The final book in this twist-on-Arthurian-legend trilogy, we return to the world of Camelot and back to the perspective of Guinevere-yet-not-Guinevere, who’s captured by her enemies as soon as she risks it all weaving a spell to keep Camelot safe in Arthur’s absence. Taunted by Morgana, mother of her not-foe Mordred, Guinevere attempts to take down the Dark Queen’s allies from the inside – but it’s never as simple as that. In enemy hands, with both Arthur and her trusty knight, Lancelot, attempting to rescue her, Guinevere finally finds some answers about her own tragic backstory – for better or worse.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was quick, I sped right through – though I did have trouble remembering the events of past books; the author definitely assumed a thorough recap was not necessary. It’s been over a year, I definitely needed more than no hints at the series’ history. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment too much, however.

One thing this trilogy has always done well is make who to root for a foggy choice, and the romance has always been just as likely to confuse as to thrill. With Guinevere going back and forth and uncertain, how is the audience expected not to follow? There is, again, a bit of queer-baiting with a certain duo, though representation with another (if we never see much); it just feels wishy-washy, afraid to alienate.

The book’s third act is a bit of a mess, in my personal opinion. The conflict is easily taken care of, and twists are thrown in without much motivation behind them. We do get a few new engaging characters – but at this point in the series, they detract from what’s been established more than they add anything worthwhile.

To summarize, it imitates depth without providing much depth at all.

But I still enjoyed myself.

Trigger warning: violence, blood, death.

The Excalibur Curse was the final book in a fun series from Kiersten White. I was excited to see how this story would end, but also not as thrilled with the final book as I thought and had hoped to be. I loved the first book the most. Overall, this is a good series worth reading.

Wow these covers just keep getting better and better! Unfortunately the first two books were much better and I expected the third and final book to rival that. The relationships overall weren’t well written. Many characters felt like copy and paste plot-pawns instead of dimensional and complex characters.
Full review to come on YouTube.

The conclusion to a trilogy that I was excited for! While I did enjoy the series overall, I felt that this book lacked a little something. I was bored at times, tired. Sluggish to finish it. But overall, it was enjoyable! I do enjoy Kiersten’s writing and this was no different! Excited to see what she does next.

The Excalibur Curse is the exhilarating finale to Kiersten White’s Camelot Rising trilogy, which I loved all the way through. I didn’t really have a great past with White’s books, but this trilogy really sold it for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the electronic review copy of this book. This was the last book in a series, which I didn’t realize until I started to read it. This was also my introduction to Kiersten White’s writing. I usually enjoy retellings and this one didn’t disappoint. Interesting twists + familiar characters made for an enjoyable read overall.

Ended up DNFing this book. Book one started off strong. Book two was ok and then book 3 I didn’t finish.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Excalibur Curse is the third and final book in Kiersten White's Camelot Rising series. In this slow-burn, character-driven YA Fantasy series, White puts her own unique spin on the legend of Camelot, incorporating classic characters many of us know and love.

The second book in the series, The Camelot Betrayal, ended on an incredible cliffhanger, with the fate of our heroine, Guinevere, hanging in the wind. I literally gasped at the final plot twist in that book and knew that I had to continue with this story as soon as possible.

As this installment begins, Guinevere finds herself separated from her closest companions. In order to free herself from her sticky situation, and continue on her mission, she is forced to make some new allies. One in particular, I really enjoyed being added to the cast.

I'm looking at you, Fina.

If you have read the earlier books, you know Guinevere has a lot of unanswered questions about her past. Okay, unanswered questions is putting it mildly. She has no freaking clue where she came from or who she really is. This causes her continued angst. She cannot continue to live feeling like she stole the real Guinevere's life. She feels a fraud. She needs to find out her truth.

This story follows Guinevere over the ups and downs of her final quest for answers. What she finds...yeah, she's not ready for it. It shakes her to her core and causes her to feel like she is unworthy of the life she leads. Her friends and companions, those who love her, work hard to convince her that she is incredible just as she is. She has changed their lives. It doesn't matter one lick where she came from. She is real and she matters.

While, admittedly, this started out slow for me, the pace definitely increased exponentially in the second half. Also, I did finally get the answers I was hoping for and even though they weren't what I expected, I walk away satisfied.

