3.5 Stars

I love Guinevere and her knight, Sir Lancelot’s, relationship. They have such a strong friendship and I have to keep telling myself Lancelot is a woman as we all know Lancelot was a man. I think this made the friendship even stronger.

I have love/hate feeling about Guinevere and Author’s relationship. I love them both as people of course, but there are just ...things. I happen to like Mordred unless he does something bad in the next book.

I feel that Guinevere is slowly growing into herself in this book. We shall see where the next book takes us. I mean that ending!!!!

Oh, and that cover!!! Gah!! I need an art book full of all the beautiful book covers!!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for a digital copy of this book

Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

this was so good, I loved that Guinevere got a book series and loved the first book in the series. Ms. White is always able to weave a fantasical world with great characters.

Still not a huge fan of the world of Camelot but this book was able to hold my attention far better than its predecessor.

“The Camelot Betrayal” returns with Guinevere struggling with her loyalty to her husband and kingdom while the whispers of her dreams lead her down a different path. With enemies revealed at every corner she finds herself facing a difficult choice when it comes to discovering the truth of her past and facing an unknown future.

Still not into Arthur.

What I enjoyed her was that they our heroine did shuffle off to sleep again to move the plot forward at least that time was used to show us snapshots of her dreams and visions which helped in setting up an unreliable narrator as she along with us readers are still not sure who is the true villain of this tale and where the loyalties of those closer to her lie.

The introduction of a new character was an interesting choice and I’m not sure how I felt about it for a large portion of the book as she felt almost like a Buffy style Dawn but her involvement led to something much bigger on multiple levels so for that I can at understand the decision. Arthur again is the golden boy who is hyper focused on what he knows and I don’t support the character or relationship and I’m starting to think, or at least hope, that that is the point? So many of the characters had moments here to give them depth and individual arcs and yet the infamous hero is still a piece of cardboard.

I’m curious to see where this all goes and how it will meet it’s conclusion as I can’t imagine the series being longer than three books but I’m optimistic which is not what I felt leaving book one so progress?

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

-Review to follow my scheduled tour date-

#TheCamelotBetrayal #NetGalley
Description
The second book in a new fantasy trilogy from 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?

Picking up right where we left off with Guinevere and Arthur ruling Camelot and while Mordred has been banished. Let me start off by saying I liked this book and I have to give the protagonist more leeway as she is a 16 turned 17year old girl who’s interactions consist of a distant wizard and being surrounded by nuns and an entire childhood of memories wiped out. So yes, did I dislike a lot of her decisions and the way she acted? But I can understand them as she is still essentially a socially awkward teen experiencing things for the first time. This book just didn’t hit as well as the first book and the shinning moments in this book were any moment with Mordred (because he’s my favorite) and the amazing love story between Isolade and Brangiens. Here is my issue: the gods damn love triangle and the constant pushing of Arthur being the oh so perfect good husband who is just the very best and she has to do everything to please him. I’m not going to lie.... Guinevere had more chemistry with Mordred, Lancelot, with Dinadrane, with Brangiens, or even just her when she gets these tiny moments of “yeah I can trust myself” ..... than she does with Arthur. Arthur is more prominent in this book than the previous and yet he still felt like a bland extra that I just wanted to skip reading. I wrote 3 whole pages of notes on why Mordred and Guinevere worked so much better, hell Guinevere is constantly thinking of him, constantly dreaming about him, the dude is a whole ass dream boat and yet she constantly flops between him and Arthur. Arthur has zero chemistry and it just got irritating by the end of this book. The dude only ever turns to her as a convenience, he gives the bare minimum and yet for some reason Guinevere is all for this blandness. I can’t. I can keep going on about how much I did not enjoy this love triangle thing that was happening but we have to move on. So, besides the love triangle plot, Guinevere’s supposed sister returns, Guinevere does a lot of things with heavy consequences, and thats about it. Wait, did I forget to mention, oh yeah she realizes that her entire childhood has been wiped and she has a potential mother and oh the person who wiped her memory was Merlin ( her father figure) and yet she doesn’t even pursue this. GIRL YOUR ENTIRE CHILDHOOD WAS WIPED. GO GET ANSWERS. This book lacked the more magical touch the first book had and by the end of it I was just reading for moments of Mordred or Morgana cuz Arthur and Guinevere were not doing it for me. I am definitely going to read the final book in the trilogy to see what happens but yeah, despite my entire rant, I did enjoy this book!

*Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

4.5 stars!

I read this directly after book one, The Guinevere Deception, and I feel like this was paced a lot better.

