The Guinevere Deception

Camelot Rising, Book 1

De: Kiersten White

Narrado por: Elizabeth Knowelden

"Fascinating.... Kiersten White has taken the best parts of the Arthurian legend and made them all her own." (Renée Ahdieh, number one New York Times best-selling author of The Wrath and the Dawn series)

A new fantasy series set in the world of Camelot that best-selling author Christina Lauren calls "brilliant", reimagining the Arthurian legend...where nothing is as magical and terrifying as a girl.

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. Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?

*THE FIRST BOOK IN THE CAMELOT RISING TRILOGY*

"A rare and enviable mix of impeccable writing, heart-stopping action, lush scenery, and complex, relatable characters...brilliant!" (New York Times best-selling author Christina Lauren)

"Stunning...will leave every reader hungry for more." (Somaiya Daud, author of the Mirage series)

©2019 Kiersten White (P)2019 Listening Library

Reseñas de la Crítica

“With immersive prose, White captures the spirit of Arthurian legend while adding diversity and a bit of powerful feminist flair in this appealing series opener.... Leaves much to be explored in future installments.” (Publishers Weekly)

“An acclaimed master of the female-centric retelling turns her hand to Arthuriana.... More diverse than many Camelot representations, this is a retelling designed for a modern audience more interested in people than battles and more intrigued by identity and affection than honor and questing. A promising series opener.” (Kirkus Reviews)

"First in a series, this fantasy novel will appeal to fans familiar with stories of Arthur, and provides an introduction to those unfamiliar.... Full of battling knights and romance, this is a must.” (School Library Journal)

wonderful from start to finish.

This book was so well written ! it had me from start to finish! I bought all 3 ! I 100% recomend it!

One of the best books ever!!!

I love love love this concept on the King Arthur story! I can’t wait to read the second one! 10 out of 10 recommend!!

Great new take on the Arthurean Legend!

Ms. White's writing is so amazing in its world building that you feel like you are there!

Not what I expected

From the very beginning the book caught my attention when honestly I’m not really into old timely medieval novels. Tho I enjoy Arthurian legends and this one had many twist and turns. And how well interwoven the story was.

Unique and mysterious loved the organic magic

Reread:

I think I appreciated this more the second time around and obviously saw more clues as to what would come. Guinevere, queen, not queen, is a very complex character. It's hard to get to know her because she barely knows herself. But I think her quite interesting in that manner. Elizabeth Knowelden did very well narrating and made the writing seem even more lyrical.

Great world building. Everything organic even the buildings and the unique magic system. The characters seemed real especially Lancelot felt like a old trusted friend. Of course Mordred was my favorite I mean forest green eyes and sneaky to boot. Arthur was a sexist pig who pretended not to be. *fuming*

This story definitely surprised me the first time around. From reading the summary of my owlcrate subscription I didn't intend on liking it. The story left out a bit much during my initial read but this time I enjoyed the enigma. And even more excited for The Camelot Betrayal.

The mystery of Mordred kept me flipping the pages or in my case not pressing pause. He was very dark and sweet. The story did pick up in the end giving you much to ponder. But I didn't understand the choice Guinevere made at the last. It kind of made me mad and a little sad. I felt almost the whole world was manipulating her and she chose wrong. We will see.

Absolutely beautiful

The Guinevere Deception was a fantastic audio book. Kirsten White wonderful metaphors and other figurative languages to make her novel one of a kind. The characters are compelling and had everyone rooting for them. The narrators voice fits the book perfectly.

The Guinevere Deception

Fantastic book, well written and well read. Highly recommend, and can’t wait for book 2!

Deceptively Fascinating

Without ripping the Arthur myth from its context, White has created a novel that catches my interest by its, well, um, novelty. I applaud the addition of under-represented viewpoints. But, never having been a spy myself, I wonder how often undercover agents have to remind themselves in their inner thought, gosh I'm an undercover spy and not really a queen. Oh my, his arms do look so inviting. Wish I had had more than 3 days training. (Hence 1 star deduction).

Wonderful!

I throughly enjoyed this. So much so that I may also buy the physical book. It's a real treat!

An Interesting Narrative

As a fan of the Arthurian legend since before I could read, I am pleased to see its story and characters are still beloved.

This story has certainly an interesting plot with the character of Guinevere, who is more often a side character in the original, taking center stage.

Giving this character such an emotional and relatable story is a nice little change. Arthur himself is as I would picture such a young man as. And the other characters are also well written with personalities that make them relatable and enjoying.

As for the negatives, I personally am not a big fan of the "love triangle" happening between Guinevere and at least three others, but then again this is a tale with young characters (16-20yrs old for the main characters), and we all remember how emotionally confusing our teen years were/are. As for Guinevere, by the end I was left wondering who she is just as much as she was, but it leaves you enticed enough to continue the trilogy.




Spoiler review

Also, gender bending Lancelot, not 100% on board that train but I suppose stranger ideas have been made. She honestly seems like plot armor as there isn't much to her character, though I imagine that may be remedied later. I understand the authors intent to strive for confident and strong willed female characters and she does a good job at describing them even if some are a tad cliche.

Final tally for me is a 7/10.

The authors writing style is very passionate and she keeps character development well balanced. But the complex romancing is a little too much (for my taste at least).