Arthurian Legends | The Worn Bookmark

Camelot Rising #2

Published November 10, 2020 by Delacorte Press

400 Pages

Goodreads Summary: 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?

The second book in a new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White, exploring the nature of self, the inevitable cost of progress, and, of course, magic and romance and betrayal so epic Queen Guinevere remains the most famous queen who never lived.

Review: *Please note that this is the second book in a series so there may be spoilers for book one* I really enjoyed the first book, The Guinevere Deception, so I had been really looking forward to Arthur and Guinevere’s story continuing on in this sequel. The author’s take on Guinevere and the Arthurian legends are incredibly interesting and in my opinion, a little more thrilling than the usual tale. For the most part, I really liked this sequel. There were some twists, like Guinevere’s realization of who her mother might be, that I didn’t see coming which always makes me happy. With the Arthurian legends being so well known, I think it definitely speaks to Kiersten White’s ability to zig when everyone else zags. My only real issue with this novel was that I got a little tired of Guinevere’s inner monologues, especially about Merlin and knot magic. It felt a little repetitive and kind of detracted from the story’s pacing. But that wasn’t enough of an annoyance to truly bother me. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the third installment!

4 Stars

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.