**Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children/Delacorte Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my rating**

I really enjoyed book one, so I was excited to continue Guinevere's story in book two of this series. Unfortunately, I think this one suffered a bit from "second book syndrome."

The Guinevere Deception felt very fast-paced to me. There was a lot of plotting and planning and then they were dealing with threats and kidnappings. This one felt very slow until the last 30 or 40 pages. There's a long plot with family drama when Guinevach, the real Guinevere's sister, shows up and almost blows her cover. However, it's just petty "girl fight" type things where the guys think she's overreacting but it's clear to the girls exactly what's going on. In the middle of the book, it picks up pace a little bit with a rescue mission, but that only lasts a few chapters, so it goes back to the family drama. The ending was amazing, though! Those last 30 to 40 pages definitely made up for the middle of the book.

The new characters introduced were a nice added dynamic, although I'll add that one of them in particular felt a little flat. Guinevere's identity was again a large part of the story, but you felt her struggling with her choices and weighing what sort of friend, person, and queen she wants to be. I did enjoy watching her grow stronger, even though she manages to be kidnapped once again. I'm hoping that is something that doesn't happen in book three because three kidnappings is too much.

The last big twist in the story made me SUPER excited for book three! I can't wait to see how this saga ends. So while this was a slower book than the first one, it is well worth the read to get to that ending!

3.5/5 stars, rounded to 4 for Goodreads.

I apologize for the late review. My computer stopped working and it took much longer than expected to get a replacement due to delays caused by the Covid pandemic. I was able to post a photo for the book's release day on Instagram and I will happily post this review on Amazon as well if needed. Thank you for your understanding.

Review:
The Camelot Betrayal was a strong follow up to The Guinevere Deception. While I did have a couple issues with it, overall I really enjoyed it.
My main complaint was that the plot didn't really move a lot in the beginning of the book. It felt like we were still getting a lot of character/world development up until the last bit of the book and the introduction of new characters. I also wasn't as big a fan of Arthur as I had hoped. He seemed almost too good and it didn't seem like his character developed much passed the first book. I am fully team Mordred at the moment. His character is more interesting and multi-dimensional. He also seems to care more about Guinevere.
One twist I do love is the spin Kiersten put on Lancelot's story. It's such a unique take & I've never read anything like it before. I also liked her friendship with Guinevere; she displays so much loyalty.
Guinevere seems to be coming into her own a bit more in this one. She's still a bit naive, but I'm enjoying learning more about her inner fight and desire to learn more about who she truly is and where she fits in.
The Camelot Betrayal still ends on a cliff hanger, but it's a satisfying ending. Kiersten did an amazing job with the spin she put on the story and characters we all know and I can't wait to find out what happens in the finale.
Also, I have to give a shout out to the fantastic cover art and book design on this series!

Thanks for the free book, @PRHGlobal/@prhinternational #sponsored

4 stars
“I do not know what Merlin did to me, or why, and the more I try to fix things or claim who I am, to be queen or to wield magic as a protector, the more people get hurt. Where will it stop?”

And that my friends is the crux of the matter.



This sequel will slowly change the reader’s view on the narrative. On who is good and who is evil. Nothing is black or white and even the Dark Queen had her reasons. That’s something I love about Kiersten White’s stories: she always goes for every shades of grey!





All along, I thought that Guinevere deserves a love story.

She is always second to Arthur. He is a kind and good king, a good man too. But he’ll never worship Guinevere or place her first in his heart. It will always be Camelot. Guinevere is like a convenience to him, a paw on his chess game.

I wanted them to be together but knowing that, I am torn between Lancelot and Mordred.

Lancelot because she is a very interesting character. Similar to all Arthurian’s legends, we can feel that Lancelot is probably more than devoted to Guinevere. She is always observing Guinevere, protecting her, worshipping her. And Lancelot went through so much as a kid and growing up I want her to be happy.
“Lancelot shifted so that Guinevere’s head was at a more comfortable angle against her shoulder. Her low voice was softer than normal when she answered, “I am never in the dark when I am protecting you.”

