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jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
5.0
"The crowd roared, shouting the name Guinevere. Over and over.
If only it were actually her name."
I was completely absorbed in the story of The Guinevere Deception. We learn about Arthur and Camelot through the eyes of Guinevere, who's name isn't actually Guinevere and who's been sent by Merlin to protect Arthur. When the original Guinevere died, Merlin stepped in and planted his daughter in the other woman's place. However, there's a lot of mystery surrounding Guinevere-not-Guinevere's past. She doesn't know who her mother is, where she came from, or where she was when Merlin was fighting beside Arthur. At 16 years old, Merlin left her with a cryptic message to protect Arthur and sent her on her way. Magic is banned in Camelot, which I worried would steer too close to the Merlin TV series. Thankfully, the similarities ended there.
Guinevere has lived in the forest with Merlin all her "remembered" life. Everything she experiences is new, which is a good way to introduce readers to Camelot, Arthur, and its knights. We meet some of the women in the court of Camelot, which I enjoyed. There is a darkness hovering at the edges of Guinevere's world, and slowly things become clearer. A few more clues would have been nice earlier on, but I was still captivated by the Guinevere's journey. White does a great job presenting choices to Guinevere and what each represents. There's a darkness and a light side to magic, and sometimes she makes choices that haunt her. Overall, an enticing journey into the legend of Camelot, the price of magic, and the secrets we keep hidden.
If only it were actually her name."
I was completely absorbed in the story of The Guinevere Deception. We learn about Arthur and Camelot through the eyes of Guinevere, who's name isn't actually Guinevere and who's been sent by Merlin to protect Arthur. When the original Guinevere died, Merlin stepped in and planted his daughter in the other woman's place. However, there's a lot of mystery surrounding Guinevere-not-Guinevere's past. She doesn't know who her mother is, where she came from, or where she was when Merlin was fighting beside Arthur. At 16 years old, Merlin left her with a cryptic message to protect Arthur and sent her on her way. Magic is banned in Camelot, which I worried would steer too close to the Merlin TV series. Thankfully, the similarities ended there.
Guinevere has lived in the forest with Merlin all her "remembered" life. Everything she experiences is new, which is a good way to introduce readers to Camelot, Arthur, and its knights. We meet some of the women in the court of Camelot, which I enjoyed. There is a darkness hovering at the edges of Guinevere's world, and slowly things become clearer. A few more clues would have been nice earlier on, but I was still captivated by the Guinevere's journey. White does a great job presenting choices to Guinevere and what each represents. There's a darkness and a light side to magic, and sometimes she makes choices that haunt her. Overall, an enticing journey into the legend of Camelot, the price of magic, and the secrets we keep hidden.
groovysneezes's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
vostoak's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this arthurian retelling!! I adore all the women in it and love Morded (my babiest of girls). The book reads a lot like a historical fiction novel, but with magic. A review on the cover puts it very aptly: "Kiersten White has taken the best parts of Arthurian legend and made them her own". It's a very enjoyable read as far the story goes, but also a truly fascinating world she has built. Never have I seen such a cool take on the castle of Camelot, nor a magic system based on knots. The story gathers the tropes and plot elements of original Arthurian legends nd twists them into something uniquely White's: a fresh and captivating use of these familiar, ancient characters. The magic system is unique and interesting, but simple enough that I don't have to break my head around trying to understand it. Certainly looking forward to more magic system development in the other books of this series!! Other reviewers have pointed out the pacing, but personally I like the slow pace the book takes. I instead agree with the assertation that it is only slow for a YA novel.
(I edited the above while rereading to be more coherent without adding new ideas, BUT my additional reread comment is that I absolutely adore how intricately White unravels the plot and the various mysteries within it. She litters little details and massive clues into the story in ways you wouldn't expect, and every reveal feels like a solid knot being tied from prevuously loose overlapping thread (the visual in my breain is specically hand knot tying as a wedding thing?). In hindsight, all of the reveals make perfect sense: she's been hinting at them from the very beginning. Rereading helped me appreciate details I did not catch the first time through and love them all the more, since this book did actually lay the groundwork for a vital plot point in the third novel.)
