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lisavdheijden 's review for:
The Guinevere Deception
by Kiersten White
[b:The Guinevere Deception|43568394|The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising, #1)|Kiersten White|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551892183l/43568394._SY75_.jpg|67787916] is a retelling or reimaging of the Arthurian legends. If you are familiar with these stories, you will know by reading the title that it is all about Arthur’s wife Guinevere. Even though I have never read the original tales, I passionately wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
From the first page, I could not get into the story. I felt the plot was confusing and that it lacked any sort of development. Most of the time I did not understand what was going on. I blame this on the main character, who also did not know what was going on and could not even remember her own past. In general, the story lacks a general arc that brings the book together. The ending did not make up for any of the plot flaws, because again I did not understand what was going on and what the relevance was of the events. Honestly, I was boredreading this and I had to power through to finish it.
Another aspect that made it hard to enjoy the story was the lack of connection I had with the characters. In my opinion, the characters were one-dimensional and had no personality. For example, Arthur was just a good king who put nothing before the wellbeing of Camelot. There was also no character growth. Guinevere as the main character remained confused about her own memories and past, which made me even more confused. The only character had I liked was Guinevere's maid.
On a positive note, the writing was exceptional. The author has a very distinctive writing style. The prose she uses is whimsical and flowery. It gave the writing an fairytale-like quality. It fitted the story well and resulted in some beautiful quotes.
The world had a lot of potential. The structure and politics of Camelot were interesting. The magic system, especially knot magic, was fascinating but was not explained or further developed. I enjoyed the eeriness and the mysteriousness of the world. I might have enjoyed the world and story more if I was more familiar with the Arthurian legends. At least all the characters would have been more familiar.
In conclusion, the Guinevere deception was a huge disappointment for me. While I loved the writing and the world had potential, I could not get over the lack of plot or characterisation. I will not continue with the series.
Rating breakdown:
• Plot: 1/5
• Characters: 1/5
• Writing style: 5/5
• World building: 2/5
• Enjoyment: 1.5/5
From the first page, I could not get into the story. I felt the plot was confusing and that it lacked any sort of development. Most of the time I did not understand what was going on. I blame this on the main character, who also did not know what was going on and could not even remember her own past. In general, the story lacks a general arc that brings the book together. The ending did not make up for any of the plot flaws, because again I did not understand what was going on and what the relevance was of the events. Honestly, I was boredreading this and I had to power through to finish it.
Another aspect that made it hard to enjoy the story was the lack of connection I had with the characters. In my opinion, the characters were one-dimensional and had no personality. For example, Arthur was just a good king who put nothing before the wellbeing of Camelot. There was also no character growth. Guinevere as the main character remained confused about her own memories and past, which made me even more confused. The only character had I liked was Guinevere's maid.
On a positive note, the writing was exceptional. The author has a very distinctive writing style. The prose she uses is whimsical and flowery. It gave the writing an fairytale-like quality. It fitted the story well and resulted in some beautiful quotes.
The world had a lot of potential. The structure and politics of Camelot were interesting. The magic system, especially knot magic, was fascinating but was not explained or further developed. I enjoyed the eeriness and the mysteriousness of the world. I might have enjoyed the world and story more if I was more familiar with the Arthurian legends. At least all the characters would have been more familiar.
In conclusion, the Guinevere deception was a huge disappointment for me. While I loved the writing and the world had potential, I could not get over the lack of plot or characterisation. I will not continue with the series.
Rating breakdown:
• Plot: 1/5
• Characters: 1/5
• Writing style: 5/5
• World building: 2/5
• Enjoyment: 1.5/5