YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a new fantasy series reimagining the Arthurian legend, set in the magical world of Camelot.

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?

*THE FIRST BOOK IN THE CAMELOT RISING TRILOGY*

I'm planning on starting this one today!! I've been needing another fantasy book after my last month of non-fiction books! HA!

Chapter 5- (view spoiler)[ I am loving the start of this! I wasn't expecting Guinevere to be a "fake" Guinevere! And Arthur is on it! I'm enjoying the characters quite a bit honestly! I'm very intrigued by the "knot magic" system! I'm very interested to see how they write Mordred's character.... But so far, this is addicting for me, and I want to keep reading this!! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 12- (view spoiler)[ I'm still really enjoying this! I love finding out little pieces of Merlin's and Guinevere's history (and Arthur) throughout this story, but I'm starting to hope we find out a little bit more kind of faster... It's starting to feel like the same secrets we're finding out, and its feeling like it's slowing down JUST A TINY BIT. I'm really enjoying Guinevere and Brangien's friendship!! I'm still super into this even though not much has happened. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 18- (view spoiler)[ I LOVE that Lancealot is a girl!! WHAT?!?!? I didn't see that one coming!! I know retellings can go in any direction, but this could make for a very interesting love triangle!

I really like Mordred's character quite a bit, but I think he's the one that betrays Arthur in the original story, so I can't trust him in this...even though a retelling can go in any direction. But I think that also happened way later in the Arthur story, so many it won't happen in this book. (hide spoiler)]

I MUST put this down or I will finish this entire book in a day!! But it's super picking up...

Finished- (view spoiler)[ I really liked this...And I can't put my finger on why. I do love re-tellings so that could be why. I wasn't super shocked that Mordred betrayed Arthur only because he did in the original, but I will admit...I was starting to wonder if it was going to happen in this book. When he went to save Guinevere with Lancelot, I was starting to doubt my knowledge on the history of Arthur and his court. I was starting to wonder if I had it wrong. I don't think he betrayed them until like the last chapter!!! I didn't think he would be the grandson of the Dark Queen. That was unexpected. I'm very interested to see where this goes! (hide spoiler)]

I'm joining sometime soon XD

I'm excited to hear your thoughts, Maddie! I'll be checking back in! It got really mixed reviews, so I'm curious to hear what you think!

I don't even know what it is apart from a King Arthur retelling, and I'm leaving it that way XD I'm reading it between 8th and the end of the month, got a schedule for an Insta buddy read

Loved the opening chapter. Mysterious, hints of magic and odd things...and something very mysterious about this bride for Arthur.

Glad you’re joining Karen!

Up to ch5. Liking the description of Camelot and its people from the outsider’s perspective. A more positive portrayal of Arthur than many texts give - I don’t understand why they are so against magic at this point.

Up to ch9. She’s not doing much, per se, but I like the way we’re being shown Camelot and the various characters/interactions.

Up to ch17. Katie, I peeked at some of your notes for this. (view spoiler)[ The incident with the dragon and the reference to manipulating memories definitely suggests Guinevere has had a similar experience. (hide spoiler)]

Up to ch24. I know this feels unfair, but I think the ‘spanner in the works’ makes perfect sense. I wasn’t expecting that from Mordred.

Katie, I agree...this picked up quite quickly once we’d reached certain events. I loved the treatment of the Arthurian legends here - yet it had a freshness to it that really appealed. Full review on home page.

Glad you enjoyed it Karen!! I'm glad I picked this one up this month!

Katie wrote: "Chapter 5- [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Having now finished, I still think we've not been told everything about the extent to which Arthur knows about this arrangement. (hide spoiler)]

Katie wrote: "Chapter 12- [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I think spending time on establishing the bonds between the characters definitely pays off later. It explains why Guinevere is prepared to trust some of the people she does, and I really should have seen Mordred's link with the unnamed character coming! Think I might have to go back and read some of the other stories linked to this. (hide spoiler)]

I'll be reading the first 80 pages today! Scheduled BR on Insta XD

Hope you enjoy it Maddie. I liked it more than I was expecting to after seeing some mixed reviews.

I don't know anything about what it's about XD

Chapter 7 (view spoiler)[Eh I'm not a fan of this writing style. I don't get into it too much. Also the insta-love is meh. I wonder what's up with these rocks though.. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[And now Mordred's a love interest -_- Also how is there a tunnel that goes to the island? Does it go under the river? And how does no one know about it? (hide spoiler)]