I’ve loved Arthurian Legends ever since I was a teen so the cover for this book immediately caught my eye. Morgan Is My Name is a feminist retelling of the early life of the villainous, Morgan Le Fey. I really liked that this was very much Morgan’s story and told from her view point. She is such a complex character and this story shows how her early experiences may have helped shape who she became. When reading you can feel Morgan’s frustration at being powerless to make her own decisions so when her powers develop it’s not surprising that she embraces them and decides to take control over her own destiny. Morgan Is My Name reads like a historical fiction novel but is lacking the fantasy element of Arthurian legends. Throughout the story we get glimpses of Merlin and The Lady of the Lake but I missed the myths and magic of Avalon. However this is the first book in a series and the ending is open making way for the next book. I have a feeling we will be seeing more supernatural elements as the story continues. I liked this book. I thought it was a solid start to a new series and I will definitely continue reading it!

I enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing was really well done. It made you want to keep reading.

This book was my everything. Morgan has always been my favorite character from the Arthurian Legends and of course a book telling her side of the story was going to end up on my tbr. I loved this book.

“Never apologize for seeking further wisdom, or for being remarkable.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, thank you @oneworldpublications and @netgalley for supplying me with the e-arc of this book for a honest review.

Morgan is My Name is a feminist retelling of the famed villain & Merlin’s adversary, Morgan le Fay. She has worn a lot of hats throughout history, but one thing always remains the same, she is a villain. While she is far from a villain in this story you see how she could be depicted as one by men who are afraid of the power women can wield. Sounds fantastic right? Well in some ways yes, but for the most part it fell flat.

So let’s jump into it!

What I liked:
1. The character development of Morgan is fantastic. Keetch’s does an incredible job of writing Morgan’s voice as a child & we see her grow from an annoying, naive, rebellious youth who doesn’t have a clue, to a powerful intelligent women who knows how to play a political game. This is truly a strength of the authors & something you rarely see executed so perfectly.

2. The world building was well done.

3. The story was easy to follow.

Now for what I didn’t like:

1. The amount of redundant information in this book was ridiculous. You think “oh that has to be important, why mention it if it wasn’t?”for it to never be mentioned again. It really bogged the story down.

2. Too much time was spent on the young romance that did very little to further the plot. It would have been better to focus on her friendships & have them blossom into a romantic relationship over time instead.

3. The magic was never explained. Throughout the book we are told that her magic is connected and pulled to water. There’s water on the cover for crying out loud! Yet, her magic manifests as fire and has nothing to do with water.

4. There is an over use of cliches & the description of sex in this book was comically bad. Don’t make the mistake I did & read it to your partner, unless you want a lot of “salty sea”references.

But, given that this is a debut book, it’s not bad & I know a lot of people who would enjoy it.

Morgan is My Name is a retelling of the Arthurian story through the eyes of Morgan le Fay (or just Morgan!) The story starts with Morgan as a young child and through some of her adulthood. She meets classic characters and learns that she has powerful magic. I love retellings of myth and folklore and was excited to read this one from the perspective of the villain!

One of my favorite parts of this book is that the plot and characters are are reimagined with more of a historical frame. Morgan is sent to a convent when she causes trouble and is forced to marry for political reasons. I liked the blend of history and myth. The part of the book in the convent was my favorite; I loved Morgan's friendship and seeing her curiosity bloom. I feel like we usually see convents in a super negative light in stories like these, so it was nice to see them depicted as an option for learning and freedom for women during the time period.

...and then she leaves the convent and it all went downhill for me. A lot of the book is Morgan being dissatisfied and later abused in her marriage, which is not exactly my cup of tea. I found out that this is the first of a series when I neared the end, which was great because it definitely didn't end in a way that would make me feel satisfied as a stand-alone. 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. If you like myth retellings, I'd give this one a try! 3.75 stars from me. 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!

What a great book! Here’s a character who at times is unlikeable, that you really do learn to root for. Morgan is such a strong woman and seeing her realize that herself was a great journey. Loved how she wanted more and more education and learning and didn’t let anyone stop her. Great debut!

I finished this novel and posted the review on good reads in June. I loved the story as it gives a much different view of Morgan or Morgana as she is often called. The novel called to me in that read it at every opportunity and wanted to know more when it ended.
Morgan, of King Arthur's court is portrayed as a strong woman. A woman tutored and educated in a time when women were chattels/pawns to b used at the discretion of the males of their family or the men in position of power. Raised by loving parents Morgan was raised to be independent and think for herself until King Uther decided her would have her mother. Even with so much against her Morgan becomes a healer, who stands up for herself and others weaker than she.
The story flowed in a rhythm of its own and carried me away in it.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Much like usual, I was late in getting to this one, AND I REGRET IT SO MUCH. This book was SO good. I finished it in less than twenty-four hours and I've already ordered a physical copy because I need this book on my shelves immediately. I haven't checked to see if this is a series, or if there's more to come, but I certainly hope so.

Admittedly, I am the wrong person to ask about ANYTHING involving Arthurian legend, HOWEVER, that did not stop me from enjoying this immensely and wanting more books about Morgan IMMEDIATELY. I know this is a short of villain origin story and I need to know what else occurs to make this woman who has been dealt such an awful hand, who stayed so powerful and helpful and GOOD, to become something else entirely.

