Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not usually one for historical fantasy or retellings like these. But I absolutely loved White’s And I Darken trilogy. So, I went into this series knowing that I’d probably like it too because White is an amazing writer. I was not wrong with that assumption at all. This is the third and final book in this series, so I won’t say too much about the actual details of the plot because I like to avoid spoilers in my reviews.
We’re following Guinevere as we have for the past two books. I was honestly a little bit annoyed at how she still hadn’t gotten any answers to the question of who she actually was because she’s been asking and searching for answers for three books at this point. It took most of this book to finally get those answers. I felt a little disappointed that so much of the story was focused on “who is Guinevere” rather than the exciting part of the story about defeating the big bad threat that the first two books were leading up to. I think that’s because I really enjoyed the magical bits that we did get when it came to the big bad threat of this series. I will say though, that I was really satisfied with how everything played out. It felt like the story had a really natural progression and the specific ways that the story unfolded felt like it made sense for the characters.
I still really liked Guinevere, but she was a little whiney in this book. I get that she felt like she was trying to do the right thing by the actual Guinevere, but when literally everyone in your life is telling you something, maybe you should listen to them? I liked how she came into her own and really started to push Arthur and make him see how unfair so many things can be for women. I think that was one of my favorite things about this story, the focus on how women are treated and how much of that treatment isn’t right. I loved the steps that Guinevere took to right those wrongs.
Most of all, I loved the writing. There were so many quotes and lines that I will come back to again and again in this story. White really is a phenomenal writer and her words just come together beautifully to tell this story.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think it was a really great conclusion to this series. As i believe I mentioned in my review for the first book, I don’t know much about the myths and legends of Arthur and Camelot, which I think allowed me to be more easily swept away by this story and it’s characters. I would definitely recommend this series for fantasy lovers or anyone that likes retellings that have a twist.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is the last book in an interesting YA Fantasy Retelling of Camelot. In this book, Guinevere struggles with identity issues and her quest to unravel the mystery of her past may cause all to be lost.

The book starts off with Arthur out of Camelot on a personal mission. Guinevere leaves the castle, trapping Camelot, including Lancelot, in a bubble of protection against invaders. With Camelot in good hands, Guinevere heads out to free Merlin, intent on demanding he at last tell her how she came into existence. Instead she ends up captured by agents of the Dark Queen. Realizing she isn't making it to Merlin while captured, she teams up with Morgana and Mordred to try to discover the truth. Unsurprisingly, that doesn't turn out well, and Guinevere makes things worse. When she finally discovers the truth about her past, she must make a gut-wrenching decision - right a wrong or stop a war.

This is my least favorite book of the trilogy. Guinevere became quite a bad-ass in the last book, but once she finds out the truth of her past, takes a giant leap backwards and is indecisive, reckless and whiny. The constant back and forth inner dialogue drove me crazy. Her plan to right the wrong didn't make a lot of sense and wasn't practical. Her fling with Mordred seemed out of character considering how principled she was in the first two books.

The book was unevenly paced and the ending felt rushed. I liked how the book ultimately ended, however, but just question some of the decisions as to how it got there. Overall, these few nitpicky issues didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the series and I still recommend you read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Delacorte Press. All opinions are my own.

Not a bad conclusion at all. I do feel that this book was rushed and that the character development was just sort of lax compared to the previous books. I also wasn't a fan of some romances going on in the book. It was more of a love triangle thing to me and since it was the book, I was hoping that would have been cleared up and the romance more linear. Still, I love this series and while it's not perfect if you enjoy Arthurian legends, I really think most people would enjoy this series!

The way that White takes stories and reimagines them is breathtaking. This book ends the Camelot Rising Series by Kiersten White. For two books before this we have watched and seen Guinevere change and evolve into what she becomes in this book. I can jump right out there and say that the ending will be loved by some and hated by others but when authors give their lead multiple romance options there will always be some broken hearts. However, a reader must look beyond that because this story is not about romance. Again the writing, the characters, the plot twists and turns, and the pacing are all perfect and White again makes us see how beautiful of an artist she really is.

(12/15/2021) 4 stars.

The Excalibur Curse is the thrilling conclusion to Kiersten White's trilogy based on Arthurian legend. As someone who doesn't dabble in historical fiction too much, I loved this trilogy and thought this was a great end to Guinevere's story. I'm absolutely ignorant about Arthurian legend but Kiersten White's portrayal of them, the romance, and the magical spectacle of it all was engrossing from the first page of the first book to the last page of this book. I hope to read more from her and maybe will try to get into the original Arthurian legends myself!

