Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Excalibur Curse

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White

6 reviews

frantically's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.5

This was a satisfying, if not perfect conclusion to the story. I got transported right back into the magic (or lack thereof) of Camelot and, as with the previous books, I really enjoyed the "feel" of the book and the writing style.

At the end, the author write about perfect wrapped-up stories and myths, where we never get to see all the bad and terrible things that also happened. While that sentiment may be true, it is still unsatisfying how a lot of plot lines seemed to just be beginning — and suddenly the reader is cut out.

As a sapphic reader, yes, I was rooting for Lancelot most of all. And it is so so disappointing to see Guinevere share multiple kisses with Mordred, while we are even told that her love lies with Lancelot. I get hoping for something more than vague feelings and touches but we got nothing. Would a kiss or even just a declaration of love really been that much to ask for?

I did still really enjoy this series and while continue recommending it — just no longer as the queer retelling I was hoping it would be.

(Also, I read fantasy for a reason, reading about all these old magic users being destroyed almost made me sob ngl)

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gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I both really liked and disliked this book when I was reading. I had, and still do, a lot emotions with this book. The issues I had came down to personal preference, which is why the book wasn't 5 stars but still high.

Plot wise I loved it all and thought it was really really well done. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. but at the same time I know that not matter the ending I would probably still feel this way. I also felt that the characters were all really good and felt very complex and different from one another. Arthur was the only exception to enjoying all the characters. He felt very odd and unlikeable in this book. He is a very black and white character though and I know I struggle to like those characters a lot.

Despite my mixed emotions when reading, I still enjoyed this book and loved the series as a whole. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for something different in their YA fantasy.

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