyed the character relationships, but overwhelmingly I don’t feel strongly one way or another. Not a terrible read, but I’m not desperately anticipating the next one. I can wait and I will.
If you like Arthurian Legends and you’re looking for a fresh take, I would recommend checking out this series.

The cover is beautiful! In this novel, Guinevere has accepted her role at King Arthur's side. However, she has lost herself. She is missing her love, Lancelot. She is trying to give so much to everyone else...she is empty. She worries she will never fit in and find her place not just in Camelot. As a person.

An unexpected death occurs. While Guinevere is reeling from this loss, she returns to Camelot to find a new threat. Not battle a to be won, or an evil empress, the real Guinevere's sister.

I just could not get into this book. Actually this whole series. This book was better than the first book. However, it was still more of a transitional or filler book than a book 2. I appreciated Guinevere's search for self in this book, but the conclusion just put me off. I want to thank #netgalley and the publishers for an advance reader copy of this novel.

I really enjoyed the first book, The Guinevere Deception, so I had been really looking forward to Arthur and Guinevere's story continuing on in this sequel. The author's take on Guinevere and the Arthurian legends are incredibly interesting and in my opinion, a little more thrilling than the usual tale. For the most part, I really liked this sequel. There were some twists, like Guinevere's realization of who her mother might be, that I didn't see coming which always makes me happy. With the Arthurian legends being so well known, I think it definitely speaks to Kiersten White's ability to zig when everyone else zags. My only real issue with this novel was that I got a little tired of Guinevere's inner monologues, especially about Merlin and knot magic. It felt a little repetitive and kind of detracted from the story's pacing. But that wasn't enough of an annoyance to truly bother me. I can't wait to see what happens next in the third installment!

I have very mixed feelings about this novel. The first half was slow and I had the hardest time getting invested in it but thankfully things picked up in the second half and I loved it.

In this book, Guinevere recovering from everything that happened in the Guinevere Deception. Understandably, she’s feeling very lost and confused but unfortunately I felt the plot lost a little direction along with her. There were a lot of things happening and she was running around attempting to solve those problems but I kept hoping to get back to Mordred and the Dark Queen story.

I did enjoy the character development not only with Guinevere but also with Arthur, Lancelot and Brangien. The second half of the book there are mysteries that unfold and some questions are answered that kept things interesting. But the ending was jaw dropping! I loved the twist and it will definitely have me coming back for the final book in this trilogy. I just hope that we get a whole lot more Mordred in the finale because I personally want him and Guinevere together - sorry Arthur!

Wonderful sequel to an amazing series. I love king Arthur type books and this series didn't disappoint

Guinevere's troubles seemed like my own when reading this. The author really delves into her mind which I appreciated. Looking forward to the conclusion of this trilogy. Almost want Guinevere to get with Mordred? He feels more right for her than Arthur.

*I received this book (via eArc from NetGalley) for free from the publisher (Random House) in exchange for an honest review*
This book was all over the place. I think it truly suffered from the middle book syndrome. The character development was kinda lacking as well as the logic. We are left with still unanswered questions but I think that the highlight of this book was Arthur and Guinevere's love. That was the reason I carried on and the ending was quite interesting that I would consider reading the last book just to see how it all ends. I love Arthurian retellings so this was a good book but not the greatest one I have read. The first book was still strong and I hope that the third book would be more stronger and It was interesting how you see Lancelot and Guinevere's friendship and not the original storyline when they are in love.
I would totally recommend this book to those who are starting out with books with Arthurian legend inspired. Thanks again to publisher for the arc.

Definitely one of my new favorite books and authors. I absolutely love the writing style of the author. I definitely recommend reading this series if you already have not. !00%

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Phenomenal, as per usual. I relate so much to Guinevere mentally (especially with her internal struggles about what she believes). She's such a complex character, and I absolutely love reading her story.

That's it. That's the review. Read this series, guys. It's absolutely fantastic.

Content warnings:
- innuendo, some graphic/disturbing violence, same-sex relationship

Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. I absolutely fell in love with the first book in this series, The Guinevere Deception, and was so excited to see this second book. I’m thrilled to say this is every bit as good as the first book! It picks up almost immediately after the events in The Guinevere Deception. It’s not a spoiler to say that our Guinevere is a changeling, surreptitiously placed at Camelot by Merlin after the real Guinevere dies. The whys of that we explored more in the first book; in The Camelot Betrayal, we learn (maybe?) more about our Guinevere - who she really is, where she came from, and perhaps a new reason for her arrival at Camelot. It’s very hard to go into detail without discussing spoilers from the first book, so I’d definitely read The Guinevere Deception first. I was looking forward to movement in the relationship between Arthur and Guinevere, and we almost get it before the book ends in a cliffhanger. There are some new characters, including the real Guinevere’s sister and her servants, and I was glad that some of these characters turned out to be pretty straightforward. Guinevere has been through a lot, and I hate for her to always be so suspicious. You can tell how much I love this book by my worrying over the heroine, ha. I can only hope that the next book comes out quickly!

