Who are you?

This is something most people struggle with internally, discovering who they are. For Guinevere this question goes much deeper than defining morals and character. Figuring out who she is may be the only thing that will save Camelot.

The conclusion to the Camelot Series was full of adventure and romance. The series still hung on to those three love interests for Guinevere and we take several ups and downs before the final pages. I was definitely disappointed in the love conclusion or it would have been a 5 star read for me.

The plot took me exactly where I expect a series to take me; through confusion, pain, heartache, hope, love, excitement, suspense and anxiety. I embraced each like a mother cradling a child, for each had purpose and weight and sitting with the emotions allowed me to sit with myself. This third installment urges a self reflection that I couldn't help but take on.

I quite enjoyed being in Camelot and along for the journey of some wonderful characters.

Thank you to Delacorte Press, Kiersten White and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

What an absolutely perfect end to this trilogy! As much as I didn’t want to say goodbye to this cast of characters, this was a satisfying end to a wonderful adventure!

CONTENT WARNING: violence, blood, death, mention of death of an animal

I completely fell in love with this story from the first book, and I have been eagerly anticipating this book from day 1. And while it’s by far one of the best King Arthur legend retellings that I’ve read, with a decidedly feminist spin, there are some aspects of the book that fell short of the ridiculously high standards I had set after reading the first two books. But, to be honest, there are many more things that I loved than the few things I didn’t especially enjoy.

Guinevere is at the conclusion of her journey of self-discovery. Throughout the series, she’s been on her own personal side quest to find out who she is and where exactly she came from. I can understand her desire to learn more about this, but the actual reveal? While it was intriguing, I found myself frustrated with how Guinevere works towards resolving it. For me, it was the weakest part of the story. She seemed to lose all the strength, determination, and power that she built up in the earlier books. And along the way, she made no end of really stupid decisions that I just wanted to reach into the book and slap her for. I had to keep reminding myself of how young she is, but still! After everything, she still acted really dumb on a significant number of occasions. I was honestly so disappointed, especially after seeing how much growth she had showed in the previous books. I mean, there was some redemption in her character arc at the end, which left me feeling good about it, but I do hope that she learned and got smarter.

I loved the opportunity to get to know Mordred a little better in this story. In so many books, he’s just portrayed as the villain, but this series really fleshes his character out and makes him so complex and fascinating. I really did like him, and struggled with my own conflicting emotions, so I could understand Guinevere’s feelings for him just fine. He isn’t just a villain here. He’s got hopes, dreams, motivations, struggles, and emotions, and they’re often in direct opposition to what’s expected of him by both his family members and society at large. It can’t be easy for him to be half-fairy and half-human, trying to make his way in a human-dominated world, raised by a human mother who has subversive wishes. This book in particular gave me a much more empathetic spin on him.

The female representation, for the most part, was fabulous. Seeing as how the story is told from the POV of Guinevere, she’s surrounded by women in various aspects of society. We’ve got Brangien, Isolde, Dindrane, Lily, Lancelot, Fina, and Nectudad, all of whom are such strong women in different ways. They’re brilliant, strong, funny, and mischievous, and all form their own sort of a round table. I truly enjoyed meeting Fina and Nectudad, and seeing how their customs are different from those in Camelot, inspiring Guinevere to create some much-needed changes. I was, however, disappointed to see less of Brangien than I had hoped. She’s kind of reduced to a crabby, one-dimensional character in this book, rather than the feisty bestie that she’s been in the previous books. Lancelot was a star in this book, though. I loved seeing her bravery and how devoted she stayed to Guinevere, even through everything that happened.

I wasn’t thrilled with the free pass that Arthur got. Throughout all the books, he’s fixated on fighting evil, and his absolute dedication that his way is the chosen way, the right way, and how he is the embodiment of good. But the issue with black and white thinking is that it doesn’t allow for shades of gray where most of life actually happens. Guinevere starts to question how correct Arthur’s actions truly are, but no one really joins in on it. And it’s this toxic thought pattern that gets me — the idea that he is the ultimate authority on what is right and good, and no one really has the right to question him, and even worse, no one (other than Guinevere) bothers to.

The pace was a steady one, with plenty of action that kept me interested and flipping pages long into the night. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, and the multiple plot lines were all intriguing. The found family trope is done to perfection, with the connection between Guinevere and her crew lasting over long distances and all kinds of issues. But the best part of all is that this book left me thinking about what the old stories about King Arthur actually tell us, and questioning them.

