I received a complimentary copy of The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White from Delacorte Press through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
As someone who has always loved Arthurian legends and is a fan of Kiersten White's writing, I knew I had to read this book! White's take on Arthurian legend is both familiar and completely unique.
In this tale, Guinevere is not Guinevere at all. Merlin has sent his daughter, a witch proficient in knot magic, to take the dead Guinevere's place as King Arthur's bride. Although Merlin and magic have been banished from Camelot, the new Guinevere is willing to put aside her own identity and risk the dangers of being a witch in Camelot to fulfill her mission to protect Arthur. This tale gives us a Guinevere who is not simply a maiden to be saved and fawned over by gallant knights. Instead, Guinevere is a woman who faces down dragons and is willing to risk herself to protect Arthur and Camelot. The Guinevere Deception is filled with strong but complex female characters, and White has provided an interesting magic system; even something as seemingly simple as knot magic comes with a price.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Arthurian legends and wants to see more strong female characters in Camelot!

Premise: Guinevere died in the convent where she'd been sent by an her father. An imposter, Merlin's daughter and Arthur's new protector, is her replacement, and all have been fooled into thinking she's the "real" Guinevere, save Arthur, who she immediately marries and starts to protect.

I found the beginning of the book, with its delicious hints of a larger story and of evil and darkness, to be captivating. Unfortunately, those hints, for the most part, stay hints, and the book ended up being a pretty predictable retelling of sorts that was paradoxically too faithful and not faithful enough to its predecessors. It had glimpses of the humor from Mallory, T. H. White and Steinbeck. It had the promise of the adventure that lies in those tales. It just never fully delivered. And the end, when it finally came, was predictable enough to be a bit disappointing.

That said, I do love Arthurian legend, and this version of Guinevere is not without promise. If the next entry gets great reviews, I'll give it a go as my familiarity with the characters and story would render a re-read unnecessary. 3 stars. I...liked it? I'll recommend it to younger readers new to the legend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte for the advance copy which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. The Guinevere Deception will be on sale on 05 November, but you can put your copy on hold today!

This is a wonderful retelling/reimagining with a twisty plot that touches on magic, memory, and royal politics. I loved Guinevere's voice, and many of the twists/reveals were really satisfying. There are plenty of loose ends that don't get tied up, and the tantalizing hints of bigger reveals to come made me sad I didn't get to see more of those threads revealed in this installment of the series. That said, I feel like the ending was satisfying, and it definitely left me wanting to read more. There's darkness and humor throughout, and I think one of this book's strengths is how relatable and nuanced the characters felt. This is a great choice for a reader who's looking for castles, royalty, and magic, and doesn't mind diving into a new series.

With the real Guinevere dead, Merlin’s daughter takes her name and her place, marrying King Arthur in order to protect him. As a forest witch, she weaves her magic to guard Arthur in Camelot, where the consequence of using magic is banishment or death. While Arthur knows her true identity, they become friends and he allows her to work in secrecy. Guinevere, who has shed her name to embrace her new role, find magic in the city and does her best to protect Arthur and Camelot. The Dark Queen, defeated by Arthur years ago, still lives, sending her minions to spy on Arthur in the form of bugs. With Mordred, Arthur’s nephew, Branigen, her maid, and Lancelot, a young woman who longs to be a knight, Guinevere will do anything to protect her husband and her kingdom.

The Guinevere Deception is beautifully written, and focuses on a woman whose story is often overlooked. I could not stop reading this book. I read it in six hours! I loved the focus on Guinevere. I have only ever read about King Arthur and his knights, and Guinevere’s betrayal. This novel weaves a story of deception, love, magic, and duty with majesty. I can't wait to read more.

I've always been a fan of Arthurian legend and so I was very excited for this one! White did not disappoint, this is a fresh and fun and feminist retelling of Guinevere's deception. I would say that having a basic knowledge of Arthurian legend would be helpful but not necessary to enjoy and understand this book, as the story does take a different path. Guinevere has often been pushed to the site, but in this story she has agency, she makes friendships, and comes into her own. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series!

