I will honestly read every variation of the Arthurian myths, and this retelling of Morgan le Fay was something I didn't even know I wanted.

Sorceress. Witch. Villain. You think you know the story of Morgan le Fay, famous antagonist to Arthur, High King of Britain. You'd be wrong.

I absolutely adored this book. I was expecting more of a retelling during Arthur's reign, and this ended up being more of a prequel, but I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. It just made me hope for a sequel, because I would love to see what this Morgan does during Arthur's reign.

Morgan is a woman, constrained by the expectations of her time, and she is so powerful and persistent. She keeps searching out knowledge and power, but for the betterment of all the people around her. The relationships she builds with her servants, her sisters, her husband are fascinating and complex. And as she finds her own little ways to rebel against the rules, I grew more and more a fan of her. At the climax of the book, I literally did a small fist bump.

At the end, I was left satisfied, but with so many questions, and a desire to go back and reread some of the original legends of Arthur and Morgan and Merlin.

I enjoyed this wholeheartedly and I will be keeping an eye out specifically for a sequel to Morgan, but also any of Keetch's next projects.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this arc.

Thank you Netgalley for Morgan is my Name. I’m a sucker for any King Arthur legend or retelling so I was absolutely intrigued by this one. Though it wasn’t my absolutely favourite retelling, I loved getting the legend from Morgan’s point of view.

I've always loved a retelling based on Arthurian legend and Sophie Keetch's Morgan Is My Name is no different. It was a refreshing take on Morgan Le Fay, and while some of the pacing was a little slow at points in the book, I still enjoyed the story.

3.5/5

4.25
I love Arthurian tales and this one was no exception. 

While the pacing was slower than I typically enjoy the writing was so beautiful that it made up for the pacing. 

I really enjoyed that it was from the perspective of a woman as Arthurian Era stories tend to me from the male perspective.

This is Morgan’s own account of the early years of her life, and it expands upon the outline found in the French prose romances and passed into English tradition by Malory’s Morte Darthur: her childhood in Tintagel; Uther’s war against her father and seduction/rape of her mother; her banishment to a nunnery where she studies the healing arts; her affair with Accolon; her marriage to King Urien of Gore; the birth of her son Yvain. Since details in the medieval sources are sparse, there is plenty of room to reinterpret Morgan’s conduct.
Her understandable anger at Uther is heightened by his autocratic behaviour and it feeds her defiance of patriarchal authority figures who abuse their power. The husband whom Uther forces her to wed seems more caring at first, but it soon emerges that he wants no more than a submissive (and well-connected) wife to provide him with heirs. This, of course, was the conventional role of highborn women in the past, and it has long endured, but Morgan has too much talent and spirit to accept such a circumscribed role. She hoped not only for freedom to develop her own healing talents, but to function as a co-ruler, and when confronted by inflexible obstacles, she rebels.
Although the characters are fully developed in the mode of the modern novel, the setting remains firmly that of medieval romance, with its sprawling castles, cloistered nunneries, and inattention to the lower classes. Supernatural elements such as Morgan’s healing powers also intrude. It is at times an uneasy combination, but it will be interesting to observe the direction in which the series develops.
Will Morgan become Arthur’s enemy, as in the sources, or grow into a supportive figure as in some of the more recent fiction in which she plays a prominent role? And, for that matter, in her earliest appearances.
Will the darkness win, or the light?

I really enjoyed this Arthurian retelling. Lots of insight into the characters and their motivations, and the added magical/fantasy elements were fun. I’d like to read more by this author!

It has already been purchased. I love female perspectives from the King Arthur storyline. They are so rich with history and feeling. This one is especially good. Highly recommend.

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

I had to DNF this one despite several attempts. It didn’t hook me, and I couldn’t past the poor writing. Maybe it will be cleaned up in its finished version, but for now, I wouldn’t consider buying it for myself or a friend.

This book is SO GOOD! If you enjoy Circe (any Madeleine Miller, really), this book will be a hit for you! It takes you along Arthurian legends through the perspective of Morgan Le Fay, mostly focused on her upbringing. Being with her as she grows and learns how to navigate courts, men, and power, is truly a privilege. I laughed, cried, and finished it in one sitting on a plane. To be fair, it's not too deep and there were a few bits where character development either didn't happen or happened to quickly, but since I loved the characters and the writing/pacing so much, it was not an issue to me.

