The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
The Excalibur Curse is the third and final book in Kiersten White’s Camelot Rising series.
In this slow-burn, character-driven YA Fantasy series, White puts her own unique spin on the legend of Camelot, incorporating classic characters many of us know and love.
The second book in the series, The Camelot Betrayal, ended on an incredible cliffhanger, with the fate of our heroine, Guinevere, hanging in the wind.
I literally gasped at the final plot twist in that book and knew that I had to continue with this story as soon as possible.
As this installment begins, Guinevere finds herself separated from her closest companions. In order to free herself from her sticky situation, and continue on her mission, she is forced to make some new allies. One in particular, I really enjoyed being added to the cast.
I’m looking at you, Fina.
If you have read the earlier books, you know Guinevere has a lot of unanswered questions about her past. Okay, unanswered questions is putting it mildly. She has no freaking clue where she came from or who she really is.
This causes her continued angst. She cannot continue to live feeling like she stole the real Guinevere’s life. She feels a fraud. She needs to find out her truth.
This story follows Guinevere over the ups and downs of her final quest for answers. What she finds…yeah, she’s not ready for it. It shakes her to her core and causes her to feel like she is unworthy of the life she leads.
Her friends and companions, those who love her, work hard to convince her that she is incredible just as she is. She has changed their lives. It doesn’t matter one lick where she came from. She is real and she matters.
While, admittedly, this started out slow for me, the pace definitely increased exponentially in the second half.
Also, I did finally get the answers I was hoping for and even though they weren’t what I expected, I walk away satisfied.
There were so many great relationships built throughout this series. I think that aspect is my greatest take-away from this whole story.
Each relationship was unique and it had its own special qualities. I would say my favorite to watch evolve over the course of the three books was Guinevere and Lancelot. Wow, the two of them and their bond, it absolutely fills my heart to even think about. That’s unconditional love.
Overall, I had a really good time with this series. It’s a bit romantic and dreamy, but it’s also full of twists, intrigue and fantastic characters.
As mentioned above, I’m really happy with this conclusion and can walk away comfortable that my favorites will live happily ever after…
Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I definitely look forward to reading more from Kiersten White soon!!