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A review by caidyn
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
CW: kidnapping, physical assault, and (well) deception
The reason I decided to request this one is because I love Arthurian mythology. While I don't always love the retellings, I'm a sucker for at least trying them. And I was pleasantly surprised by this one!
Arthur is king. Merlin is gone. Guinevere is coming to marry Arthur. Except she's not who she says she is. She's there to protect him, to keep him safe now that Merlin's left the scene. And, she's magical. Camelot isn't having magic, though, banishing it. Guinevere's risking her life by being there, both for her magical abilities and by trying to make sure Arthur lives up to the prophecy.
I did enjoy the characters in this. I liked Guinevere a lot. Arthur was interesting and my ace heart is holding out hope that he could be ace as well. (Holding out hope but not really believing it'll actually happen.) Then, there's Mordred, Arthur's nephew. The typical Lancelot is also on the scene, but not exactly how you'd picture that character.
One thing I wasn't a fan of was how there were so many possible romances. I was almost expecting a love rectangle between Arthur, Mordred, and Lancelot. I'm very happy that it didn't happen like that, but, still, the love triangle wasn't what I wanted. I liked how it played into the plot in the end -- like, the actual end-game of the book rather than we're focusing a plot around a love triangle -- but it took so long to get there.
Because the book is slow. There's not a lot that happens in this book due to it just trying to lay the scene for the twist on Arthurian legend, getting all the characters down, and moving towards the end of the book. There was so much that had to be established and set down. I did kinda guess the ending/twist, but that's because I've read the actual legends and I'm familiar with how characters are usually presented. So if you're familiar, you won't be shocked by it.
I thought that this was a fun book. This was my third chance for White -- I read And I Darken and thought it was mediocre; then I DNFed The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein -- so I'm very happy that this was a win for me. I'm definitely going to continue with the series so I can see where it's going!
The reason I decided to request this one is because I love Arthurian mythology. While I don't always love the retellings, I'm a sucker for at least trying them. And I was pleasantly surprised by this one!
Arthur is king. Merlin is gone. Guinevere is coming to marry Arthur. Except she's not who she says she is. She's there to protect him, to keep him safe now that Merlin's left the scene. And, she's magical. Camelot isn't having magic, though, banishing it. Guinevere's risking her life by being there, both for her magical abilities and by trying to make sure Arthur lives up to the prophecy.
I did enjoy the characters in this. I liked Guinevere a lot. Arthur was interesting and my ace heart is holding out hope that he could be ace as well. (Holding out hope but not really believing it'll actually happen.) Then, there's Mordred, Arthur's nephew. The typical Lancelot is also on the scene, but not exactly how you'd picture that character.
One thing I wasn't a fan of was how there were so many possible romances. I was almost expecting a love rectangle between Arthur, Mordred, and Lancelot. I'm very happy that it didn't happen like that, but, still, the love triangle wasn't what I wanted. I liked how it played into the plot in the end -- like, the actual end-game of the book rather than we're focusing a plot around a love triangle -- but it took so long to get there.
Because the book is slow. There's not a lot that happens in this book due to it just trying to lay the scene for the twist on Arthurian legend, getting all the characters down, and moving towards the end of the book. There was so much that had to be established and set down. I did kinda guess the ending/twist, but that's because I've read the actual legends and I'm familiar with how characters are usually presented. So if you're familiar, you won't be shocked by it.
I thought that this was a fun book. This was my third chance for White -- I read And I Darken and thought it was mediocre; then I DNFed The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein -- so I'm very happy that this was a win for me. I'm definitely going to continue with the series so I can see where it's going!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Sexism