Return to Camelot

The Guinevere Deception

By: Kiersten White

Back in the day (oh so long ago!) you couldn’t have sold me on a retelling faster if you said it was about Camelot. So when I saw this one by Kiersten White author of the And I Darken books spotlighting Guinevere it was an immediate add to the TBR.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

So you probably know the story of Camelot- the chosen one pulls a sword from a stone and we’re off. There’s also the beautiful Queen, the legendary Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot, Merlin and the Lady of the Lake all of whom make an appearance in the Guinevere Deception.

But this time its Guinevere whose not who she says she is. As Arthur has struggled to control his borders he’s had to banish Merlin and fight back magic. This changeling like person who has no memories is sent in place of the chosen Queen, she has magic and she’s been trained by Merlin to protect the King from an unseen threat that Arthur faces at all costs.

Camelot is well-rendered here and I liked the use of Guinevere’s knot magic. I also like who the forests are weaved in throughout the story. I thought the characters were all fun and generally likable- White does some things with Lancelot and Modred that were nice changes especially. Arthur is Arthur he’s usually the too good to be true shiny King much loved but somehow removed and it’s no different here.

He’s a little boring in all honesty.

Meanwhile I do agree with the people who said Guinevere is a little too confused to a certain extent. She’s supposed to be. Merlin apparently did a real number on her memories and she’s not even sure throughout the book what threat Arthur is facing. Yet I did admire the character for keep trying. It might not have been clear but she took her duty seriously, had bravery and a very interesting streak picking her friends. I’m wondering where White is going with her and really it could go either way.

This is the first book in a series so it’s a lot of set-up. I’m a little torn on the ending. Overall I liked it but there were certain character decisions that personally bummed me out. Still I’m in it for the series for sure and if you like the Camelot legend it’s more than worth a check out.

Plus superficially I’m a big fan of the cover!

Recommend: Yes.