The Guinevere's Tale Trilogy

I can't stop gushing about this trilogy.
It's a whooping 810 pages, but I flew through them. I love Arthurian legends and retellings and one of my favorite books of all time is "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

This book had to live up to it and it did!
You're following Guinevere and Morgan from their childhood onwards to being educated in Avalon and beyond into rivalry, relationships, marriage and war.
I simply couldn't put it down.
I'll buy my own copy for my library.

Trigger warnings for abuse and rape.

The only negative thing I can think of is the cover. I only accidentally came across it on Netgalley and don't think that I would've picked it up in a book store.

Thank you so much Netgalley for providing me with an ARC and introducing me to one of my new all-time favorite books!

I've seen so many Hollywood versions of the Arthurian legend through the years starting in childhood with Disney's Sword in the Stone, and also read several books about Arthur. But I've never read the story from Guinevere's perspective until now. Hollywood depicts Guinevere as a secondary character most famous for cheating on Arthur with Lancelot and nothing else. This book describes her life before Arthur as a priestess of Avalon and a strong warrior woman, forced into a marriage she didn't want. Her actions, described from her perspective, were justified and she became more the hero of the story than Arthur. I enjoyed this book so much! Thank you to Nicole Evelina and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this story.

Nicole Evelina writes beautifully and in epic fashion. The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy is full of adventure and timeless description. It’s historical, fantastical, and entertaining fiction. There is much story told in this volume.

I had my doubts when i decided to read this book, due to the length. I am so pleased that i did, as i thoroughly enjoyed and seemed to finish it within no time. It's a very well written book and one that i would happily read again one day. I would certainly recommend to all who enjoy fantasy, romance and legends.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

This is a hard review to write and not in a necessarily bad way. This was a separate trilogy that is now being offered as a box set. As the title hints this book is about Guinevere. The first book is Guinevere before Arthur, the second is with Arthur and the third is following Arthur. I described the books using Arthur but don't mistake this as a book about Arthur. I used that because most people think of Camelot and Arthur. This is a story about Guinevere and her challenges and life from her point of view.

The reason this was a hard book to review is because in e-format this is an overwhelming book. I think I would have loved this book in hard copy or if I had read them separately. As an e-book my ADHD led to me skimming parts. In book one I actually disliked Guinevere and her treatment of Morgan and it was a slow burn. In book two Arthur was not really my favorite and the stuff Guinevere puts up with I just find hard to accept based on her character from book one, she seemed a little power hungry. Which leads to book three. I still do not know how I feel about Guinevere. I actually liked Morgan and felt more sympathy for her than anybody else. Morgan had a worse deal than Guinevere by far.

That being said. I really love that Nicole Evelina created a really awesome world that wasn't all roses and brought to light that the woman of Arthur's life were strong and had a lot stacked against them. I loved how Evelina also allowed for multiple religions and showed that good and bad of multiple of the religions. This was written well. Yes I skimmed but that was because of my own brain not because of the writing. And to round it out I really did like how Nicole's author's notes was factual and let you know some of her thought process and why she adjusted them to fit her narrative.
4 stars to NetGalley because I do recommend this book but due to skimming I cannot give five stars. I did skim after all.
4 stars on Goodreads because I really did like this story. Yes there were parts that didn't resonate with me but I still liked it. I would pick up a book by Nicole Evelina again but I would not do a trilogy in one reading from her again. It just burnt me out a little bit.

Guinevere was not a likable character in Daughter of Destiny. She mostly played a passive role. Not much happened in the novel except many repetitive love making scenes. Rating: 2 stars

However, I adored her in Camelot's Queen. I could empathize with her plight in trying to live with a man she did not love and trying to rule Camelot. She eventually grew to be an excellent military strategist and helped Arthur win many battles. I thought that Ms. Evelina did a wonderful job in portraying Guinevere’s trauma after being kidnapped by King Maleagant. I was heartbroken for Guinevere when she realized Arthur had betrayed her. I could see why her pain turned her eyes to Lancelot. Through these hardships Guinevere became a survivor and a stronger person. Thus, I rooted for Guinevere to find her happiness.

Camelot’s Queen was a vast improvement over Daughter of Destiny. Unlike the first novel, she did not play a passive role. She played a more active role and was able to stand up for herself. The novel was also more fast-paced. There were more adventures and battles than in Daughter of Destiny. Rating: 4 stars

I was excited to read what was next in store for Mistress of Legend, but Guinevere went back to playing a passive role. There was not much going on in the novel, and she did not make any choices on her own. I also thought the ending was abrupt. Rating: 3 stars

Thus, the story was an okay version of Guinevere. It certainly portray a different version of her, but mostly a passive one. However, it makes more interested in learning more about her. It also made me want to research Arthurian lore and their legends.