Thank you Penguin books for this book in exchange for an honest review
Synopsis:
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?
Review:
HOLY DEEP FRIED POTATO CHIPS THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!!
Honestly this is one of the best retellings I have ever read in my life!!! I mean that the bar for retelling classical stories as been raised by White! To be fair, there aren’t a lot of retellings based around the King of Camelot but I think there can’t be anything that comes NEAR to the beauty that is The Guinevere Deception.
Let’s do a recap – Guinevere’s life is a secret. Her past is a secret that you slowly learn about and then her role in marrying King Arthur, which is also a lie…
Recap over – let’s brake this downnnn – The fact that we have a female who is strong, fierce and brave and saves a bunch of men, I am totally down for this!! Guinevere for Queen!!
The retelling is based after the victory of Camelot and after the banishment of magic and Merlin, but continues to reference parts of the original story include Excalibur.
The world building is delightfully and vivid, you not only feel like you are there in the world that White has created but her description of Camelot sets it up for all Camelot retellings.
This book was by far one of my favourite books that I have read this year!!!!
Rating: 5/5
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 9780525581680