Thank you to Random House for providing an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I would recommend this book to fans of Bear and the Nightingale. The writing is beautiful and informative and I loved the story.

To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. This was a very well written Arthurian retelling focusing on Morgan le Fay. Morgan is such an important figure in the King Arthur legends and I feel like she’s always portrayed as this evil do not good woman. It was nice reading a novel that brought some humanity to her. She’s one of the most complex characters, in my opinion, and I think Sophie Keetch did a phenomenal job in highlighting that. From the setting to each character, Sophie was able to pull you into this world so effortlessly and I can’t wait to read what’s next.

I wanted more from this book. The concept immediately intrigued me, but I was left feeling unattached to the characters or plot. By no means a bad book, just not one I’d read again or recommend to others who are not already interested in the mythology.

The overarching plot was interesting but the pace was way to slow for me. Also I didn’t connect at all with the characters. The writing style is very good and it had such a good premise. I guess it just wasn’t for me

I've always held a grudge over Morgan le Fay's treatment in literature and/or mythology. Any depictions of her are usually misogyny personified. Yes, usually she is the villain, but as a woman I can understand what led her to becoming evil! In "Morgan Is My Name," Sophie Keetch delivers long-awaited justice and empathy for this classic character. This feminist retelling has Morgan telling her side of the story and honestly, creating a believable narrative as to why she turned villainess. The story reminded me of the Maleficent film (in the best possible way!) This historical drama is a must read for fans of female rage and revenge in literature.

wonderful retelling of the Arthurian myth from a female perspective. A real page turner. Can't wait to read more from this author.

Pub date: 6/13/23
Genre: feminist retelling
Quick summary: Morgan le Fay has been maligned in so many iterations of the Arthurian legend - this is part 1 of her story.

Pro tip: this is book 1 in a planned trilogy, so if you're thinking you're going to get the whole story, you won't. BUT I did enjoy this look at the early life of Morgan. Two of the key relationships in the book are her friendship with her maid Alys and her hatred of Uther Pendragon, who she tries to outmaneuver. There is some magic courtesy of Merlin, as well as Morgan's healing abilities, but overall, this is a gritty, Game of Thrones-esque world with plenty of ill-intentioned men. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to Random House Canada for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Morgan is My Name is a retelling of King Arthur through the eyes of Morgan le Fay. A lot of the book is Morgan being dissatisfied and later abused in her marriage, but the earlier part when she was young I enjoyed.I hope that this book is really setting the stage for the next one where we can see more magic and fantasy! Overall, I thought this was a good retelling of the Arthurian legend through unconventional eyes.Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I have always loved Arthurian legends and was excited to read a book from this perspective. Retellings can be challenging and the female perspective of Camelot has been done before so it was a nice opportunity to see a different perspective. The growth in Morgan's character is well captured for the reader and fun to follow along to see how her feminine rage lends her to become the famous "villain" in Arthur's story. The writing is a slow burn, intricate and gritty. I wanted more at the end of the book but we will have to see what happens in the sequel!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for giving me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start off by saying that prior to this novel, my only experience with Arthurian legends and figures was through the Legendborn Cycle, which I love and has really piqued my interest in Arthurian legends; however, the main women in the legends were either damsels in distress or villains. I'm not a big fan of "evil for evil's sake", so when I encountered a retelling of Morgan le Fay's story, it immediately caught my eye.

Seeing Morgan's growth from a young, willful child to an impassioned and headstrong adult was a pleasure and a joy for me. I loved the way Keetch's prose pulled me into the story and kept me there. Late at night, when I couldn't sleep, I found myself pouring over her words and savoring this story.

I loved getting a look at what her childhood must have been like, at what forced her to become who she is. I love seeing "villains" before they become villainous, so I'm curious to see how Keetch is going to take her there.

This book has magic in it, but not so much handwaving magic, but magic that seems to have drawbacks and consequences, which I'm sure we'll get more information on in later books. I'm a little disappointed in that this book ends with the beginning of the next book when it was pushed as a standalone, but that didn't make me enjoy it any less.

If you're looking for a strong, female lead with a story set in the Dark Ages, I would definitely recommend this book. I look forward to seeing where Keetch takes Morgan in the next book(s).