In this second installment of the Camelot Rising series, we again follow Guinevere through her struggle to be protect Camelot. While she still feels like she’s play-acting at being Queen, in this story she actually makes choices and takes much needed actions that only a Queen could handle. She is rightfully paranoid of everyone after she trusted the wrong people before, releasing a great threat to the safety of Camelot. The anxiety of missing magical threats to Camelot, and her desperation to protect her friends undoubtedly lead her into more trouble than if she’d just trust herself.

She will be betrayed once again…

Just as the title suggests, Guinevere is once again betrayed by someone within close company. Kiersten White managed to put me onto the wrong trail for quite a while before I switched tracks and predicted the real wolf in sheep’s clothing. Even so, it bothered me that I couldn’t predict “the why”. I was just as surprised as Guinevere.

One of my favorite characters in this series is Sir Lancelot. Undying loyal, Lancelot gets into quite a bit of trouble because of Guinevere. Lancelot is one of three people that know of the Queen’s magical abilities. Knowing her secret means that there are times when Lancelot must leave Guinevere unprotected. Of course, Guinevere gets hurt or causes hurt for others, and tries to take the blame herself. A constant theme in the story is Guinevere trying to handle problems alone to save her friends. You can’t help but wonder how things could turn out if she didn’t insist on going at things alone so often.

Guinevere the hero, or Guinevere the damsel?

Throughout the story there were several times I was proud of Queen Guinevere. There were many times I thought ‘stop acting like a sad puppy.’ My opinions of her were conflicting but that made her feel all the more real. No human is perfect and I’m sure if I was 17 and a Queen, I’d be worse at the job.

In the end of The Camelot Betrayal we’re left with another surprising cliff hanger. Will Guinevere be the ultimate champion of Camelot, or will Arthur ride in and save the day? Either way, I’m anxious to find it in the next book!