But I am also rooting for Mordred because Guinevere has conflicted feeling for him. He has always SEEN Guinevere, the whole of her. There is also an undeniable chemistry at play. And he will prove being a more complex character than what we could have thought. Not the black hearted villain.





Guinevere is, you can guess, a character I deeply care for.

I think she did not deserve what Merlin did to her: whip her memories clean. Her mind is like an empty shell and she does not know who she is, who she was.

That must be a terrible feeling.

Yet she is so dutiful.

Guinevere is a gentle soul. You can see it in how she cares for animals and how she regrets hurting people, even if they are villains about to kill her. She is powerful but hates using her power to maim living beings.
“This is the pain of being king. Of being queen. Making choices that will hurt some but save others. And often not knowing until it is too late who will be hurt and who will be saved. I am sorry you have to share it, but I am glad to have the company.”

She is also very dedicated in protecting Arthur and Camelot. Without memories, she still tries her best to be a good queen. And my heart broke every time Arthur left or kept himself at arm’s length while Guinevere so wanted to be loved.



I was glad that she had found a family in Camelot among many women: Dindrane, Branghien, Lancelot and more to come in that story. Here again women’s friendship warmed my heart as men seemed too busy to fight and protect Camelot to really care for Guinevere.







Arthur is the charismatic king that we all know from stories.

He draws people him, inspire deep devotion and that’s what Guinevere felt for him too. He is courageous, kind, considerate but … will never be all Guinevere’s and for that, I resented him.
“She often felt that her own life began the day they met. And while it was true she had few memories before that, it was also because there was something about Arthur that made him instantly the center of any life. Sir Caradoc had given up a crown after one meeting. Lancelot had trained her whole life to serve at his side. And Guinevere had chosen Camelot over all else to help him.”



But one person whose story differs from the traditional tales is Merlin!

Merlin is not the all good wizard here. His vision of a future means he won’t hesitate to make choices crushing people in the process and it gives us a “one narrative” as if his vision of the future was the only good one.

He made possible for Arthur’s mother to be raped. He erased Guinevere’s memories and we’ll learn that he “arranged” other truths to suit his scheme. Honestly, I despised him!

And Guinevere is making her mission to right Merlin's wrongdoings.



It gave us a very interesting and unique revisiting of Arthurian legend, ending on a big cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the third book!

WOW! I really liked the first book in this series, "The Guinevere Deception", but this next installment was even better! Normally, I don't enjoy when books deviate from the main plot line and fill the majority of the story with side quests, but for some reason, this setup really worked well for "The Camelot Betrayal". We have a chance to get a richer understanding of each of the major players and how they think, or why they act the way they do. Particularly, the interactions and friendship between Brangien, Lancelot, and Guinevere was a pleasure to read and to watch blossom. Granted, we didn't get too many answers to the MANY questions left at the end of "Deception", but by raising even more questions to complicate the plot, it makes the reader all the more intrigued to continue with this story in the third installment! I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. There were so may moments of action and suspense littered throughout the story that kept me tearing through the pages to find out more. I'm curious to see if Book 3 will, at least begin to, expound upon some of the more burning questions raised in the first two books... particularly in regards to Guinevere's parentage, background and true identity. If you love Arthurian retellings, this series is a must-read!

A stunning follow up to The Guinevere Deception! I enjoyed seeing more of Camelot and exploring the world I loved hearing stories about as a kid. Having a female lead for the Arthurian legends was so exciting for me for this series and White never fails to amaze me with every book.

I've come to expect a lot from any book by Kiersten White, and this second installment of the series delivers! With excellent characters and a complex world, I was immediately swept away by the story. Without getting into spoilers, this book has as many twists and turns as the first, and I'm dying for the next one!

