While I enjoyed the plot and spending time with the characters, I wanted a bit more from this. I feel like some of it was filler, but I enjoyed the authors take on the Arthurian legend.

I love these books! Kiersetn White enters the world of Camelot with a deft hand, keeping the things so many love about the characters (can Arthur BE any better? how deep do Morderd's deceptions go?) while putting a new spin on other less-dynamic figures. The events of the tale are perfectly paced, with space for the reader to breathe while maintaining a tight clip to carry the story along. Guinevere is complex, much more so than in previous re-telling, and continues to prompt both sympathy and frustration in the reader-- all in the best way. I want to know what happens next, and I cannot wait for the next book!

This sequel was great! It started right where book 1 left off, I just love the characters!
There were some unexpected twists and turns! I can’t wait for the next book in this trilogy!

I wanted...more from this?

I feel like it suffered a little bit from middle book syndrome, because I felt like there wasn't a good purpose? I can tell we're gearing up for something and I enjoyed the smaller "side-quest" type plotlines that happened in this book, but ultimately there wasn't much of a climax because White was so committed to the cliffhanger. I struggled a little bit to pull myself back from skimming and while I am also enjoying the ongoing mystery surrounding Guinevere's identity and past, I also wanted more revelation about that in this book.

Overall, quite a bit of filler in this book that I wish had been used more judiciously for character development or introducing new conflict, but still a decent entry in the series. I excitedly await the next installment.

Book two of the Camelot Rising series and it does not disappoint! Guinevere is coming into her own and this book focuses on that a lot. I think her and Lancelot’s friendship is a good strong foundation for this story and developing nicely. I do have mixed feelings about her and Arthur, but that’s not surprising given how history tells it. Overall I enjoyed this one and can’t wait to see how the next book is.

LOVED! I adored The Guinevere Deception, and was so happy to see all my favorites back for The Camelot Betrayal--along with some fun new faces, including a few familiar from history! Guinevere struggles with her place in Camelot as a queen figure, feeling especially that her magic isn't very helpful. She wonders what her real identity is, where she really belongs, who really understands her. And in the bigger picture, what if the bad guys aren't really the bad guys that everyone was made to believe?

I CANNOT WAIT for The Excalibur Curse!'

Similarly to the first book, thought it was good. I will definitely be reading the last book when it comes out.

The story progressed some of the unanswered questions but overall just kept teasing us with tidbits. The dynamic between Arthur and Guinevere was explored though it only made me favor her with Modred that much more.

I recommend this book to those interested in this genre. It was a relatively quick read.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC.

What a magical sequel in Kiersten White’s new, amazing, YA fantasy series. CAMELOT BETRAYAL picks up right after book 1. There are so many things I loved about this novel. First off, the environment, world building by Kiersten has always been superb. The way she writes pulls you right into the world, making you think you’re physically in the story. Sights. Sounds. People. Magic. She has everything that you need. There is so much amazingness in these pages.

Secondly, the characters are one of the BEST aspects. I love how Kiersten had Lancelot as a female. I LOVE it when authors play gender swaps in stories. It’s interesting to me to see how they portray the opposite gender in a male dominated society. The character developments are AMAZING. The personal journeys are so well done, and I love to watch how characters transform.

The pace was so well thought out that the words fly off the pages. I read this one in a day!

I highly recommend CAMELOT BETRAYAL to all who have read/want to start this amazing series. Don’t miss out!!!!!!!

There are spoilers ahead for The Guinevere Deception. After Mordred’s betrayal, Guinevere and Arthur retreat to fortify Camelot against further magical attacks, and everything gradually settles back into place. But Guinevere has yet to find a true place for herself in Camelot or with Arthur, and her missing memories of her past continue to haunt her. When the real Guinevere’s sister arrives unexpectedly in Camelot, her position is thrown even further into doubt. Can she possibly deceive members of Guinevere’s own family, or is her time as queen coming to an end? I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Random House/Delacorte Press. Trigger warnings: animal death, fire, violence/violence against women, severe injury, guilt, grief.

I was about a hundred pages into my hardcover copy when I was approved for this book, so that says something about how little I was willing to wait to dive back into this story. The Guinevere Deception was one of my favorite books last year and, in many ways, this series feels like the version of the Camelot story that I always wanted to read. I can tell that I’m being unfairly biased toward it, and I can’t quite explain why I love it so much, although there are many things to like about it. While the first book is more tightly plotted, I love being in this world so much that I didn’t really care.

