The Guinevere Deception
Ratings32
Average rating3.1
15
Ratings32
Average rating3.1
A new fantasy series set in the world of Camelot that bestselling author Christina Lauren calls brilliant, reimagining the Arthurian legend . . . where nothing is as magical and terrifying as a girl.
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.
Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself? *THE FIRST BOOK IN THE CAMELOT RISING TRILOGY*
Series
3 primary booksCamelot Rising is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by Kiersten White.
Reviews with the most likes.
The Arthurian legend is used as a slim basis for what is essentially a newly imagined fantasy world, with many elements from familiar tales (a dark enchantress, magical woods, changelings) shaken up and recombined. I liked a lot of these ideas – Guinevere's role in particular is a welcome departure from the usual, and I loved the image of Camelot as a rock-born fortress in the midst of a river – but as a whole I wasn't pulled in enough by the story or characters to keep reading. I read enough to know this is a respectably written effort that will please many readers, though it wasn't compelling for me.
This was incredibly disappointing. I probably should have DNF'd it, but I decided to power through. I felt like nothing happened and the plot didn't seem to matter. Very many aspects were also poorly explained and I felt as if the characters were not fleshed out enough.
Overall I enjoyed it, but I think it would have been a better fit as an adult book that delved into the magic and court more. At times it felt like I was reading a long summary of a longer book, without the parts that let you actually connect to the characters.
1.5 stars
There's very little of value here. I was bored out of my mind for most of the book. The three (!) potential romances were all weak, there is hardly any plot to speak of and the protagonist remains pale and uninteresting until the end. The one saving grace was that there were some cool ideas about magic.