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White. I pre-ordered this book as soon as I heard about it. The description drew me in and piqued my curiosity! The gorgeous cover emulates mystery and the first chapter lives up to all of my expectations! Traveling through a forest surrounded by knights, the main character heads toward Camelot and King Arthur, her husband-to-be. She loves the forest surroundings but keeps that secret to herself. When they reach a river they have to cross, her true fear comes out and Mordred, Arthur’s best knight and nephew , carries her across the water to safety. No one can understand why she’s afraid and she reminds herself to act the part of Queen Guinevere. Arthur and Merlin planned for her to play the part of the deceased Queen Guinevere so she could protect Arthur from harm, which Merlin has foretold. She has no idea where the threat is or where it will come from but she does everything in her power to protect Arthur and his kingdom. Magic has been and continues to be banished from Camelot but Guinevere keeps running across bits of magic that she eventually discovers the origins of. She enjoys spending time with Arthur and she’s grateful that he knows everything about her, so he’s the one person she can be herself around. They have a marriage of convenience and friendship but Guinevere feels more when she’s with Mordred. The author has built a wonderful setting with many enjoyable characters that I fell in love with. I’m happy that this is the first book in a planned trilogy, so I have two more books to look forward to reading! I like the strength that both Arthur and Guinevere show and the sacrifices they’re willing to make. I enjoyed Dindrane’s attitude and Mordred’s mystery. I can’t wait to continue reading this story, 5 stars!

Wasn't sure I was going to enjoy ANOTHER book based on Arthurian legend. But, this one surprised me.! It included enough of the legend that it felt familiar, but took several unexpected turns throughout that I kept reading. Told through Guinevere's point of view, all the key characters of the legend made an appearance throughout. A basic knowledge of Arthurian legend is helpful, but not required in order to enjoy the book.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it's told from Guinevere's perspective, I love that she's not painted as an adultress, I love that she is more than a princess, that she is more than a side character. She is still kind of a mystery, and I hope more of her gets revealed in the next book and that we don't have to wait too long to really get to know who she is.

Arthur was not as present in this book as I would have liked, I know he's a busy young King who has to keep asserting his role. But, he was very absent. I hope that also changes as the series goes on.

Mordred... what can I say about him. I suspected what kind of role he was going to play in the climax of the book, considering what his role was in the original tale. But I didn't really care for the odd flirtation he had with Guinevere. I know I said she wasn't an adulteress, and she isn't but he still tried to put the moves on her and she seemed drawn to him, but I think it was more of a like call to like situation than her having "real" feelings for him. And that's all that can be said really without spoiling things.

I loved the spin on the character of Lancelot. Not going to say anything else there, that's a great twist that I want to keep a surprise.

The other Knights also are mentioned and appear in this book, but most of them are just there and don't play a very big role in anything that happens. Sir Tristen is the only one who really has any interaction with Guinevere outside of Lancelot.

My only real complaint is that there wasn't a lot of action or any political intrigue in this book. I would have been fine with the lack of action if it had been replaced with political intrigue or something equally as engaging. Not to say that this book was boring by any means. But there was a lot of Guinevere sitting around trying to find threats and not nearly as much action as I would have liked. Nothing really felt threatening that she seemed to think was a threat. And I don't know if that was on purpose or not, her thinking the Patchwork Knight was a threat didn't feel convincing. And that might have something to do with me having a vague idea of who Mordred is in the original legend, and I just suspected him from the start.

I would have liked to have a better understanding of the magic system as well. It was very vague most of the time. The mystery of who Guinevere and who she really is to Merlin kept me engaged, I have a theory, and it helped that the writing is fantastic.

The Guinevere Deception is a reimagining of King Arthur from the perspective of his queen, Guinevere. In this retelling, Guinevere has come to Camelot to protect Arthur from an unknown threat. Magic has been banished from Camelot, so Guinevere must hide her true nature and find a place for herself in the lives of Arthur and the kingdom's people.

I admit i'm only vaguely familiar with the story of King Arthur, but I loved this spin on the characters involved in the original story. I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers, but I think the changes were well done. The only issue I really had with the story is that it had a very slow build and then seemed to end right when all the drama and action were just beginning. This is the first book in a planned trilogy, however, so I'm looking forward to the sequel.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

As someone who absolutely loves King Arthur stories, I was really excited about this, but was also cautious since I was not overly impressed with White's Conqueror Series. I really enjoyed the writing and characterization of this story. I liked the more political take on an Arthurian tale, as Guinevere is left behind from a lot of the adventuring and action. This was a really fun and well written interpretation of Medieval Fantasy and I highly recommend this for fans of that style of writing or time period.

