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allyhoo811's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was drawn to The Guinevere Deception because I love Arthurian retellings (really I just love retellings in general), and I thought it was a very solid addition to the genre (4 Stars). In my opinion, I think you will have an easier time enjoying/following this story if you already have a general knowledge base regarding Arthurian Legends that extends beyond Disney's "The Sword in the Stone." You definitely don't need to know everything about the mythology surrounding Camelot , in fact, if you have too much knowledge you might be prone to find certain changes annoying. But knowing the basic stories of characters like Guinevere, Lancelot, Mordred, The Lady of the Lake, Tristan and Iseult, Uther Pendragon, Morgan le Fay, etc. certainly adds to the novel. If you don't know anything about these characters already, their book versions may come off underdeveloped. I feel like a lot rests on the fact that these characters are basically archetypes at this point, who the audience should already know.
I will try to keep the rest of my review spoiler free (or mark spoilers for the novel accordingly), but I will probably spoil at least some of the source material in my commentary. So if you don't know anything about Arthurian Legends and don't want to...Don't read further.
The Love Triangle:
What fantasy YA series would be complete without a love triangle? The Guinevere Deception follows the trope of the female protagonist having to chose between the loyal and noble (often powerful) man she is promised to and the more mysterious, brooding man she is deeply attracted too. Luckily, this trope has always appealed to me and the soap opera loving teenage girl I once was. The Arthur/Guinevere/Mordred triangle worked for me; this trope almost always works for me even in fantasy novels geared toward adults. It always reminds me of the Game of Thrones idea that "duty is the death of love" or "love being the death of duty". If you don't like this trope, this story isn't for you. I on the other hand found myself rooting for Mordred and wondering if/how he was going to turn evil like in the original legend.
The Plot:
The overall plot is good. The fast-paced chapters (typical of YA fantasy) kept me interested and wanting to read more. However, I will say it felt very much like a setup novel -- when I was done reading, it felt like not a lot had really happened until the very end, and ironically that part --
The Lancelot Twist:
Character Ages:
Arthur is way too young. I get this is YA, but Arthur being 18 doesn't make sense. He's been king for maybe 2 years and has already had time to do a ridiculous amount of stuff for Camelot (usurping a title, securing borders, building a stone church, setting up a functioning economy, having how many knights join through long difficult tournament processes). Again, I get why he needed to be 18, but it makes no sense.
Generic Fantasy Setting:
Small thing, but the story should take place in the late 4th-early 5th century, and based on a few historical references it seems to, but the setting described feels too "modern" in most instances to really be that early in British History.
Use of Lore:
I like a lot of the changes made to the lore and the plot of Guinevere being a "changeling." I'm not loving the few scenes we've seen with Merlin though, but I can't really explain why.
The Realistic Treatment (or lack there of) of Sex/Violence/War:
The handling of many mature topics in the book is very watered down. And it is a YA novel, so that makes sense. I'm not going to harp much on this point, because I get the why, but I will say I hate that Guinevere is made out to be so terribly naïve when it comes to matters of reproduction and sexuality. It is given an explanation (or we are at least building toward that explanation) in the novel, which is something you can't say about most YA novels in this area, but I still hate it in YA. Tying the female character's virtue to naivety and virginity is just not a message I like being sent to teen girls. I mean Guinevere doesn't even know what her period is -- that was usually the tell-tale sign a woman was old enough to marry at that time and Guinevere hasn't had hers yet and thinks she's dying??? Even though it does make sense for this story (i.e. she doesn't remember losing teeth as a child), I still don't like it's inclusion as a plot point in a YA novel (happens too often without reasons). *steps off soapbox*
Overall, really enjoyed and will be continuing on in the series.
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Rape
malloryfitz's review
3.75
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Minor: Homophobia
angelareads's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Vomit
Minor: Death and Suicidal thoughts
There is some cutting in this book, not for the purposes of self harm but as part of the magic system. This could be triggering for some readers.gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The main characters we follow are fun and for the most part, very interesting and complex. You might be forgiven if you forget that these characters are meant to be 16-18 years old. I feel like this book was written with 20-30 year olds in mind, but targeted to a YA audience hence the age drop. This didn't really pull me out of the story as age is so rarely mentioned, so this was not a huge issue for me.
I also really enjoy the different ways that the lore was given to readers. There is a mixture of shown and told through discussion, which just made it a lot better than huge explanation dumps.
I recommend this book for those looking for a something little different with their YA fantasy and retellings. There isn't much out there with Arthurian retellings, and the ones that are are usually set in morden times.
Now onto the next book for another reread!
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death, Violence, War, and Sexual assault
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
first review:This
This was so good! I love King Arthur retellings and this is my favorite so far! Guinevere is a treasure and I'm in love with Lancelot! This is such an amazing book and I can't wait for the sequel!
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Violence
heytherekaity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
1st Read: I'm... so... confused???
I've never wanted to be wrong more than I did with this book. But at the same time I need to do a LOT more research because I WILL figure this out. Maybe. Full review to be published as soon as I wrap my head around everything at http://kaitplusbooks.com!
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, and Violence