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hannahellen's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a lot like it’s predecessor in that it was extremely dull until the second half when everything picked up and the mess of a cliffhanger at the end pisses you off (in the good way). Arggghh!!
maddly_peculiar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
laura_keoski's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
samrosewilde's review against another edition
4.0
In the last novel, Guinevere was sent as changeling to protect Arthur. Instead, she did the very opposite. Now, she must live with her actions while still figuring out how to be both a queen and a witch. If you liked the last book, you will love this continuation. More action, more romance, more angst, and more beautiful Camelot.
My favorite parts:
~~Lancelot (this is basically how I imagine Lancelot to look!)
Need I say more? The knight who will always protect her Queen. I loved getting to see Lancelot more this novel. I love her chemistry with Guinevere, how she always see Guinevere for who she is.
~~Arthur (apparently my mental image of this sunshine nugget does not exist irl)
I really liked Arthur’s character development. I always liked him, but he was almost too perfect. We start to see some cracks around the facet. He is still wonderful, but I love peaking at the emotion brewing just under his calm exterior.
~~Guinevere grappling with the idea that she might always be left behind, or just as bad, unneeded. Who would miss you if you were no longer there? This book portrays this fear in Guinevere in such a relatable way that it was almost painful for me to see, because I saw myself.
~~I LOVED the female characters introduced in this book. They angered me, they charmed me, and I enjoyed every moment of female representation.
~~Does your past define you? It’s a question that haunts Guinevere but could be applied to any and all characters. Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Mordred…and numerous new characters. What an engaging question.
There were a couple of things that did bother me about the novel. Something that drove me crazy in the first book and continues to drive me crazy is how Guinevere jumps to conclusions. I always just remind myself that she is only 16, and when I was 16, I was probably the same way. Also, if you did not enjoy the slower pace of the first book, I’m sorry to tell you the slow pace continues. I enjoyed the introspection and various plot lines, but I would not call it a fast pace. At least, not until the later half of the book…
I can’t wait for the final book. My only regret is that it is so far away. I’m not going to stop reading until I finally know who Guinevere truly is….
Who will Guinevere choose to be, and to be with?
I know who I’d choose…
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
My favorite parts:
~~Lancelot (this is basically how I imagine Lancelot to look!)
Need I say more? The knight who will always protect her Queen. I loved getting to see Lancelot more this novel. I love her chemistry with Guinevere, how she always see Guinevere for who she is.
~~Arthur (apparently my mental image of this sunshine nugget does not exist irl)
I really liked Arthur’s character development. I always liked him, but he was almost too perfect. We start to see some cracks around the facet. He is still wonderful, but I love peaking at the emotion brewing just under his calm exterior.
~~Guinevere grappling with the idea that she might always be left behind, or just as bad, unneeded. Who would miss you if you were no longer there? This book portrays this fear in Guinevere in such a relatable way that it was almost painful for me to see, because I saw myself.
~~I LOVED the female characters introduced in this book. They angered me, they charmed me, and I enjoyed every moment of female representation.
~~Does your past define you? It’s a question that haunts Guinevere but could be applied to any and all characters. Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, Mordred…and numerous new characters. What an engaging question.
There were a couple of things that did bother me about the novel. Something that drove me crazy in the first book and continues to drive me crazy is how Guinevere jumps to conclusions. I always just remind myself that she is only 16, and when I was 16, I was probably the same way. Also, if you did not enjoy the slower pace of the first book, I’m sorry to tell you the slow pace continues. I enjoyed the introspection and various plot lines, but I would not call it a fast pace. At least, not until the later half of the book…
I can’t wait for the final book. My only regret is that it is so far away. I’m not going to stop reading until I finally know who Guinevere truly is….
Who will Guinevere choose to be, and to be with?
I know who I’d choose…
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
kristinecanwrite's review against another edition
3.0
While plenty happened in this book and the themes of The Guinevere Deception were interestingly continued, this one felt very middle-book-of-a-trilogy-ish. Many of the things that were easy to love in TGD lingered here in less fun ways. If I found the first one a bit circular and tedious, this one was more so, without the verve of the first one to buoy it up. I still enjoyed the character development and some of the twists of the story.
Ultimately it just feels like 300+ pages was too much for the story we got, and so a lot of fluff was built in to pad it out until we got to the interesting bits. I spent a lot of the book waiting for the story to move on. Finally, I was excited to move past the Mordred part of the love triangle after the last book, and am disappointed we did not. He felt like a stock accessory story, keeping Guinevere's choice between Camelot and magic open even after she made the choice, rather than letting the story move on to the more interesting question of what happens now that she's made it. This is the first Camelot story where Lancelot has been my favorite character though, so, I'm hoping the tension between her and Guinevere comes to a head in the final part of this trilogy.
Ultimately it just feels like 300+ pages was too much for the story we got, and so a lot of fluff was built in to pad it out until we got to the interesting bits. I spent a lot of the book waiting for the story to move on. Finally, I was excited to move past the Mordred part of the love triangle after the last book, and am disappointed we did not. He felt like a stock accessory story, keeping Guinevere's choice between Camelot and magic open even after she made the choice, rather than letting the story move on to the more interesting question of what happens now that she's made it. This is the first Camelot story where Lancelot has been my favorite character though, so, I'm hoping the tension between her and Guinevere comes to a head in the final part of this trilogy.
