Title: The Camelot Betrayal

Author: Kiersten White

Pub. Date: November 10, 2020

Pages: 400

Pub: Delacorte Press

Genre: YA Fantasy Retellings

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Everything is as it should be in Camelot. King Arthur is expanding his kingdom’s influence with Queen Guinevere at his side. Yet every night, dreams of darkness and unknowable power plague her.

Guinevere might have accepted her role, but she still cannot find a place for herself in all of it. The closer she gets to Brangien, pining for her lost love Isolde, Lancelot, fighting to prove her worth as Queen’s knight, and Arthur, everything to everyone and thus never quite enough for Guinevere–the more she realizes how empty she is. She has no sense of who she truly was before she was Guinevere. The more she tries to claim herself as queen, the more she wonders if Mordred was right: she doesn’t belong. She never will.

When a rescue goes awry and results in the death of something precious, a devastated Guinevere returns to Camelot to find the greatest threat yet has arrived. Not in the form of the Dark Queen or an invading army, but in the form of the real Guinevere’s younger sister. Is her deception at an end? And who is she really deceiving – Camelot, or herself?

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I read The Guinevere Deception in 2019 and enjoyed it. I’m a fan of Arthurian Legends and I love fresh takes on the myth. While I ultimately enjoyed this book, I often found myself rather bored and just waiting for it to end. I will be reading the next book, as I’m now too invested and, like with book 1, the ending leaves you wanting more. If you’re interested, you can check out my review for The Guinevere Deception.

I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to read this book. I remembered nothing from The Guinevere Deception, so going into this book I was a bit lost. In time I started to remember little things, but more often than not, I just found myself not caring. If NetGalley hadn’t approved my request for an eARC, I don’t think I would have picked this up. I don’t know what it is, but Kiersten White books are either hits or misses for me – and I’m starting to think that maybe she’s just not an author for me. I will be finishing out this series simply because I’m 100% a sucker for Arthurian Legends and I’m too invested. I need to know how everything ends – especially after how this book ends.

Overall, I just don’t have any strong feelings about this book. The ending was the best part, I actually cared what was happening. It definitely leaves you with the need to know what happens next. But other than that, I just didn’t really care. The world was vivid and came to life in my mind, I enjoyed the character relationships, but overwhelmingly I don’t feel strongly one way or another. Not a terrible read, but I’m not desperately anticipating the next one. I can wait and I will.

If you like Arthurian Legends and you’re looking for a fresh take, I would recommend checking out this series.