Kiersten White’s Arthurian retelling concludes in last book of the Camelot Rising trilogy. The book picks up where it’s predecessor ended with high stakes and betrayals on many fronts.

Each book has focused on Guinevere’s backstory: a journey to self-discovery and purpose. As White stated, in the first book her focus is on bring a witch, in the second it is on being a queen and in this book it’s about her being a girl. Humanity is a key theme in this novel.

I enjoyed the faster paced plot, the at times unexpected twists and an ending that seems just right. If you are a fan of this legendary tale turn this is a series for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me an arc for a review.

I had to DNF this at 40% after spending FIVE days trying to read it. I'm just so uninvested in these characters now--they're not different enough from regular Arthurian legend to draw me in, and the back and forth who-does-she-love is just...not that engaging. This was a slog for me. Too much reliance on 'dreamspace'

The final conclusion to the Camelot Rising trilogy brings together all the questions and tensions that have been building since Guinevere first stepped foot into Camelot. As a huge Arthurian legend fan, I've enjoyed seeing a new take of the legend through the eyes of someone on the sidelines and also observe the character development of the entire cast. After feeling a bit disappointed with the events of book 2, I was hoping that book 3 would be a turn for the better and that certainly happened - I felt a bit more connected with the story and cared about the events happening. The new characters introduced instantly became favorites and the recurring characters grew more into their roles.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my opinion or rating**

TW: suicide/suicidal ideation discussed in third paragraph of review; CW for spoilers

I'm not quite sure how to start this review. I find my experience with this series has been a roller coaster. This is my first Kiersten White series, so I'm unsure if this is typical of her writing, but I feel both satisfied with the ending (in that it wraps up neatly, not necessarily the plot points) and let down in other areas of the series.

To start with, I do like that the series as a whole is full of female friendships, passes the Bechdel test, and has many capable female characters. As someone with an English degree, I spent a good deal of time reading Arthurian legends and White is right in her acknowledgements when she says they treat the female characters "like garbage." In this particular entry, we are introduced Nectudad and Fina, two Northern warriors who are more than capable of leading their tribe and defending themselves against threats. We also get to see Lily and Dindraine step into more responsibility as they run Camelot in Arthur and Guinevere's absence, alongside Brangien, Isolde, and Lancelot. The ending that I really liked also relied heavily on the female characters acting to save Camelot in spite of Arthur's reluctance to believe them that their plan is the correct path. The only female character I'm hesitant to say is a "strong female character", despite being described that way, is unfortunately Guinevere herself. This is a problem when she's the only POV character we get. Guinevere has spent the trilogy trying to figure out who she is and I feel like all of the guesses along the way were more interesting places to go than what the actual answer is.

I also am disappointed with the conclusion of this because once she finds out the truth of who she is, there is a VERY long arc where Guinevere is trying very hard to "right the problem", which will result in her death. So it reads like a drawn out and unintentional arc about suicidal ideation. I'm unsure if White was intending to make comparisons between Guinevere's identity and depression/suicide, but I think many readers will make this uneasy comparison. Guinevere doesn't really come into herself as a character until the last ten chapters or so of a 51 chapter book in a three book series. That is a LONG time for readers to feel growth from this character, especially when every other female character is more compelling than Guinevere herself.

The romance arcs are...there. Mordred gets the most page time (as he should!), but I feel like Mordred and Lancelot both deserved more time. Arthur has already been explained as a kind of "platonic" relationship over the course of the series. I didn't need any more of him. Their relationship is literally described as a "duty" by Guinevere in this book. I don't need any time with someone who has the charisma of a fern. Mordred and Lancelot's arcs were both intriguing and to be honest, I feel let down for both of them. Mordred has been hurt by EVERY person this poor boy has come in contact with and he just keeps giving Guinevere more chances to hurt him. Lancelot keeps being teased as "end game" for Guinevere, which would be interesting as Lancelot is a female character in this retelling and I felt like that was not nearly explored enough across the series beyond hints. There was so much more that could have been done with both of these relationships and instead, we got rushed romance in place of forced feminism plots that don't work because Guinevere is too busy sulking for a good third, if not more, of this book.

