The Camelot Betrayal Length: 12 hours Narrator: Elizabeth Knowelden
Series: Camelot Rising
Published by Random House Children's Books on December 27, 2021
Source: Library Auidobook
Genres: JUVENILE FICTION / General
Pages: 384
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram
Format: Audiobook
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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.
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 the people around her--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?
Review
Stories about Arthur have been done in various ways, and this one is unique as it focuses on Guinevere and not so much on Arthur and his famous sword. This book is a slow burn in the romance department, and the addition of the side characters taking center stage and some jaw-dropping twists make this an adventurous read. Guinevere still struggles with her inner turmoil of who she truly is in Camelot. Arthur is the character I work most with as he feels so dull and just a flop; he remains more myth than man, and I had a hard time connecting to him. I am intrigued by the relationship between Guinevere and Mordred. She struggles when connecting with Arthur but breathes so quickly when she has a scene with Mordred. Also, we have to keep in mind that this Guinevere is not the real one, and problems abound when her sister Guinevach arrives for a visit.
Final Thoughts:
Kiersten White knows how to write endings that make me think that getting through a filler kind of book is entirely worth the jaw-dropping finale. I am eager to see how the final book brings this all to an end.
Audiobook Sample
About Elizabeth Knowelden
Elizabeth Knowelden is an award-winning English actress with credits in theater and television. She has performed at The Theatre Royal Haymarket and as a soprano soloist at the Royal Albert Hall. Elizabeth has received multiple Earphones and Audie Awards for her work as an audiobook narrator, and she is a BBC radio plays company member.
About Kiersten White
Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of the And I Darken trilogy, the Paranormalcy trilogy, Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Slayer, and many other novels. Kiersten lives with her family in San Diego, California