The Camelot Betrayal was really well done for a second installment and brings a lot of magic along with more fairytale stories that it's hard for Guinevere to know what's real. I loved the storyline behind the newest characters and it kept me guessing as to who to trust. How it ends of course opens up an entirely new set of problems for Arthur and Guinevere that has me wishing for the final book in the trilogy.

Thank you for the eGalley, Random House!

I knew deep in my guts the second installment of the series will be so much better just like I knew I shouldn’t drive to another state for six hours for finding a theater to watch “ Tenet” or I shouldn’t try flying kick move I watched at Cobra Kai.

Anyways lessons are already learned. And after the cliffhanger of the first book, I was expecting something more action packed, giving more answers about the identity of Guinevere so I was truly excited to dive into this adventure. And I can honestly say: this book satisfies all of my expectations.

Firstly we all know Lancelot as forbidden love of Guinevere and seeing her as a woman, their intimate, true, sizzling chemistry were the brilliant ideas which brought an original aspect to the story. ( I don’t know your thoughts but since the beginning of the first book: I have complex feelings about Arthur and I didn’t much believe his chemistry and involvement with Guinevere. I supported team Mordred! He is the patient one always respects her wishes and he is the one who can love her unconditionally! Now I’m torn between team Lancelot and Mordred! )

This book is still slow burn, but there are real good additional characters and some jaw dropping twists but it’s mostly about Guinevere’s inner fight and search to find who she really is. She is still naive, jumping into conclusions without thinking twice which bothered me a lot. But her character started to grow on me ( I still can tell it for Arthur!)

I don’t want to give away too much about the story’s development but again I honestly admit: second book is more promising and I’m so excited about the next installment after this powerful ending with another cliffhanger! ( actually I’m biting my nails and screaming so loud! I need the next book ASAP!!!! Argghkkk!!! )

I cannot wait! I cannot wait! I cannot wait! I cannot wait! I cannot wait! I cannot wait! I cannot wait! I cannot wait! I cannot wait!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Delacorte Press for sharing this digital copy of one of the most anticipated books of the year in exchange my honest opinions.

White does it again! I’ve been anxiously awaiting the second book since I read its predecessor The Guinevere Deception. Though I thought the first book was more intriguing, The Camelot Betrayal is a fantastic read. This does contain spoilers!!!
Most of my favorite elements of the story are the Arthurian legends and how they’re twisted. The book addresses many of the Arthurian themes, including Christianity vs Paganism and Humanity vs Nature. I’ve seen many portrayals of how magic (Paganism) is treated in Arthurian retellings, but I’ve never seen one that suggests magic was banned to protect women from a witch hunt before, so that women would not be blamed for every sudden illness or tragedy in Camelot. Whether restricting freedoms to “help people” is really helping, I can’t say, but it’s an interesting concept to think about. I’m very curious how the Humanity vs Theme is going to play out in the future books because Arthurian tales usually involve the triumph of humanity over nature. Right now, in this book, nature (The Dark Queen) is portrayed as bad. In the last book, The Lady of the Lake was also portrayed negatively, but that changed in this book.
This book heavily features twists on the Arthurian legends. I am fascinated by the idea of a female Lancelot and the ways in which that changes the story. The affair between Lancelot and Guinevere is an important legend. The implications of a wlw Lancelot and Guinevere are more than I could recount. I don’t know how many books White plans on writing in this series or whether she plans to include this at all, especially since there is already a multiple love interests plotline involving Mordred. Then again, we’ve already seen a wlw twist on the story of Tristan and Isolde.
Personally, I found this book a little less interesting than the first one, probably because it featured other characters more prominently, instead of an in-close focus on Guinevere. It was nice to learn character backstories. She still questioned her identity and began to learn more about herself, but it fell a little flat for me. Even the Guinevach plotline only raised the question of why our Guinevere is recognizable as the real Guinevere. Based on the set up at the end, we’ll probably see a lot more of this in the next book, so I can’t fault her for not doing more in this one.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading this book and am now back to anxiously waiting for the next one.

THE CAMELOT BETRAYAL – Kiersten White
Camelot Rising Trilogy - Book 2
Random House Children’s Books
ISBN-10: 0-525581-171-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-52558-171-0
November 2020
Teen and Young Adult

Camelot – Early Middle Ages

At sixteen, Guinevere is married to King Arthur, but their marriage is not yet consummated. She isn’t sure why, but Arthur wants it that way. She thinks perhaps it is because Merlin arranged their marriage. Using her magic, Guinevere has tied knots of protection on all entrances to Camelot to prevent the Dark Queen Malagant from entering (story in book 1). Yet, she has dreams where Mordred, Arthur’s nephew, who betrayed her, is involved. This frightens her. Her magic knots should prevent her from dreaming.

