Published: November 10, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: Camelot Rising #2
Pages: 400 (Hardcover)
My Rating: 4.0/5.0
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
The second book in a new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White, exploring the nature of self, the inevitable cost of progress, and, of course, magic and romance and betrayal so epic Queen Guinevere remains the most famous queen who never lived.
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?
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!
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