I was most excited for this book because, while I felt the pacing in book two was slow, THAT ENDING!! The ending was a cliffhanger! I WANTED to know how that book ended and I feel like we got "answers" for the series, but they're the most nonsensical answers I could ask for. We've already discussed the let down in the identity plot and the romances, but the ending...there was SO. MUCH. HYPE for when we would FINALLY see Merlin in this book. We know he's not benevolent and uses people to his own ends to do what he thinks is right, but he becomes a mustache-twirling, ties-women-to-railroad-tracks villain in the maybe two or three chapters he's in. Guinevere is dropping all these revelations about Merlin quickly and they felt like leaps. The series wraps neatly and everyone is going on in a way that will make them happiest or at least content (except poor Mordred). The friends are together. No one meaningful dies (as expected). Camelot is saved because Guinevere leveled up and grew a spine suddenly. So I felt like the series ended in a good place, but it felt very sloppy at the same time, if that makes sense.

I didn't absolutely hate this book, much as it might seem like I did. I just don't think that The Camelot Betrayal or The Excalibur Curse lived up to how much I liked the Guinevere Deception. I thought book one had a much more interesting path plotted and along the way, it diverted from what was originally teased. I think there will be people who are satisfied with this, but I think there will also be many readers who are disappointed with where the series went. Since I didn't actively hate it, though, I can't give it less than a three, nor can I give it anything higher. It was a perfectly meh ending to a series that I think got progressively more convoluted as it went on.

3/5 stars

The Excalibur Curse is the third and final installment in author Kiersten White's Camelot Rising Trilogy. This story picks up immediately where The Camelot Betrayal left off. After leaving Camelot behind under a dome of magic, Guinevere, or a version of said Guinevere, has fallen into the hands of the Picts led by their King Nechtan, as well as Morgan Le Fey, or Morgana for short, and the always present Mordred as they travel north to meet the Dark Queen who may or may not hold the answers to her origin story.

While Arthur chases down a lead about a false son, she’s going to have to rely on herself to escape and discover who she truly is. With Merlin sealed away, Morgana may be the only one left who can help her, but she has her own agenda with the Dark Queen. Guinevere has been struggling with her own identity and whether she can truly know who she is if she doesn’t remember her past, and that search comes with a painful twist. What Guinevere discovers is more terrible than she could have guessed, and she has a choice between saving Camelot or undoing a terrible wrong that could destroy her.

The only way to fix things, may be the one thing that could blow up in her face and cost Arthur and Camelot everything. Arthur claims that the sword Excalibur is both a gift and a curse thanks to Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. Guinevere thinks she understands that, but perhaps there is more to Arthur’s way of thinking than she realizes. After being pulled in multiple directions by people with good and bad attentions alike it was nice to Guinevere her take control and shine.

If you have read the first two installments in this series, you know that the author intended to write a feminist series focusing on the women of Camelot including Isolde without Tristan, and Brangien who was the third player in the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Iseult. In this world, it is Brangien and Isolde who are in love, while Tristan is but a sad player without any home of finding true love. You can also add Lily, the Princess of Cameliard, and Dindrane who Guinevere ended up being friends with.


In this world, Lancelot is a female who has become the Queen's best friend, confidant, and protector and if the author had her way, most likely lover. Each of the women mentioned are brilliant, strong, funny, and mischievous. Each of them will eventually make up a Women's Council which is just another Knights of the Round Table feminized. This story quickly turned into a lovefest between a variety of characters including Mordred who Guinevere seems not to keep her hands off.

In this story, we are introduced to two more powerful women in Fina and Nechtan who offer their own unique personalities into the mix. The relationships between Guinevere and Arthur, and Mordred, and Lancelot were not so tidy and I found myself wishing that the author had been a bit more clear about Guinevere's feelings for each person. Arthur who is allegedly the King, takes a backseat for most of the story and is really mostly a two dimensional character who has to decide if Guinevere is really worth all the trouble she's brought with her.

As I said, White chose to write an Arthurian era story revolving around the women of Camelot whether good or bad and that's exactly how the finale of this series comes to an end.

2/5 beautiful cover but I did not know this was not the first book when I picked it up. Will eventually pick up the series and I recommend you read this if you have read the other books just for the cover artwork alone!

This was probably the best book out of the three. All plotlines were resolved satisfactorily, and there was pretty consistent action throughout. I was disappointed about the Gwenivere x Mordred ship, although in hindsight of course it makes sense for Lancelot to ultimately be the love interest, since that’s the original story. I enjoyed the new characters (especially Fina) and felt that Gwen acted and responded characteristically to the twists and turns.

