I was a little disappointed with The Guinevere Deception after loving the And I Darken trilogy so much. I don't think there's a huge difference in anything with these two series, but I think I've read enough YA fantasy to know where these retellings are going now.

Guinevere is a likable-enough protagonist with a secret past that even she can't remember, which I think is always fun to read about, but it was kind of obvious why she couldn't remember her childhood. There's only one character that's mentioned to be around Guinevere during that time, so who else could it have been that took her memories? Again, I thought the main character was pretty cool, but I'm also comparing her to Lada in And I Darken and I just... they can't really compare in my head. I loved Brangien, Arthur was kind of bland, Mordred was unlikable even before we found out he was evil, and I don't think anyone else was that relevant.

I actually appreciated that the story was a little slow because the characters had a chance to come to life on the pages. I really enjoy the writing style in the book, too - I just wish we had some really awesome and memorable characters here.

I liked The Guinevere Deception enough to start the next book, and I'll probably read the third book after that because why not. This wasn't a bad YA fantasy, but it's not amazing, either.

I love the new tale that Kiersten create for King Arthur since this is one of my favorite old time tales. I will always love how fun the characters in these book where made to be. I love how strong Guin appear to be in order to best be herself. I love the way this world was written too. I honestly want more of this world and Kiersten writing always

Sadly, I do not think Kiersten White is the author for me. I really like Arthurian legends/retellings but this one was lacking in plot and action.

An absolutely stellar read with a rich, well built cast, an incredible main character, and a fascinating world. Cannot wait to dig into book two!

My friend read this book, and unfortunately I no longer want to read it. I just don't think it's a book I need to spend time on anymore, and I don't think my review would be positive. Additionally, Arthuriana just isn't really my thing.

Ooooo. King Arthur and Camelot from a whole new perspective. I especially liked the gender-bent Lancelot and all the secrets around Guinevere's past. I can't wait for the next one.

Kiersten White is a magical goddess who writes stories that I would battle an army to obtain. That is all.

I received an e-arc of this through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting and unique take on a King Arthur retelling. I loved how each character kept me guessing on their motives and if they were really good people or if they were manipulating things that we weren't aware of as the reader. There were also quite a few events and plot lines that happened that I would have never predicted and was pleasantly surprised as I was reading.

While I did enjoy the book, at times I found my mind wandering and not staying fully invested in the book and the characters. The beginning felt a bit slow and it took awhile before things really began to pull me into the story. Once I became invested in the characters and the story line it really took off and it seemed like a lot happened towards the end of the book. I think if more exciting events happened earlier in the book it would have been easier to keep my attention but it really felt like nothing was happening for the first half plus of the book other than telling us about her new life as Arthur's wife and the new expectations put on her.

Overall, I did find myself really enjoying the book and being intrigued by the ending enough to consider picking up the next book in the series. The second half of the book did make up for the slowness of the first half but it also didn't completely blow me away. If you enjoy books with a slower build up and a fair amount of action towards the end, and you enjoy King Arthur retellings then you may enjoy this book.

i really loved the way Ms. White was able to take the Arthurian legend and make something new out of it. The characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this.

Sorry I couldn't give feedback earlier. I don't remember much of the book, but Kiersten White's writing is still as beautiful as ever, and I loved the court intrigue. Thank you for the eARC!

I started reading this one but didn't hold my interest. I though the concept was good but I wish I could have connected with the characters more.

“Keeping secrets is like a thorn beneath the skin. You can get used to it, but it is always there, festering.”
★★★★★

Magical. That’s the world I’d use to describe this incredible book. It just became one of my favorite retellings and here’s why: the story is a rollercoaster of events and plot twists. Even when the story is a retelling and most characters are basically the same as the story of King Arthur, the little shifts that Kiersten made, were he ones that really gave the magical essence to the story.
The setting was in Camelot of course, but the way it is described in this book made it seem darker and mysterious. This also applies to the characters, there were the same characters but at times the reader has the feeling that not everything is what it seems. This type of descriptions are impressive, and just made the tension rise more and more and the story continues.
The plot twists were at every corner. Something new and unpredictable happened in almost every chapter, this just makes the reader get hooked even more. This twists and turns helped showing the different dimensions of the characters, making them more likable to the reader. At first this twist don’t seem logical but as the story starts unreeling they all make sense.
Nothing else to say besides that I love this book in every single way. Recommended to teens and young adults.

Good story, as it drew me in and I couldn't wait to see everything that was going to happen. I haven't read as much YA recently but this was a great way back in.

I picked this book up because I loved Kiersten White's Slayer series but this book was really hard for me to get into. I had to try several times before getting into the story. It was good but not my favorite of hers.

Okay. I need to preface this review with this: As an <i>Arthurian</i> story, this book delivers. It's great. The characters are recognizably who and what they are supposed to be, there's magic and intrigue and a fresh spin, which I always appreciate.

However.

