I went into this with high expectations as Morgan le Fay and all her iterations throughout mythology/ possible history is one of my topic historical topics. It is to the point that I plan on naming my first daughter after her. Sophie Keetch did not disappoint one bit. This novel is absolutely everything and all I can say is that there better be a sequel because I need more of Morgan's story for the foreseeable future.

I love a good retelling of King Arthur- but this one centred around Morgan le Fay- the villainess of the legend!
We follow along Morgan’s story, and encounter her trials, troubles, and loves. It is a strong female lead book, and shares an amazing perspective that is not usually told.
The characters were fleshed out nicely and I feel like I got enough from them that they all played their role and made sense in the plot. The pacing was nice and didn’t jump around, so it was easy to understand the timeline.
I don’t know what was necessarily “missing” from this story for me to give it a higher rating? Although the characters were great and the story was intriguing I just lacked the connection that I crave from a story. I wouldn’t say there was anything that needed improving- just wasn’t my cup of tea.
That being said- I would HIGHLY recommend this book to my fellow readers that love King Arthur retellings, historical fiction, or strong female leads!
☆☆☆/5

I love that this book makes Uther Pendragon the villain of the story. It's absolutely more accurate than the route that MZB took in The Mists of Avalon and other stories, where Igraine and Uther are star-crossed lovers. The writing is great for YA fantasy and the importance of political alliances that Uther would have made are spot-on, even though the education Morgan receives is not accurate to how a woman in 3rd century Britain would have been educated. I also enjoy the relationships that Morgan fosters, with both lovers and friends. How fickle your first love is and how men in positions of power can promise you the world, but never deliver. I can't wait to see how readers react to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Canada for an arc of this book. I have to say this isn’t what I expected but I still enjoyed it. In this we follow Morgan has she grows up and faces many trials in her life. I do wish she went by the name Morgana cause I’ve always loved it but it’s fine. In this story Morgan is very head strong and quick to angry and we see her transform into a wonderful woman who knows when to fight and when to hold back. I enjoyed this take on Morgana but I just felt it was somehow lacking in certain parts but overall I enjoyed it.

Billed as a "feminist reimagining" of the traditional Arthurian myth, I was cautious when approaching this text. BUT, from the very beginning, Morgan and her story drew me in. Keetch's writing is evocative, and her characterization is masterfully wrought. Morgan is a rebellious, clever, determined girl who grows into a strong and powerful woman who faced challenges and forces beyond her control but forges her own way in the world. The text is vivid and atmospheric, and fills you with a sense of mystery.
I'm already eagerly awaiting a sequel, to see more of Morgan as she rises to her full power and glory.

*Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book*

Morgan is just a child when her father is killed on the battlefield and Uther Pendragon uses magic to trick her mother into marriage. Her hatred for the king endures when she is ripped from her quiet life in a convent and promised in marriage to the King of Gaul.. In a world where women have no say and witches are thought to be devils, Morgan secretly acquires more knowledge and practices her skills whenever she can even though discovery would mean certain death. This story skillfully weaves the life of Morgan with those surrounding her, friends and mortal enemies. An epic tale that left me hoping for a continuation in the not too distant future.

I am OBSESSED with this interpretation of the Arthurian legend. I'm absolutely happy with many of the character representations; mainly Uther and Morgan. Accolon having a more active role in the book had me over the moon. The writing style of the author is exactly my cup of tea. As soon as I started the book I couldn't put it down and finished it in one afternoon. The simplicity of the magic system is great and one of my favorite aspects of the book. I feel like there finally has been a wonderful portrayal of Morgan La Fey. It definitely left me wanting more and I'm elated that the story will continue as part of a trilogy. I'm absolutely looking forward to the second installment and hope it comes out some time soon.

In just a short amount of time, you are able to feel the love Morgan’s mother and father have for each other. Her father is noble and values respect

I love how connected to the original lore the story is. The chess set in blue silk under the pillow had me shaking with excitement.

This is absolutely one of my new favorite authors. She tells the passing of time so elegantly, it doesn’t feel like there are leaps- just the normal progression of life.

While the story is more character driven than is usually my preference, the writing in this story captivated me.

Morgan (le Fay) burning bright

In the most familiar versions of the legends of King Arthur, which are those of Thomas Malory and its many, many derivatives, Morgan le Fay is an evil sorceress enemy of Arthur's. What I learned on reading Morgan is my Name is that in the oldest versions of Arthurian legend Morgan was not evil nor an enemy of Arthur's. Indeed, in her Acknowledgements, Sophie Keetch writes

"Sophie Keetch has a BA in English Literature from Cardiff University, which included the study of Arthurian legend. She is Welsh and lives with her husband and son in South Wales. For her debut novel, she was drawn to Morgan le Fay because of the progression of her character through time, becoming ever more villainous as she was written and rewritten in the words of men."*

In broad outline it seems clear what happened. Morgan was a woman and powerful -- she could only be evil in the eyes of men retelling the tale.