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have questions. So so so so so so SO many questions right now guys.
The Camelot Betrayal was a really good book to dive into. I mean, I got sucked in and each chapter and page was going by so fast. A lot happens in this book and the twists and such made me think so many things.
Honestly, so many ships and so much chemistry and sparks flying left and right throughout this book. Of course things happen that tried to sway me from my potential ships but I stayed strong and kept pushing through. Not sure what the outcome will be for anyone romantically but I'm hopeful for someone to be happy in the end.
Also, I got more of Mordred and I was a very happy girl. Also Lancelot was still lovable in this book as well. Ugh, so many characters to fall in love with - except for that little girl. Other than that, Guinevere definitely grows throughout the book and is starting to figure out who she truly is. It just sucks that I'm confused about it all right now.
I'm not going to lie. That cliffhanger ending has me developing so many questions. Heck, the whole book gave me a long list of them. I'm hoping that the next book will give me some amazing answers and excitement.
I have questions. So so so so so so SO many questions right now guys.
The Camelot Betrayal was a really good book to dive into. I mean, I got sucked in and each chapter and page was going by so fast. A lot happens in this book and the twists and such made me think so many things.
Honestly, so many ships and so much chemistry and sparks flying left and right throughout this book. Of course things happen that tried to sway me from my potential ships but I stayed strong and kept pushing through. Not sure what the outcome will be for anyone romantically but I'm hopeful for someone to be happy in the end.
Also, I got more of Mordred and I was a very happy girl. Also Lancelot was still lovable in this book as well. Ugh, so many characters to fall in love with - except for that little girl. Other than that, Guinevere definitely grows throughout the book and is starting to figure out who she truly is. It just sucks that I'm confused about it all right now.
I'm not going to lie. That cliffhanger ending has me developing so many questions. Heck, the whole book gave me a long list of them. I'm hoping that the next book will give me some amazing answers and excitement.
peachypygmypuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
gggina13's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy, although I buddy read a finished copy with Samantha and Brandon!
It’s strange, because I’ve rated both books 4 stars so far, but I still think this is a 5 star series as a whole. It’s really rich with visuals and a broad cast of characters, but the characters are so fleshed out and human. It’s super little things, like when Arthur rubs his face after getting stressful news, that make them feel so present in the story. The relationships Guinevere has with the people in her life are so multi-layered. There’s some will-they-won’t-they between her and like, 3 different people (probably two officially but my side ship is valid idc) but they all make sense because they all provide such different things for her. I love when a love triangle makes sense and isn’t there because of the angst but it’s there because genuinely how can you choose? Idk it’s just done quite well imo.
The reason this installment got a star docked was it was just slow. It was very episodic - Samantha rightfully compared it to video game levels - which left plenty of places for me to set it down feeling satisfied with another ending and not rush back to it right away. It’s really character driven even in the midst of the action, which can result in your head swimming from information overload. But none of that takes away from the story. It just didn’t give me the sense of urgency that I like to feel from a book.
Seeing the character development in Guinevere is really special. She doesn’t know who she is even still, so she’s basically making herself into who she wants to be. She gets so much wrong, or at least she thinks she does. That’s the thing about decisions - you never get to see what could have been. And she feels the emotions from being wrong. But she never lets it come in the way of what she needs to do or who she’s becoming and she’s just a really inspiring and brave character even if she doesn’t think she is.
I also have the softest spot for Arthur and how open he can be with communication even while being the biggest fucking idiot himbo on earth. Guinevere’s girl gang is still going long and strong and even growing in numbers and I love them all a lot :’)
Dreading book 3 but also ecstatic for it.......
It’s strange, because I’ve rated both books 4 stars so far, but I still think this is a 5 star series as a whole. It’s really rich with visuals and a broad cast of characters, but the characters are so fleshed out and human. It’s super little things, like when Arthur rubs his face after getting stressful news, that make them feel so present in the story. The relationships Guinevere has with the people in her life are so multi-layered. There’s some will-they-won’t-they between her and like, 3 different people (probably two officially but my side ship is valid idc) but they all make sense because they all provide such different things for her. I love when a love triangle makes sense and isn’t there because of the angst but it’s there because genuinely how can you choose? Idk it’s just done quite well imo.
The reason this installment got a star docked was it was just slow. It was very episodic - Samantha rightfully compared it to video game levels - which left plenty of places for me to set it down feeling satisfied with another ending and not rush back to it right away. It’s really character driven even in the midst of the action, which can result in your head swimming from information overload. But none of that takes away from the story. It just didn’t give me the sense of urgency that I like to feel from a book.
Seeing the character development in Guinevere is really special. She doesn’t know who she is even still, so she’s basically making herself into who she wants to be. She gets so much wrong, or at least she thinks she does. That’s the thing about decisions - you never get to see what could have been. And she feels the emotions from being wrong. But she never lets it come in the way of what she needs to do or who she’s becoming and she’s just a really inspiring and brave character even if she doesn’t think she is.
I also have the softest spot for Arthur and how open he can be with communication even while being the biggest fucking idiot himbo on earth. Guinevere’s girl gang is still going long and strong and even growing in numbers and I love them all a lot :’)
Dreading book 3 but also ecstatic for it.......