Kiersten White

Sent by a banished Merlin to protect King Arthur, a sixteen-year-old impersonating the deceased Guinevere struggles to fit in at Camelot where the magic she practices is banished.

The Guinevere Deception

Lily

There was nothing in this world ad magical and terrifying as a girl on the cusp of womanhood.

౨ৎ 

He took her arm and led her through a door back into the castle. 

"The problems of my borders are my own. You are doing enough simply by being here." 

"You are helping. If you could-" Arthur paused. They were outside her door. He looked at it, at the wall, at anything but at her. "If you could be my queen, that would be enough. You did not have a real choice before. I am giving you choice now. Will you? Still be my queen?" 

He wiped a hand down his face as though he could physically push away the regret and guilt there. "Guinevere, I have lied to you. I have let you believe something that is not true. And I am so sorry."

Guinevere took a step back, suddenly afraid. What else did Arthur know? 

"The Lady of the Lake cannot get to me, I promise. Merlin did not send you to Camelot because of a threat to me. He sent you to Camelot because he knew what was coming for him. He did not need you to keep me safe. He asked me to keep you safe." 

Something shifted around Arthur's warm brown eyes. Gone was the weariness, the sorrow, replaced with ... hurt. "Do you want to leave?"

"No! No." The thought of leaving Arthur behind made tears burn in her eyes. How quickly she had grown to be Guinevere! 

Arthur crossed the room to her, kneeling in front of her chair and putting his hands on top of hers. "You are useful to me." 

"My strengths are a liability here. You know it's true."

His hands tightened around hers. Her breath caught, waiting for what he would say next. "Merlin sent you here. That is reason enough to stay." 

He pulled her suddenly close, wrapping his arms around her. Her chin was on his shoulder, the side of his face against hers. "Guinevere. Please. I want you in Camelot. Do not leave. Promise you will not leave." 

She wanted to give him her name. She wanted to give him everything. 

"Was he difficult during the discussions?" 

"No, I mean when he would not stop staring at you." 

Guinevere's hands twitched beneath the table, longing to cast her blindness knots at him if only to force him to stop staring. She startled as another hand found hers under the table. 

Arthur squeezed her fingers. He did not turn toward her or react to Maleagant, but he noticed.

Her body froze. Arthur felt it. He held up a hand for his men to stop; then he leaned close, putting his mouth next to her ear. 

"Trust that I will let no harm come to you." 

She did. She truly did. But who was Arthur to water? Arthur was a king. The wielder of Excalibur. That mattered nothing to the lake. It was dark and deep, cold and eternal. Someday it might dry up, but the water would flow elsewhere. It could not be unmade. 

And they were fragile, breakable, one chocking breath away from death. 

She stumbled numbly forward, Arthur leading her. When they got to the edge of Camelot, the lake gnawing at the shore, she could go no farther. Arthur scooped her up into his arms, laughing brightly to cover the necessity of his actions. He was cloaking it in jest. 

"My queen is so light, I could swim her across the lake myself!"

His men laughed as well. A hand was on her back. Brangien. 

Guinevere buried her face in Arthur's chest. He talked and joked with his men as though carrying his queen onto the ferry was a perfectly normal action for a king to take. And because Arthur acted as though it were normal, it became normal. 

Guinevere stayed curled against him; she was trembling, hiding herself from the water. She felt it in the sway of the raft, heard it in the hungry slapping of the water against the wood. Arthur directed the ferryman to cut to the side of the lake, shortening their journey and meeting up with the horses instead of steering directly to the market. "I would like to ride in", he explained. 

He did not put her down until they were on dry land again. Brangien stepped in front of her, blocking everyone's view and pretending to fix one of Guinevere's braids. "Take your time", she whispered. "Wait until you can breathe again. Wait until you can smile." She held Guinevere's eyes. And soon, Guinevere could breathe. Soon, she could smile. 

"Thank you," she whispered. Brangien squeezed her hand. 

She wanted to know how he had recognised her. How he had found her face even when she was hiding it. It felt precious. A gift of grace in the midst of turmoil. And she did not want to spoil it by pulling it apart like one of her failed knots. 

He poured two glasses of watered wine and passed one to her. "I would like you to tell me if you are leaving the castle, though. What if something happened to you? I would not know where to look." 

Guinevere raised an eyebrow. "You forget your place, my king. You are not to worry about me. I am to worry about you." 

