ARC Review: The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White

Title: The Camelot Betrayal

Author: Kiersten White

Series: Camelot Rising #2

Genre: Fantasy/Re-telling/Magic

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: November 10th, 2020

Edition: Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Source: NetGalley

Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | BAM

Synopsis:

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?

    

    Hmm... how to review this one. I kind of didn't like it as much as the first book. It almost felt that Guinevere was complaining throughout the whole book. I felt that there was a little too much focus on the younger sister than there should have been, it felt a little drawn out to me and shifted focus away from things that were more of a threat. Not to say that Guinevere shouldn't have been worried about "her" younger sister showing up and exposing her as not the real Guinevere, but more than half the book was trying to uncover what her purpose there was.

    The threat from the outside, the Dark Queen, and Mordred were supposed to be more of a threat, and they were all but ignored. There was one minor battle involving her at the start of the book and then nothing involving her for the rest of the book. I just felt, that with how the first book ended there should have been more. 

    It could be that this book was supposed to be more about Guinevere finding herself, but she was always more focused on everybody else that it didn't feel that she was actually trying to find herself more. 

    One of the best things about this series so far still though, is the relationships she does have. Her friendship with Lancelot and Brangien, and the one she starts with Isolde. Her relationship with Arthur is, strange to me. I don't really know what to make of it. They care for each other, but I don't feel that he has any romantic notions towards her, and she is split in a sense between duty and how Mordred made her feel. It's just a complex situation. 

    I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully, Guinevere gets the answers she's been wanting. I really hope everything has a resolution in the next book, since I think this is a trilogy.