This was a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. As always, I was hooked from the beginning. Another winner by Kiersten White!

if yall know me you know this series, and guinevere as a character, are so very near and dear to my heart. i was terrified to start this conclusion, both because of the actual content in it and because it is The End, No More, All Done, Goodbye Guinevere. and i won't lie, this book was a rollercoaster of emotions that left me unsure of times of how i'd end up feeling, but by the end, i fully loved this book as i have each of it's predecessors. we unpacked a ton of different sides of these characters, remarked on the merits of catch-all terms like "good" and "evil", and most importantly, watched guinevere really take the reins — for better and for worse — in her own story. i cried, i laughed, i cried some more, i highlighted so many parts that i can't wait to tab when my finished copy gets here. there is just something about this series that makes me giddy and warm inside. i hate so much that it's over, but the ending felt right — open enough for plenty of headcanons, but closed enough to feel satisfying. i certainly know what i'll be imagining.

thank you kiersten white for this series and for guinevere, my powerful sunshine girl who is just trying her best to do what's right. i miss her already.

I have read this entire series because I love how White took a story that is so well known and turned it on its ear. Most importantly, I love that she gave Guinevere the chance to be the hero in the Camelot narrative. And did it against impossible odds and sacrificed so much. Of COURSE Lancelot loved her and would do anything for her. We all would. Because Guinevere's love for Camelot and her people transcends all.

I enjoyed this conclusion to the trilogy! Yes, Guinevere is more a girl than a hero or a magical being or a queen, but that's the point of the book. In saving Camelot and the people she loves she has to find herself first. As someone who works with teens I have seen how messy and complicated a process that can be. However, with too many people in love triangles (squares?) not all relationships get their happy endings. But the series ties up many loose ends and concludes with the hope of more tales of Arthur and his Guinevere yet to come.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review!

A female version retelling of King Arthur? Sign me up. If your looking for an epic fantasy with a badass MC- well then babez you came to the right location. The adventure of Genevieve throughout this story was such a ride, watching her make friends and battle for her life was all so enticing and captivating that I just could not put the book down. It was such a refreshing start to this incredible fantasy.

I have had the pleasure of reviewing all three books in this series, and I do mean 'the pleasure.' From the starting premise all the way through the final pages, I have loved wandering through Camelot with Guinevere, exploring what it means to define yourself with magic, knights, and fairies spinning around you. The enchanting storyline, romantic tension, and relatable prose only added to the joy of being immersed in one of my favorite settings with characters that are designed to make it easy to see yourself in their actions.

This third book does its best to resolve the story put forth in the other two, and given that tall order, it is no surprise that it seems to move at a breakneck pace. Favorite characters from the other books are all but glossed over, and while I could have done without the addition of another main friend, it was important for Guinevere to have friends no matter where she went. I understand the choice, even if I don't adore it.

What I did love is watching Guinevere eventually decide she would define her own future, regardless of the expectations or demands of the people around her. Her good heart and drive to do what is right shone in this book, and I loved watching her come into her own.

My singular true complaint is heavily laced in spoilers, so I'd encourage you to skip it from here if you haven't gotten through the other two books. Okay, still here? Then... <spoiler>up until the very last page, the author teases Guinevere and Lancelot. She lays it on heavy, complete with "Arthur represents duty, Mordred represents passion, and ~I WONDER WHO COULD REPRESENT LOVE???~" ponderings ad nauseum. If you're going to make Lancelot female, and you haven't lived under a rock for the entirety of pop culture, that means that you should have some strong LGBTQA+ representation. Up until the very last page, I had hope that the author would just go there. Unfortunately, she did not, losing this book its fifth star. It almost felt like she was afraid, when instead of detracting from the story, the idea of Guinevere following her heart in this regard would have been much, much more meaningful than the half-baked thing we got.<spoiler>

I enjoyed this book and series very, very much. It is a wonderful story in a familiar setting with lovely characters and a strong dash of feminism thrown in. I'd recommend it for anyone from early teens on who dreams of dragons, swords, and acts of daring, all done by the queen and her lot of fantastic female friends.

**my thanks to NetGalley, Ms. White, and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review**

Thank you to Random House Children's/Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!
Actual rating: 1.5 stars

The Excalibur Curse is the final entry in The Camelot Rising trilogy. I wish I could say I was surprised by how disappointed I was by the ending, but I’ve had a feeling I wouldn’t like the ending since The Camelot Betrayal. I guess what was more shocking to me was why I didn’t like the ending. After two other books in the series placing Guinevere in a love triangle with King Arthur and (his nephew, in this retelling) Mordred, Guinevere finally decides she’s in love with Lancelot. 