Maria

i have never been much into arthurian legend, but i was intrigued by this when i first saw it. that being said it ended up just being a kind of meh. first off though i think this cover deserves some praise of its own because it is breathtaking! 
now onto my general thoughts on this: 
- i think the writing is beautiful. it’s a nice balance between an easy-flowing style with a touch of flowery at times but without becoming overwhelming. from the beginning it was the writing that pulled me in, and managed to keep me intrigued despite the plot being rather boring. i also recommend listening to the audiobook the narrator does such a good job of bringing this story to life and making it so much more entertaining 
- i deeply enjoyed the twists and changes the author did to the original tale (though again my knowledge of arthurian legend is pretty basic, so this might’ve been influenced by that) 
- the pace itself was what really didn’t work for me. so much of the book is just exposition with not much happening. it’s just guinevere going here or there and talking to people but of very little consequence 
- i also thing a major downfall of this book is the fact that it keeps the reader in the dark for way too long without actually building any sort of anticipation — i was bored by the time things were revealed; this has to do with the plot as well, bc for a good chunk of the book the reader (just like guinevere) has only some vague idea that  something  is amiss and is threatening camelot but we are kept in the dark for too long 
- the characters themselves also seem kind of underdeveloped the only one i was genuinely intrigued by was mordred 
- another thing is that guinevere as a main character (while intriguing at the beginning) was rather passive
- i also felt very little for the bubbling romance bc again the characters are not that well-developed
- there were also some logistical things that didn’t make sense to me like how does guinevere the queen of camelot only have one maid?? or the fact that (magic aside) she just disappears from the castle so much without much of anyone noticing
- the last few chapters were the best part of this and i wish the rest of the book would’ve been just as action-packed but maybe (since this is the first book in a series) this will be fixed in the next book?

chloe rae

3.5*

This was really fun! I love the tale of King Arthur and his knights and was super excited to see what this retelling would bring to the story. While I really enjoyed the book, I just found it to be lacking in some aspects. I wanted so much MORE from it. King Arthur's legend is so rich and exciting; there were so many things I think the author could have expanded even further on. I saw the ending coming from a mile away (because I know the history) but even then, I think the build-up could've been better. It also felt a little slow in the beginning which I didn't mind but felt unnecessary?
However, something about it hooked me and made me want to continue reading. And I think it was Arthur. I read a couple people state that he's a boring character but I LOVED him. I just love the idea of a character that's GOOD; totally and completely. Something/someone to fight for and believe in. I'm such a sucker for him. I loved his and Guinevere's friendship and only want to read on because of them. I want some ROMANCE.
I'm excited to go on and I hope to get more depth in the next book!

Francesca Starecheski

A curious legend concentrated with magic which wanted for little concentration to follow and to digest.

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. Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free. 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*

Nessa Luna

Let me tell you a secret – I have watched a bunch of Arthurian movies, I’ve watched two whole episodes of Merlin (there’s a story behind it, for another time) but I have never read the original stories nor have I ever read a retelling. The Guinevere Deception was my first Arthurian retelling and honestly, I didn’t love it. I loved the premise, Guinevere as a changeling, but the story overall wasn’t what I had hoped for. The last couple of chapters were great and were the main reason I gave this book the rating it got, but alas it wasn’t the epic magical story I had hoped for.

CAWPILE: 7 | 6 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 7 | 7 (Avg: 6.64)

"Fascinating. . . . Kiersten White has taken the best parts of the Arthurian legend and made them all her own."--Renée Ahdieh, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn series. 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* "A rare and enviable mix of impeccable writing, heart-stopping action, lush scenery, and complex, relatable characters . . . brilliant!" --New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren "Stunning. . . . will leave every reader hungry for more." --Somaiya Daud, author of the Mirage series

Cloudface

I was surprised by how much fun this book was. The characters were interesting and multifaceted and I loved the author’s take on Lancelot. The ending bothered me a little but I’m hoping that’s because it’s a series and there needs to be conflict in the next book. I’ll definitely check out book 2 from my library!

Gillian Rose

Oh, I loved this so much. So many different twists on Arthurian legend!

Thais Souza Passos

I AM SPEECHLESS 

WHAT

A

BOOK

COME TO ME, CAMELOT BETRAYAL, I AM ALL YOURS

Lydia Ford

Ella Evans

I found myself reading this book directly after i've finished Legendborn, which is a more modernized version of the arthurian legends. I only give this book 4 stars because although the storytelling throughout was amazing and I could follow the plot without getting lost in the whole legend of the actual story, I got a little bored at some points reading it. I thought it got slow paced and it took me a long time to finish because I never felt a need to find out what happens. I wont read the second one, but the first one was pretty good and I would recommend it.

