I loved the first two books in this series but this third and final installment was such a let down. It felt a bit disjointed and didn't flow well. I hate love triangles. I just wanted Guinevere to be able to choose her own happiness, which I think in the end she did. Overall it had a satisfying ending just my least favorite of the three books.

I enjoyed the first two books in the series, so I was looking forward to reading how everything would end. It wasn't bad and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it but I didn't like it as much as the previous books.

I'll admit I never understood the hype around King Arthur stories - that is, until now. I love how Kiersten White has reclaimed Arthur's story and the women in it and given them agency and a voice. I also love how in doing so she has made me understand Arthur himself so much more. I love this series and The Excalibur Curse is such a fitting ending. The last few lines made me CRY and the whole book is just full of heart-swelling emotion and Big Feelings.
This is also one of those rare books where I really didn't know who I wanted Guinevere to end up with because every option was SO GOOD and my feelings changed from book to book, and the eventual choice is so satisfying and so right.
TL,DR I will follow Kiersten White anywhere, she has my sword.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's. Delacorte Press, and Kiersten White for the opportunity to read The Excalibur Curse in exchange for an honest review.

The Excalibur Curse is the third book in the Camelot Rising trilogy, following The Camelot Betrayal (#2) and The Guinevere Deception (#1). 

SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT YET READ THE FIRST TWO BOOKS, as this book starts right where the second book left off.

Arthur is away from Camelot on some rumor that he has a child somewhere, while Guinevere cast a magical barrier over the city to protect it in her absence. She went with Morgana and Mordred with the pict army, supposedly to appease the Dark Queen in some way. As long as Guinevere is away from Camelot, the Dark Queen has no interest, thus keeping the city safe.

Guinevere fights her passion for Mordred and her love for Arthur and Lancelot. She makes new friends, soon to be powerful alliances, and will eventually learn the truth of her identity.

The beginning of this book revolves around Guinevere in her captivity, as Morgana plans to take her to the Dark Queen. During this time, the structure of the book brings Morgana to find vital information from others by casting a spell on Guinevere. When a specific word is said, such as "friendship," "passion," or love," Guinevere is transported into the mind and moment that eprson is living, giving the reader a change of scenery and a glimpse into other character's heads, spicing up the reading while she is a captive and furthering Morgana's ambitions.

Arthur claims that the sword Excalibur is both a gift and a curse. Guinevere thinks she understands that, but perhaps there is more to Arthur's way of thinking than she realizes.

This novel brings the trilogy to a solid conclusion and feels rather wholesome. It has it's moments with the big bad, though doesn't feel quite as exciting as the previous novels. The characterization continues to build, and I find this retelling of the Arthurian tales to be a fantastic iteration of the legends.

What a finale! I initially had forgotten what happened in book two, but after a few chapters I was able to remember the series of events that led to Guinevere being captured by Mordred, Morgana, and the People of the North. This third book had everything, and I am so pleased. Was it the ending I wanted? Not really. Was it a satisfying one? Most definitely!

Our Guinevere is in peril again in the latest chapter in Camelot. In this installment Guinevere learns who she truly is and comes to grips with the price of magic. She must face the Dark Queen and decide whether she needs Arthur or Merlin's help to do it. As always she is brazen and headstrong and wants what she thinks is right, rarely capitulating to others. Her attitude gets her into some trouble but also makes her some unlikely allies.

That is what I loved the most about this series, characters are forced to face their preconceived notions about one another. They must choose loyalty or justice. The depth with which we understand each character's point of view is unparalleled in stories of YA fantasy. My absolute favorite part was the description of how the Dark Queen manifests, she is so unique and creepy and evil. I loved it.

I rated the last two books five stars but this one missed that for me in two ways. One, it wrapped up a little too cleanly at the end, if that's your jam then you'll love this but for me I wanted a few more rough edges and what ifs. Two, there was a lot more time spent in Guinevere's head than I'd like, I prefer action and dialogue to endless pontifications.

Thanks to Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions are my own.

I am sad to say that this book fell so flat for me. I loved the first book in this series and liked the second book. The characters in this finale felt like complete strangers to me and their storylines from the past 2 books seemed to not even matter. All of Guinevere's character development was basically gone and the romance in the book seemed so forced and out of place. Overall, very disappointed with this finale.

The almost perfect ending to this amazing trilogy. I will be the first to admit I judged the first book by its cover but before you know it, I was hooked the story truly is awe inspiring. Told artfully to not overwhelm the reader while you constantly root for all parties. Definitely a great retelling for anyone who likes a new take on a classic and for once King Arthur isn’t the main part of the story. Nor is Merlin the savior. - opinion are entirely my own and no reflection on anyone else.

“‘When they look at us, they see plots and pawns and weapons. How could anyone who looks at you and sees only what you can do for them ever tell you who you are?’”