I have been completely perplexed throughout the trilogy, which decided to make Lancelot a woman. It just seemed like such an odd narrative choice because the character and her new gender, were completely underutilized. In fact, I even remarked in my review for The Camelot Betrayal that I had no idea why Lancelot had ever been made a female. She didn't enter the legendary love triangle with Arthur and Guinevere or even a plain Sapphic romance with Guinevere. Well, unfortunately these remarks must have been some sort of a prophecy, because in the eleventh hour of the series, after Guinevere finally admits and acts her feelings for Mordred, she then decides she's actually in love with Lancelot! 

"Mordred had been told all his life who he was—the eel, Arthur's nephew, the fairyson, the Dark Queen's savior. And still he carved his own path, chose where to walk and followed no one. She had shied away from his pain because it was a mirror to her own. But he lived in it, did not run from it. He made mistakes and then kept going. And he always, always saw her."

I had to laugh at this development, because otherwise I would feel like crying, at the fact that I didn't even get to enjoy Mordred and Guinevere acting upon their feelings. Blink, and it was over, and Guinevere was realizing, and repeatedly telling readers, that all along it was actually Lancelot, not Arthur or Mordred—the main love interests throughout the entire trilogy—that made her feel understood, complete, etc..  This is after reading in two other book in the series, and heck, even in The Excalibur Curse, that rightly claimed Mordred was the only one who saw her So once again, poor Mordred, the feminist, the one who always saw Guinevere, the "fairyson" of The Green Knight and Morgan Le Fay and the one who loves and talks to animals, is used and abused. And he takes it so well, that it hurts even more.

"'I will save you in spite of yourself,' he whispered into her ear. 'I will save you even if I am saving you for someone else.'"

I kind of wished that The Excalibur Curse had least gone the Mists of Avalon route, and had a polyamorous relationship with Mordred and Lancelot, at the very least, instead of so brusquely and suddenly pushing the object of Guinevere's desire aside. As the trilogy so badly wants to be a feminist reimaging of Arthurian legend, and Mordred is respectful of Guinevere's feelings for Lancelot, as he only wishes for her to be happy, why didn't they just enter into a relationship with the three of them? To make matters worse, at the end of The Excalibur Curse, Guinevere holds hands with both Arthur and Lancelot!

Before this moment, I thought that the only good thing about Guinevere's realization of feelings for Lancelot is that her feelings for King Arthur were finally pushed aside. Throughout the entire Camelot Rising trilogy, I've either been indifferent to or outright disliked Arthur, who always felt wooden and like a horrible, neglectful husband. For me, the character never reached the heights of legend. But to my horror, after she realizes he's married to the job, and not her, she tells reader's she still loves him too! I really wanted to scream. Though I thought my worst nightmare for the ending of this trilogy was one where Mordred died, perhaps at the hands of Arthur, as in legend, or to save Guinevere, I was quickly proved wrong by what happened in the actual ending, with [spoiler] Mordred being exiled alone, and Guinevere ending up with the two dullest characters for company, Arthur and Lancelot.[/spoiler]

To me, it was almost like the author had suddenly decided that her retelling of Arthurian legend should end at least somewhat similarly to the legend, even though the trilogy had not put in the work to build up to that ending. It felt very random and unbelievable to me that Guinevere suddenly recognized her feelings for Mordred, then was over them, and in love with Lancelot, while still harboring love for Arthur. But suddenly, Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot were the main love triangle. Though the kingdom of Camelot is not left shattered in the wake of this particular love triangle as per legend, my heart definitely felt shattered. I also don't understand the hints of this romantic open relationship between these three characters, as Arthur has never liked Lancelot and used her poorly, and Guinevere knows that. Mordred and Lancelot, on the other hand, actually bantered and trained together. Make it make sense!

"But she had not been able to tell Mordred she loved him. And she had not been able to imagine a future with him, because it meant a future without Lancelot. It broke her heart that Lancelot thought no one ever valued her enough to try to protect her other than the accursed, faithless Lady of the Lake. Guinevere, would not, could not leave her behind."

My other main issue with The Excalibur Curse was every single one of Guinevere's other decisions! As if her romantic feelings weren't already giving me whiplash, the woman tears around making decisions with potentially catastrophic consequences at the drop of the hat. She never once stops to think things through or consider these ramifications, and sometimes, she even turns around from making a huge mess of things to making another horrendous choice to try to fix the previous mistake. She never listens to the advice of people around her, even those that have a better grasp of the situation or consequences either—she always assumes she actually knows better! It was so frustrating to me! What kind of Queen doesn't listen to advisors?

"She had thought she was waging war, when really she was just being moved around, a piece in a game controlled by more-powerful players." 