I honestly don’t know what to think about this book. I really wanted to enjoy it just as much as I did the first one. Sadly, it didn’t hold up to my expectations. The big plot twist in this one just didn’t do it for me and it definitely disappointed me. If anymore books are published in this series I hope this book is just suffering from middle book syndrome. I just didn’t enjoy the plot at all this time around or the characters.

In this second installment of the Camelot Rising series, we again follow Guinevere through her struggle to be protect Camelot. While she still feels like she’s play-acting at being Queen, in this story she actually makes choices and takes much needed actions that only a Queen could handle. She is rightfully paranoid of everyone after she trusted the wrong people before, releasing a great threat to the safety of Camelot. The anxiety of missing magical threats to Camelot, and her desperation to protect her friends undoubtedly lead her into more trouble than if she’d just trust herself.

She will be betrayed once again…
Just as the title suggests, Guinevere is once again betrayed by someone within close company. Kiersten White managed to put me onto the wrong trail for quite a while before I switched tracks and predicted the real wolf in sheep’s clothing. Even so, it bothered me that I couldn’t predict “the why”. I was just as surprised as Guinevere.

ImageOne of my favorite characters in this series is Sir Lancelot. Undying loyal, Lancelot gets into quite a bit of trouble because of Guinevere. Lancelot is one of three people that know of the Queen’s magical abilities. Knowing her secret means that there are times when Lancelot must leave Guinevere unprotected. Of course, Guinevere gets hurt or causes hurt for others, and tries to take the blame herself. A constant theme in the story is Guinevere trying to handle problems alone to save her friends. You can’t help but wonder how things could turn out if she didn’t insist on going at things alone so often.

Guinevere the hero, or Guinevere the damsel?
ImageThroughout the story there were several times I was proud of Queen Guinevere. There were many times I thought ‘stop acting like a sad puppy.’ My opinions of her were conflicting but that made her feel all the more real. No human is perfect and I’m sure if I was 17 and a Queen, I’d be worse at the job.

In the end of The Camelot Betrayal we’re left with another surprising cliff hanger. Will Guinevere be the ultimate champion of Camelot, or will Arthur ride in and save the day? Either way, I’m anxious to find it in the next book!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my unbiased review!
I enjoyed reading the continued story of this version of Camelot and the characters involved. Kiersten's writing continues to enchant me and I absolutely can't wait to read the third book to see how these storylines will be wrapped up. If you haven't started this series, may I suggest you do so? They are a perfect escape read!

With the first book in this series, “The Guinevere Deception,” Kiersten took the Arthurian legend and made it her own in a world that was new and fresh. I loved every minute spent reading the book, and when I finished, I could not wait to get my hands on book 2. The Camelot Betrayal did not disappoint. In fact, I think that I like it even better than the first. The character development of both old and new characters is one of my favorite aspects of this book, especially with Guinevere. We get to see her struggle with being an “imposter queen” and then finally seeing herself as Arthur and Camelot see her - the true queen. I look forward to reading book three and seeing how the story continues to unfold.

What I really enjoyed about this book was how we got to learn more about pretty much every character. And even better, White took everything we thought we knew and turned it all around. Now I have no idea what to believe or who. And with the addition of the new characters, more questions are being raised.

I do wish we could get more of Arthur and Guinevere exploring their relationship. I happen to really like them together, although I have a feeling we're being led elsewhere. They have a good dynamic together and I can tell they really care for each other. But both are so lost with who they think they are that they can't truly grow together. Arthur is so blinded by his love of Merlin, that he's not open to hearing other options - whether they are true or not. And Guinevere is just lost. Having no idea where she came from, she spends most of her time questioning everything and pushing people away. I also really love the relationships that have been created here though. There's a true feeling of sisterhood here and it's nice to see women supporting women.

The Camelot Betrayal is the second book in the Camelot Rising Trilogy. It is the story in which Queen Guinevere has decided to accept her role in Camelot despite continuing to question her true identity. She does not have many memories of her past and the more she tries to claim her role as Queen, the more empty she feels. The confusion is even more compounded when her sister comes to pay her an unexpected visit and recognizes her as the real Guinevere.

I loved this story so much and found myself attached to the characters. There was great character development and the world-building was phenomenal. Both were so rich with details. There were many things happening in this book and I was intrigued the whole way through to know what would happen next.

This book exceeded my expectations. I had just finished The Guinevere Deception right before starting this book, so I am happy that I got to read them close together. I am looking forward to the final book in this trilogy.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read this book as an ARC!