Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review. I wanted so much from this book. I've been anticipating it's release since I first saw the cover earlier this year. I'd never read anything by Kiersten White, though quite a few of her books have been on my list for a long time. I'll be honest and say that this wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The premise was amazing and the mystery was great but "Guinevere" as a character left a lot to be desired in my opinion. I love retellings and I think that Kiersten did a great job with her reinterpretation of the Arthurian myths. She brought a uniqueness that left you wanting more of the characters that everyone already knows and loves. The problem, I think, is that it left you wanting too much. Both Guinevere and Arthur's characters left a lot to be desired in my opinion. I could not connect with them at all and sort of found them exhausting. It took me forever to understand this aversion to water that Guinevere had, which may be my own fault honestly. Positives though: I loved what was done with Tristan/Isolde/Brangien. That side storyline was definitely one of the unique pieces of the book considering that Tristan and Isolde are technically before the Arthur myths. The patchwork knight mystery was GREAT. The reveal and subsequent interactions involving the patchwork knight was definitely my favorite part of the novel, hands down.

Overall, it wasn't until the last 20% of the book that I became really invested in the story and what was going on. That's when all the excitement happens, when you really begin to understand what's at stake and really get a feel for what the author was trying to do. I just wish it hadn't taken so long to get to that point.

With that being said, I will be picking up the next installment because once I got sucked in during that last bit, there's no way that I can go on without finding out what happens next.