"Fascinating. . . . Kiersten White has taken the best parts of the Arthurian legend and made them all her own."--Renée Ahdieh, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn series.
A new fantasy series set in the world of Camelot that bestselling author Christina Lauren calls "brilliant," reimagining the Arthurian legend . . . where nothing is as magical and terrifying as a girl.
Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.
To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land.
Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself? *THE FIRST BOOK IN THE CAMELOT RISING TRILOGY*
"A rare and enviable mix of impeccable writing, heart-stopping action, lush scenery, and complex, relatable characters . . . brilliant!" --New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren
"Stunning. . . . will leave every reader hungry for more." --Somaiya Daud, author of the Mirage series
I went into this pretty blind as I don't know much about Arthurian legends, so I can't speak to how true this is to those, but I really liked it.
I liked Guinevere as a character. I thought she was decently fleshed out, and I loved her friendship dynamics with Brangien. Those were some of my favorite parts. I also really liked her with Arthur, but I didn't feel like we got enough there.
I took a star off because this had the inklings of one of my least favorite tropes in YA, but it gets resolved by the end (hopefully!), so I guess I can forgive it a bit.
There's a lot to be answered still, lots of open threads, and I'll definitely be picking up the next book in this series to see if I'm right regarding some theories I have.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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6 January, 2020:
Finished reading
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6 January, 2020:
Reviewed