A stunning sequel that raises the stakes even higher, The Camelot Betrayal took all of the characters I came to love in The Guinevere Deception and expanded on who they are and who they want to be. Primarily a character-driven series, you can't help but root for Guinevere, her friends, and even some of the supposed antagonists as they rediscover love, themselves, and what it means to be human. What it means to choose. I do feel as though, slow character development aside, nothing much happened in this sequel, but I am definitely excited to see what happens next.

The Guinevere deception was one of my favorite books of the year when I read it. I had such high expectations of book 2. Boy was I wrong, because this blew away even my high expectations. The character building in this was a true testament to Kierstens ability to write a masterpiece and not make it boring. We see this slow burn of a love that keeps your heart affluter. While this book wasn't action heavy it definitely delivered the spot I needed it to fill in this series. I CANNOT wait for the next book and to dive into this entrancing story!

I received a complimentary copy of The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White from Delacorte Press through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Camelot Betrayal came out today, November 10th!

Since this is the second book in a series, I won't be going into much detail about the plot of The Camelot Betrayal. I don't want to spoil The Guinevere Deception for anyone who hasn't read it yet! I'm mostly going to discuss my feelings about the second installment in the Camelot Rising trilogy. I really enjoyed this book! There's a lot of focus on building the relationships between the characters and a few new characters are introduced, all of whom I liked. My favorite thing about The Camelot Betrayal was definitely the friendship between Guinevere and Lancelot truly blooming and becoming more complex. I adore Lancelot (but I think we all know I'm a sucker for a fierce lady with a sword)! This book also does something a lot of fantasy stories fail to do: it shows us a heroine who saves the day but truly grapples with the aftermath of what she has done and how her actions affect others. There is a lot to love in this book. The ending also promises us an epic final installment in the Camelot Rising trilogy. I'm so excited to see what will play out in the final book! I'd highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a female-centered Camelot retelling!

I really liked The Camelot Betrayal and its depiction of Guinevere. She's a character who is unsure and afraid, but still manages to be strong and loving and have a close group of friends/allies who she (mostly) doesn't push away. I liked getting more into her mind and memories in this story and learning more about her as a Queen. I will say I was a little frustrated by the whole sister plot. It turned out better than I thought it would, but there wasn't enough time for a good payoff. I wish the Big Reveal had happened earlier to give us more time to see the results. I also needed 1000% more Mordred. The parts where he showed up were some of my favorites and I'm hoping to see a lot more of him in book 3. I'm very ready for the final chapter in this story and for more answers and quests and forbidden flirting and knights!

Epic second installment of Kiersten White's newest fantasy trilogy. Fantastic Arthurian retelling that examines human nature,, the price of power with a backdrop of romance and treachery. The novel has adequate pacing and is engaging. Fans of fantasy won't be disappointed but I can see this story appealing to a variety of audiences. You don't want to miss out on this one! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

The sequel to The Guinevere Deception was everything I could have hoped for. The ending was such a good cliffhanger, and it left me dying to know what's going to happen in the third book. The story dragged a little in the middle, but I think that tends to happen in the middle book of trilogies. The writing was, as always, phenomenal. Kiersten White has a way with words and I love the way she tells her stories. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, mythology, and fairy tales.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children’s Delacorte Press for providing The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed the first book in this series by White for the new twists in a classic story. Guinevere and Lancelot’s relationship is one of my favorites. Their friendship and loyalty make this top-notch relationship goal.
I will say after the cliffhanger in the first book, I was beyond excited to read the second one, however, I was worried about what answers we might/might not get. Book two is another slow burn, not the action-packed story I craved, but it held my attention and deepened my adoration for Lancelot and Mordred. I know we’re supposed to cheer for Guinevere and Arthur, but I can’t do it. Mordred’s respect and unconditional love for Guinevere is everything. Can I be Team Lancelot and Team Mordred?
Guinevere is struggling to discover who she is, which is frustrating. Her naivete. She jumps to conclusions and makes hasty decisions. It can be difficult to now scream at her, BUT I think she grows in this one and I’m even more excited to see who she becomes.
Just a warning for anyone who doesn’t like cliffhangers. We have another one! It’s big and it made me scream. I’m impatiently waiting for the third installment, to see where we go from here. I’m not going to share any other details, as I don’t want to spoil anything. I highly recommend this sequel and will definitely be purchasing both the first two books, to re-read before the third book releases.

The Camelot Betrayal continues to challenge Camelot mythology, looking at the legend through the eyes of Guinevere rather than Arthur. That flip of perspective changes everything. It modernizes the story in and of itself. Add in other “contemporary” elements like a female Lancelot and a same-sex love story, and it becomes an infinitely more relatable tale.

As with The Guinevere Deception, Arthur remains my least favorite character. He still comes across as kind of one note. Mordred plays a smaller role in The Camelot Betrayal, so he’s not as interesting, either.

