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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Great book, just picked up the sequels from the library and I'm excited to dig in! The main character is so intriguing and I just found myself quoting to my wife constantly because I loved the atmosphere (especially the little bits coming from other perspectives in between chapters)
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The story kept me interested enough so that I had to wait several weeks to get the book again when it expired in the middle of my reading.
However, it turned out to be a disappointment. There were some revelations I liked, but the main one, Who is Guinevere and what is she? was never answered. The end of the story came abruptly and while there were unexpected things in the plot, it didn’t feel sufficient. You can’t tease the reader with a mystery the whole of the novel and then not answer it. I suppose the author is waiting for the sequels to address it, but I won’t be wasting my time to find out.
However, it turned out to be a disappointment. There were some revelations I liked, but the main one, Who is Guinevere and what is she? was never answered. The end of the story came abruptly and while there were unexpected things in the plot, it didn’t feel sufficient. You can’t tease the reader with a mystery the whole of the novel and then not answer it. I suppose the author is waiting for the sequels to address it, but I won’t be wasting my time to find out.
Reread 2021, 5/5 stars, either the arc got some editing or past Julia was wrong, because this book is perfect.
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4.8/5 stars
Plot: 5/5 - The Guinevere Deception is interesting because I began the novel feeling like "I have no idea what to expect" and ended the novel like "Ah yes, exactly what I thought a Kiersten White Camelot retelling would be like!" Without any spoilers (because that's no fun, and I enjoyed figuring the story out as I went along) I would describe it as the tv show Merlin meets Red Queen meets all the best parts of a Kiersten White retelling (loveable side characters, LGBT+ folks, twists on twists on twists, ships that make me wanna scream from the mountaintops). I was decently well versed in Arthurian lore before going into this book, which I think helped, but I also think that there is enough exposition that someone who was unfamiliar would do just fine. I have no complaints about the plot, particularly knowing that it's the first book in a trilogy. Well okay, I have one, and it's that a certain kiss I want didn't happen. But I'm patient, and oh it will be worth it. There is memory loss as a plot device, which I know bothers some people, but for me it affected characterization more.
Characters: 5/5 - I fonking love these kids. Honestly it's a little sad to me, but Guinevere was maybe my least favorite K.W. heroine I've read so far? In comparison to Lada and Elizabeth she just seemed to be kind of... lacking a sense of self. Which is part of the plot, I can acknowledge, but I think having her be so unsure of herself is what made me be drawn more towards the other characters. Arthur? 10/10, would elect as King of Camelot (I know that's not how kings work) and swoon over. So perfectly characterized as a young, unselfish ruler. He's so Gryffindor that it hurts and I love it. A human ray of sunshine. Mordred? I was so charmed by him so fast that I didn't stand a chance. It was like the second scene he was in and I was a goner. Perfect foil to Arthur, my heart aches. Vague comments in order to not spoil things: Brangien? WOW. The patchwork knight? WOW. And Merlin was very much Merlin, the most chaotically neutral character in the history of the world.
Pacing: 5/5 - Zero complaint here. I was maybe 50 pages into the book saying "Hm idk I'm not feeling this" and then all of a sudden I WAS FEELING IT, MR. KRABS. From the 50% mark I couldn't put it down. 66% of the way in and I was losing my mind with excitement.
Writing: 4/5 - Solid Kiersten White writing! She doesn't have an overly-descriptive, flowery style, which is what I prefer. I noticed a slight shift in the sentence structure of her narration, which I think helped things feel more "ye olden dayes", which I quite liked. I only marked it down because a 5/5 in writing for me means that I was jotting down quotes like there's no tomorrow, and that wasn't really the case for me here.
Enjoyment: 5/5 - Kiersten White didn’t have to go this hard, but I’m glad she did. Nobody is surprised that I loved this book, but regardless I need to emphasize I love it SO much! It pains me to know that this book doesn't come out until NOVEMBER, which means a) I have to wait months before I can fully gush and b) it's going to be a long, long wait for book two. I will shed actual tears when I get the hardcover in my hands, mark my words.
P.S. Thanks to Jocelyn for hooking me up with the ARC and making this raving review possible.
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A brief, silly wish for leaves and roots filled her. How peaceful to be a tree! Trees had only to grow. Trees had no hearts to confuse and complicate things.