The Acknowledgments continue

"But beneath the infamy, Sophie felt there was an unsung story and was compelled to seek out the woman behind the myth and give a voice to her contradictions."*

In my opinion, although that is not exactly what Keetch accomplishes, the result is a success. Keetch's Morgan (Malory's name "Morgan le Fay" meaning "Morgan the fairy" appears nowhere in Morgan is my Name) is a splendid, intelligent, generous, loving woman and getting to know her is the chief delight of Morgan is my Name.

Besides reimagining Morgan, Keetch introduces us to new visions of Merlin and the Lady of the Lake, as well as her version of Arthur, who was novel to me. Morgan is my Name ends shortly after Arthur is crowned High King. Her Arthur is a teenage boy king, perhaps the most appealing and believable Arthur I have met.

Although I have seen no hints that Keetch and her publishers are thinking of sequels, they MUST be! There is so much more of the story to come! If she publishes a sequel, I will certainly read it. Morgan is my Name is a fresh version of Arthurian legend, centered on one of the key women in the story, and told by someone who knows her stuff. I want more!

I thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance reader copy of Morgan is my Name. This review expresses my honest opinions. To be released 13-Jun-2023.

*Quotes are from an advance reader copy and may change before publication. If necessary this review will be corrected appropriately on the release date.

This book was a pure joy to read. I stayed up all night to finish it. I have read almost 100 books this year and have given only 4 books 5 stars, this being #4.

I am somewhat familiar with the lore around Arthur, Merlin, and camelot but not much about Morgana and this was a welcome introduction that made me want to know EVERYTHING.

The characters depicted here were perfect. Absolutely bad ass women ahead of their time and refusing to bow down. The setting vivid and giving me a strong desire for a drafty castle near a crashing sea. The political intrigue mixed with family dynamic was tense and just the right kind of stressful and clandestine love was heartbreaking in the worst way.

I have so much to say about this book, but don’t want to spoil anything for others.

I used to be obsessed with the TV show, Merlin, when I was in high school, so I'm always a bit of a big fan of Arthurian legend retellings. I was really excited to read this one since it's from Morgan Le Fay's point of view.

The world building in this story was absolutely amazing, but I found the pacing to be really slow. A good chunk of the plot follows a love story between Morgan and Sir Accolon, which isn't bad per say, but the book isn't marketed as a romance; I was just expecting more magic and mayhem based on the synopsis.

I also found the characters to be a bit flat; I didn't find anything special about Morgan other than the fact that she can be a little rebellious at times.

Overall, this retelling wasn't for me, but I'd recommend it if you're looking for an Arthurian legend romance story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy.

My issues with this book are similar to my problems with Circe, I find myself increasingly disinterested in stories about female "villains" in history/myths where the focus is on "well they're mean because of MEN" like idk maybe this is a me issue but I don't find "this woman only became a certain way because of men" particularly enlightening even when the thing they become is terrible. god forbid women have hobbies.

Not since reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon have a read such an enchanting account of the life of Morgan Le Fay! With her book Morgan is My Name, Sophie Keetch presents a compelling and moving re-telling of the life of Morgan, the trials that even a woman of privilege faced during that time period, and what was within and beyond her power to do to affect her situation. Morgan's story extends from her earliest memories to just beyond the birth of her first child, touching on tragedies and joys along the way.
The female characters are relatable and sympathetic, while many of the males are quite the opposite, beginning with King Uther and Merlin, whose influences on Morgan's life reaches even beyond the grave. Yet there are good men here too, although they are outnumbered, and almost as limited in their options as the women they love.
I could not put this book down! It is well-written and complex, and I hope that there is a sequel that will cover Morgan's life after her arrival at Camelot.
I received an ARC of #MorganisMyName from #NetGalley.

The myth of Morgana Morgan is an extremely interesting character who pushes back against the societal constraints of her world. She is curious, intelligent, and ultimately a complex character. The writing, setting, and scenes are all great and beautifully done. I really enjoyed the female relationships within this book, especially Morgan's relationship with Alys.

However, I really wanted more from this book. I kept waiting for there to be more magic. Morgan's healing and magical abilities seemed to be an afterthought to everything else that happened. I kept waiting for Morgan to own this power or to do something more with it, but it's not until the very end that she even does anything. I also found the plot to be somewhat slow and it seemed like something was always about to happen but it never actually did.