Sheena

I'm on the borderline of liking this and not liking this (let's be honest I'm leaning more towards). There were so few pros and even more cons to this story that I don't even know where to begin. So I'm going to hit it where it hurts and start off by saying this was an utter disappointment. I had high expectations for this novel and it all crumpled to the ground in flames that was ignited by the lead heroine, Guinevere. There was just something about her that was off-putting and it became more than apparent when she suddenly started to 'developed feelings' for Arthur despite not being in his presence for a full 24 hours. Not joking even though I wish k was joking. I'm sure the only thing that was going for her that I actually liked was the relationship that was bubbling between her and Mordred (love triangle, what joy), and that's only because Mordred was in the equation. I'm almost baffled that the time has come to finally come across a novel that I was more in favor of the secondary characters than the main protagonist themselves regardless that all the characters including the heroine fell flat and lacked depth. In addition to that, I will also mentioned that this novel started off slow in the beginning before continuing to go slow in the middle before ending in a slow lackluster end. It was a borderline borefest and I'm just a tad bit heated because this had so much potential to be a decent Arthurian legend read and it wasn't. At all. So in conclusion it's true what they say, never judge a book by its cover.

Meghan M

The book is a little cheesy, but I just love her writing because I always seem to enjoy it! I love Arthurian writing so her incorporating this was so much fun and I highly recommend.

3.5 stars

i had a great time, this better end up being proper wlw. that is all.

Meg Cornhill

Kristina Fitzgerald

I do wish there was a bigger "battle" to move the plot along but it still kept my attention from start to finish. I am excited for the next book but the ending wasn't so much of a cliff hanger that I am mad I read it without a release date for the next one. Overall, I am very glad I picked it up and read it.

Raquel Silva

Overall I enjoyed the book, though the ending felt a little bit rushed and convenient. This book made me miss the tv show merlin a lot 🥺 I enjoyed the writing, just not the way everything was told instead of showed. Might read the sequel just for Sir Lancelot!

Nicole Sargent-Carberry

I know the King Arthur story very well and I was STILL surprised. Love it, I can’t wait for the rest of the series!

Lauren Sullivan

Helloooo, gorgeous cover!

“There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl on the cusp of womanhood.”

I was especially excited to see this was an Arthurian retelling from Guinevere’s POV, and that it deals with the clash between magic and, well, men. Arthur was made king because of magic (a sword, Merlin) but can only stay king by pushing out that magic (banishing Merlin, turning to Christianity). This also leads to a curtailing of women’s power – both magical and political. The Lady in the Lake and the Dark Queen may have had far-reaching powers, but the Queen of Camelot is reduced to seating charts for banquets and visiting the other ladies of court, a footnote in Arthur’s story. Because of that, the book does move somewhat slowly – there’s some adventure, but a lot of it is Guinevere exploring the limits of her life as a lady of Camelot.

“She was not Arthur’s wife, not really. But she was sad nonetheless. It was not easy, revolving around someone who did not revolve around her.”

I felt let down by the romance plot. Obviously, there’s something between Arthur and Guinevere, but there’s also a third character as well. I’m not much of a big fan of love triangles, though I’m more accepting of them in YA, and honestly at points I wanted to throw up my hands and tell Guinevere to hightail it out of Camelot and find some farmer or something. There were some good scenes between Arthur and Guinevere, but most of it is bookended by Guinevere fretting about why she couldn’t be interested in him. This was also compounded by the fact that Arthur felt bland to me. This may be by design – Arthur puts Camelot above everything else, including himself, and certainly above his wife. As for the other love interest, I loved their interactions, but, due to being familiar with the Arthurian legends, I had a pretty good idea how this would all end up.

“I believe in King Arthur. I believe in his story. And I want nothing more than to be part of it.”
With all that said, there was a lot I liked about this book. Guinevere’s friendship with Brangien, her lady’s maid, and other women in the castle and beyond were lovely. There were a lot of plot twists throughout the book, some obvious to me (the Patchwork Knight) and some not. While all those twists were exciting, it was also jarring, as it felt like a lot of information was being withheld from the reader for too long. I did like how Guinevere started the book as a blank slate and then slowly grew into her power and sense of self, accelerated in the last portion of the book. I’ve mentioned the slower pacing before, and it’s the end where everything really picks up and there’s action and plot twists a-plenty.

Overall, while the book wasn’t what I was expecting and seriously suffers from first-in-a-series syndrome, I’m still curious enough about what happens to Guinevere to read the next one. I'd rate the majority of the book as 3 stars, with the last portion being more 4 stars, so rounding down to 3.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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. Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free. 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*

Sheila

2 stars. This was a far cry from White's last trilogy - The Conqueror's Saga - which featured the epic genderbent Vlad the Impaler. And I Darken kept me on the edge of my seat with every page! The Guinevere Deception was far less exciting on multiple counts: the setting, the characters, and a plot that was largely nonexistent until the final 50 pages.

