I definitely had a book hangover after finishing this one. I have loved this entire series so much and this was a great wrap-up to the trilogy.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

The Excalibur Curse and really the entire Camelot Rising trilogy is a lush and lyrical love note to the women in adventure stories that have existed as props for too long. This finale was so gorgeous and well-written that I didn't want to put it down and ached a bit once it was over.

This is the only Kiersten White series that I've read so far and now I'm absolutely clamoring for the next one. This was such a satisfying retelling and such a perfect fantasy. I've been looking for something like this for ages, and I'm worried that too many people slept on this title because of its release mid-pandemic.

If you love strong female characters, fun retellings, a touch of fantasy now and then, and dark and troubled bad boys to make you swoon, this is the series for you!

I was pretty confused by this. I originally thought it was my fault because it had been over a year since I read book two. After finishing, I read some reviews. Now, I think it was the book’s fault. It was mainly that characters were doing things I wasn’t expecting.

Generally, I still enjoyed this. I thought there were very good and impactful moments. Fina was also an addition. I wouldn’t complain if I got to read more about her.

The overall plot was a bit convoluted and the packing was off sometimes. Then, there’s the relationships which make no sense. I felt some friendships were pushed aside. And I have no idea what’s going on with the romance. Like WTF was going on?

Also what was the purpose of this? Not that every story has to have a message, but this felt like it was trying to.Part of me thinks this is about sacrifice, but there’s a bit lacking. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but I think certain characters deliveerd on that.

And what was that ending? Pick a side!

I do think this would’ve been better as an adult book instead of YA. I just think she could’ve gone a little farther if it was adult.

Sorry for the random collection of thoughts.

Kiersten White has done a great job with this trilogy and in bringing a new story/view point to the famous Arthurian legend and the way these well know characters are depicted. I loved Guinevere and having her as this heroine in a way we never see her. It's such a great book and such great writing. Job well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, a retelling of the Camelot legend. The middle book, "Camelot Betrayal" had a bit of middle book slump for me but it was still enjoyable. I was invested in the conclusion "Excalibur Curse". So by this point in the story we don't know who we can trust. There are obviously issues between Arthur and Guinevere. Mordred is a complete shadow...I never knew whether we could trust him or not. As the book opens up right where the second book left off, Guinever has been kidnapped by Morgana and is struggling to get out while also connecting with a new possible ally and of course, Mogana's son Mordred. She had just created a magical barrier around Camelot which left her protector Sir Lancelot on the other side. She must connect to her friends and loved ones via her dreams. No spoilers here so I will just say that I really enjoyed how this one ended up playing out. There were no easy answers. I have loved this version of Lancelot since the first book of this trilogy and I adore how her relationship with Guinevere played out here. I felt for Guinevere as she struggled coming to terms with what Merlin had done to her. The other standout for me throughout this trilogy was watching Guinevere collect friends and stand up for her friends. Overall this trilogy is worth reading whether you are a big King Arthur fan or not.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

An interesting take on Excalibur. I feel like the King Arthur books are overly saturated and would have liked to see something different be done with this one.

I honestly don’t remember anything from the first two books so this story didn’t grab me at all. I kept trying to go back but I ended up setting this one aside.

I’m hoping to reread the series at some point but I’m just not in the right frame of mind at the moment.

THE EXCALIBUR CURSE is an overall well-done and fitting conclusion to Guinevere's story. I love how Kiersten White's books are always so consistently good. I haven't met a book of hers I haven't enjoyed. Her characters are endearing and her writing style makes this Arthurian retelling so incredibly refreshing even though these retellings are done all the time. My favorite moments in this book still are the ones between Mordred and Guinevere. It's a complex dynamic there and I just loved the push and pull between the two of them. I just love Mordred in general. Seeing Morgana and more of the Dark Queen was fun too. I love good and complex female villains. Although my absolute favorite character is one we meet is Fina, who is just so funny and direct, but has such a wonderful heart. Guinevere has spent so much time in this trilogy trying to figure out who she is, and while she kind of bugged me with the way she reacts to it initially, I could understand it. I felt like the ending was kind of vague and unclear with where Guinevere stands with her other romantic interests, but overall most of the outlying threads of the story were wrapped up nicely.

