Review of The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White

 

Read for: Requested Review, love the series & author, Anticipated Release

Synopsis: "The gripping conclusion to the acclaimed Arthurian fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White finds Guinevere questioning everything—friends and enemies, good and evil, and, most of all, herself.

While journeying north toward the Dark Queen, Guinevere falls into the hands of her enemies. Behind her are Lancelot, trapped on the other side of the magical barrier they created to protect Camelot, and Arthur, who has been led away from his kingdom, chasing after false promises. But the greatest danger isn’t what lies ahead of Guinevere—it’s what’s been buried inside her.

Vowing to unravel the truth of her past with or without Merlin’s help, Guinevere joins forces with the sorceress Morgana and her son, Mordred—and faces the confusing, forbidden feelings she still harbors for him. When Guinevere makes an agonizing discovery about who she is and how she came to be, she finds herself with an impossible choice: fix a terrible crime, or help prevent war.

Guinevere is determined to set things right, whatever the cost. To defeat a rising evil. To remake a kingdom. To undo the mistakes of the past...even if it means destroying herself.

Guinevere has been a changeling, a witch, a queen—but what does it mean to be just a girl?"

My Review: I have really been excited for this conclusion to the series, so far I have really enjoyed the twists White has added to the Arthurian legend. This book definitely continued the trend, I was a little worried about the whole betrayal bit and how it would be portrayed but I loved what she did with it. The Lancelot character she created will forever be the one that I picture in my mind when hearing the name. The same goes for Mordred, I like how he is so morally grey, he wants to do the right thing but his right just doesn't line up with Arthur's and his connection and feelings are simply used against him. I found Guinevere to be on really unsteady legs throughout this book, and while she does grow into her new self a bit, I still found her to be very unsure and so easily manipulated. I feel like we are just seeing the beginning of who she would become and I would have really loved to see her settle into the role she found for herself a bit more before we saying goodbye to this series. All in all it was a really good conclusion to a very unique take on the traditional legends.

My Rating: I absolutely love the way White is able to twist classic and long standing stories on their heads and give us a completely new take and perspective. This has been one of the most unique retellings of the Arthurian legends I have read. I give this conclusion to the series a rating of Four Paws!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley, the above is my honest review and opinion. 

You can find out more about Kiersten White and her books on her Goodreads page or Website.

The Excalibur Curse was just released on December 7th so you can pick it up and the rest of the series in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or request it at your local library or bookstore.