It’s fair to say that women really move the action forward in The Camelot Betrayal. And, as is so often the case, a lot of what they are doing is behind-the-scenes. Between Guinevere, the Dark Queen, Lancelot, Brangien and a number of surprise characters, there’s a lot of action and drama that unfolds.

Author Kiersten White does an excellent job allowing the story to unfold at the pace required. It never feels as if she’s using people or things to propel the narrative forward.

Guinevere is an interesting character; in that she’s learning about her origins at the same time as readers. This adds to the overall ebbs and flows of tension throughout.

I can’t wait for the third book in this series.

I love this trilogy so much! I think it fits the "man vs. nature" trope so well without being heavy handed. I love how we see Guinevere reclaiming more of her role, even if she's not entirely sure who, or what, she is. I will say, I wish we had more Mordred, but that's mostly because I love my sassy dark child. The love...square(?) between Guinevere, Mordred, Arthur, and Lancelot is so intense!

Y’all- I read The Guinevere Deception earlier this year and LOVED it! I immediately preordered this one as soon as I could and then request the ARC too because i NEEDED it ASAP!

I have zero chill when it come to Arthurian retellings and this series is no exception- its hands down a favorite!

The Camelot Betrayal is the second book in this series and it satisfied all of my expectations and hopes!
Just like the first in this series this book is a slow build filled with twists and turns and a jaw dropping ending! I don’t want to give away too much about the plot, but this book has a lot to do with Guinevere’s inner turmoil over her identity and how she fits into Camelot!
Filled to brim with fantastic side characters, BEAUTIFUL friendships, magic, slow burn romance, and enough mystery and confusion to keep you turning the pages!
And y’all- THE ENDING!!! Ahhhhhh.
Ok, I need the third book NOW!

The Camelot Betrayal is out TODAY! Just trust me, if you love anything Arthurian you NEED this series! It’s so fresh and unique which is hard to do with a group of characters that have been around so long!

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousechildrens for sending me the EARC of this book!

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for giving me access.

As much as I loved the first book, this one did not live up to the expectation. The beginning was super slow and irrelevant. Towards the second half and the end, it finally picked up speed and I couldn't put it down. I need all the answers now!

"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦."⁣
⁣
The Camelot Betrayal is the sequel to The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White. Continuing with the fantasy retelling of King Arthur, I enjoyed this book even better than the first.  There were some questions I had after the first book that were answered in this follow-up. I still really love that Lancelot is a woman in White's series, with the same unbeatable reputation we're familiar with from the legends. I feel like I've been immersed in a lot of Camelot-esque stories this year between other books I've read and a popular Netflix series I watched, and this book only added to that immersive fun. I think this is a trilogy so I'm already anxiously awaiting the third book. I can't wait to see what happens with Guinevere next.  ⁣
⁣
𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 Delacorte Press 𝘢𝘯𝘥 NetGalley 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.⁣
⁣

I was ready to leap back into the work of Camelot as presented in this world, and did so eagerly. In fact, I reread the first book (a favorite eARC of 2019, thanks to Delacorte and NetGalley for both) just for the fun of it. Normally I have managed to forget almost everything about a book between first and second readings, but the story of Guinevere, Arthur, Brangien, Lancelot, and Mordred remained fresh in my mind. I would say if you have read the first book, no need to reread - just take the plunge back into the political intrigues and personal machinations of this world.

The Camelot Betrayal begins shortly after The Guinevere Deception ends. Guinevere has chosen Arthur and Camelot, but she is unsure - should she have joined Mordred? Is fighting against her nature to protect people who don't want her protection actually worth it?

Unlike many second books, this story does not suffer from pacing issues. Each piece contributed to the whole, moving us toward an inevitable conflict between the forces of magic and humanity. Even the hints (and more than hints) of romance added progress and momentum.

There were periodic plot points that were more or less interesting (an awful lot of conversation about the wedding of Guinevere's friend, Dindrane, became quite tedious for example), but ultimately I think this is a very, very strong addition to the Camelot retellings. I'll look forward eagerly (and preorder!) the third book, excited to see how this story progresses.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
•
3,5*
Pros: Still a fantastic retelling of King Arthur, now including more of the original tales. More complex characters and a lot more depth to the narrative. LGBT+ representation and wholesome romance. Full of witchy vibes and featuring awesome spells. Interesting battle between good and evil, and a better understanding of the shades between.
.
Cons: Felt more like a collection of "filler" arcs than a book on its own. Too many tangents and abandoned plotlines. Flaws from the first book remain in this one. Bit on the predictable side.