There were so many great relationships built throughout this series. I think that aspect is my greatest take-away from this whole story. Each relationship was unique and it had its own special qualities. I would say my favorite to watch evolve over the course of the three books was Guinevere and Lancelot. Wow, the two of them and their bond, it absolutely fills my heart to even think about. That's unconditional love.

Overall, I had a really good time with this series. It's a bit romantic and dreamy, but it's also full of twists, intrigue and fantastic characters. As mentioned above, I'm really happy with this conclusion and can walk away comfortable that my favorites will live happily ever after...

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I definitely look forward to reading more from Kiersten White soon!!

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

This is the conclusion to the Camelot Rising trilogy, which is an Arthurian retelling with Guinevere as the main character. Everything is questioned of good versus evil, friends versus enemies, and ultimately herself. That’s all I am going to say about this.

I really enjoyed this series and like the concept of this trilogy. However, this didn’t feel like an ending to me and I didn’t this was the ending until I looked it up close to the ending and then the ending felt rushed. I did feel like Guinevere’s character development was weaker in this installment and that she was really whiney about herself and what she was doing. This definitely is the weakest book in the trilogy.

A brilliant conclusion to the Camelot series! The character development and setting were fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I really adored the first two books in the Guinevere trilogy. However, this is my least favorite. This is because I did not like the ending. My favorite couple was Mordred and Guinevere, and I believed they deserve better than how they ended up in the story. Despite the disappointing ending, Kiersten White is an incredibly talented author. She not only updated the Arthurian myths to a modern audience, but she made them come alive. All the characters in the epic were grey and complex like Merlin and King Arthur. The story is very fast-paced and is filled with political, courtly intrigue, and betrayal! I recommend this fans of Marion Zimmerman Bradley, Meg Cabot, and Liza Ann Sandell! Kiersten White has spun a feminist take on Queen Guinevere and have shown her in a new light!

What I loved:
Guinevere has struggled to own who she is and who she was created to be throughout this trilogy. As we go further into the series, we learn from the first one that this Guinevere is not the honest Guinevere, but in reality, she has been created by the lady of the lake and merlin, but for what purpose? Can she continue to be this Guinevere? Guinevere wants to be a girl. Not a creation of her parents made to take someone else identity. Her decision is poorly thought out anyone else cringe when she tries to use the magical sword to set Guinevere free?
The gender-bending idea of Lancelot being a female character made for an exciting take on this character. I feel she should have played a more significant role in the story than the side character she was regulated to being. There is a romance that is barely mentioned. Instead, she struggles between Mordred and Arthur though you are for sure she loves Lancelot.
Final Verdict: This was a rough 3rd book as the setup seemed to fall short of where the first two books were heading. Guinevere struggles with righting a wrong or stopping a war which is true to the first two books. This one fell flat as Guinevere lets her identity crisis consume her to the point where she makes decisions out of the left field. I felt the pacing was off and that the ending left me feeling like it was quickly put together rather than thought out to match with the rest of the story.
Audiobook Review: The narrator is the same one we listened to for the first two books. The narrator keeps the pace moving and is not a distraction from the story. I like how she can quickly put some infliction into each character to distinguish between characters. I do recommend that the series is listened to in order.

I really enjoyed this series. The premise was very intriguing, and I thought the twists on Arthurian legend were very creative. The magic system was interesting, and I thought there were excellent character arcs. I loved all the characters, especially their flaws. We got to see them reap the consequences of their actions, which is something I always love to read in stories. And in this last book especially, it explored lots of different types of love and relationships. There was a wild plot twist revealed halfway through, which I was not sold on initially, but it grew on me and I found it fascinating, and I think it would be interesting to reread and look for clues along the way, because I’m sure there are some.

I received an advanced copy of The Excalibur Curse through Netgalley so I could share my review with you!

The Excalibur Curse is book three in the Camelot Rising series, so be sure to check out the first two books (The Guinevere Deception and The Camelot Betrayal) before starting this one! My review contains spoilers for the first two books, so read with caution if you’ve not started the series yet.

Guinevere sacrificed everything to save Camelot. She betrayed her closest allies and friends, risking her own life to create a barrier around her kingdom to protect them from certain destruction. Now, she is left to deal with the consequences of her choices, trapped away from those she trusts. But, the greatest dangers Guinevere will face might not come from her enemies, but from within her own body.

You can get your copy of The Excalibur Curse now from Delacorte Press!

The Camelot Rising series has held a special place in my heart since the first book was released in 2019, and Kiersten White did not disappoint with this series finale. My favorite element of The Excalibur Curse was the value placed on different forms of love, both romantic and platonic. This nuanced exploration of human connections made this book so much more than a simple retelling for me. Kiersten White wrote such raw, human emotion into this story. I couldn’t help falling in love with all of the characters (especially Lancelot). After finishing Guinevere’s saga, I would give anything for a book about Lancelot!

My Recommendation-
If you love Arthurian retellings, I cannot recommend the Camelot Rising series enough! Even if you’re not the biggest mythology buff, this series would still be a great pick for readers who love plot twists, compelling character arcs, and witchy magic!

The final book in this trilogy gave me a lot of feelings and I still feel torn on how this book wrapped up. I think Guinevere trying to figure out her origins and how to make things right really took over the story and made it seem unbalanced. The ending was fitting for Arthur and Guinevere since both long to help people and put them first. I was sad how Mordred's story ended and wanted more. So my rating is split and is 3 out of 5 stars.

What an incredible culmination for this trilogy. I have loved this ride through the time of King Arthur and Guenivere. The story picked right back off where the last book left us with that awful cliffhanger. Guinevere is searching for answers to her past and to make sense of what is lurking inside herself. She will stop at nothing to get answers including trusting those that she shouldn't. This was such a fun ride, but all good things must come to an end. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4 stars

This book had a good start, but unfortunately concluded in an unsatisfactory way. I'm disappointed because I had so much hope for this series.
My positives are that I love retellings, and this was no exception. The author really took the Camelot story and made it her own. The characters and plot were at times intriguing.
But onto the negatives: the relationships were everywhere in this book. They could have been so much better developed, the potential was most certainly there, but in the end, they were lackluster.
All in all, this was a mediocre conclusion and I desired so much more.

The conclusion to Camelot Rising trilogy wasn’t quite what I hoped it would be. The thing I loved most about this book was the feminist focus. It is filled with strong, intelligent and capable women who are brave and fantastic problem solvers. Guinevere’s character has a tremendous amount of growth beyond what we’ve seen in the previous novels. There’s also the introduction of some new characters with Guinevere developing a friendship I absolutely loved.

Sadly, the pacing of the book left me wanting a bit more at times. There were portions where the story felt slow to me and I found myself wanting things to move along. I thought the story itself was pretty interesting and I cannot really imagine how it could have been changed so I honestly think this was more a case of - it’s me, not you. Overall, this was an intriguing take on the King Arthur and Guinevere’s tale.

I’m disappointed to say that this one is the weakest book of the trilogy, in my opinion. All the stars to Kiersten White for this ingenious twist and subversion of the Arthur myth, while style maintaining the bones of the story, as well as the mystery and beauty of it.

However, the pacing of this last book felt so off from the previous two—with much of it feeling as though it should have been condensed into a few chapters in the middle of the book and not drawn out for 2/3 of it.

I’m happy with the ending—though the HEA-lover in me would like to see a more definitive decision made on Guinevere’s part. I can appreciate the ending for what it is though and think it’s a powerful one, I just like answers and that’s solely a personal preference.

Just so much of this book felt like it was characters deciding WHAT to do next, then a few pages of actually doing the thing, before going right back to the drawing board. Going into this book, I expected quite a bit more of the mystery and eeriness of the myth in the conclusion, yet aside from the Lady of the Lake, it simply wasn’t there. Three whole books building up to the culmination of an epic cataclysm between good and evil, yet it was lackluster and underwhelming.

Still a solid series overall and I adore the first two books, just not feeling it with this one.

This one is hard to review!

I’ll start off by saying I usually LOVE K.W.’s books and series. This one though I felt peaked towards the beginning and was a slow unraveling as the story progressed.

Guineveres naïveté, indecisiveness, and constant flip flopping on her feelings and opinions drove me insane! I was frustrated with the romance (just pick someone already!) and in the end just felt annoyed.

Arthur wasn’t the best I’ve ever read in a reimagining, I adored the gender bent Lancelot, and Mordred I could have read about all day. I love a morally gray character!

All in all I’m torn on how I even feel about the series as a whole. The first book was fantastic, the second was a solid four stars, but this one.. although some of this book was SO GOOD unfortunately some of it just left me frustrated and disappointed by the end! I had such high hopes!

Will I still read another Kiersten White book? Absolutely!