I am obsessed! SO good. Please read this.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

I am a fan of Arthurian legend and have always had a fascination with Morgan Le Faye, so I was excited to read Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch and it did not disappoint. Since most Arthurian stories focus on men, this story focuses on the women, in fact, Arthur and Merlin make appearances in this story, but are not central. Morgan grew up in Tintagel Castle with two older sisters. After her beloved Father is killed, her mother marries Uther Pendragon and becomes Queen. Shortly after their marriage, her mother gives birth to a son who dies in childbirth. Like most girls in families of power, the sisters are married off for political gain. Morgan is not one to fall in line, and she falls in love with a soldier charged with protecting her as she attends lessons at the local church. When their relationship is discovered, she is sent to an Abbey where she is able to continue her lessons but also learns about healing, including from a book filled with mysterious cures, her love never to be seen again.

When Uther marries her to a King to forge an alliance, she feels that she has married a man who understands and respects her. With time, he starts to limit her ability to use her healing powers and still she finds ways to defy him with the help of her ladies. After years without producing an heir, Morgan and her husband’s mistress become pregnant at the same time. The situation providing Morgan with leverage to assert her power. When Uther dies, his son Arthur is discovered to be alive, whisked away at his birth, and raised with the help of Merlin. Arthur is aware of his mother and sisters, and upon meeting Morgan, we see the man of the legend at Camelot.

This book offers a peek into the life of Morgan who historically is portrayed as evil to Merlin’s good. Watching Morgan’s path from childhood provides a different perspective that leaves you rooting for her. We end up seeing how she is truly a feminist character rather than yet another female character branded as evil for standing up for what she believes in and using her powers to heal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A pretty good feminist retelling of the famed sorceress from Authurian legend. The author did a great job of showing from an early age that Morgan was strong and bright way before she develops her powers. Her strength infuriates the men of the time of course. They want her to be weak, proper, quiet, uneducated, broken and submissive. As she defies them at every turn and her powers grow, she becomes a formidable threat to Merlin, the world, and possibly even herself.

This book immediately grasped my attention. The writing style is perfect and it makes the book impossible to put down. This novel is slower, and is character driven, and that style is done well. Keetch writes with the perfect balance.

This book had no dull moments. Right from the beginning, I was hooked and had a difficult time when I had to put it down. I loved the feminist retelling of a classic tale. I am very excited for the second book, as I feel like Morgans story is just getting started.

What a fantastic retelling of the Morgan Le Fey story. If you know the Arthurian legend, you'll love delving more into the the Morgan story. If you aren't as familiar with the legend, you'll still love the story of a woman coming into her own - her own story and her own power.

Another book following the trend of myths/folklore from female perspectives and I think it was executed very well! I’ve loved Morgan le Fay ever since my Magic Treehouse days but I hardly knew anything about her, so I was excited to delve into this one.

Obviously this is not a happy book - Morgan’s father dies, which sets in motion a lot of terrible events that lead to Morgan being controlled by a terrible king in an incredibly patriarchal society. Morgan is very strong-willed, though, and knows she is intelligent and has the potential to be just as powerful (or even more powerful) than men, which is probably why she achieved “villain” status.

I really liked the pacing of this book; sometimes books like this are slow, but this one moved along pretty quickly and kept me engaged.

I ended up listening to the audiobook a bit (it’s FREE with an Audible subscription) and I loved the narration! If you’re an audiobook person, I would highly recommend.

Overall, this is a villain origin story, so you know what you’re getting into/it’s fairly predictable. But it’s a really great story at that, so I recommend to anyone who enjoys books like Circe or Kaikeyi!

This was a close winner for my stores fantasy book club! It's been a while since I've read an Arthurian inspired book and boy have I missed them. The authors writing easily pulls you in and doesn't let you go, it's just absolutely beautiful and you can tell by even the first chapter. This reimagining of Morgan le Fay shines a new light on the complex woman in the best way possible given that she is historically betrayed as a villain. If you're a fan of Jennifer Saints retellings, don't be scared to pick this one up! And it's a trilogy so there's more to come!

I really enjoyed parts of this.. but it felt so long and half the time I wasn't sure what was happening. Just not my favorite. I loved the beginning parts with Accalon and kept hoping for more of him throughout!

Thank you netgalley and penguin random house for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

Really interesting retelling of Morgan le Fay and King Arthur. I will definitely be recommending this title to lovers of historical fantasy! I always appreciate mythological retellings, especially from alternative perspectives. Sophie Keetch did an excellent job with the story and creating a nuanced character with a fresh take on a well-known tale!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC !

This book revisits a part of the Arthurian legend that is not often seen : the part before Arthur comes to power. By following the story of Morgan, half-sister to the future king, we see how difficult it was for women, even coming from royalty, to have a say in their lives. Morgan is bold, she speaks her mind, and tries to carve out a path for herself that is guided by her aspirations, not those of the ones around her. I love myth retelling with female protagonists, and this one was no exception. I warmly recommend it.

I always look for different characterizations of Morgana/Morgan whenever I am teaching about King Arthur and Keetch has managed to create a world that allows Morgan her voice while also showing how incredibly questionable Merlin and Uther are as people. Keetch also works to clarify a lot of Arthurian lore and make the character of Morgan more clear. I tore through this and did not realize it was over. I cannot wait for the next books because witnessing Morgan come into her power and challenge the world she was born into.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.