Honestly, this kind of impulsive and rash behavior from Guinevere, which is usually motivated by emotions, is the reason why I have tried to limit my reading of young adult fantasy. I cannot stand female protagonists, especially those in positions of power, who act immaturely, selfishly, and like their decisions don't affect those around them. This is not to say that all young adult fantasy novels have female protagonists who act like this, but I find that these characterizations are more common in young adult fantasy and I especially cannot stand them in the face of a novel that is marketing itself as a feminist retelling. I just can't relate to these types of characters as an adult. Maybe it's hubris, but I don't think I ever acted so carelessly as a young adult, whether with other people's feelings, and I sure wouldn't have with the fate of my kingdom at stake. Being a young character or simply being in a young adult novel, should not excuse characters to ignore their development, personality, and goals all for the sake of driving the plot forward or causing drama.

Another thing that really bothered me about the trilogy was that it led up all of the magic in Camelot being destroyed. I am guessing that what the trilogy was going for was that Guinevere didn't need magic to be a good queen, but it ended up just being a letdown to me. What kind of story about Arthurian legend consistently strives to destroy magic? Plus, I thought one of the coolest ideas about this trilogy was that Guinevere was the daughter of Merlin, and had magic of her own to protect Arthur. It just kind of felt like a letdown for her to not actually be Merlin's daughter and for her to lose all of her magical powers. I wasn't as disappointed with the reality of Guinevere's true identity personally, as I did feel there was plenty of build up to the revelation, but I was definitely not a fan of how she reacted to it.

"At last Guinevere knew who she was. And she would do anything to fix it."

Despite not being able to stand Guinevere or any of her horrific decisions in The Excalibur Curse, I somehow enjoyed reading it, mostly in spite of itself. I read the entirety of the novel in a day or two, and I never wanted to put it down. This in spite of Guinevere constantly "telling" her feelings instead of showing them, and not liking the ending. The one thing that has felt very consistent to me throughout The Camelot Rising trilogy is that I never know what to rate the novels, because though I really enjoy them, I know that the writing could be better, and now, The Excalibur Curse made me very unhappy.  It's really a conundrum! I guess I can chock up my love for these novels as guilty-pleasure.

Ultimately, I've decided to give The Excalibur Curse 1.5 stars, because though I really enjoyed reading it, I found the ending to be very unsatisfying on almost every level. If, like me, you've been with the trilogy since The Guinevere Deception, by all means, read The Excalibur Curse in order to know how the trilogy ends. However, I would definitely prepare myself for disappointment.

This trilogy was a bit of a whirlwind for me. I really liked the first book, and I honestly don't remember many of the large events of the second book. So I kind of went into this book with only vague memories of book 2, I blame 2020 for that. But I was looking forward to completing this trilogy. I like retellings, and Arthurian Legend is easy to retell and make something new.

This book started very slow for me, it wasn't until nearly the halfway point that I started to really get invested in what was going on, then things ground to a halt. About halfway through things really slowed things back down for me. I almost stopped. But then things thankfully picked back up again, though it still felt like two books. The latter half of this book... I don't know there were aspects that I really liked and aspects that felt a little heavy-handed, for lack of a better word.

Something I noticed in this book, that I didn't notice in the previous books is that they don't use contractions when they talk. I assume it's the author's way to make them sound more "old-timey" but, it just makes the dialog feel stilted and choppy.

This series is the first books I've read by this author, and I'd be interested in reading other works by her.

This was a fine end to the series. The secondary characters were what really made this series for me, and there was less of them through the first half of this book, so it was probably the hardest of the 3 books for me to get into,

Absolutely epic conclusion to a series Love anything King Arthur and this definitely didn't disappoint!

I kept my expectations pretty low going into this because I was let down so much by The Camelot Betrayal. I was sure that I was going to end up absolutely hating this book, but ultimately I didn’t. I feel the need to clarify though. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely didn’t love it. For me, it was still a messy book, but it was leagues better than the middle book slump. However, the ending really let me down as well as some of the actions of the characters.

I’m just going to be upfront about this: I was here for Mordred. About half way through this book, I was actually happy because I was hoping deep down in my heart that he was finally going to get a good redemption arc and everything he’s ever deserved. I can’t speak too much on the ending, because I don’t like spoilers, but let us just say that his ending was a disservice to him. However, if I am going to be honest, the ending was a disservice to a vast majority of the characters. And the reveal of Guinevere’s past crippled basically all forward momentum that it had built up in the beginning.