The characters are a major draw of this series for me, and they continue to develop in interesting ways in this book. Queen Guinevere is an enormously complicated character (in my opinion), and White gives her all the nuances she deserves in this retelling. At its heart, her relationship with Arthur is based on friendship and a mutual desire to protect Camelot more than it’s based on romance, and I’m enjoying the distinction. There are a lot of strengths to that relationship, but it’s also clear that both sides aren’t having all their needs met, and it just shows that even healthy relationships don’t always lead to true love. I missed Mordred being clever and mysterious in this book, but Lancelot more than makes up for his absence. I never knew I needed a female Lancelot in my fiction, but she’s one of my favorite things about this series. We have a kickass female protector who’s better at fighting than nearly all the male characters, and she’s fiercely loyal to Guinevere on top of that. (I ship it so hard, but it’s not clear yet if there’s any requited romance between those two either.)

The plot meanders a bit, introducing a threat early on and then veering off into a rescue quest that casts a new wlw interpretation on the Tristan and Isolde story. I love it as a subplot and wasn’t sorry to see the novel go in that direction for a while, but on a structural level it’s a bit of a weird detour from the major conflict, which turns out not to be magical at all. Like Guinevere, I had a hard time liking her sister, Lily, at first, though it’s also easy to see that Guinevere isn’t fair to her right from the beginning. Regardless, though, the series is never short on strong, complex relationships among women, and for once, it’s heartening to see a Camelot story where important female characters far outnumber the males. The story leaves off on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I can’t believe I have to wait at least another year to find out what happens!

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children/Delacorte Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my rating**

I really enjoyed book one, so I was excited to continue Guinevere's story in book two of this series. Unfortunately, I think this one suffered a bit from "second book syndrome."

The Guinevere Deception felt very fast-paced to me. There was a lot of plotting and planning and then they were dealing with threats and kidnappings. This one felt very slow until the last 30 or 40 pages. There's a long plot with family drama when Guinevach, the real Guinevere's sister, shows up and almost blows her cover. However, it's just petty "girl fight" type things where the guys think she's overreacting but it's clear to the girls exactly what's going on. In the middle of the book, it picks up pace a little bit with a rescue mission, but that only lasts a few chapters, so it goes back to the family drama. The ending was amazing, though! Those last 30 to 40 pages definitely made up for the middle of the book.

The new characters introduced were a nice added dynamic, although I'll add that one of them in particular felt a little flat. Guinevere's identity was again a large part of the story, but you felt her struggling with her choices and weighing what sort of friend, person, and queen she wants to be. I did enjoy watching her grow stronger, even though she manages to be kidnapped once again. I'm hoping that is something that doesn't happen in book three because three kidnappings is too much.

The last big twist in the story made me SUPER excited for book three! I can't wait to see how this saga ends. So while this was a slower book than the first one, it is well worth the read to get to that ending!

3.5/5 stars, rounded to 4 for Goodreads.

I apologize for the late review. My computer stopped working and it took much longer than expected to get a replacement due to delays caused by the Covid pandemic. I was able to post a photo for the book's release day on Instagram and I will happily post this review on Amazon as well if needed. Thank you for your understanding.

Review:
The Camelot Betrayal was a strong follow up to The Guinevere Deception. While I did have a couple issues with it, overall I really enjoyed it.
My main complaint was that the plot didn't really move a lot in the beginning of the book. It felt like we were still getting a lot of character/world development up until the last bit of the book and the introduction of new characters. I also wasn't as big a fan of Arthur as I had hoped. He seemed almost too good and it didn't seem like his character developed much passed the first book. I am fully team Mordred at the moment. His character is more interesting and multi-dimensional. He also seems to care more about Guinevere.
One twist I do love is the spin Kiersten put on Lancelot's story. It's such a unique take & I've never read anything like it before. I also liked her friendship with Guinevere; she displays so much loyalty.
Guinevere seems to be coming into her own a bit more in this one. She's still a bit naive, but I'm enjoying learning more about her inner fight and desire to learn more about who she truly is and where she fits in.
The Camelot Betrayal still ends on a cliff hanger, but it's a satisfying ending. Kiersten did an amazing job with the spin she put on the story and characters we all know and I can't wait to find out what happens in the finale.
Also, I have to give a shout out to the fantastic cover art and book design on this series!