Retelling or re-interpreting beloved stories has been a trend in publishing, and the glorious stories of King Arthur and Camelot have long been fodder for this kind of storytelling. One part of this trend that I have enjoyed is the re-telling of stories through the female characters, and here Kiersten White has produced a remarkable tale of Camelot featuring a new and powerful Guinevere.

White writes of a Camelot carved from a mountain, bereft of magic, but enjoying the peace and prosperity of Arthur’s reign. Into that bucolic kingdom comes Queen Guinevere, but not the Queen they all expected. This Guinevere is a changeling, a child of Merlin substituted for a dead princess from the south, sent to Camelot to protect Arthur from unknown dark magic.

White takes the old Arthurian tales of Thomas Mallory and blends them with other old English folklore - sentient trees, a “dark queen,” and the Green Knight - while adding some welcome and decidedly 21st century feminism to the mix. Guinevere is written as a character who has been used by men (primarily Merlin) for the benefit of men (Arthur) who tempers the traditional with her own magic.

There are plenty of unanswered questions here, such as who is Guinevere, really, and why does she fear water so. I sense that there will be more books to follow and I look forward to them. Joining recent Arthurian retellings such as Cursed, The Guinevere Deception will appeal to fantasy fans and will quickly earn space on many bookshelves.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, I received an eArc of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I love Kiersten White’s Conqueror Series, it was brilliantly written, and so I was so excited to be able to read The Guinevere Deception, because I have always loved King Arthur legends. And on top of that, White’s last retelling was fabulous! So I was extremely excited for this one. What made it even more exciting is that White turned the tale on its head and changed some parts – and I will go over that briefly in this review.

I want to start with White’s writing. This book was still top-notch writing. There is something so evocative in White’s language, she is such a great storyteller, and the Arthurian Legends are really something that needs to be told well, and she does it! She uses such description and such feeling for her characters you can’t help but believe that this world she is describing was real at one point. I kept getting lost in the pages, and I was very much unwilling to put the book down. She lures you in and keeps you with this writing!

Now, this is a heads up. You may think this book is going to be action packed with battles and adventures galore: it is not. This book is about more than the action and adventures. It is from Guinevere’s point of view, and so she misses a lot of the action with Arthur. This doesn’t mean she doesn’t have adventures – she does. There are a few in this book. But don’t think of this like an epic saga, because it isn’t. This is more like her slow build Conqueror Series with politics going on. If that isn’t your thing, you’ll need to be prepared, because this book is very focused on characters and the choices they make. I happen to like that kind of thing, so this book was perfect to me.

Speaking of characters, I liked Guinevere. She wasn’t your typical Guinevere from the legends. She was given agency, and overall she was a strong character, but did have flaws. I enjoyed how she was changed from the original Guinevere of legend – she was a sorceress in this one. I’m not going to say anything else on that as I want people who read this to be surprised by Guinevere just like I was! It was so much fun to read this Guinevere. In some ways she reminded me of Guinevere from “Merlin” and while this wasn’t exactly like that, it did mix up the characters quite a bit as well.

I also loved the Patchwork Knight. LOVED. LOVED. I’m not saying anything else (but I guessed it at the beginning!) but this book was also totally worth it because of that. Seriously amazing.

But so were the other characters, Mordred, Tristan, Brangien and Arthur. They were all great characters, and were somewhat different than their legend counterparts! It was all very enjoyable!

The plot itself is a little difficult to explain without giving away too much, but essentially it dumps the legends on its head, takes what it wants, reworks it and makes it awesome. Guinevere must essentially navigate Arthur’s court, and pretend she doesn’t have magic or risk being banished. As Queen she begins to learn that not everything in Arthur’s court is perfect. And she must protect him and Camelot from destruction. Or so she thinks.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think it is going to be an interesting series, and I am excited to see what comes next!

I’m a little up in the air on this one. If I still did half-stars, I would lean more toward 3.5. Honestly, I think I would’ve enjoyed this more if I had previously read and watched a ton of Arthur/Camelot/Merlin things before. Yes, it’s nice because it makes me more aware of what’s going on (i.e. foreshadowing) and I can see when Ms. White was playing with the story. But it also makes things fairly predictable [cough] the ending [cough]. I was actually really disappointed with the ending, because I thought she would go a different way-which I would have loved, because it would be unexpected.