Arthur, of all people, knows Guinevere is not who everyone believes her to be. He also knows that she has magic, which is forbidden in Camelot. However, the worst is that she has no memory about her past or who she was, and if he knows, he won’t tell her.

Camelot is where Guinevere believes she wants to be, and Arthur is who she wants to be with. Soon she and Arthur will escort her friend Dindrane to her parents’ castle to be married to Arthur’s knight Sir Bors. Dindrane is the daughter of a southern lord and a sister to Sir Percival, another of Arthur’s knights. During the journey, many problems occur, and while Guinevere attempts to help people, she often fatally injures others. It haunts her, and with all the questions troubling her, how can she determine who she is or what she should do?

THE CAMELOT BETRAYAL is an evocative journey about finding yourself despite many adversities. It changes parts of the legendary story, but this fantasy is exciting and evocative.

Robin Lee

I skimmed a LOT. I just didn’t care.

I’m spoiled and wanted romance. I didn’t get it.

I’m holding out hope for the next one. We shall see...

So, I wasn’t sure if I liked first book or not because I thought maybe it just took some time for the characters to develop. However, after reading a quarter way through this second book, I realized that I just couldn’t connect with Guinevere. She isn’t particularly funny or spirited and I felt like she was missing depth to her. Brangien, her maid, had more depth and personality than Guinevere.
Also, I’m a fan of magical books but not of witchcraft and I felt like this teetered more on the side of that. Adding to that, there were some topics that I don’t feel like should be in a teen book, so I just decided to not read any further. I rarely don’t finish a book but I just couldn’t get into this one.

I love the strong female characters and the unique view of the Arthurian legend. It brings the legend to life, and portrays even the city of Camelot as a strong character. Can’t wait for the next book and to share this one with my library patrons!

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's - Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read so many adaptations of King Arthur but non of them were as thrilling and exciting as this one. Finding out that the throne comes with power that you can ever imagine and all that you love and who you love would be severely factored in with your new reign and everything they knew and loved about you in questioned beyond the nth degree. I could not believe all the twists and turns in this book that it left my body in shock.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This is a good second installment, but is clearly a middle book. The pacing was pretty slow for the first 75% of the book. I skimmed the rescue of Isolde and didn't miss much. At that point it was pretty slow. I'm still not sure if this is going to follow the traditional Arthur and Guinevere story or go in a different direction. It will be interesting to see what direction it goes. I think the thing that probably intrigues me the most at this point is what did Merlin do to Guinevere's memories. I'm willing to pick up the next book to see if it resolves any of the mysteries that are still hanging threads.

Unlike the first book, <i>The Guinevere Deception</i>, this is closer to the Arthur story. However, we're still in a world that could just as easily be set outside that story. Example? The story of Tristam and Isolde is given a serious twist that barely resembles the tale most know. Another example? Camelot is a city with an eight-story high castle hewn out of rock (sort of like the city of Petra, in my imagination), which doesn't quite fit with the other versions we know. The female Sir Lancelot is still an interesting addition, leading to several possibilities that are hinted at now and may happen later; the use of magic and the clash between the old religion and the new are less stressed than in some of the versions but is still there. There are also interesting questions about identity and ones place in the world that are raised, and I hope they play a larger role in the next book.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

I love this series so much. Great characters and exciting action. I'm already so sad that I have to wait for book 3!

Now that the characters have all been established in Book 1 it's time for some quests! I enjoyed this sequel more than Book 1, as I became more interested in Guinevere's character development and increasingly complex choices she was faced with. I appreciate the lesbian rep of Brangien and Isolde and hope to see much more of their relationship in Book 3. Although the story moved slower in some parts, I thought the pacing was consistent and done well. I was consistently engaged with the story.
If I can sell readers to get through the slower first book, I know this one will be a hit.

Well, I'm glad I had an ARC of this to slide right into! Because this was a stunning follow-up to its predecessor The Guinevere Deception, staying in-stride with the same level of intrigue, tension, CONFUSION, lore, mystery and magic. However, I had to begrudgingly detract a bit from my rating, all thanks to King Arthur the Cardboard. I'm sorry, but no amount of literary mastery could save the flop he was, no matter how hard this book tried to make him some sort of deep character. However, the plot did move faster than the first book so that did help balance out my frustration towards certain character arc developments.

Guinevere is still struggling to learn who she is, where and how she fits into the world because she is just simply trying to belong somewhere. And y'know, I understood that part of her character really well . . . which was heightened from the fact that her memories are still jumbled, mysteries made by Merlin still swirl chaotically in her head, causing confusion for her every day . But despite all of that, Guinevere goes on. She keeps trying, she keeps working, keeps fighting to make a space in the world that she can call her own.