This next installment in White's Arthurian Trilogy really raises the stakes in every sense, but it also delves much much deeper. Inasmuch as it is a "heroic/legendary tale" there is also a deep sense of emotional realism that underlies the narrative, especially in this second book. It takes a look at what it means to be a hero and heroine and the cost of that, both to the hero themselves and those effected by their actions. Guinevere goes through some tough stuff in this one, and at times its painful and uncomfortable to read. Not all is happy and well even when you're saving people, taking down the bad guys and trying to do the right thing. It's not as simple as making mistakes. It's making the right choice and still having to face consequences. Overall a way deeper look into the hero archetype - however some may not pick up on this at all - but it's there to see if you're looking for it.

The mystery behind Guinevere herself only deepens in this book, and just when we think we are going to learn more about her history, what we learn only propels the mystery even wider and deeper, there's always another level here.

There's still not much romance here, so for those hoping for that don't get your hopes up too high, you'll get a drop here or there but Arthur leaves much to be desired as a male romantic lead (yeah I'm definitely team Mordred over here). Speaking of which, I am glad that Mordred got some screen time despite the fact that he's no longer located at the center of the action. I was disappointed at the end of book one to see him relegated to his semi bad guy role like always (he's usually portrayed as a morally gray character but who eventually does in fact lose himself to the dark side - someday someone will write a version where he is the hero). I loved that Morgana finally showed up (for me there can't be Arthurian legend without Morgana) along with other characters (Isolde is brought into the fold - hooray!) I was happy to see.

All in all I really liked this one, despite all the bad stuff constantly happening (Yup its that middle book in the trilogy so lots of action and reaction, roadblocks, detours etc.), and even though the ending was intended (I think?) as a big "oh no", I was very much "oh yes!" Cannot wait for the next one!

Warning: spoilers for The Guinevere Deception ahead.
“The real stories are always worse.”
After the events of The Guinevere Deception, Guinevere, a changeling witch who still cannot remember her past, must aid Arthur against the nefarious and newly-resurrected Dark Queen. Guinevere must play the part of queen by day while by night she and Sir Lancelot, her loyal knight, try to protect Camelot with forbidden magic. But when Guinevere encounters a girl at court claiming to be her sister from Cameliard, she must use all her powers and wits to uncover the so-called princess’ motives.
The Guinevere Deception is perhaps one of the most gorgeous and lushly-written depictions of Camelot I’ve ever read— and I’ve read my fair share of Arthurian retellings. Kiersten White’s sumptuous descriptions of the city carved from a mountain and her way of weaving together magic and mystery is truly special. The first book left off on a bit of a cliffhanger and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the second installment of her trilogy. The Camelot Betrayal definitely suffers from some second book problems— it has a lot of work to do up top to remind readers of the jam-packed plot of the first novel (Guinevere is a witch who ties magic knots and has hand powers, she’s afraid of water, her maid is a boss, Mordred is a stone cold fox whose dad was the Green Knight, Merlin’s a huge liar trapped in a cave, Lancelot was the Patchwork Knight, etc.). It makes sense that the novel’s start was a little bumpy, taking its time to remind us of each character and their backstories. The book is also interestingly structured— starting off with its core mystery of Guinevere’s sister, then going off on a rescue mission, and only coming back to the main focus at the end.
These faults aside, it was a fun read. Guinevere and Arthur’s will-they-won’t-they relationship only grows in tension, despite the two already being married, and Guinevere’s search for her own identity as she tries to navigate how to best wield power is truly interesting. However, for a series that could have easily turned into a played out love triangle, The Camelot Betrayal is that unique YA book that is actually about friendship— all the ways people can show and receive love, how to respect friends’ boundaries, and how to love others well. For that theme alone, so well-executed in the great friendship of Lancelot and Guinevere, it is well worth the read.

3.5*

“Life that could turn to death with a shift of the wind. Unpredictable and brilliant and beautiful and terrible.”

I dove into The Camelot Betrayal excited for the love square, and to finally get some answers about Guinevere, not Guinevere. Unfortunately I feel like the love square lost the edge of my favorite angle, and I think we have even more questions about who Guinevere is. That’s not to say I’m not longer intrigued, because the potential triangle that is left really was built in this one. A continuation of Mordred’s understanding and just the magical chemistry he has with Guinevere. The deep friendship and connection that Guinevere has with Lancelot. Lancelot is full stop devoted to her queen, and it’s just. sigh. I love that both potential love interests want Guinevere to be her best self even if they have two very different versions of showing and achieving that. Arthur, my sweet baby love. I love him and I wanted him to be end game, but in this book he was questionable. His priorities are different and j respect that, but we shall see. For him to be back in the game things in book three have to be majorly different, and unless the author shocks the heck out of me, I don’t see it coming.