A send off to a series I loved, but this installation was mostly just ok. Even though stakes got higher, I didn’t feel a sense of urgency, I loved learning more about the characters and their relationships- White does a really great job with relationships between characters and how dynamics shift and change - as for the mystery surrounding who Guinevere was, at that point it was so dragged out that I started to stop caring about finding the answer. That being said, this book DOES wrap up the trilogy really nicely and left me feeling content, despite my other notes

In books #1 and #2 the story was still developing. Guinevere did not know who she truly was or her past. In this book we find out. I wasn't a fan of how she handled it. She lost some of her backbone in this one. Also wasn't a fan of who she ended up with and the hint of who she really loved. It was developed enough with either of them. The story was steady paced and action packed.

I've enjoyed this trilogy so much. I've always been a huge fan of King Arthur and Camelot, and this series brought so much joy to my heart!

That being said, this final installment didn't quite hit the mark for me. It felt different from the previous two books, and left me feeling a little unsatisfied at its conclusion.

For better or for worse, I felt like a lot of the things that the previous books had been leading up to either fell short or were pushed to the side never to be heard from again. While I enjoyed finally learning about Guinevere's past, even that was not enough to save it for me.

Fina was a great new character addition, but even she couldn't get this book to where it needed to be. And, as I should have known, my dear Mordred didn't get the arc he deserved either.

I felt as if all of the growth and girl-power strength Guinevere showed in the first two books disappeared in favor of a girl I didn't recognize, let alone want to cheer on. But, it wasn't all bad, don't get me wrong. I think it's a very interesting take on the Arthurian legend, and it was exciting getting to see it unfold from Guinevere's perspective for a change.

Fitting final entry in the Camelot Rising trilogy, this picks up right where the second book (The Camelot Betrayal) left off, and the action doesn't relent. Guinevere meets new people and deepens her relationships with her sister Lily and her knight Lancelot. Danger and deception abound, and readers don't know until the very end whether decisions and alliances made are solid or doomed. Magic both good and evil reverberates throughout Camelot, and Guinevere must choose wisely who she can trust.
This is definitely not a standalone, so readers may wish to be familiar with the first two parts of the series before diving in to this one, because stopping to re-read the others just isn't an option. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
Recommended

I did not realize this was the end of a trilogy when I requested so I half-heartedly slogged through. I will update feedback when I read the first two.

The Excallibur Curse is the final installment in the Guinevere series and Kiersten White did it AGAIN! I'm a huge fan of Arthur The Great, Merlin and all kinds of stories surrounding magic and curses, so this series was an absolute YES for me.
This was a cool installment for Guinevere. There were so many emotions attached to this story, to these characters and all the sides we got to me throughout these books. I can't wait to have a copy of this glorious book (stunning cover and a bit spoilery btw) on my hands! Highly recommend!

→ 2 stars
→ thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

i found the first novel in this series quite enjoyable, the second one didn’t meet my standards, but this third and final novel really disappointed me. i expected so much more from the finale and, while a lot happened, everything felt rushed and disjointed.

the characters in this one, especially the female characters, were severely underused. i felt like the characterization they got in the previous two books was scrapped – almost none of them acted liked themselves. we had potential for strong, fierce female characters, but the book tried so hard to be feminist, that it all ended up falling flat. the main character, guinevere, was one character this book totally butchered. she was supposed to be a powerful queen, but she becomes obsessed with the tragedy of her past (which honestly wasn’t that big of a reveal and it’s not like she had any say in what happened so her self-deprecation was really pointless) and keeps pushing everyone away in a weak attempt to victimize herself even more, even thought her theory is constantly invalidated by everyone around her. she constantly refused to listen to any of the side characters. her indecisiveness got annoying at some point – for the whole novel she oscillates between the three love interests and this back-and-forth made me want to pull my hair out. her choices are also questionable at best, straight-up stupid during her worst moments.

i feel like too much happened in this book. it felt disjoined, with multiple plots going on at once. the scenes didn’t really flow together they way they should’ve – a lot of it felt like we’re skipping around.

in this third novel guinevere finally figures out that she might not actually have feelings for a certain character, only to end up with said character in the end, which really bothered me. truthfully, i would rather she remained single.

the ending was rushed and i feel like it was a bit too convenient how guinevere was suddenly powerful enough to do a certain thing with her magic. it didn’t make sense based on the rest of this book and the previous two novels. merlin also played such a small role in this series and i truly think he could’ve been more present or a bigger of a villain.

every time the book was edging towards a moment of tension, it got resolved in an instant, so the build-up was all for nothing, essentially. and it did this thing of getting rid of a villain we feared for a good few chapters in a couple pages.

i feel like the only thing i liked about this book was mordred. at least his character was somewhat consistent.

A disappointing finish to what started as a promising idea. I struggled to finish this. I loved the concept, but every character except Mordred fell flat.