Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC!

Morgan lives as a happy and willful child with her parents and sisters in Tintagel Castle. But when King Uther Pendragon murders her father and forces her mother to wed him, Morgan's life is changed forever. Ever bright and defiant, Morgan pushes back against her fate and discovers the power within herself. The prose moves along beautifully and truly felt as if I was transported back to medieval times.

Before starting this book, I was only vaguely familiar with the King Arthur legend. And not going to lie, after starting this story I did a deep dive into the legend. This story is perfect for both new and old fans. It truly is an origin story - even though Morgan is known as an evil enchantress in later tales, this story delves deep into her early life and experiences. Near the end there is a brief glimpse into her vengeful side (and the recipient was much deserving), but her character overall remains a protector and healer.

This book has a bit of everything - action, mystery, magic, romance. Morgan could not catch a break with love - I had such high hopes for Gaul. Even though Merlin appeared briefly in the story, his role was monumental. He is a fascinating character. His character wasn't presented as inherently good as in other depictions. I really hope the author continues this series! I would love to read more about Morgan's life, magic, and revenge!

5/5 Stars

TL;DR - This book is a triumph. It gives a hauntingly beautiful voice to a legendary woman too long vilified and never explored save for her relevance to a man. Everything about this book is as breathtaking and beautiful as it is heart-wrenching and devastating. Morgan’s power is not just her sorcery, but her indomitable will - and I was enchanted from the first word to the last.

**An immense thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this amazing book in exchange for an honest review - and honestly, I loved it!**

‘Morgan Is My Name’ by Sophie Keetch aims to tell the story of Morgan of Cornwall, better known as Morgan le Fay, filling in the gaps of her early life that are so often discarded by storytellers focused on King Arthur. We meet her at seven years old, already a force to be reckoned with, and follow her as she grows into a woman, endures loss and betrayal, finds love and friendship, and is forced to conform to the expected life of a medieval woman when she, in many respects, is anything but.

It’s hard to know where to begin for this review - rarely does a book leave me speechless, and though I shouted and cheered countless times over this tale, it’s hard to put into words the sheer brilliance of this book. It’s like trying to catch mist with your hands - you can try, you can touch it and feel it on your skin, but you can never really capture it. I’m in silent awe after turning the last page, and I know my recovery will be a long time coming.

This book is presented as “an atmospheric, feminist retelling”, and I am always wary of anything labeled as such - I’ve been burned before, but I never stop hoping that I’ll get the true feminist take I so desperately crave. And let me tell you plainly - this book is, beyond any shadow of a doubt, unapologetically feminist and worthy of that hype. Every female character, from Morgan down to commoners in the villages, is written so damn well. Every woman detailed is complex and nuanced, and is presented as such with careful and lyrical prose. Deep themes of patriarchal structures and the harm they cause to women, especially in medieval times, are explored thoughtfully, but the author never shies away from the harsh truths that comprised the lives of women during this time, and the lingering ways these systems still affect women today. These realities were (and are) often bleak and heart-breaking, but at the same time filled with hope and defiance and fire unable to be extinguished - and ‘Morgan Is My Name’ captures it all in prose as sharp as Morgan’s hunting knife.

I knew the story of Morgan long before applying for this ARC, but until I read this book, I never truly *knew* her story. It was always framed against the larger mythos of King Arthur, and she was always boiled down to a flat villain, only interesting in the moments she clashed with Arthur. But here, she lives and breathes and loves and mourns, and it is a spectacular ride and a gift to be allowed to see her in a new light.

Morgan is an absolute powerhouse and I cheered her on at every turn. At seven, this girl stands up to and defies the King of Britain and doesn’t so much as blink. She breaks countless rules and social norms, she goes against her superiors in pursuit of what she knows is right and good, and she never flinches when faced with cruelty or subjected to violence. She’s so certain, so defiant, so full of conviction. Everything she does is calculated, even when she’s defying what’s expected of her and risking her safety, and she is beyond clever. Reading this book, I was constantly in awe of her, and rooting for her in everything she did. It was such a wondrous experience to watch her find her power, both fantastical and earthy varieties, and she truly became the woman of legend before my eyes. My heart bled for her, I reveled in her triumphs, and I loved every minute I got to spend with her.