Moving on.

Guinevere is definitely an interesting character. And I love her as the main character. Guinevere is an often unsatisfying-to-unlikable character in the Arthurian legend. Not you Merlin, you’re Guinevere is great. She’s often under-developed so I love that she’s being explored and given agency in this story. I do hope there is more revealed about her past in the next book-I don’t want it to be dragged out too long. I do have some theories.

Let’s talk other characters. Brangien is probably my favorite character. And I love the little bits you get of her life/story. I’m a little conflicted about Arthur. He seems like a good person, but I don’t know who I feel about him-especially as a potential love interest. Oh, I almost forgot Lancelot without spoilers? Close second for favorite character. I can’t wait for more about Lancelot. Personally, that’s really exciting, because I typically can’t stand the Lancelot character. I will not discuss Mordred, because of spoilers, but his probably the character I am the most disappointed in.

Then, there’s the magic. I like the idea of knot magic, but the overall magic system isn’t explained enough. I could be wrong, but right now it feels like the story is relying on the fact that the Arthurian legend has magic built in. Yes, it does, but I still need an explanation.

I do plan on continuing with the series and seeing where the story goes from here.

Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this book.

The price to pay for an ARC is an even longer wait for book two.

This book starts off with Guinevere on her way to marry King Arthur she is sent by her father—Merlin—to protect the king. Although in Camelot magic is banished, Guinevere is a sorceress.

Guinevere has secrets, hence the deception part of the book. Each page is new insight into who exactly “Guinevere” is. We come to know different characters like Arthur’s nephew and Guinevere’s maid type chambermaid lady (completely forgot her name) named Brangien. We get to meet Lancelot too, who is hiding something. All our friends have secrets but the real question is are we able to trust them?

If you are a fan of King Arthur and the round table this book is for you! White makes an interest twists to the beloved characters. Guinevere, a sorceress, navigates the world as a human trying to make sense of people and every day life. King Arthur tries to balance peace in his kingdom as threat rises. The two of them balance their new married life; show off for their people and learn to live with each other.

Guinevere has friends who look after her and protect her, but is her well being really in their best interest?

The world building is vivid and mesmerizing as you learn and navigate through the lands of Camelot. This book is filled with magic, secrets, and lies. The plots have twists and turns that leave you at the edge of your seat. Each page is an adventure and you won’t be able to put this book down. The characters are complex and secretive as the further the story goes the we learn—but still want—more.

Ready your horse and prepare to ride into the world of Camelot. Remember trust nobody as you follow Guinevere on her mission to save King Arthur and Camelot. This world is filled with magic and secrets. Are you able to unravel the truth from the lies?

Are you ready for Kiersten White’s Camelot Rising trilogy?

FIVE STAR RATING

I’m such a sucker for Arthurian retellings. I love the magic, the bravery, the adventure. But I was disappointed with this particular one, I’m sad to say.

The characters fell really flat for me. Guinevere felt really distant, and her relationships with Brangien, Arthur, and Mordred all felt like they were trying too hard to fit into certain roles.

The story also just moves really slow to a very predictable end. So much world building and exposition, I felt the characters got lost in it.

I likely won’t be picking up the sequel, unfortunately.

King Arthur but with a feminist slant that isn't just making Arthur female? Sign me up. Avalon High by Meg Cabot is one of my favorite books ever TBH, and the Disney movie bastardization sent me into a fit of depression for weeks. But reading The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White made me want to reread Avalon High in the BEST way. It's fun, windy, and a fun play on the original story we all know.

Guinevere is not Guinevere, but she is the Guinevere she needs to be as she marries young King Arthur. She has been sent to protect him despite magic being banned from Camelot, and as she searches out the threats against him she realizes it is going to be difficult. As she works her own magic, there is dark magic afoot, a patchwork knight trying to get closer to the king, a banished woman accused of witchcraft, and the father that Guinevere left behind when she became Guinevere. I won't ruin who that father is here, but you figure it out pretty quickly. Doing magic in Camelot is dangerous, but Guinevere is willing to do what she must to protect Arthur, protect the kingdom, and protect those around her. She's got a great relationship with her lady's maid, there's some sexual tension on two different fronts, and some GREAT lines I underlined, and I rarely do that.(I won't spoil it but it has to do with a sun comparison and I SCREAMED because I related to it sooo hard).