It's massively disappointing, but I don't think I'll be keeping up with this series.

Yaneli | @aquariusbookadventures 

Yaneli @aquariusbookadentures 
Rating: 4.5 Stars! 
https://bookboyfriendsdoitbetter.com/

This book was really addicting and even though I know the original story quite well, I kept wondering what kind of twist Kristen White would throw at us. 

Kristen White's writing is one of my favorites, so I'm not sure why It took me so long to read it but oh man, now I desperately want book 2! 

There wasn't much romance between Arthur and Guinevere but there was this hidden chemistry between them that had me fascinated the entire time! ESPECIALLY when Lancelot was starting to get mentioned quite a bit! I am so excited to see where the romance side of this story takes us in books 2 and 3. I'm honestly not quite sure what way Kristen White is leading us to but either way, 
I'll make sure to buckle my seatbelt and enjoy the ride! 

I am a little worried over how interested I am in Mordred's character haha because we ALL know how his character is usually portrayed. For over half of this book I was actively awaiting his scenes with Guinevere until I finally told myself to not get too attached lol.

The magic system is a bit weird and mysterious at this point so I'm looking forward to it being a little bit more explained in the next book. 

I will say it was a little bit annoying at times when it seemed like although Guinevere is there to protect Arthur, she was more of a soft heroine if that makes sense. With her memory loss, it oftentimes felt like she was just waiting for something or someone to push her to do something as opposed to being an active heroine.

Tatiana Alvarez 

I listened to the audiobook in two days! The story was extremely captivating and I’m obsessed with White’s writing. I think she is becoming one of my new favorite authors. Definitely a fast paced and fun read!

Nagore J

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

It’s not every day we get a retelling of the Arthurian legends, so I was really looking forward to reading and loving this book. Unfortunately, The Guinevere Deception didn’t deliver what I was hoping it would.

The book has a slow and confusing start, though one can find a way to navigate with a basic knowledge of the Arthurian myths. The main character’s confusion about her own identity and her role within the story gave me the impression of stumbling aimlessly through the pages, following as she blindly sets to protect Arthur from a threat she herself does not know how to identify. Guinevere’s ignorance and lack of motivation stalled the plot. The feeling was that nothing eventful was happening, and it unfortunately continued through the entire book, save for fifty pages in the middle, where I thought I would start to enjoy the story.
The uneventful plot was further aggravated by the lack of characterization of the characters. The personalities were two-dimensional, and in some cases, their traits were told through the recollections of others rather than being shown directly through action. I struggled to connect with any of the characters, especially with Guinevere. I enjoyed her interactions with Arthur, but there weren’t many, and their relationship was often overshadowed by his dedication to Camelot. The ending was quite surprising, but it came at a point where I had already lost interest in the book, and it wasn’t enough to spark any particular interest in the sequel. 

I feel like this is one of those books that will hardly leave a mark because of how little it delivers. I don’t think I would recommend it, unless you’re a fan of White’s other projects and are curious or already had it on your radar before.

Sophia De La Garza

I want more Lancelot and Guinevere moments thus I will be reading the second book in hopes that what I want to happen happens and I can happily read the sequel. 

Besides that, this book was okay. I enjoyed the setting of Camelot and the focus on Guinevere but the action scenes fell flat for me. The plot twists didn't blow me away and the only thing that really grasped my interest was Lancelot.  I need a book just on this version of Lancelot please and thank you  

Overall, 3.5 stars and like I said I'm picking up the sequel in hopes of a ship sailing.

Kiersten White’s books are hit or miss to me, and this one’s leaning towards a hit. I hadn’t planned on reading this, but then I saw it in the library and the cover is so much nicer in person than in pictures so I had to read it. 
There’s not a lot of concrete plot to be found, what with the way Guinevere is mostly just wandering around doing magic, but I enjoyed the vibes and the atmosphere. The interspersed passages about the Dark Lady are a lot more interesting than the actual storyline. The characters, for the most part, were rather one or two dimensional, which was rather disappointing. Even Guinevere is astonishingly naive, and not much else. She’s surprised by basically everything in the city. Maybe you can chalk that up to her being raised by Merlin in the wilderness, but really? Then in her job as Arthur’s protector, she focuses so single-mindedly on a woman who was arrested for doing magic. If normal people could so easily seek out and arrest magic users intent on harming Arthur, Guinevere would be out of a job. Please focus on something else.
I hope Lancelot’s back can take a break from carrying this trilogy next book.

The Guinevere Deception

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