There are spoilers ahead for The Guinevere Deception and The Camelot Betrayal. Guinevere’s plan to seal Camelot safely inside a magical barrier–and herself on the other side–has worked, but not the way she’d hoped. Now the captive of the Pictish King and his soldiers while Arthur chases down a false lead, 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. 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. Spoilers will be clearly marked. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Random House/Delacorte Press. Trigger warnings: character death (on-page), parent death, drowning, mentions of domestic abuse, abduction, violence, grief, spiders, bug horror, sexism. Some mild NSFW content.

If you couldn’t tell by my last two gushing reviews, I’ve been loving this series from the beginning. It’s not fast-paced or action-packed so much as atmospheric and introspective, with lovely writing and more focus on character than on plot, which are all things that work well for me. Throw in the number of nuanced, complex female relationships, and I’m there for it. Much like the previous books, The Excalibur Curse isn’t particularly fast-paced or plot-heavy. It meanders a bit through the first half, and while there is an eventual showdown with the series’ major villain, it doesn’t pack as much punch as the character development. For the whole of the series, Guinevere has been struggling with 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.

Lancelot of Arthurian legend is one of my favorite characters of all time, and I love her interpretation in this series. My biggest regret for this book is how little time Guinevere and Lancelot spend together on the page. On the other hand, Guinevere has a lot of soul-searching she needs to do on her own, and that can’t happen when she’d distracted by her feelings for Mordred/Lancelot/Arthur. All those relationships are well-handled, and I liked where she eventually settles on all of them. I also like that, even in a world with magic, there are few easy magical solutions to any of the problems. If there’s a message here, it’s that sometimes we do terrible things or have terrible things done to us and just have to find a way to live with them.

Far from any love interest, the truly important relationships in this series are the ones between women: Brangien and Isolde (ship it), Guinevere and Brangien/Dindrane (friendship), Guinevere and Lily (sisters), Guinevere and Fina (allies). Guinevere’s kindness and understanding help her make friends wherever she goes, and there’s the distinct feeling that everyone around her is better for it, especially the women. There’s a strong theme of women supporting each other and telling their own stories, and I love a series where all the main characters (and all my favorites) are various shades of kickass, complex women. I’ll be holding this story in my heart for a long time.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS. TURN BACK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.

I’m crushed this series is over, and we didn’t get a single on-page Guinevere and Lancelot kiss. 😭 Love the character development and where they end up, but please, please write another book about their love story!

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

I devoured this entire series in 4 days. I absolutely loved the whole thing but this final book was fantastic. Twists and turns, love and loss, magic, dark and light, humor, beautifully developed characters and story, good vs evil and the grey area in between and friendship...it has everything. I grew so attached to so many of the characters, so much so that I didn't always know who to root for...in the best way. I am sad to say goodbye to this story and these characters because I enjoyed hanging out with them the last 4 days. I would highly recommend this entire series. It was a lot of fun to read and it ended perfectly, in my opinion. I received this final book as an arc through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Two years ago, author Kiersten White introduced readers to a new version of Camelot. A Camelot where Guinevere takes center stage and Arthur and Lancelot are supporting players.

Guinevere is a changeling created by Merlin to secretly protect Arthur. The Guinevere Deception opens with Guinevere’s entrance into court. The Camelot Betrayal follows Guinevere as she struggles to fit into her role while keeping her origins a secret. And everything comes to a head in The Excalibur Curse.

The Camelot Rising trilogy must be read in order. And if you have read the first two books already, rereading them again before picking up The Excalibur Curse is a good idea. You’ll miss the finer nuances if you don’t.

White excels at pacing throughout the trilogy, maintaining an excellent ebb and flow that adds to the tension and propels the story forward. And at the center of all the action is a group of women — good, bad and in between — who use their various skills to make change and push forward what they believe to be right.

This is an excellent series full of magic, mystery and finding love in unexpected places. It’s the best-developed imaging of the King Arthur myth I’ve ever read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What an epic conclusion to a magical and adventurous story! So many twists and turns and reveals tied in among nuanced discussion of right and wrong and good and evil. Every single character in this world is written so well and has such a complex history and personality and moral code. They're fully realized beings and are truly what drives the emotional connection between the audience and the story. Kiersten White, more than anything else, knows how to write a good character.

And I felt like this book left me with so many fantastic messages about strength and growth and love. I'm always a huge fan of the trope that the strongest weapon that can be wielded is the complexity of humanity.

However, I'm going to need a novella! I can not believe I read three whole books waiting for Guinevere and Lancelot to get together just for it to have an open ending like that. I need to see them fall in love and STAT. the author spent so many scenes in this book leading up to a relationship between the two of them (or at LEAST a conversation about their feelings for each other) that I was WILDLY disappointed to not see it come to fruition.