I know that this is just the first novel in a planned trilogy, so I really hope that further books showcase the magic and tension between Morgan, Arthur, and Merlin and delve deeper into the myth of Morgana.

“My name is Morgan,” I said. “And there aren’t enough words for all that I am.”

I lost track of the amount of times this book gave me the chills or had my heart racing. Morgan was a FORCE OF NATURE. This book reminded me of how I felt when I read Circe, just completely in awe of this character. I’ve always been a fan of Arthurian legend and different interpretations of it so I figured I’d enjoy it, but I was not prepared to be completely swept away by this story. There were times the plot slowed a bit, but in a way that worked for this story. There was never a moment where I was bored, there was always something simmering under the surface, even when things seemed quiet. And thank god, it’s the start of a series. There are so many things to look forward to with this reiteration of Morgan. I absolutely loved her friendship with Alys and Tressa. I loved the way Uther, Igraine, Merlin and Arthur were portrayed. I’m very much hoping we see more of Morgause in the next book because even though she wasn’t in this book a ton, she was very compelling when she was. I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here. I’m just so happy I got to read this one and early.

Thank you to Goodreads and Penguin Random House for a giveaway copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

This one reminded me a bit of Circe. Unfortunately it didn't draw me in, in the same way. That's not to say it's bad just that I don't believe the execution was done well.

This is a feminist retelling of Arthurian legend - and while this isn’t a subject I’m adept in, I am adept at falling in love with books that bring to life the stories of forgotten, villainized, and minimized women.

This story is steeped in feminism - it weaves together strong female characters, their friendships, and relationships. It shows the complex nature of being powerful, intelligent and empowered at a time when women’s lives were controlled by men.

As the first book in a trilogy, this spends a lot of time creating atmosphere, setting the scene and introducing the characters. I am excited to see how Morgan’s story evolves in the coming books, now that an enthralling and vivid foundation has been laid. At times I wished more was happening, but again, it’s only book one.

The writing itself was atmospheric and it kept my interested throughout, but I’ve heard from other reviews that the audiobook is wonderful as well. So I don’t think you can go wrong with either option, if this genre is your cup of tea!

I was really looking forward to this book because I love the stories that are about King Arthur. All of the retellings entrance me. The author was able to hold my attention from the beginning of the book to the very end. This is an excellent re-telling of Morgan le Fay, from her point of view, from the Arthurian legends and it is packed with enough magick and her locked up feminine rage to keep you, as the reader enthralled long after you finished reading the book. I mean, I was still thinking about it and mulling it over in my head. The author does an fantastic job with her character development as she writes intelligent, bold, and adept characters that have a true depth of feeling. Well this is clearly the first book of a series, it doesn't read as a typical first book where they plot along and throw a lot of heavy information at you so that in further books you have that information already. What it does do is have me ready for the next book in the series. Excellent book.

4.5 stars. Morgan of Cornwall lives a happy and fulfilled life at her family home, until Uther Pendragon kills her beloved father and entraps her unwilling mother in a loveless marriage. Morgan escapes her misery with the help of a young squire, with whom she falls in love despite their impossible circumstances. Uther sends Morgan to a convent as punishment for her obstinance, but her time there is happy and full of learning, especially in the healing arts. Summoned home and forced into a situation against her wishes, Morgan must hide her true passions and abilities in order to maintain peace for herself and those she loves. Meanwhile, a young High King is rising to power, and Morgan will defy the controlling men in her life to get what she wants, even if it breaks her.

This is a retelling of the early life of Morgan le Fay, who is most often portrayed as an evil and vindictive witch in Arthurian lore. Unfair? Probably. Sophie Keetch spins us a very different story, one of a young girl just trying to help others and protect herself from the cruel machinations of greedy men. I loved it. The writing itself is excellent, and I found myself despairing as I got close to the conclusion of the story, as I didn't want it to end. I really hope there is a second installment! The only bit that I found confusing was Morgan's aversion to the name Morgana — was that discussed somewhere that I missed? I didn't understand why she hated being called Morgana so much.

I absolutely love mythology retellings, but I'm getting a little tired of the Greek myths around the Trojan War being spun a thousand different ways — it's a touch exhausting to read the same events from a hundred points of view. Arthurian legend has always interested me, and I think this particular book is an excellent addition to the retelling genre! Highly recommend Morgan Is My Name.

Thank you to Sophie Keetch, Random House Canada, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

This was such a delightful read. This book instantly captured my attention. I loved that we had a strong female character as our main character, especially during an Arthurian legend retelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy