→ 2 stars
→ thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

i found the first novel in this series quite enjoyable, the second one didn’t meet my standards, but this third and final novel really disappointed me. i expected so much more from the finale and, while a lot happened, everything felt rushed and disjointed.

the characters in this one, especially the female characters, were severely underused. i felt like the characterization they got in the previous two books was scrapped – almost none of them acted liked themselves. we had potential for strong, fierce female characters, but the book tried so hard to be feminist, that it all ended up falling flat. the main character, guinevere, was one character this book totally butchered. she was supposed to be a powerful queen, but she becomes obsessed with the tragedy of her past (which honestly wasn’t that big of a reveal and it’s not like she had any say in what happened so her self-deprecation was really pointless) and keeps pushing everyone away in a weak attempt to victimize herself even more, even thought her theory is constantly invalidated by everyone around her. she constantly refused to listen to any of the side characters. her indecisiveness got annoying at some point – for the whole novel she oscillates between the three love interests and this back-and-forth made me want to pull my hair out. her choices are also questionable at best, straight-up stupid during her worst moments.

i feel like too much happened in this book. it felt disjoined, with multiple plots going on at once. the scenes didn’t really flow together they way they should’ve – a lot of it felt like we’re skipping around.

in this third novel guinevere finally figures out that she might not actually have feelings for a certain character, only to end up with said character in the end, which really bothered me. truthfully, i would rather she remained single.

the ending was rushed and i feel like it was a bit too convenient how guinevere was suddenly powerful enough to do a certain thing with her magic. it didn’t make sense based on the rest of this book and the previous two novels. merlin also played such a small role in this series and i truly think he could’ve been more present or a bigger of a villain.

every time the book was edging towards a moment of tension, it got resolved in an instant, so the build-up was all for nothing, essentially. and it did this thing of getting rid of a villain we feared for a good few chapters in a couple pages.

i feel like the only thing i liked about this book was mordred. at least his character was somewhat consistent.

A disappointing finish to what started as a promising idea. I struggled to finish this. I loved the concept, but every character except Mordred fell flat.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Excalibur Curse is the thrilling conclusion to Kiersten White's Camelot Rising trilogy. We follow our multifaceted heroine, Guinevere, as she fights to save her kingdom and find herself.

The first two installments in this trilogy involved stunning twists and rich characters, and this third and final installment is no exception. No spoilers, but I loved finding out who Guinevere really was, and I also loved watching her come into her own. Plus, it was wonderful to see a positive ending, even if there were parts of it that were bittersweet. The whole thing left me wanting to go back and start the trilogy over again.

I don't have much to say beyond gushing, because I did really have a great time reading this. It's a marvelous addition to a fun, fast-paced trilogy that I think every reader will find something to love within.

I have enjoyed seeing this series grow and transform. I loved most of the characters in this series. Guinevere really grew as a character in this third book. She figured out her purpose and she was able to right the wrongs of Merlin. I liked all the new characters in this book however some of the plot fell through for me. This was a nice ending but i felt like it could have been better. Part of that reason though is i absolutely love Mordred's character and i thought that some things should have changed in the ending.

Huge thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC.

It took me a minute to sort my feelings for this one. If you're new, I've absolutely ADORED the first two books in this series, but with this one I felt overall a bit disappointed.

I still really enjoyed the writing, just like in the first two, but I felt like both the pacing and the plot were all over the place.
We do a lot of stop and start type of action, and Guinevere goes through a huge range of emotions about who she's attracted to, who she might care for intensely, how she feels about the way she came to "be" as it were, and I wanted to like every second of the emotional rollercoaster, but I just didn't.

The beginning of this book is great, I was super attached, I cared about what was going on, Guin is grappling with leaving Lancelot, and also her attraction to Mordred, and I was here for it.

And then my attention wavered a bit about 30% in and declined steadily. The concluding battle felt a bit lackluster to me, and I'm really bummed about it. I just wanted a bit more more moments that made me hold my breath from tension, more romance, more of our characters showing their depth and their feelings, and I didn't feel that I got this from the conclusion. I still would highly recommend this series overall, and a 3-star rating is not a bad rating.


I'm very grateful to have receieved an e-ARC of this book through Netgalley and Delacorte press.

I really enjoyed this series. As always, Kiersten White didn't give me what I wanted (I think she enjoys breaking my heart), but she did give us a Camelot story with strong, clever female characters. I do think the series was a little too clogged with love interests, especially since the stars of this series were the friendships between the women. I was invested in The Excalibur Curse from start to finish, but I do wish we'd gotten more Lancelot, more Brangien, and more of the characters I fell in love with in the previous books. I understand why White ended the series the way she did, but I was left wanting more for Guinevere. Still, there's something really special about this series and I enjoyed it overall! Lancelot, Fina, Brangien, Isolde, Guinevere, and Lily have a place in my heart forever.

This was a satisfactory conclusion to this series. I really enjoyed the journey and seeing the characters growth, especially Guinevere's. I love how strong the female characters are in this book, and that White spends a lot of focus on strong women and their relationships to one another in this usually male-centric story. It's been one of the best things about this book and this series.

The writing is so strong and the story moves along at a good pace. Overall, I think this is a really good book and I would recommend it to lovers of fantasy, especially Arthurian legend.

This book picks up right where The Camelot Betrayal left off.

The plot and characters felt simplified in this conclusion of The Camelot Rising trilogy, which was slightly disappointing. My heart didn't race like it did in the first two books, but I'm okay with that. I needed a simple book for a pleasant escape, and this book provided that. The themes of sisterhood and the strength of women were lovelier to me than any romance. (But was was totally rooting for a different romantic outcome!)

I would recommend this book to those seeking comfort, fairy tale retellings, historical fiction, or fantasy adventure.

Keirsten White continues her exploration of the roles women play in each other's lives; how women give support, confidence, and love in all it's forms. What is it to be a woman in a developing society created by and for the knights of the round table? I absolutely love this author's ability to voice the nuances of feminine relationships.

Guinevere was questionably captured and is now traveling with Mordred, Morgana, and the Picts to the Dark Queen. Arthur is off chasing a lost hope, and Merlin is still trapped in his cave. Meanwhile, Lancelot and Guinevere's ladies are finding ways to run Camelot in the absence of its king and queen. Guinevere discovers the violent beginnings of her past with Morgana's questionable help. As a result, her identity crisis from The Camelot Betrayal shifts into two choices. Will she stop a war by continuing down her assigned path? Or will she abandon Merlin and Arthur's plans for her by righting a wrong?

Depois de um final eletrizante em “The Camelot Betrayal”, finalmente saberemos a conclusão da história de Guinever e os demais personagens que fazem parte da lenda Athuriana contada em uma nova versão pela Kiersten White.



O final da trilogia “Camelot Rising” não fez jus ao que é apresentado e “montado” nos dois primeiros livros. Fico triste em saber que uma trilogia que estava caminhando tão bem tenha um final tão apressado e com uma reviravolta importante que poderia ter sido mais bem construída ao longo de tantas páginas.



Apesar das cenas de aventura, o ponto principal do livro é a evolução da personagem, que trava uma luta constante com ela mesma e o romance dela com seu par. Ao longo dos dois primeiros livros vemos como Guinevere tem um laço forte com Mordred, se descobre ao lado de Lancelot e, com toda certeza, vê sua força estando ao lado de Arthur. Quase metade do livro segue o que foi apresentado nos dois primeiros, mas aí então desanda. Nem tudo tem resposta, nem todas as respostas acabam importante e o foco no romance se torna bobo. A fantasia, a lenda, os dilemas morais e éticos, de onde e para onde Guinever vai, não tem mais destaque, mas o romance dela com seu par, sim. Fica cansativo ler sobre como ela tem seus medos, receios, não se vê como uma pessoa importante, e, mesmo estando envolvida com um personagem, esse possível relacionamento “romper” de maneira tão abrupta e com respostas tão “na cara” dela.



Continua sendo uma leitura legal e uma interessante versão da lenda Arthuriana? Com toda certeza. Mas senti falta de um pouco mais de real protagonismo na mocinha da história. A autora parece ter sido apressada para terminar a história. Só fico pensando como essa série seria melhor aproveitada se não estivesse no “molde” dos livros YA. Kirsten White fez um excelente trabalho apresentando personagens já conhecidos com uma nova roupagem, os livros tem uma premissa interessante, mas infelizmente o final que foi entregue é morno. Com toda certeza algumas pessoas vão amar, mas infelizmente, pra mim, a pressa de metade pro final do livro tiram o brilho que a história tem e merece.

