The Excalibur Curse (Camelot Rising #3)

With the Dark Queen awakened, Guinevere will do anything to protect Camelot, including placing a magical barrier around it without her in it. This causes her to be captured by her enemies and Mordred. After everything that's happened, all Guinevere wants is to learn who she really is. She's tired of living someone else's shoes and is ready to write her own story while protecting Camelot at the same time. Even if that means relying on Mordred's mom, Morgana.

While I absolutely loved the first two, this one fell a little flat. I'll be honest in the fact that I thought she was going to fall in love with Mordred. The romance with Lancelet was never built on or addressed properly until the very end which was like a whiplash for me. We don't really see too much of Lancelot in this one because she's trapped behind a magical barrier Guinevere put into place.

So, while the romance confused me, the overall plot was still interesting enough for me to want to keep reading. I love how everything turned out with Guinevere and Arthur and how strong of a character Guinevere is. The magical twist always brings life to the story and dream-walking gives it that added fairytale feel. The diverse representation of characters brings a breath of fresh air to this twist on the classic story of King Arthur. One of my favorite parts is that Lancelot is a girl. However, I adore Mordred's character too and how he will always try to do what's best for Guinevere in the end.


Final Verdict: I would recommend this to fans of Arthurian legend who are looking for something unique with diverse characters. It's also perfect for people who love stories full of magic and adventure.

What I loved:
Guinevere has struggled to own who she is and who she was created to be throughout this trilogy. As we go further into the series, we learn from the first one that this Guinevere is not the honest Guinevere, but in reality, she has been created by the lady of the lake and merlin, but for what purpose? Can she continue to be this Guinevere? Guinevere wants to be a girl. Not a creation of her parents made to take someone else identity. Her decision is poorly thought out anyone else cringe when she tries to use the magical sword to set Guinevere free?
The gender-bending idea of Lancelot being a female character made for an exciting take on this character. I feel she should have played a more significant role in the story than the side character she was regulated to being. There is a romance that is barely mentioned. Instead, she struggles between Mordred and Arthur though you are for sure she loves Lancelot.
Final Verdict: This was a rough 3rd book as the setup seemed to fall short of where the first two books were heading. Guinevere struggles with righting a wrong or stopping a war which is true to the first two books. This one fell flat as Guinevere lets her identity crisis consume her to the point where she makes decisions out of the left field. I felt the pacing was off and that the ending left me feeling like it was quickly put together rather than thought out to match with the rest of the story.
Audiobook Review: The narrator is the same one we listened to for the first two books. The narrator keeps the pace moving and is not a distraction from the story. I like how she can quickly put some infliction into each character to distinguish between characters. I do recommend that the series is listened to in order.