Queen Igraine is, in short, an absolute queen. She passed her wit and gift for words onto her daughter, and she protects her fiercely, pushing the boundaries of what is allowed by women of her day to see that Morgan is safe and cared for. I admire her greatly, and I do not envy her position at any point in the book, but it’s so heartening to see a mother caring so deeply for her daughter despite the patriarchal society trying its best to stifle her.

Alys and Tressa are pure gold, and it was so, so refreshing to see the deep, loving friendship they shared with Morgan. This book perfectly captured the power of platonic love, and the way these women cared for each other and supported one another through their darkest hours was the balm my heart needed - and I didn’t know I needed it until this book served it to me on a silver platter.

This book is written so incredibly well. Every line is tight and concise, every description beautiful, every line of dialog necessary and enthralling. There were so many poignant moments of symmetry in the story - moments where something somewhat mundane was happening, but the way it was described and how it paralleled what Morgan was feeling and experiencing was just breathtakingly beautiful. Over and over, Morgan and the women in her life stand their ground and deliver such powerful, raw statements of passion and defiance, and each one is as much a stab to the gut in its power as it is ethereal and captivating poetry. I am stunned that this book managed to leave me breathless over and over and over.

The only thing that disappointed me about this book was the fact that we only ever see Morgan’s fabled power in its infancy. I wanted to see the legendary sorceress in all her glory, but this is the tale of her early life and everything that culminated into her ascent to her power. However, in hindsight, though I didn’t get what I wanted, I found that I got what I needed, and that I was deeply satisfied with it. Morgan had to endure all these things to become who she was destined to be, had to be pushed to the brink of discovering her power so that she could later wield it, and I’m profoundly grateful that I got to witness it.

Final Thoughts:

This book absolutely destroyed me, and I couldn’t be happier with it. I know I will be coming back to this book again and again, picking it up and losing myself in it whenever I needed to be reminded of my own inherent feminine power.

I feel so honored that I got to read this early, and I will absolutely be buying a physical copy and displaying it with pride alongside my other most-favorite books of all time.

Thank you, Sophie, for giving a long-needed voice to Morgan, and for blessing me and the world with this book.

Sophie Keetch's retelling of Morgan La Fey is refreshing and exciting. In the legend of Arthur, Morgan is either an incestuous or over-looked character. Keetch gives Morgan a new life in this first-person point of view. Morgan is courageous and strong-willed. His idea of Uther Pendragon would have anyone agree, he is a dirtbag. Merlin is merely his tool for getting Lady Igraine with a child that would be King Arthur. Morgan, who is outspoken about his falsehood and falling in love with a knight is sent away. In this convent, Morgan learns more about her healing gift. The middle part did get slow and I los,t some interest but with the arrival of Arthur. I was interested again. I wonder if Keetch will do a sequel diving into more of the Arthurian Legend that has been around for 100s of years. She does a great job with this story. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys retellings and King Arthur.

DNF. It wasn't to my taste - I liked the description of this book, but the actual reading of it was disappointing. It felt cliched and shallow. None of the characters, but in particular the main ones, were very fleshed out. Morgan was the usual sort of Mary Sue - misunderstood by her family, except for her father, who of course then promptly dies. Evil stepfather, long suffering mother, insta-love with an unsuitable boy, sent away to a convent, insta-best friend. There was potential, but I wished for something more compelling than this.

I received this as an ARC from Net Galley

This was sheer perfection. Even if I didn't always go for feminist Arthurian retellings, MORGAN IS MY NAME by Sophie Keetch still would have knocked me sideways with its gorgeous, accomplished prose. This is a stunning debut centring the life of the sorceress and healer popularly known as Morgan le Fay: daughter, wife, and sister of kings, written here by Keetch as a totally original, undeniably powerful figure in her own right.

I appreciated Keetch's resistance to popular and simplistic (and typically male) interpretations of Morgan's character as a dark or villainous force in the life and story of her younger half-brother King Arthur, while still maintaining her own complex nature. This is a Morgan who is not to be walked over; a Morgan who is rebellious (often at her own cost), formidable, and clever; a Morgan who craves knowledge and resists every single expectation of her; a Morgan who is also accepting, loving, romantic, and fiercely protective of the people she cares for. This is a Morgan whom anyone would be hard-pressed to deny her the impulse to go nuclear and burn the entire world (the endless shit these men put women through, my god)... and yet, she doesn't. And yet, she could.

There is a fire in her that burns so brightly and can't be put out. I can't wait to see what the remaining two books in this trilogy have in store for her.