Thanks for the free book, @PRHGlobal/@prhinternational #sponsored

4 stars
“I do not know what Merlin did to me, or why, and the more I try to fix things or claim who I am, to be queen or to wield magic as a protector, the more people get hurt. Where will it stop?”

And that my friends is the crux of the matter.



This sequel will slowly change the reader’s view on the narrative. On who is good and who is evil. Nothing is black or white and even the Dark Queen had her reasons. That’s something I love about Kiersten White’s stories: she always goes for every shades of grey!





All along, I thought that Guinevere deserves a love story.

She is always second to Arthur. He is a kind and good king, a good man too. But he’ll never worship Guinevere or place her first in his heart. It will always be Camelot. Guinevere is like a convenience to him, a paw on his chess game.

I wanted them to be together but knowing that, I am torn between Lancelot and Mordred.

Lancelot because she is a very interesting character. Similar to all Arthurian’s legends, we can feel that Lancelot is probably more than devoted to Guinevere. She is always observing Guinevere, protecting her, worshipping her. And Lancelot went through so much as a kid and growing up I want her to be happy.
“Lancelot shifted so that Guinevere’s head was at a more comfortable angle against her shoulder. Her low voice was softer than normal when she answered, “I am never in the dark when I am protecting you.”

But I am also rooting for Mordred because Guinevere has conflicted feeling for him. He has always SEEN Guinevere, the whole of her. There is also an undeniable chemistry at play. And he will prove being a more complex character than what we could have thought. Not the black hearted villain.





Guinevere is, you can guess, a character I deeply care for.

I think she did not deserve what Merlin did to her: whip her memories clean. Her mind is like an empty shell and she does not know who she is, who she was.

That must be a terrible feeling.

Yet she is so dutiful.

Guinevere is a gentle soul. You can see it in how she cares for animals and how she regrets hurting people, even if they are villains about to kill her. She is powerful but hates using her power to maim living beings.
“This is the pain of being king. Of being queen. Making choices that will hurt some but save others. And often not knowing until it is too late who will be hurt and who will be saved. I am sorry you have to share it, but I am glad to have the company.”

She is also very dedicated in protecting Arthur and Camelot. Without memories, she still tries her best to be a good queen. And my heart broke every time Arthur left or kept himself at arm’s length while Guinevere so wanted to be loved.



I was glad that she had found a family in Camelot among many women: Dindrane, Branghien, Lancelot and more to come in that story. Here again women’s friendship warmed my heart as men seemed too busy to fight and protect Camelot to really care for Guinevere.







Arthur is the charismatic king that we all know from stories.

He draws people him, inspire deep devotion and that’s what Guinevere felt for him too. He is courageous, kind, considerate but … will never be all Guinevere’s and for that, I resented him.
“She often felt that her own life began the day they met. And while it was true she had few memories before that, it was also because there was something about Arthur that made him instantly the center of any life. Sir Caradoc had given up a crown after one meeting. Lancelot had trained her whole life to serve at his side. And Guinevere had chosen Camelot over all else to help him.”



But one person whose story differs from the traditional tales is Merlin!

Merlin is not the all good wizard here. His vision of a future means he won’t hesitate to make choices crushing people in the process and it gives us a “one narrative” as if his vision of the future was the only good one.

He made possible for Arthur’s mother to be raped. He erased Guinevere’s memories and we’ll learn that he “arranged” other truths to suit his scheme. Honestly, I despised him!

And Guinevere is making her mission to right Merlin's wrongdoings.



It gave us a very interesting and unique revisiting of Arthurian legend, ending on a big cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the third book!

WOW! I really liked the first book in this series, "The Guinevere Deception", but this next installment was even better! Normally, I don't enjoy when books deviate from the main plot line and fill the majority of the story with side quests, but for some reason, this setup really worked well for "The Camelot Betrayal". We have a chance to get a richer understanding of each of the major players and how they think, or why they act the way they do. Particularly, the interactions and friendship between Brangien, Lancelot, and Guinevere was a pleasure to read and to watch blossom. Granted, we didn't get too many answers to the MANY questions left at the end of "Deception", but by raising even more questions to complicate the plot, it makes the reader all the more intrigued to continue with this story in the third installment! I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. There were so may moments of action and suspense littered throughout the story that kept me tearing through the pages to find out more. I'm curious to see if Book 3 will, at least begin to, expound upon some of the more burning questions raised in the first two books... particularly in regards to Guinevere's parentage, background and true identity. If you love Arthurian retellings, this series is a must-read!