(I edited the above while rereading to be more coherent without adding new ideas, BUT my additional reread comment is that I absolutely adore how intricately White unravels the plot and the various mysteries within it. She litters little details and massive clues into the story in ways you wouldn't expect, and every reveal feels like a solid knot being tied from prevuously loose overlapping thread (the visual in my breain is specically hand knot tying as a wedding thing?). In hindsight, all of the reveals make perfect sense: she's been hinting at them from the very beginning. Rereading helped me appreciate details I did not catch the first time through and love them all the more, since this book did actually lay the groundwork for a vital plot point in the third novel.)
bloomingrose92's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Interesting magic system. Guinevere was especially a strong main character, and the mystery surrounding her past added to that. However, I didn't particularly care about the interpersonal relationships she was engaged in.
dalinarsreads's review against another edition
4.0
I actually really enjoyed this one. I found it to be a simple, easy read with enjoyable characters. There was a twist at the end that I didn't really expect at all, so I'm interested to see how that will play out at the end. One thing, I found the magic system to be a little... lacking?
coco_lolo's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
While The Guinevere Deception didn't leave me as wowed as I'd have liked, I still found it a solid start to a series. First off, the magic was so fascinating. I loved the concept of knotting magic and how all these different types (fire, water, etc.) came with a price. Guinevere herself was intriguing due to her faulty memory, and I loved the depth this added to her character. She struggled with her past and future as well as her identity, and the unreliable nature this gave her made her story all the more engaging. The plot itself moved along a bit slowly, but I didn't have a problem with this on the whole. I also really liked the concept of the Dark Queen and the bits of narrative we got from her. The romance didn't do much for me (honestly because I don't think it's meant to at this point), but I liked the friendships Guinevere formed, especially with a certain patchwork knight.
I do wish the other characters, Arthur in particular, had been more developed, as most were rather bland. And Merlin? I wanted to see so much more of him, both in the narrative and in Guinevere's memories, because the way he's presented was super interesting. And while I didn't mind the general pacing, there were some instances in the latter half that felt rushed and underdeveloped; perhaps this is because I was reading an ARC, but I couldn't help but wonder at these moments when emotions and important events were glossed over.
I have theories, and I need answers, so I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. I'm hoping that the series will grow stronger, as was the case with White's Conqueror's Saga, so I remain optimistic.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
While The Guinevere Deception didn't leave me as wowed as I'd have liked, I still found it a solid start to a series. First off, the magic was so fascinating. I loved the concept of knotting magic and how all these different types (fire, water, etc.) came with a price. Guinevere herself was intriguing due to her faulty memory, and I loved the depth this added to her character. She struggled with her past and future as well as her identity, and the unreliable nature this gave her made her story all the more engaging. The plot itself moved along a bit slowly, but I didn't have a problem with this on the whole. I also really liked the concept of the Dark Queen and the bits of narrative we got from her. The romance didn't do much for me (honestly because I don't think it's meant to at this point), but I liked the friendships Guinevere formed, especially with a certain patchwork knight.
I do wish the other characters, Arthur in particular, had been more developed, as most were rather bland. And Merlin? I wanted to see so much more of him, both in the narrative and in Guinevere's memories, because the way he's presented was super interesting. And while I didn't mind the general pacing, there were some instances in the latter half that felt rushed and underdeveloped; perhaps this is because I was reading an ARC, but I couldn't help but wonder at these moments when emotions and important events were glossed over.
I have theories, and I need answers, so I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. I'm hoping that the series will grow stronger, as was the case with White's Conqueror's Saga, so I remain optimistic.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
hrobison11's review against another edition
5.0
I love all things Camelot! I like the twists in this just as much!
I’d recommend this to everyone just because! It is really that simple, and totally worth it. The interactions, the dilemmas, the character arcs - all of it was amazing.
I’d recommend this to everyone just because! It is really that simple, and totally worth it. The interactions, the dilemmas, the character arcs - all of it was amazing.
avybear_16's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5