Something else that was a bit of a mess was the love triangle that was established in the first two books, but is was suddenly a love square. Who does Guinevere love? I know who I love. I love Mordred, but honestly I would have been happier if Guinevere had given the finger to all the love interests and ran away to a cabin in the woods by herself. To actually be the beacon of independence and female empowerment she supposedly is instead of the weak paper cut out she is in this book.

Overall, I would recommend this for people who liked the first two books in the series. If you’re not in love with this series, I suspect this won’t redeem it for you. If you’re in love with this series, it could go either way. This mostly just made me really want to reread The Conqueror’s Saga. I’m open to reading more books by White in the future, but ultimately this series just turned out to not be my cup of tea.

This trilogy has been an unputdownable whirlwind for me, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Definitely gave me whiplash at times, but I don't hate it. Didn't go the way I expected based on how the second book went, but thoroughly satisfied and read the trilogy within two days if that says anything to you. A must get!

When I received a copy of the book from Netgalley, I was really excited to start reading it. I was excited to see how the story would go, and how it would wrap up the trilogy. And I've got to say, I rather enjoyed it. I liked how Guinevere took action to save those she loved, and wouldn't take no for an answer. And I thought the ending was well done as well. It wrapped the plot up nicely and gave the main protagonists a happy ending. If I had to give it a rating, I think I'd give it four out of five stars.

I did not want this series to end. From the very first page of book one I just felt so wrapped up in this retelling. I loved every single character and I loved the spin that was put on this classic story. I loved watching each character evolve from one book to the next using all aspects of themselves to reach their potential. The love triangle (which turned into a love mess of people) had me wishing for happy endings for all. I wasnt crazy over who she picked but I do think it fit the story. Overall this series is one of my all time favorites and I will reread it over and over.

ARC provided by Edelweiss:

Glad to finally get closure on this series. I enjoyed this spin on the story of Arthur and Guinevere.

I did find there were some slow parts of the story where I almost gave up on it. But I pushed through and glad I did.

The ending wasn’t what I expected which isn’t a bad thing.

If you love Camelot and it’s characters, I recommend picking up this series.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of THE EXCALIBUR CURSE by Kiersten White. I enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, but I was a little disappointed in the finale. Honestly, I was just disappointed my ship didn't win out. But also, I think that's partly because that was the ship that had actual romantic and sexual tension and was actually built up to throughout the entire series. The person that was suggested to be Guinevere's actual "love" instead of just her "passion" (as my ship was, ahem) was just boring to me, I felt nothing for it. It seemed like Guinevere kept trying to convince me it was the best, the one that was actually love, but once I realized the book was going that direction I almost completely lost interest. I guess I was in it for the romance. That's pretty typical of me. Those who were rooting for the ship that was touted at the one of true "love" will feel very differently though, obviously. I actually did like the more open-ended close to the book and loved the overall theme that there is nothing more powerful and important than a girl.

Wow, that is all I can say. The twists and turns of the world set in Excalibur Curse was non-other than ideal for the cold weather here in my hometown. The imagery was vivid, continuing on from the first and second books. The trickling fear of water so exquisitely expressed, the burning sensation of dealing with fire, the deathly cold that blankets you as you traveled through the thick forests. It was beautiful! It honestly felt like I was reading poetry, short but sweet sentences added together to make a story come alive.

Furthermore, Guinevere takes us into a setting that combines both strength and sacrifice. We see a bit more independence from Guinevere, although I would have liked her to not be so attached to her emotions and overthink the future. Of course, these characteristics add to the flawed character that she is. We are introduced to a new set of the most wholesome characters! I especially love the outspoken humor of one of the captors - simply a perfect addition to the severity of the situation! We continue to see who Mordred is in her eyes, as well as the whole picture of his betrayal. Nevertheless, I definitely did not approve of his relationship with Guinevere; it was felt too rushed as well as insincere.

This leads to the love trope(s). I was really confused as to who Guinevere truly loved. It did not help that all three love tropes were repeatedly included in her thoughts, driving away the sacred time of her actually dealing with the rising problems and discoveries. Although, I applaud the author for the representation of LGTBQ+ fandom. I just wish she was more direct as to who Guinevere was most in love with. We see so many aspects in her thoughts and feelings, that you are left to wonder throughout the entire book as to who she would fit perfectly with. I especially did not think the trope she ended up with was satisfying.

Overall, the trilogy was tied up nicely. It wasn't the most concrete of endings, landing me to end in a bit of confusion. Yet, the imagery and the way the story was told were what caught my attention and didn't allow me to break away. I would rate it 3.5 stars, I just found it too confusing at parts. Lastly, I want to take the time to thank Random House Children's for allowing me to receive an eARC from NetGalley - it's been quite a ride reading the Excalibur Curse.