A stunning follow up to The Guinevere Deception! I enjoyed seeing more of Camelot and exploring the world I loved hearing stories about as a kid. Having a female lead for the Arthurian legends was so exciting for me for this series and White never fails to amaze me with every book.

I've come to expect a lot from any book by Kiersten White, and this second installment of the series delivers! With excellent characters and a complex world, I was immediately swept away by the story. Without getting into spoilers, this book has as many twists and turns as the first, and I'm dying for the next one!

What I Liked...
» My favorite aspect of this series is definitely that it is a Camelot/King Arthur retelling. I love what White has reimagined here for King Arthur and Guinevere.

» Since this is a King Arthur retelling, this series has a medieval setting, which I absolutely love. There is just something about a setting that includes knights, castles, horses, etc. that I can’t get enough of.

» While Guinevere is still struggling with her identity in this book, I feel like we get a better sense of her personality and emerging strength in this installment. I can’t help but feel sympathetic towards Guinevere and root for her.

» Typically I am not a fan of love triangles/squares, but it somehow works here. Generally, I almost have one person that I want the main character to end up with, but in this case I haven’t figured out who I am rooting for yet. Finding out who Guinevere ends up with is one of my driving factors to continue on with the series.

» The cliffhanger ending is keeping me just interested enough in this series to consider continuing on with the final installment.

What I Didn't Like...

» Much like the first book, the plot of The Camelot Betrayal felt disorienting. I still feel we haven’t been given enough backstory or context to what is actually going on.

» The Camelot Betrayal felt more like a “side quest” instead of a second installment of a series that progresses the main plot. Many of the big questions from the first installment – Who is Guinevere? Why did Merlin send her? What – were not explored or answered here.

› Recommended to ⇒ fans of retellings

› Trigger/content warnings ⇒ blood magic (self harm)

*Big thanks Random House Children’s to for providing a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a great followup book to the Guinevere Deception. Even though I'm not the biggest Arthur buff, I've been totally drawn into these characters and this story. I felt the characters were a lot deeper and more drawn out and there was plenty of action and romance to keep the story moving. I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy!

I should preface this by saying: I love Arthurian legends and I love retellings, so it's not surprise that I love Kiersten's White's take on Guinevere.

It's hard to review the middle book in a trilogy (or any sequel) without spoiling the first book. It can also be difficult because readers can't yet see the larger picture or how the series will conclude. The being said, I absolutely adored the development of the relationship between Guinevere and Lancelot. I honestly think the characters are one of the strongest aspects of this book and series. I find Mordred to be such a nuanced, layered character, and every scene with him is a favorite.

As far as the plot is concerned, I still feel like we're left with more questions than answers, but they're all questions I'm dying to learn the answers to. The cliffhanger at the end left me desperate for book three, and I have no idea how I'm going to wait a whole year to finish the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book to this series, The Guinevere Deception, so I was excited to read The Camelot Betrayal too. The second book continued with the unique magic system, epic quests, mystery surrounding Guinevere's origins, and Guinevere's complicated relationships with Arthur, Mordred, and Lancelot. However, I was surprised that almost all the conflicts in this book were continuations of the first book's subplots. This sequel had almost nothing to do with the Dark Queen, and it didn't really answer any questions about the main plot and Guinevere's identity. Because of this, I was a little annoyed at parts. But I'm still really looking forward to the last book so I can get my questions answered and continue with all the characters I love.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, NetGalley and Delacorte Press, for the review copy!

It's been a while since reading the Guinevere Deception, which I loved, but I had honestly forgotten some of it. However, picking this book up really refreshed my memory and after a couple of chapters, I was completely immersed back into this magical world.

While The Guinevere Deception provided a great start to the series, the Camelot Betrayal finally dives deeper into the story and the plot thickens.

THE ROMANCE. Continuing on from the love triangle from the first book, Guinevere has to deal more with conflicting feelings for Arthur and Modred. Although I kept flip-flopping between the two throughout the story, I cannot help but cheer a little more for Modred! Like finishing the first book, I cannot wait for the next in the series!

Aside from the amazing romance, the story behind Guinevere has still not fully been revealed and I have my own thoughts and theories that I cannot wait to see come true or take a completely different twist. While I love obsessing over Guinevere's love life, her relationship with other characters also grow and evolve in beautiful ways that reveal more and more about each of them.

By the time I reached the halfway point, there was no getting me to stop reading. So needless to say, I truly cannot wait for the next part of the series!