As what this book was <i>marketed</I> as - a spin on the Arthur legend with Guinevere front and center as a hero - it is, unfortunately, lacking. There's a lot of potential, but overall, I'm left with the sense that Guinevere is a bit helpless and hopeless. Oh, she has magic, and is a good person, with much more agency than the original stories give her. And I think the door has been opened for the next two books to make her far more powerful in her own right (and I'll certainly be reading the rest of the series to see!), but this book just...doesn't give us what was promised. In fact, <spoiler>while at first the premise is that Guinevere has been sent to secretly protect Arthur, in truth, she has been sent to Arthur to be protected <i>by</i> him. And that really, really rubbed me the wrong way, even if it made sense in the context of the book. As did Guinevere needing to be rescued when she is captured by an enemy of Arthur's.</spoiler>

I have a lot of hope for the rest of the trilogy. This certainly left a lot (most) of the questions it presented unanswered, and I'm looking forward to getting those answers. I just wish the opening had been a bit stronger. I wish <i>Guinevere</i> had been a bit stronger. I liked this, but I certainly didn't love it.

Ah I so looked forward to this retelling, because I have a soft spot for King Arthur retellings, but this was definitely not what I expected. Because of the hype surrounding this book PLUS the King Arthur angle, but I found myself listening to the book and wondering when it would really take off. I was expecting a very active Guinevere, one who was basically the star of the show, but what I ended up reading was a story that had Guinevere kind of in the side seat. She wanted to do SO much in the story but, tbh, King Arthur got in the way of how amazing she could have been! And this was kind of disappointing to me because I was really expecting something very different in this retelling.

In general, most of the book was pretty slow paced and there's a lot of foundation set up for the last 25% of the book which was action packed and had a LOT of different reveals. I enjoyed the twists that occurred at the end, but it felt very much like you could have summarized the first portions pretty easily. Another factor is that there are lot of secrets that are being hidden from Guinevere herself, specifically mysteries with Merlin. And that's always a difficult thing to portray, in a book, when a character has something being hidden away from them, because, for readers, it can feel that there's a distance between the reader and the character. Mostly because there's a layer of distance in themselves.

4/5 Stars

I am always down for an Arthurian legend retelling and Kiersten White's twist on this tale is certainly an interesting choice. A changeling taking Guinevere's place provides a totally different perspective. I really enjoyed the elemental magic and the moments delving deeper into the myths. The story is slow though and I was craving a little more action and excitement. I think it's a solid series starter that many will love.

I really wanted to like this book but I just didn't connect with any of the characters. The plot also felt like it was all over the place for me. I did listen to this as an audiobook and I wonder if that effected my emotional connection to the characters. I definitely want to give this book another shot because the sequel sounds really interesting.

I started off this book mildly skeptical about how I would feel about it. Retellings can sometimes be a bit of a slog to get through, especially ones that are well-known enough that you know the ending like the back of your hand. However, what I encountered was a book that was a fresh take on an old classic with enough twists to keep me engaged and turning the page. I swapped between ebook and audiobook and let me say the narrator was a particular treat! I highly recommend listening to this book via audiobook for added immersion.

The Guinevere Deception is the first book I’ve read of Kiersten White and I found the writing style to be enjoyable, albeit maybe slightly bland and light. There’s no flowery language here and her style is straight to the point - which I can get behind.

We open the book with Guinevere off to be married to King Arthur - only… she’s not Guinevere, she’s Merlin’s daughter. And so the deception begins. We find that she’s a changeling - a magic being that has accepted the position of a non-magic person, this plot instigated by her father, Merlin, who was banished from Camelot. Thankfully, we find that Arthur is in on the ruse and open to the prospect of having her at his side as more of a companion and protector than a wife in the biblical sense. However, as the story progresses we see the attraction between them grow.

I loved the development of their slow-burn romance. It’s clear they become pretty quickly attached to each other, though both seem to deny the prospect to themselves, however, their care shows itself in different ways. Guinevere looks forward to Arthur’s return from his frequent travels while Arthur becomes more concerned about Guinevere putting herself in harm’s way.

During her time in the castle, she also makes other friends including Moldred, who quickly becomes another love interest, as well as her lady in waiting, Brangien. I enjoyed her relationship with both of these characters very much so - even more than her relationship with Arthur. In this retelling Moldred is NOT Arthur’s son, however, he seems to be somewhat of his antithesis, which makes for a nice love triangle. Where Arthur is controlled and duty-bound to his kingdom. Moldred is more wild, dark, and clearly pretty infatuated with Guinevere.

We also see a steady stream of the Knights of the Round Table (although not called that in this retelling) who Guinevere develops a range of relationships with… Not always positive. Lastly, we meet Lancelot who becomes the… fourth(?)... portion of this love… quad(?) for Lady Guinevere. While their relationship throughout The Guinevere Deception is platonic, if this sticks to the traditional myth, Lancelot will end up being Guinevere’s lover.

I really enjoyed the deviations from the traditional myth, although I won’t share them here because… *spoilers*... but I look forward to continuing this series and see where it takes the story and if it meets the same tragic end!

I've tried to read this book on three separate occasions, but I can't get into it. I've loved Kiersten's previous series, but right now, it seems like medieval isn't resonating with me right now.