This book was a very good read!
Not only it gave adventure and magic, it also gave that slow paced romance that I much like.

The good things about this book:
- Guinevere is actually a witch, not just a fair lady.
- Arthur is lovable and sweet, as I always imagined him to be.
- Lancelot is a girl, which was an amazing surprise!! She reminds me so much of Brienne from GoT.
- The romance was slow and sweet, and I wish we could've had more of it.
- The twists and turns, pointing you to different directions.. ugh, so good!

I need the next one. Like... now!

Can a book be resilient? I don't know what it would mean, in that context, yet it's the word that repeatedly came to mind. Take that as you will. I like this Guinevere. I even like this Arthur. She jumps to conclusions too easily and he is a touch one-sided, but those are small complaints. Resilient. Resilient?

*Posted to all links (except Amazon) 10/11

Thank you to Delacorte for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For what seems like the entirety of my forty-two years on this planet I have been waiting for what I’ve dubbed the fab five.

1) Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
2) Kingdom for a Stage by Heidi Heilig
3) The Guinevere Deception
4) Toll by Neal Shusterman
5) Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

After banging down doors, offering up vital organs and one of my cats, (which normally I wouldn’t do over my dead body- and in the case of some of my organs that would be literal) I had given up on Advanced Readers Copies for all of them. Apparently, I gave up to quickly. When the widget for Kiersten White’s The Guinevere Deception showed up in my email one fine morning, my knees buckled and I had to sit down.

As of today, two of the fab five have been released. They have both exceeded expectations. As for the first book in White’s latest series, Camelot Rising? It has fallen right in line, kicking off her spin on King Arthur in epic style.

It is no secret that I have been a fan of Kiersten White since I read the And I Darken series, which was before my site ever existed. It has continued through The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, her take on Buffy with the Slayer Series (Chosen, the next installment comes out in January).

The Guinevere Deception twist Arthurian lore on its head when Merlin is banished from Camelot at the worst possible time. Magic is banging at the edges of Camelot and no one is there to protect King Arthur or the court. Tradition is playing tug of war with those would see new ways come to fruition and forge a better way forward.

But Merlin has sent in a rider in disguise, a changeling posing as Guinevere who is to marry King Arthur and protect him, the Court, and Camelot from the magic at its borders, threatening its very existence.

With mesmerizing prose White captured and sucked me right into an evil and enchanted forest that swayed with whispered evil. Camelot brimmed with action and excitement, political chess matches, and plot twists that jarred everything I thought I knew might come next.

And Guinevere was a fantastical surprise. An unreliable narrator who was an unknown mystery not just to all those around her, but to herself as well. Missing whole gaps in her memory, Guinevere endeavors to trust herself while those around offered their trust without a thought because, why wouldn’t they? She is Guinevere, after all. Or so they thought.

Having the center protagonist standout as a mystery unto herself adds a whole other dynamic to this story. I can’t imagine how it will playout or what the finality of its impact will be. There are many things yet still to be uncovered. How those points will intersect with the entirety of the mystery of Guinevere, herself, is seems an unstoppable cataclysmic event.

Front row seats! Please!

I'm on the borderline of liking this and not liking this (let's be honest I'm leaning more towards). There were so few pros and even more cons to this story that I don't even know where to begin. So I'm going to hit it where it hurts and start off by saying this was an utter disappointment. I had high expectations for this novel and it all crumpled to the ground in flames that was ignited by the lead heroine, Guinevere. There was just something about her that was off-putting and it became more than apparent when she suddenly started to 'developed feelings' for Arthur despite not being in his presence for a full 24 hours. Not joking. I'm sure the only thing that was going for her that I actually liked was the relationship that was bubbling between her and Mordred (love triangle, what joy), and that's only because Mordred was in the equation. I'm almost baffled that my time has come to finally come across a novel that I was more in favor of the secondary characters than the main protagonist themselves regardless that all the characters including the heroine fell flat and lacked depth. In addition to that, I will also mentioned that this novel started off slow in the beginning before continuing to go slow in the middle before ending in a slow lackluster end. It was a borderline borefest and I'm just a tad bit heated because this had so much potential to be a decent Arthurian legend read and it wasn't. At all. So in conclusion it's true what they say, never judge a book by its cover.