The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White (Camelot Rising book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Guinevere Deception, and The Camelot Betrayal, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first two books.

“While journeying north toward the Dark Queen, Guinevere falls into the hands of her enemies. Behind her are Lancelot, trapped on the other side of the magical barrier they created to protect Camelot, and Arthur, who has been led away from his kingdom, chasing after false promises. But the greatest danger isn’t what lies ahead of Guinevere—it’s what’s been buried inside her.

Vowing to unravel the truth of her past with or without Merlin’s help, Guinevere joins forces with the sorceress Morgana and her son, Mordred—and faces the confusing, forbidden feelings she still harbors for him. When Guinevere makes an agonizing discovery about who she is and how she came to be, she finds herself with an impossible choice: fix a terrible crime, or help prevent war.

Guinevere is determined to set things right, whatever the cost. To defeat a rising evil. To remake a kingdom. To undo the mistakes of the past...even if it means destroying herself.

Guinevere has been a changeling, a witch, a queen—but what does it mean to be just a girl?” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is the book in which we finally find out who exactly Guinevere is and who she will choose. She questions everything and everyone in her circle. Unfortunately, this story just dragged on for me. And the ending, I am not really sure about it. Guinevere decides who she wants to be but everyone’s future is left dangling.

Visit Kiersten White’s website.

The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White (Camelot Rising book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Guinevere Deception, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“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?” - taken from Goodreads.com

Why after being so slow in the beginning did the sucker punch of the entire series occur at the end? I enjoyed delving deeper into this twist on the Arthurian legend as Guinevere struggles to uncover the secrets surrounding Camelot and her own identity. The cliffhanger ending and betrayals revealed will leave the reader clamoring for the final book in this trilogy.

The Camelot Rising trilogy concludes on December 7, 2021 with The Excalibur Curse.

Visit Kiersten White’s website.

Guinevere Rising by Kiersten White (Camelot Rising book 1)

“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?” - taken from Goodreads.com

I love delving into this re-imagining of the Arthurian legend. The author put some unique twists to the story and the characters that I really don't want to get into so as not to spoil all of the surprises. Guinevere and the reader discover what is going on in and around Camelot at about the same time. This book really sets up the characters, background, and basic plot points that will drive this trilogy forward.

Book two, The Camelot Betrayal, is due out on November 10, 2020.

Visit Kiersten White's website.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Elaine Harrison, aka Ellie, is starting her junior year of high school away from home. Her parents, both Medievalist professors, are on a sabbatical for one year in Annapolis, Maryland. Her father is researching for a book he is writing on an old rusty sword while her mother continues her research on Elaine of Astolat. Ellie is named after Lady Elaine Asolat, the title character from the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, The Lady of Shalott. In the poem, Elaine kills herself when Lancelot chooses Queen Guinevere over her. Ellie has grown up with the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.



Ellie’s not thrilled about the move but her parents do rent a house with a pool. She spends all of her time floating in it until her mother persuades her to go jogging with her father at the local park. Quickly leaving her father behind, Ellie notices a cute dark haired boy talking with a blond girl and guy. He smiles at her and seems to say something to her that she doesn’t understand because she is listening to her iPod. Ellie goes to the park every day for the next two weeks but doesn’t run into the dark haired biy again until her first day at her new high school.


At Avalon High. Ellie quickly spies the cute dark haired boy, A. William Wagner. Will is the senior class president, quarterback of the football team and all around great guy. He finds himself drawn to Ellie even though he has a steady girlfriend, Jennifer Gold. Ellie soon finds herself drawn to Will and is invited by him to start hanging out with his inner circle of friends that includes his best friend Lance and step brother Marco. Between her World Literature teacher Mr. Morton partnering her with Lance for an oral presentation and Marco calling her the Lily maid (a reference to Elaine of Astolat), Ellie begins to think something is not quite right at Avalon High.


After a day of sailing with Will and his friends, Marco spills the beans about Jennifer dating Lance behind Will’s back. Will is actually a bit relieved and not upset. When the news hits Avalon High, Mr. Morton tells Ellie that she is too late and he will be leaving. She asks him what and he tells her once again that evil has won out over good and King Arthur will not come back into power. When Mr. Morton informs her of his belief that Will is the reincarnation of King Arthur, Ellie decides to figure out what is really going on before it is too late.


Is it really impossible that King Arthur’s court has been reincarnated in Annapolis? And will history repeat itself once again?


This was a cute read that had me sucked in. A bit slow at the start, the action leads to a climax at the end along with a few unexpected surprises.


Visit Meg Cabot’s website.