The last book in a series almost always has a lot of pressure and expectation built into it. If the book even comes close to delivering, it’s a success as far as I’m concerned. The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White – the conclusion to her Camelot Rising trilogy – definitely delivers. Having spent significant chunks of the first two books setting the stage with various characters’ backstories and world-building, The Excalibur Curse sets a comfortable pace as it picks up with the cliffhanger of The Camelot Betrayal and charges toward the conclusion the series has carefully and skillfully been building toward. Answering questions and satisfying a climactic confrontation, the Camelot Rising trilogy is strong and compelling throughout, ending things on a pretty high note.

Guinevere has protected Camelot but is in enemy hands and Morgana and her northern allies carry her away with plans to deliver her to the Dark Queen herself. With her friends safe in the city’s walls and Arthur distracted in the south, Guinevere must orchestrate an escape if she still hopes to find Merlin and get the answers she needs about who she really is and where she came from. While her magic enables her to keep her friends apprised of her situation, Guinevere may have some unexpected allies among her captors. Mordred claims he too has been betrayed by his mother and the Dark Queen and that he wants to help and protect her – but can she ever trust him after the way he betrayed her before? Then there is Fina – the daughter of the norther ruler who has helped kidnap her. The two girls find themselves drawn into an unlikely friendship, testing the loyalties of both.

As with The Camelot Betrayal, the themes of responsibility and guilt are prominent in The Excalibur Curse. Guinevere’s hunt for the truth of her origins immerses her in a bit of an identity crisis as she must decide whether or not she can live with the guilt of actions that benefitted her, even though she had nothing to do with making them. She is also forced to confront the depths of human complexity and just how much gray area there is between good and evil – an area that she must fight to help Arthur to see and acknowledge, let alone take meaningful action upon.

With fewer pacing issues than the earlier novels, it was the supporting characters that drew me right back in again, particularly the newer characters like Fina and Nectudad (and Lily in the wake of everything that happened in The Camelot Betrayal). Seeing Guinevere separated from so many of her established friends and companions with only brief moments of connection, it helped to show just how much her character has grown and developed from the thoroughly naïve sixteen-year-old girl she was back in The Guinevere Deception (though the same can easily be said of almost all the characters). It’s not nearly as frustrating watching her make mistakes because the mistakes she makes are not blind or impulsive but thoughtful and with her truly understanding the consequences of being wrong – especially when the impact those mistakes is going to hurt her friends and loved ones. And finally, she realizes and accepts that sometimes there is no way to spare everyone pain or to only hurt yourself (because even hurting yourself is almost guaranteed to cause pain to your loved ones).

Guinevere has learned many secrets about herself and Camelot. The Dark Queen still wants to take control, but Arthur is willing to do anything to stop her. But what should Arthur do? What is true and what is a distraction? Guinevere isn’t able to get Merlin to help her, so she sets out to fix what she can, even if it means teaming up with Mordred. Guinevere learns that she may be able to fix one problem, but if she does a larger issue will ensue. Guinevere wants to make everything right, but is that even possible?

The Excalibur Curse is the third and final book in the Camelot Rising trilogy. This book does not spend a lot of time refreshing readers on past events and that is OK because I found that this story was strong enough to jog my memory with everything I needed. The action is continuous and the story unfolds easily. White has triumphed in taking many beloved Arthurian characters and repurposing them for a new audience. I enjoyed this finale and was fully satisfied with the ending.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

So, overall I enjoyed this reimagining of King Arthur, his knights, Lancelot and Guinevere.
And the humanizing of Guinevere as a character.
Of her being a woman, but also more that just the wife of a great king in stories.

This grapples with who she is. Is he really herself? Is she human? Is she more than? Is she a real girl, a real woman or the collection of magic thrust into her. As she was changed, she changes those around her. How she handles her empathy for others for Guinevere herself, who she was before- is now. Who she loves, sees as her family.

We see Morgana's obsession, The Dark Queen's need to consume, Mordred's struggle to be truly free, Merlin's meddling, The Lady of the Lake's Sacrifice, Lancelot's devotion, Arthur's weight he carries.