What I Liked...
» My favorite aspect of this series is definitely that it is a Camelot/King Arthur retelling. I love what White has reimagined here for King Arthur and Guinevere.

» Since this is a King Arthur retelling, this series has a medieval setting, which I absolutely love. There is just something about a setting that includes knights, castles, horses, etc. that I can’t get enough of.

» While Guinevere is still struggling with her identity in this book, I feel like we get a better sense of her personality and emerging strength in this installment. I can’t help but feel sympathetic towards Guinevere and root for her.

» Typically I am not a fan of love triangles/squares, but it somehow works here. Generally, I almost have one person that I want the main character to end up with, but in this case I haven’t figured out who I am rooting for yet. Finding out who Guinevere ends up with is one of my driving factors to continue on with the series.

» The cliffhanger ending is keeping me just interested enough in this series to consider continuing on with the final installment.

What I Didn't Like...

» Much like the first book, the plot of The Camelot Betrayal felt disorienting. I still feel we haven’t been given enough backstory or context to what is actually going on.

» The Camelot Betrayal felt more like a “side quest” instead of a second installment of a series that progresses the main plot. Many of the big questions from the first installment – Who is Guinevere? Why did Merlin send her? What – were not explored or answered here.

› Recommended to ⇒ fans of retellings

› Trigger/content warnings ⇒ blood magic (self harm)

*Big thanks Random House Children’s to for providing a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a great followup book to the Guinevere Deception. Even though I'm not the biggest Arthur buff, I've been totally drawn into these characters and this story. I felt the characters were a lot deeper and more drawn out and there was plenty of action and romance to keep the story moving. I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy!

I should preface this by saying: I love Arthurian legends and I love retellings, so it's not surprise that I love Kiersten's White's take on Guinevere.

It's hard to review the middle book in a trilogy (or any sequel) without spoiling the first book. It can also be difficult because readers can't yet see the larger picture or how the series will conclude. The being said, I absolutely adored the development of the relationship between Guinevere and Lancelot. I honestly think the characters are one of the strongest aspects of this book and series. I find Mordred to be such a nuanced, layered character, and every scene with him is a favorite.

As far as the plot is concerned, I still feel like we're left with more questions than answers, but they're all questions I'm dying to learn the answers to. The cliffhanger at the end left me desperate for book three, and I have no idea how I'm going to wait a whole year to finish the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book to this series, The Guinevere Deception, so I was excited to read The Camelot Betrayal too. The second book continued with the unique magic system, epic quests, mystery surrounding Guinevere's origins, and Guinevere's complicated relationships with Arthur, Mordred, and Lancelot. However, I was surprised that almost all the conflicts in this book were continuations of the first book's subplots. This sequel had almost nothing to do with the Dark Queen, and it didn't really answer any questions about the main plot and Guinevere's identity. Because of this, I was a little annoyed at parts. But I'm still really looking forward to the last book so I can get my questions answered and continue with all the characters I love.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, NetGalley and Delacorte Press, for the review copy!

It's been a while since reading the Guinevere Deception, which I loved, but I had honestly forgotten some of it. However, picking this book up really refreshed my memory and after a couple of chapters, I was completely immersed back into this magical world.

While The Guinevere Deception provided a great start to the series, the Camelot Betrayal finally dives deeper into the story and the plot thickens.

THE ROMANCE. Continuing on from the love triangle from the first book, Guinevere has to deal more with conflicting feelings for Arthur and Modred. Although I kept flip-flopping between the two throughout the story, I cannot help but cheer a little more for Modred! Like finishing the first book, I cannot wait for the next in the series!

Aside from the amazing romance, the story behind Guinevere has still not fully been revealed and I have my own thoughts and theories that I cannot wait to see come true or take a completely different twist. While I love obsessing over Guinevere's love life, her relationship with other characters also grow and evolve in beautiful ways that reveal more and more about each of them.

