The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

The Camelot Betrayal (Camelot Rising Trilogy, #2)

by Kiersten White

The second book in a new fantasy trilogy from #1 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 the people around her--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?

Reviewed by thepunktheory on

5 of 5 stars

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Full review on my blog coming soon!

FINALLY, this book is here. Although it was only a short wait for me, it felt like an eternity. With the first part of the Camelot Rising series, Kiersten White hit all my keys and my mythology loving heart greedily embraced The Guinevere Deception. I couldn't put that book down and wanted more, more, more.
Well, The Camelot Betrayal is just as amazing as the first novel!
We get it all: action, romance, magic, family, surprises, and wicked plot-twists. What else you want? Ah yes, the next installment. Right now. Please.
What I appreciate about White's books so far is that you come to love the characters and you learn so much about them, but at the same time, you barely know a thing about them. While this applies to Modred or Arthur, it is especially true for Guinevere. I mean, she doesn't know a lot about her past either, so finding out the slightest bit of information is an adventure that could turn into a nightmare at any given point. So, what do you do, when your past comes knocking?
Well, I was beyond intrigued by exactly that. (Excuse me, while I dance and contort myself around to avoid spoilers). White introduced this in such an amazing way, and for the longest time, you really couldn't pinpoint where exactly this would go and what would happen. I swear, just whenever I thought I have things figured out, boom, a plot-twist comes around the corner. The threats Guinevere encounters are manyfold and I am deeply impressed by just how different they all are and, of course, how different she reacts to each one of them.
To be honest, I am not overly keen on the love-triangle thing going on, but I am mostly annoyed by love stories in general, so I will not complain. In fact, White did a great job incorporating this into the story, making it vital without being distracting or feeling forced. It just not really my kind of jam.
Nevertheless, I am curious to find out where things will go with Mordred. He is such a complex character, we know only so little about him. To me, he seems like a bottomless lake and all we saw so far is a reflection on the surface. We already got a pretty interesting plot-twist (or several), but it's obvious that more is to come on that front in the next novel.
There are many little adventures in this book, that intertwine so neatly to form a great whole. White simply did an amazing job and, just like with the first novel, it was impossible for me to put down The Camelot Betrayal. The world-building is outstanding as usual. I love how White draws from this rich world of Arthurian mythology but still manages to create something new, to make it entirely her own.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 December, 2020: Finished reading
  • 6 December, 2020: Reviewed