The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White
“I am not afraid.” That was a lie. She was terrified.
~~~~
This trilogy was amazing. The character growth was amazing and extremely detailed throughout the whole trilogy. The way that White also kept with the story of Arthur and Guinevere; but put the spin with fantasy!
Book three really took me for a wild run and if you love or have any interest with Camelot, Arthur, Guinevere, the Lady of the Lake, etc! I really encourage you to pick up A Camelot Rising series; was such a journey!!!
Thank you so much Kiersten White, Random House Children's Books, and NetGalley for the eARC!

This has been such a fun series! I haven't been too interested in the King Arthur stories before, but getting to know Guinevere without her being demonized and having so many strong female characters made this so enjoyable to read. The pacing is pretty quick and there are plenty of action scenes to keep the reader interested. I also love the friendships Guinevere made that turned into family. Women supporting each other is something I'd love to see more in books.

In this final book, everything is starting to go wrong. The Dark Queen is amassing more power and followers, Arthur seems more interested in going to war than listening to Guinevere's ideas, and everyone is separated from each other. There are also some interesting new characters, particularly Fina who is an awesome warrior and doesn't let anyone tell her what she can do. I was a bit surprised with the way the romance played out for Guinevere, but I liked it and thought it was a cool direction to go.

I was sad at the ending because I want more of these characters! I would definitely read a spinoff about anyone from the series, hint hint. I did think the ending was pretty satisfying and I'm so glad I had an opportunity to check these books out!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Wow. Just, wow. What a journey. What a SERIES. What a conclusion. We get answers. We get more questions. We get a glimpse at the future the characters might build with each other.

I almost can’t say anything else without major spoilers, but Guinevere really comes into her own in this one, and I’m swooning. This was definitely the strongest of the series for me.

Ok, nitpick time but not really? I am sliiiiiightly dissatisfied with the ambiguity of the ending but on the other hand, I can’t think of any other ending that would have felt as right.

Wow.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Random House Children's and Delacorte Press, for the chance to read and review this amazing book in exchange of an honest review.

In her journey toward the Dark Queen, Guinevere falls into the hands of her enemies. Behind her, protected on the other side of the magical barrier around Camelot, are Lancelot and Arthur.
Determined to find answers about herself, with or without Merlin's help, Guinevere decided to join Morgana and Mordred and the confusing feelings she still feels for him. After discovering something shocking about herself, everything changes and she must decide what to do and set things right.

The Excalibur Curse is the brilliant conclusion of this new and original Arthurian fantasy trilogy and in this last book Guinevere is ready to question herself and face the world, trying to set things right. I loved reading this book, it's a rollercoaster of emotions while Guinevere questions right and wrong, good and evil, discovering herself and what and who she is, protecting the kingdom and who she loves. I loved reading her interactions with the other characters, battling feelings and decisions, becoming more and more confident in her self, changing so many roles until she finds herself finally. This book is a wonderful conclusion, with a thrilling plot, full of twists, secrets, lies and discoveries and a brilliant and complex heroine. It was a pleasure reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

Rating: 2.5

This conclusion was really a let down. I felt there was little to no character development. The characters may have actually went in reverse. I’m besotted with Mordred, and Guinevere was okay most times. Otherwise, I could care less. There was also very little plot. I knew the “main” storyline happening, but that was it. Almost as if this was the filler book in anticipation for another.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Camelot Rising series has a special place in my heart. From getting to know all the characters to going on their adventures. I honestly had the time of my life diving into these retellings of King Arthur. It also doesn't hurt that I got each and every book within this series as an ARC and loved every single page.

I was never fully prepared for The Excalibur Curse mentally. Mostly because I didn't want to say goodbye to anyone but I really wanted answers when it came to Merlin and the Dark Queen. Seriously - these two were on my mind since the very first page in the first book. So, when I got more clues, information, and then some huge reveals. Well, my mind was prepared one freaking bit.

It was a lot to take in and I devoured this all within one sitting. The romance, the betrayals, and everything in between kept me on the edge of my seat. I'm still not a fan of little love shapes that took place but I also had no idea who to ship who with. Of course, I enjoyed Arthur and Guinevere from the very beginning but I know some people wanted her with Mordred. Those people are wrong but details.

In the end, I'm loved every second I spent on these books and I'm just in awe of Kiersten's writing. Not sure what's her next book idea will be but I can't wait to dive into it. Seriously, go read this series people. Fall in love with every little thing.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, but the finale was a bit of a miss for me. I had so many questions, and while they were answered, I found the answer incredibly confusing and weird, so much so that I lost my interest in the rest of the story (the BIG answer comes about halfway through the book).

I was also disappointed in the relationships. I know that people have their own wishes for who ends up together, but I suspect that this book will leave few people completely happy or satisfied. (Trying to not give spoilers).

It was just a miss for me.

Thanks Netgally and publishers for the free e-arc.

Because of some medical issues it took me longer to read than I expected but oh my word this book is amazing! I love this series so much I was so excited when I was approved to read it! I love the way the story of Guinevere. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.