By the time I reached the halfway point, there was no getting me to stop reading. So needless to say, I truly cannot wait for the next part of the series!

This book picks up where book one left off. We have Guinevere and Arther who are dealing with the fact that the Dark Queen is now back. Mordred is who knows where. Lancelot is beating herself up about the fact that she could not best Mordred. And now we also have a wedding on our hands.

This second book continues with Guinevere trying to figure out she can continue to protect Camelot and her place in everything. She still doesn't quite know who she is. There is the possibility of her starting to learn her own history. We also have the story of Tristan and Isolde thrown into this as well.

I thought it was fairly interesting how White took that original story and switched it up. We still have some very solid LGBTQIA+ representation in this second book that continues on from where the first book really started setting those foundations.

One thing I do have to mention is that it started to get a little long-winded and kind of boring. There were a lot of mini-stories inside of the overarching plot of the series. It meandered through all of this, trying to build up Guinevere as a character and Arther as a character and of Lancelot. Some of it I wasn't very excited about. It was a lot of the same old, same old. Guinevere is still not very good at recognizing what is or is not the threat and that hindered me from enjoying a lot of this story.

I am known for having a bias against Guinevere as a character. Usually Lancelot as well. Lancelot, here I am on the fence about. There is some romance that is hard to believe the connection for. I still don't see how it happens. And then there is the bonding of Guinevere and Arther that because of how everything is set up, it's hard to like them together.

This whole series can simply be wrapped up by just - Guinevere if confused.

It isn't a bad series, I just don't think I will actively pursue the next book. But who knows. I still may read it in the future.

The sequel to The Guinevere Deception starts off pretty much right after the first book finishes. It’s a fast paced story even while preparing for the wedding of Guinevere’s friend. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters more and that Guinevere gets to kick butt sometimes. The magic is believable and I kind of wish I knew how to do knot magic too, thought my memory is already shot so I don’t think I have much to spare. I am excited for the next book, and hope I don’t have to wait too long.

Review posted on GoodReads (December 22nd, 2020)
Review linked.

3.5/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending me an E-ARC of this book for an honest review.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book! I have really enjoyed reading both of the books in this series so far. I love how Kiersten White is rewriting the Arthurian legends—what she has done is so interesting and cool! I also love the characters and the writing is super good. I actually did like this book a lot better than I liked the first one—I think that is because I've studied Arthurian Legends now in school so I understood a lot more of the world and legends and how Kiersten White is rewriting them all.

Spoilers down below!

Some of my favorite parts of this book: I LOVED how the story of Tristan and Isolde was retold, and I again LOVE Brangien and Isolde's relationship and love story! I also love the fact that Lancelot is a woman in this book! Her character is so amazing, and I can't wait to read more and learn more about her. I really love the world building and the magic, and I really loved how Kiersten White is bringing in characters like Morgana! It was so cool! I think that what she is doing— challenging these legends and questioning their origins—is really amazing. I love how she is challenging the patriarchal roots of Arthurian Legend and really asking important questions and discussing the idea of female agency in Arthurian Legend.

Things I didn't like: You would think I'd love the romance with Mordred... I did in the first book. However, I kept waiting for the romance between Guinevere and Lancelot... and it just never came. I was really looking forward to a sapphic romance between Guinevere and our female Lancelot and I was really disappointed that the story didn't go there when it felt so obvious that it should have. l. Honestly, the fact that Guinevere and Lancelot did not get together in this book really made it 3 stars instead of 4 stars for me. Also, the relationship between Guinevere and her sister really annoyed me at the beginning. I loved it when they resolved the conflict, but at the beginning the conflict felt unnecessary and annoying.

As you can see, I have very mixed feelings about this book. That is why I rated it 3.5 stars. I will read the next book, because I really like the ideas that Kiersten White is working with and I really want to see where the series goes!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

Great story and loved the slight romance. Really enjoyed the characters and how the plot moved and how the characters changed throughout the book. I would read this author again.

