I picked up the first in this series, The Guinevere Deception, on a whim drawn in by the magical cover and while I was skeptical, I overall loved it. Retellings are not usually appealing to me as I almost feel like it’s been there and done that. I know the story, so why would I read this new version? However, The Guinevere Deception did a great job of keeping me engaged and rooting for Guinevere and her several love interests. Needless to say, I was excited to pick up The Camelot Betrayal and see what happens!
I absolutely loved the cover; it stands out when most covers blend in and the colors are gorgeous together. Honestly, it’s one of those books that has such shelf appeal to me that I would pick it up without knowing much about it based on the cover alone. In a world of de-cluttering my home and the convenience of my Kindle, I’m very picky about books I purchase in physical form, but this one earns its spot easily on my shelf.
I’ll be honest, The Camelot Betrayal suffers a little bit from second book syndrome in my opinion. It’s almost like when you’re playing the video game Skyrim and you deviate from your main quest to wander aimlessly around the woods only to end up right where you needed to be all along. We get there, there’s major story progression at the end, but it takes us wandering for a while.
While I wish that the book had more of a linear, concise path to story progression, the side quests of The Camelot Betrayal are still enjoyable. We meet with the dragon again, we rescue a damsel in distress, we learn more about Guinevere’s lineage and previous life, and we meet the sister of the real Guinevere. Most importantly, we get some small growth in the love… square
I’ll be honest – I’m a sucker for doomed romances. I want to see where it fell apart in all of its gory details, it’s heartbreaking, emotional, and more than likely tragic. So, while we know in the standard Arthurian legend that Guinevere ultimately ends up with Lancelot (if White sticks to the traditional legend) – I want to know where it falls apart. How does she scorn both Arthur and Mordred? Will this retelling deviate? Will Lancelot being a woman affect the outcome? I can’t wait to find out.
Because this book ends on a huge cliffhanger (maybe even worse than the first book!), I’m anxiously waiting for the final installment of this series to see how Guinevere comes into her own and who will stand by her side.
