The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising, #1) by Kiersten White - GBR - Starting November 1st 2023

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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*

[Sarah Elizabeth]

The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising, #1) by Kiersten White will be one of our GBRs for November 2023.

Please read at your own pace, and hide any spoilers ☺ You are welcome to join at any time during the month ☺

Happy Reading Everybody!

[Sarah Elizabeth]

Pre-Reading Questions -

Anybody got any thoughts on this one before we start?

Has anyone read anything similar to this before?

Anybody read anything else by this author previously?

[Haley]

I purchased this book almost 2 years ago *maybe 3* oops and going to try and fit this into my November tbr!

A book with a changeling!! oof I'm excited :)

I've never read anything by this author before.

[Haley]

ch 1 - 7
I've never read a king arthur retelling and I'm unsure of what to expect (view spoiler)[ so far I'm liking this one. I'm liking the use of magic in this one with the knots being made for protection and somehow using fire to bathe oneself??

at first I was iffy about Mordred, but he's slowly starting to grow on me. I'm loving Brangien and would love to have her as a friend.

Guinevere (fake guinevere) seems to not know much about her past... I wonder what's going on there? is the dark queen still alive in her? is she the threat somehow? (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

ch 8 - 15
(view spoiler)[ still enjoying this book, it's a bit slow on building up the plot but overall good.

so much for Guinevere keeping her magic a secret, but I didn't expect Brangien to also know knot magic?? that surprised me

and Merlin wasn't as good of a person as she expected. I wonder what her name is?? like Arthur said, a name holds power (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

finished; overall a good book! at first I gave it 4 stars, but realized it fell more in the "liked" than "REALLY liked" category. 3.5 overall

(view spoiler)[ for being my first Arthur retelling, I enjoyed it. The characters were likable and I was hoping for Mordred to turn out good!! ugh... I wonder if his feelings for Guinevere were real at all? or all a hoax.

Arthur is surely a great king, but I know Guinevere is going to need more than he's able to give soon.. (hide spoiler)]

I put the next book on hold at my library, but we shall see if I get to it anytime soon.