Reviews

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

thebookedpath's review against another edition

3.0

An interesting take on the Arthurian legend. I am still unsure who the MC really is (although she is disguised as Guinevere). I was surprised to see Lancelot as a woman, but I actually liked it. I wonder if this choice will result in a sapphic romance later in the books? I was not really sure if I liked this book or not. I gave it 3 stars more on the notion that it kept me intrigued enough to finish it and I could see how it could be a good read for someone who allows more liberties with Arthurian tales than I do.

hellobookbird's review against another edition

3.0

That was not a finite or controlled magic. It was a wild and dark and dangerous magic. It was a violent magic, undoing the record of a life and giving it to someone else.

Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife...and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.

To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.

Kiersten White won me over with her retelling of Vlad the Impaler...as a woman in [b: And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449153532l/27190613._SY75_.jpg|41682914]. So when I found out she was writing an Arthurian retelling--usually a miss for me--I was intrigued enough to pre-order it (at the least, even if I hated it, I'd have a pretty cover).

If you came to get a powerful, gritty, dark Arthurian tale, pass this one by. White takes a more...younger? lighter? approach on this one. And unlike her Conquerer's Saga, there was very little to capture the feeling of the time and place...aside from the fact that she has a handmaiden. While I had been hoping for a more mature and gritty read, I didn't come in with any real expectations (and I've never been a huge stickler if it deviates from the period) so those were non-issues. I can definitely see them being a problem for other White fans, however.

The problem with being a lady was that a lady had a lady’s maid, and a lady’s maid never left.

Guinevere is wholesome and kind. While I had to suspend belief that she could fit in as well as she could, having been raised in a cottage in the forest with only Merlin for company, she was a likable character. She was devoted entirely to finding ways to protect Arthur and I liked that the magic required real physical cost that taxed her.

Brangian, her handmaiden, is also a likable character and they pair well together (which is good, since a majority of the book is through their interactions).

Merlin is a conundrum. His presence is mostly felt through his interactions with others and it's a confusing question of whether he is good or whether he falls too far into the morally grey area the further the story progresses.

The majority of the book is fairly even-paced, but requires a patient reader as I think it keeps us in the dark for way too long. While this usually does nothing but frustrate me (and will definitely frustrate others), I think it worked in this case because it ties in so strongly with Guinevere's development as being an unknown. There are holes in the why because those are the holes that need to be discovered about who Guinevere is herself.

I think my two largest issues were that Arthur is bland and boring and I didn't feel a lot of tension with the plot. We're not told the when the supposed big bad is going to come, so it's a lot of poking in different directions without a ticking clock to discover the next step in how to protect Arthur from something.

Despite that, I still rather enjoyed it. While this certainly isn't a huge re-imagining, it's a nice, light read with familiar concepts that was well-written. Don't think too hard about it, just let it unfold, and you'll do okay.

Recommended for the patient reader that loves a light, if somewhat circuitous, read.

sarahpreno's review against another edition

4.0

I loved this magical retelling of King Arthur! The plot was gripping from the very first page and kept me wanting to read more the entire time. I can’t wait for the the story to continue in the next book!

darrowsmuse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jnishi's review against another edition

4.0

I agree with what is said about this book to an extent, it is a slower read. That being said this book is all about character development and setting up what will most likely be a kickass battle full of badass women in the next book. Solid good read and an interesting new take on Arthurian legend.

denali_epub's review against another edition

5.0

I have so many things to say about this book and not enough words to properly express the emotions I felt while reading, and I'll genuinely have to keep this review short to keep from spewing at the seams. [a:Kiersten White|3027554|Kiersten White|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1254205920p2/3027554.jpg] truly created a rippling masterpiece of magic in the exposition of the Guinevere Deception. This book had me catching my breath with the turn of every page, and anxiously searching for extra pages when it was over.

It's been a long time since a book had my questioning everything. And I do mean everything. Whatever you think you know while you're reading, you're probably wrong. Kiersten White expertly wove in tricks and clues, heroes and villains and the very gray in between's to create a web of a story that caught me unawares and pulled me into a tight cocoon of spider silk. I could not escape this book. While it certainly branches away from the basic Arthurian Literature I've come to know, I loved this new take on Camelot. There was so much life to what I was reading; so many questions that I still yearn for answers to.

As someone utterly obsessed with King Arthur, I loved Kiersten's taken on his youth. She created a boy trapped inside the burdens of a king, awash in secret longing and tugging on my heartstrings. As if I didn't already love him enough already... The newfound portrayals she executed for Guinevere, Lancelot, and Mordred were excellently rendered, leaving me on my toes to figure out who truly belongs in Camelot and what secrets they might be hiding. While I certainly missed Gawain and some of the legendary quests that came along with him, I still loved this story. I loved the fresh face given to an ancient story, how what I already knew became twisted in my hands into something entirely new to examine.

I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel with shaking hands. My heart is still in my throat, my soul longing towards the answers I know Guinevere herself still seeks.

snoopydoo77's review against another edition

2.0

I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley and chose to leave a voluntary review. Thank you!*

DNFed at 50%

I was super excited when I received this book from Netgalley, sadly this book was not for me. I normally really like her books and her retellings but this was just fell short for me.
It just didn’t hold my interest at all and I finally DNFed it at around 50%.
For one it just felt like the story or Guinevere, who by the way bot really Guinevere (not a spoiler it states it right in the beginning) ll over the place, we bounce around a lot in the story.  It also was a bit on the slow site and it felt like never ending.

I also had a hard time connecting with the characters, Arthur who was not there a lot but mentioned and talked about I liked but again it was hard for me to connect to him if he is hardly there.
Guinevere seemed lost herself and all over the place with no real direction so I had a even harder time to connect to her.

Of course there were another people but most just were meh….. I had some thoughts about what is about to come and will be a plot twist so I asked a friend who read it all how it ends and such. But I was not surprised and basically everything I thought would happen did happen.

Overall, meh book for me. I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it this time around. I’m sure there will be plenty of people who will love it.

I rate it 2 ★

 

 

maryrayneee's review against another edition

funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

abiaustin's review against another edition

5.0

4.5⭐️

rhrie38's review against another edition

Just didn't care. Also felt sorta preachy to me, was getting on my nerves.