The Guinevere Deception
Series: Camelot Rising #1
Author: Kiersten White
Published November 5th 2019 by Delacorte Press

Goodreads Synopsis
From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a new fantasy series reimagining the Arthurian legend, set in the magical world of Camelot.

There was nothing in the world 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. Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.

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?
Goodreads

Review
I have always been interested in Arthurian legend, and hand't really considered this book when it was first released, but as more and more reviews came in, I decided to give it a go. The Guinevere Deception follows our heroine, who is pretending to be Guinevere in order to help Arthur fight magic. After Arthur had defeated the Dark Queen, all magic was forbidden in Camelot, and Merlin was banished. However, there are still dark forces out to harm Arthur, so Merlin organises for his 'daughter' to replace the dead Guinevere, and use her magic to save him. Now, Guinevere needs to fit in to her new role as queen, while also practising her magic in secret, making sure no one, and especially not Arthur's nephew, Mordred, see her.

I found this book a little slow to get into, but once I had, I was hooked. I loved Guinevere - I really want to know what her real name is too - and she was perfect as the narrator for this story. She had been moulded into a certain type of person by Merlin, and couldn't remember anything from before she was with him, but fit to her new role perfectly. She struggled with certain aspects of queenhood, such as being surrounded by people all the time, but being able to protect her husband was what she was made to do. I liked Arthur too, and felt his characterisation was right for how he's described in the legends, being honourable and caring completely about his knights and his people. Some people may be bothered by the hint of a love triangle in this - and not the one you would be expecting - but I think it'll be a good plot point rather than something to detract from the story.

The magical aspect, I think, could've been developed a little further, but I reckon it will be in book 2. I have a lot of questions going forward, but none so much that it ruined the reading of this book; just enough to keep me interested in reading on further. I'll definitely be reading The Camelot Betrayal when it's released.

May 18-21, 2020

Rating
4 Stars