Ok into the non-romantic plot, who the heck is Guinevere? What the heck is the Dark Queen planning for Camelot? We still really don’t fully know, maybe some clues are dropped or maybe I’m just playing aloof, but I feel hopeful for what we will learn and end up with in book three. I feel like in TCB Guin was working hard to protect Camelot and figure out who she is and what she wants, whiles keeping up with her secrets and appearances. She of course falls into many bad circumstances along the way, because would she be not Guinevere without being kidnapped or held at knife point? Probably not. I loved that throughout this story we met new characters, and they even had their own stories that added a layer to Guinevere’s story. I also sort of liked that we got growth from those around her while she felt she was at a standstill. It’s like she’s being held underwater and swimming and swimming, but she can’t get where she wants to be. I’m just hoping in TEC she breaks out from everything holding her back, gets some answers, and maybe some love too.

If I said I know what to except going into the next installment, I’d be full stop lying. I think that there are so many potential avenues for what will go down in the finale of this series, and I’m excited for it and to finally have some answers. I think this was a good second book, because it added some new characters and some new questions. Sigh, is it 2021 yet?

“...It felt anything but safe. It still felt right, though.”

First off, can we just take a minute to admire the cover? It is absolutely stunning! Secondly, I'd also like to start off by saying that I am a HUGE King Arthur/Camelot/Merlin fan so was very excited to be chosen to receive an eARC of the second installment of this series.

I think one of my favorite aspects of the book was definitely the different relationships and their progression in this book. Having Sir Lancelot be a female is a wonderful change to the original tale, and I love how close she and Guinevere are! This is hard for me to admit, but I am definitely leaning towards Lancelot or Mordred for Guinevere! They just seem more compatible to Guinevere that I am having issues shipping Arthur and Guinevere together. I've see a few others state that as well, so at least I am not alone!

Overall, I love how much Guinevere has grown in this installment and I look forward to her future growth as well. It is a wonderful addition to the series and I am counting down until the next book! Be warned, this one ends in a cliffhanger! :)

Disclosure: I received an ARC from TBR & Beyond Tours, the publisher & Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Guinevere had sworn to protect Camelot. She would not break that promise, whatever else she broke today.”

4 stars

I didn’t know I loved Authorian legends until Kiersten White told me I loved Authorian legends. Reading The Guinevere Deception, I was intrigued, I was delighted, I was hungry for more. But, if I thought the ending of the last book left me begging for the next book, this ending has completely destroyed any sense of patience I thought I had.

We see Guinevere really grow into herself in this book. There is a constant battle between who she is, who she was, and who she is supposed to be. We see her face magical obstacles and also plainly human ones. She encompasses not only a Queen, a woman in her own right, but also a teenage girl who is just trying to figure out her place. That is something we can all relate to whether or not we are tying knots out of our hair to protect the maybe-would-be-is-he? love of our lives.

I only have two major complaints. One, the “quest” was weird, forced, and took up a good chunk of the book. This side-plot comes out of nowhere, and even though I can see how it impacted our characters, it just didn’t feel like it flowed into the rest of the story or plot. My second major complaint is can Guinevere not have weird romantic tension with everyone? This is in no way a spoiler because it is my own interpretation of the read and not explored in this book, but are she and Lancelot actually just friends? Am I the only one who finds their weird flirtation/friendship kind of… odd? And then there’s the absolutely slow slow slooooowww burn with Arthur that we started to flesh out in the first book, but goes almost nowhere, AGAIN, in this book. I’m hoping there’s finally a romantic decision in the third book instead of all this weird flirtatious tension between Guinevere and every other major character. I honestly don't care who she chooses, Lancelot, Arthur, Mordred, herself - just a decision! please!

Despite these qualms I have that ending more than fully made up for my complaints. It was suspenseful and surprising! I am so anxious to see how this leads us into the third and final installment of the Camelot Rising trilogy. I do think White has her hands full with all of the loose ends she’ll have to fit into The Excalibur Curse. But I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble Guinevere gets herself into next…. Maybe she’ll manage to go more than half a page without being kidnapped!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's--Delacorte Press for the ebook ARC of The Camelot Betrayal

I'm sad to give this one 3 stars because I loved the first one so much and it was a 5 star read. This book suffered from what I like to call "second book syndrome" where you keep waiting for the whole book to see how the plot progresses and some action and plot progression happened but it ended up feeling like an "in-between" book to me and I wished for more. Either more action or more scenes with the "bad guys/girls" or something. When I finished I was left wanting more. I also didn't feel that urgency to read and to finish that I felt with the first book. The bar was high in my mind of what I expected from the story and it didn't live up to the expectation. I'm also worried that if this is a 3 book series, there will be a TON packed into the 3rd book that could have been more spread out and some added to this book. I hope the author-Kiersten White makes this into a 4 book or even more series so that the last part of the story doesn't feel rushed and too much packed into one book to end it.

It was still good and I will continue the series and I will still recommend the series to others but, after being blown away by the first one, I was let down by this one.