After the end of The Guinevere Deception, where the fairy Dark Queen is brought back to corporeal form, Guinevere and Arthur are working hard to make sure that Camelot is safe from her and from her grandson — and Arthur’s nephew — Mordred. Despite some alarmingly fast growth of forest in some areas around the kingdom, things seem to be fairly stable. Guinevere is doing a good job as queen and she and Arthur are close. But she still feels empty and unsure because she doesn’t know who she truly is: Merlin took away so many memories and gave her some false ones, and she doesn’t have a true sense of self. She also is unhappy about her inability to control and use her magic at times; in protection of herself and those she’s closest to, a few times she ends up inadvertently killing. Even having to do so for the right reasons, it bothers her greatly.

One of her other big concerns? The arrival of Guinevere’s younger sister, Guinevach. Guinevere herself is an imposter, and she doesn’t know Guinevach. So why does Guinevach recognize her? And why is she visiting Camelot? With the threat of the Dark Queen looming, everything is unnerving, and it’s impossible to trust anyone but those who are closest to her, including her maid, Brangien, and her knight and friend, Lancelot.

I enjoyed this continuing adventure with Queen Guinevere and her associates. My only quibble is that it didn’t seem to be going anywhere in particular; it just felt like they were doing things and then doing other things and Guinevere was questioning herself and trying to learn more about herself. By the end, it mostly came together, though. I’ll look forward to the next (and, I assume, last) book in the series.

When I began reading The Camelot Betrayal, I had not read the first book in the trilogy, The Guinevere Deception. I was slightly confused on what was happening. White gives bits and pieces from the first novel making it possible to read The Camelot Betrayal without prior knowledge of the series. However after reading The Guinevere Deception, the second book of the series was more enjoyable and comprehensible.
The Camelot Betrayal does an excellent job of spreading out the action throughout the novel and ending with a cliffhanger. I definitely want to read the third book as soon as possible.
In this "retelling" of the King Arthur legend, White brings intrigue to the stories we all know. White expertly changes aspects of the story to make it more modern including heroines and nontraditional gender roles. Readers also empathize with Guinevere's desire to fit in and know who she is. White makes Guinevere's struggle with love and friendship shine through in a way teens and all readers can relate.
I enjoyed White's unique creation of the Arthurian world with magic, magical beasts, bravery, chivalry, and quests. I would recommend this book for public libraries as well as high school libraries.

A continuation of The Guinevere Deception, The Camelot Betrayal follows Guinevere and her drive to protect Arthur and Camelot from the destruction of the Dark Queen. Within this story are several smaller stories interwoven with the myriad of characters who have become friends and protectors of Guinevere.

I struggled to be pulled into this sequel. The plot seemed wasteful to the overall plot of the trilogy, and I desperately wanted a focus and action to root for. Arthur and Guinevere are great characters, but I found I was tired of their back and forth and that the relationship, or lack of one, was not developed. I do want to read the last book because this sequel does draw out the mystery of Guinevere and who she really is and added an interesting element for the Dark Queen.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I really loved the first book and was looking forward to picking this one up. While I did enjoy this a lot of it felt like filler up until the end of the story. Either way I'm looking forward to see how this will end and will continue to read any kind of retelling Kiersten White is willing to write!

Oh My God!!!! I didn't think I would like The Camelot Betrayal better than The Guenievere Deception but AHHHHHH. This was sooooo good. and that ending... Kiersten White, please write fast. I can't wait for the next installment in this series. The story picked up right where we left off in The Gueniever Deception and continued the intrigue, suspense, and action that I came to love in the first book. New characters were introduced as well as all the old characters that I came to love in the first book were present. I do believe Lancelot is my hero. This book solidifies Keirsten White as an auto buy for me. Thank you so much NetGalley for the eARC. I LOVED IT!! 5 stars for sure.