I really liked the character growth in this one. At comes the writing feels a little flat for me, but that's really my only complaint.

Lancelot is really my favorite character in this series because there is no facade with her at all. She's so open, all her love and devotion is to her queen as her knight.

Not my favorite from this author (and I've read many of her books). While I love Arthur and Camelot inspired books, this trilogy seemed to go downhill for me as it went on. The characters make wishy-washy decisions and I just had unresolved questions and unsatisfied plot points left with me at the end.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and am very thankful to have received an ARC. I did feel that it was a little slow at parts, but the characters and writing style made up for that. the characters are written wonderfully and (no spoilers) are my favorite to read about! The story could have been a little more developed at some areas, but most books are like that. I think this is defiantly a book people will want to read for the holidays. I loved every second I spent on these books and I'm just in awe of the writing. I can't wait to see what other books the author brings us!

***eArc provided by Delacorte Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

What more is there to say about Kiersten White's Camelot Rising trilogy? It's a dream of a series, and the finale is no different. At once intriguing and romantic as it is magical and epic, Guinevere is a hero for the ages. White continues to give powerful, interesting, and much needed voices to the women and girls in important cultural texts, and I'm forever grateful for her ability to do it with such ease.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book!

In the last book of the Camelot Rising trilogy, Guinevere is trapped outside Camelot and captured by the Picts. She has betrayed Lancelot and doesn't know when Arthur will return, and she's about to find out who she really is.

I loved this ending! This series has had my heart since the beginning and I am so glad I was able to read and love it all the way to the end. There are so many things I want to say about it but can't without spoiling.

I love how Guinevere's... Shall we say, love troubles? Turned out. I thought it was done really well and believably without feeling forced or contrived at all.

I love the writing and feeling in this series so much. I love all the characters and love the villains and the whole thing was just excellent!!!

CWs: animal death, death, drowning, violence

This was such a great conclusion to the Camelot Rising trilogy! Finally, we discover who and what Guinevere truly is, and we get to see her go through a lot of growth as she’s presented with so many choices for her future. This book focused a lot on female friendships, something that is very important to Guinevere. I loved reading her interactions with Brangien, Isolde, Lancelot, Dindrane, and Fina. However, I still didn’t like Arthur’s portrayal. Arthur is somewhat of a cardboard cutout; he’s not malicious or evil, but he also isn’t the infallible hero Guinevere imagined him to be at the start of the series. But by the end, he still hasn’t undergone much growth, and while he’s blandly kind enough, he still has a lot of deep-rooted misogynistic ideas that make me wonder why Guinevere chose what she did.
I also didn’t like the conclusion of Guinevere’s and Mordred’s relationship. Halfway through the book, it seemed like they were finally going to be together, but by the end, their relationship wasn’t concluded very well, much like most of the relationships and dynamics in the series. 3.5/5

Fun, fast paced read. An innovative Authorian reimaging and epic conclusion to the trilogy. This book has everything;; fantasy, action, friends/enemies, love triangle drama. A satisfying conclusion

Overall, I really enjoyed this series and think this book did a great job of concluding it. I was not expecting that ending, but ultimately think the author chose it correctly. There were so many twists in the plot that kept me hooked. Really recommend this series! It’s a great twist on Arthurian legends.

I was pretty sure going into this final book in the trilogy that I wouldn't be satisfied with how it ended. And whereas I was right, I do respect the ending for what it was and it is different than I had expected. Following up to The Camelot Betrayal, we head back to Camelot with Guinevere, Mordred, and Arthur. There are several new characters that come into play, that make a big impact in the plot line. Also, this one dives even further into questioning the patriarchy and women's role in society and I'm always here for that.

This was a fast read, as the first two were. There is a lot that goes on in the course of these books, a lot of scheming and politics. Most of the gang are separated at the beginning so there is a lot to happen to find their way back to each other. There were some surprises and plot twists which I always enjoy in finales

I won't speak much on the romance because it would be huge spoilers. I wasn't happy with the romantic ending, personally. Doesn't mean others wouldn't like it, but I really had my heart set on another conclusion. I am glad I finished the series and appreciate the opportunity to read it early. It just further shows me that King Arthur retellings aren't my favorite, and that's okay!

**Thank you to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**