4.8/5 stars
Plot: 5/5 - The Guinevere Deception is interesting because I began the novel feeling like "I have no idea what to expect" and ended the novel like "Ah yes, exactly what I thought a Kiersten White Camelot retelling would be like!" Without any spoilers (because that's no fun, and I enjoyed figuring the story out as I went along) I would describe it as the tv show Merlin meets Red Queen meets all the best parts of a Kiersten White retelling (loveable side characters, LGBT+ folks, twists on twists on twists, ships that make me wanna scream from the mountaintops). I was decently well versed in Arthurian lore before going into this book, which I think helped, but I also think that there is enough exposition that someone who was unfamiliar would do just fine. I have no complaints about the plot, particularly knowing that it's the first book in a trilogy. Well okay, I have one, and it's that a certain kiss I want didn't happen. But I'm patient, and oh it will be worth it. There is memory loss as a plot device, which I know bothers some people, but for me it affected characterization more.
Characters: 5/5 - I fonking love these kids. Honestly it's a little sad to me, but Guinevere was maybe my least favorite K.W. heroine I've read so far? In comparison to Lada and Elizabeth she just seemed to be kind of... lacking a sense of self. Which is part of the plot, I can acknowledge, but I think having her be so unsure of herself is what made me be drawn more towards the other characters. Arthur? 10/10, would elect as King of Camelot (I know that's not how kings work) and swoon over. So perfectly characterized as a young, unselfish ruler. He's so Gryffindor that it hurts and I love it. A human ray of sunshine. Mordred? I was so charmed by him so fast that I didn't stand a chance. It was like the second scene he was in and I was a goner. Perfect foil to Arthur, my heart aches. Vague comments in order to not spoil things: Brangien? WOW. The patchwork knight? WOW. And Merlin was very much Merlin, the most chaotically neutral character in the history of the world.
Pacing: 5/5 - Zero complaint here. I was maybe 50 pages into the book saying "Hm idk I'm not feeling this" and then all of a sudden I WAS FEELING IT, MR. KRABS. From the 50% mark I couldn't put it down. 66% of the way in and I was losing my mind with excitement.
Writing: 4/5 - Solid Kiersten White writing! She doesn't have an overly-descriptive, flowery style, which is what I prefer. I noticed a slight shift in the sentence structure of her narration, which I think helped things feel more "ye olden dayes", which I quite liked. I only marked it down because a 5/5 in writing for me means that I was jotting down quotes like there's no tomorrow, and that wasn't really the case for me here.
Enjoyment: 5/5 - Kiersten White didn’t have to go this hard, but I’m glad she did. Nobody is surprised that I loved this book, but regardless I need to emphasize I love it SO much! It pains me to know that this book doesn't come out until NOVEMBER, which means a) I have to wait months before I can fully gush and b) it's going to be a long, long wait for book two. I will shed actual tears when I get the hardcover in my hands, mark my words.
P.S. Thanks to Jocelyn for hooking me up with the ARC and making this raving review possible.
Same issues I had with The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein I have with this only the writing is slightly better. But when I say there is no plot I mean there is no plot. I don't think I'm continuing with this series.
There were a lot of fun twists to this! You never know who the good and bad guys really are and making Lancelot a woman is a fun swap. The writing is kind of simplistic and I didn’t love that style but the story itself was really good and I enjoyed digging into it. I would read the next book.
Despite my wife’s urging to read I didn’t love the book but I didn’t dislike it either. There’s a lot of fun elements in this book that keeps its quick pace and engaging story moving along. It felt as if the plot didn’t really pick up for me until about halfway through the book but once there things started moving well. The cast of characters felt mostly one dimensional though suited for their purposes.
I loved the way that Kiersten portrayed Arthur. I was also really intrigued by the bittersweet romance between Arthur and Guinevere.
“He is like the sun. When he is focused on you, everything is bright and warm. Everything is possible. But the problem with knowing the the warmth of the sun is how keenly you feel its absence when it shines elsewhere. And a king must always shine elsewhere.”
I loved the idea of our main character assuming the life of Guinevere and the mystical element of who she really is.
I cannot wait to go on another Arthurian adventure in the next book!!
“He is like the sun. When he is focused on you, everything is bright and warm. Everything is possible. But the problem with knowing the the warmth of the sun is how keenly you feel its absence when it shines elsewhere. And a king must always shine elsewhere.”
I loved the idea of our main character assuming the life of Guinevere and the mystical element of who she really is.
I cannot wait to go on another Arthurian adventure in the next book!!
3.5 stars. A fun variation on the Arthurian legend with a gender-flipped Lancelot and Guinevere as Jason Bourne
No matter what in every Arthurian story Mordred’s betrayal will always break my heart. Even though I already know how it’s going to end I always expect and then beg for him to choose Arthur (and in this story Guinevere) and he never does.
With that being said for most of the book it was a solid 3, dragging a bit but still good. But the last third had me invested and screaming at the page.
With that being said for most of the book it was a solid 3, dragging a bit but still good. But the last third had me invested and screaming at the page.