3 Stars!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an advanced e-arc of this in exchange for my honest review.

The Excalibur Curse is the finale in the Camelot Rising Series. In this book we follow Guinevere as she ends up in the hands of her enemies and as she tries to find out the truth of her past.

This is Guinevere’s journey of figuring out her past and finding herself. Although I didn’t mind most of her journey, I personally felt like some of the self-discovery that happened in this book should have taken place in the second book. That way the finale could have expanded on her growth even more instead of making it seem like an afterthought that was mentioned at the end of the series.

I don’t like love triangles, so this one was only okay for me. I also would say this book is the weakest of the three, but overall, I still enjoyed this series and would recommend it to some of my students.

Spoiler!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wasn’t surprised with Guinevere’s choice at the end of the book. I’m pretty sure when I found out Lancelot was a girl in book 1, I knew this was going to be a sapphic relationship based on the original story. I don’t know…I guess I wasn’t as surprised (or upset) but this “twist.”

This one was the best one of the this trilogy! Things are way darker and the stakes are all or nothing. I loved finding out what was going to happen to these characters and it was a bitter sweet goodbye. I love how this one all worked out and I think it worked well for the story. I can not wait to see what White does next.

I loved the entire series and this final book, but I thought there was still so much story to tell. I'm hoping the author revisits the story soon.

I love this trilogy, but I had a hard time getting into the third and final book. I'm not sure why since I usually love everything by this author. I think maybe some of the moments got a bit dragged out for me. I did really like the reveals in this one and how everything ended. I absolutely love the characters and the story as a whole.

"The Excalibur Curse" wraps up this young adult fantasy trilogy in a perfect way. Kiersten White has done it again!

This was just not it.

This series has always felt like it was trying to be high key feminist but this book failed so spectacularly at that. In fact they just made Guinevere this endlessly moronic character who just lets the men in her life walk all over her and decides not to stand up for herself and just live in Camelot forever keeping her mouth shut and being a perfect obedient wife for Arthur.

This series was a major let down for me.

The final installment of this series fell flat for me. I wanted so badly for Guinevere to FINALLY come in to her own and be her strong, independent self… but, no. I kept putting the book down because I got so tired of her whining. She’s still relying on others to tell her she’s enough and she should be happy. Storyline, however, was still fun and exciting, so 3 stars.

DNF - Did not finish. I will be reading this one later on when I can get my hands on the second novel. I was approved for the first and third. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

The Excalibur Curse is the third and final book in Kiersten White's Camelot Rising trilogy.

In this slow-burn, character-driven YA Fantasy series, White puts her own unique spin on the legend of Camelot, incorporating classic characters many of us know and love.

The final book in this twist-on-Arthurian-legend trilogy, we return to the world of Camelot and back to the perspective of Guinevere-yet-not-Guinevere, who’s captured by her enemies as soon as she risks it all weaving a spell to keep Camelot safe in Arthur’s absence. Taunted by Morgana, mother of her not-foe Mordred, Guinevere attempts to take down the Dark Queen’s allies from the inside – but it’s never as simple as that. In enemy hands, with both Arthur and her trusty knight, Lancelot, attempting to rescue her, Guinevere finally finds some answers about her own tragic backstory – for better or worse.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was quick, I sped right through – though I did have trouble remembering the events of past books; the author definitely assumed a thorough recap was not necessary. It’s been over a year, I definitely needed more than no hints at the series’ history. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment too much, however.

One thing this trilogy has always done well is make who to root for a foggy choice, and the romance has always been just as likely to confuse as to thrill. With Guinevere going back and forth and uncertain, how is the audience expected not to follow? There is, again, a bit of queer-baiting with a certain duo, though representation with another (if we never see much); it just feels wishy-washy, afraid to alienate.

The book’s third act is a bit of a mess, in my personal opinion. The conflict is easily taken care of, and twists are thrown in without much motivation behind them. We do get a few new engaging characters – but at this point in the series, they detract from what’s been established more than they add anything worthwhile.

To summarize, it imitates depth without providing much depth at all.

But I still enjoyed myself.

Trigger warning: violence, blood, death.

The Excalibur Curse was the final book in a fun series from Kiersten White. I was excited to see how this story would end, but also not as thrilled with the final book as I thought and had hoped to be. I loved the first book the most. Overall, this is a good series worth reading.