Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

5 reviews

enchantedelfie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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claudiamacpherson's review

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adventurous inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Guinevere has come to Camelot to marry King Arthur. Merlin has been exiled along with all other forms of magic. But Guinevere is not Guinevere, and the marriage is a ruse so that not-Guinevere can protect Arthur from a magical attack Merlin warned them of. But magic lives on in secret in Camelot, and Guinevere must determine what—or who—is a threat to the kingdom without her own powers being exposed.

Wow, I loved this book! I initially picked it up because I have always loved myths and legends, and the Arthurian stories hold a special place in my heart because my grandmother (and favorite person!) is named Guinevere. White's writing style was engaging and the magical world-building was fascinating. I really loved the characters; Arthur reminded me of Gansey from The Raven Cycle, and we know I love that archetype, and don't even get me started on Lancelot!! I usually don't care for love triangles, and the one in this book was okay, but the one I foresee (based on what I know of Arthurian legends) coming up in the next book(s) is going to be a tough one (which is to say, not a clear superior choice)!

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just my judgement of how happy the ending is because I always wish someone would tell me that before I read books):
Happy-ish, but pretty cliffhanger-y too! I have to wait 3 weeks for the next book, pray that I don't go crazy (or cave and buy the book in the meantime)!

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angelareads's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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plumpaperbacks's review

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Though intriguing at first, this book ended up being quite boring. Very few characters actually interested me, and my favorite wasn’t properly introduced until the last quarter of the book. The magic system seemed cool, but it wasn’t given enough attention for me to make a final decision. I saw the love triangle coming a mile away and ultimately didn’t care for either of the guys on Guinevere’s radar. And speaking of Guinevere, I don’t think she was developed enough, which is sad considering she had the potential to be such a fascinating morally grey protagonist. I didn’t see the final twist coming, but I wasn’t invested enough to really care. Also, one character made an incredibly asinine decision at the end of the book, based on feelings rather than logic. I have a feeling the sequel is going to be everyone panicking and trying to deal with the New Evil, while I’m over here like, “Bro, you did it to yourself.” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I won’t know, though, because I’m not planning to read any further in the series. I think it’s time to admit that White’s novels aren’t my cup of tea.

If you like Arthurian stories and classic YA clichés, maybe you’ll like this. It had a lot of potential, but personally, I think all the wrong elements were given too much page time.

Representation:
  • Sapphic side character

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bodiesinbooks's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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