Review – The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising, Book 1) by Kiersten White (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: November 5, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-0525581673
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Camelot Rising series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution–send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king’s idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere’s real name–and her true identity–is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.
To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old–including Arthur’s own family–demand things continue as they have been, and the new–those drawn by the dream of Camelot–fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land..”
Series Info: 1st book in the Camelot Rising trilogy, from NetGalley for review.
Characters (3/5): The characters in here were a bit lackluster. I really wanted to like Guinevere but she just seemed a bit complacent and needy to me. King Arthur was supposed to be compelling but came off as thoughtless and overpowering. None of the characters had much depth to them. I feel like the only character that was actually intriguing and had any personality was Mordred.
Story (3/5): The story was interesting. I liked that it kind of followed the story of King Arthur but had some twists to it. The pacing was a bit slow, the whole time you know something is going to happen with the Dark Queen, but it takes a very long time for anything to actually happen. Most of the book is watching Guinevere get settled as the Queen and learning the secrets around King Arthur and Mordred.
Setting (4/5): The whole story takes place in Camelot. The setting was beautifully described and a very typical fantasy style. It’s a great setting for this story and I have no complaints.
Writing Style (4/5): This is writing in White’s typical writing style. The writing flows well and is very easy to read. The whole story is told from Guinevere’s perspective. While there isn’t anything that really stands out, this book is well written.
Summary (3.5/5): Overall this is an interesting reimaging of the King Arthur tale. I did like some of the deviations and twists away from the original King Arthur story and I found some of the reimagings intriguing and interesting. However, I struggled to engage with the characters and just didn’t find them interesting (with the exception of Mordred). I also thought the story moved very slowly and wished things had picked up pace quicker. I am sad to say that I probably won’t continue with this series because I just wasn’t that engaged with the story or the characters.