After two books, you'd think Arthur might have a bigger role?? Nope, he's still as cardboard as ever! And in this one Arthur annoyed me so much, particularly in his behavior towards Guinevere. Yes, I get that they're young and he's got the weight of a budding kingdom resting on his shoulders B U T—

He just isn't good enough.

Maybe it's because Arthur is TOO GOOD that he's such a flop. There's no decent depth to his character, no driving flaw that gives him a real sense of humanity. He's forever more myth than man, a character aspect that keeps wounding Guinevere more and more as she tries to create something of their marriage, tries to make space in his heart to be more than just his protector queen. But again and again, I just kept staring at the pages, wanting to just jump in and slap some characters around . . . and boot Guinevere off to Mordred.

Guinevere and Mordred truly have more chemistry in half-woven dreams and meetings of just a few paragraphs length than ANYONE ELSE! And if that isn't reason to give me shipping hope for these two, I don't know what is. But really, it was just so awkward seeing Guinevere try to mold herself into something else for others, sad and hurting when it was so hard to earn their love . . . WHEN IT WAS ALWAYS, A L W A Y S AS EASY AS BREATHING WHEN SHE WAS WITH MORDRED.

Yes, I have a lot of feelings about this pairing!!

But, honestly Mordred asks nothing of her and accepts who she is without hesitation. His presence was an unwavering constant in the book as, when Guinevere was always in her most vulnerable and real mind, no acting, she thought of him.

I really don't know what to think about Lancelot. It's a bit hazy where the knight stands with Guinevere, particularly regarding the original myth of their forbidden love. Could it be endgame? I honestly don't know since Guinevere rarely shows true emotion or sparking passion with anyone but Mordred, and even that's through thoughts and glances and feelings rather than action. All I know is that I highly enjoy this rendition of Lancelot, and while a queer spin to that tale would be a refreshing thing . . . there just doesn't seem to be enough groundwork laid out necessarily for that to feel realistic.

Honestly, the way Lancelot adores and seeks for the approval of Arthur is similar to the way Guinevere seeks the king's love and attention to their "marriage".So the two, queen and knight, they felt more like friends, like sisters, than potential lovers from my perception of everything.

Now allow me to end by shrieking about THAT ENDING!! It was everything I wanted but it was also devastation because I have to wait more than a year to find out what happens next. I am confused but elated. I am hopeful but also pragmatical. But, most of all, I am desperate for the final book.

In the last novel, Guinevere was sent as changeling to protect Arthur. Instead, she did the very opposite. Now, she must live with her actions while still figuring out how to be both a queen and a witch. If you liked the last book, you will love this continuation. More action, more romance, more angst, and more beautiful Camelot.

My favorite parts:
Lancelot. Need I say more? The knight who will always protect her Queen. I loved getting to see Lancelot more this novel. I love her chemistry with Guinevere, how she always see Guinevere for who she is.
Arthur. I also really liked Arthur’s character development. I always liked him, but he was almost too perfect. We start to see some cracks around the facet. He is still wonderful, but I love peaking at the emotion brewing just under his calm exterior.
Guinevere grappling with the idea that she might always be left behind, or just as bad, unneeded. Perhaps they would all not only survive but thrive if you were to disappear. Who would miss you when you’re gone? This book portrays this fear in Guinevere in such a relatable way that it was almost painful for me to see, because I saw myself.
I LOVED the female characters introduced in this book. They angered me, they charmed me, and I enjoyed every moment of female representation.
Does your past define you? It’s a question that haunts Guinevere but could be applied to any and all characters. Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Mordred…and numerous new characters. What an engaging question.

There were a couple of things that did bother me about the novel. Something that drove me crazy in the first book and continues to drive me crazy is how Guinevere jumps to conclusions. I always just remind myself that she is only 16, and when I was 16, I was probably the same way. Also, if you did not enjoy the slower pace of the first book, I’m sorry to tell you the slow pace continues. I enjoyed the introspection and various plot lines, but I would not call it a fast pace. At least, not until the later half of the book…

I can’t wait for the final book. My only regret is that it is so far away. I’m not going to stop reading until I finally know who Guinevere truly is….

The Camelot Betrayal was even better than the first. The character development was done so well. I felt like I got to know so many side characters and the world so much more. I love the weaving of this tale and that it has so many aspects but it never feels like they weigh the story down.

Guinevere is still trying to figure out who she is and why she has no memories of the past. Her sister shows up and Guinevere is confused at why her sister recognizes her and does not see her as the impostor she is. She is also trying to figure out why she is afraid of the water and if The Lady of the Lake is her mother. While this book does not deliver answers it has so many other things that happen and leaves you wanting more. This was an ending you will remember and anticipate the finale.