3.5 ⭐️’s This book is split into 3 parts. The first part a bit slow to get through but the 2nd and 3rd parts were very good.
Morgana is an acolyte at the Lady’s temple. Her half brother Arthur is the true king.
She later becomes a priestess and her handmaiden Braithe is one of my favorite characters. There is magic, fae, political/court intrigue, and romantic subplots.
Overall, this was a unique, whimsical King Arthur re-telling. It did not turn out how I expected, which I quite enjoyed.

The Faerie Morgana was a new take on the story of Morgan Le Fey that is different from all those I've read before. I'm going to be honest, it took me awhile to get into the story, it wasn't until part 2 that I started to enjoy it more. There were times I really didn't want to put down the book. However once I got to the end, I was left feeling disappointed. It felt like so much of the story was for nothing and in my opinion, the conclusion was anticlimactic.

I think it's safe to say this book wasn't for me. Not all books are for everyone, and I'm sure there any many people who are looking for a new take on Arthurian Legend that will really enjoy this book.

3.5-3.75 Stars for me.


Thank you Orbit Books for the chance to read this early, I appreciate the opportunity!

"In this atmospheric and bewitching novel, Louisa Morgan reimagines the story of Morgan Le Fay, one of the most enigmatic and powerful women in Arthurian legend.

To the other priestesses of the Nine, a powerful council at the Lady's Temple, Morgana is haughty and arrogant as she performs feats of magic no human should be capable of. Rumors start that she must be a fearsome fae.

To King Arthur, Morgana is a trusted and devoted advisor, but his court is wary of her and her prodigious talent at divination. But his wife sees Morgana as a rival and a malevolent witch.

To Braithe, Morgana's faithful acolyte, she is simply the most powerful priestess Camelot has seen.

Morgana doesn't know why she's so different from everyone else, and she doesn't much care. But when she aids Arthur to ascend the throne before his time, she sets off a series of events that will change everything Morgana believes about her power."

I am here for all things Arthurian.

3.5 stars

Morgana is one of the Nine. Nine priestesses that serve the realm.

She is also different. She is more powerful than the others. She doesn't know why, and doesn't much care as long as she is able to protect Arthur, the one true king.

I am a fan of Arthurian stories. This did not disappoint. I thought it was a bit too long and it got a little slow in the middle, but other than that, I had a great time reading this. I'm sure I will continue the series. The ending left me with lots of questions.

Also, this cover is stunning!

There are so many re-tellings of King Arthur's and Camelot's story out there, all similar but different. I recently read another (The Bright Sword) and I loved comparing the two. This book focuses on Morgana as she becomes a priestess. With her unusually strong powers, she helps her half brother ascend to the throne, and works tirelessly to protect the realm while also learning much about herself.

I liked seeing the "other" side of this character and understanding why she may have been seen in a negative light. I also liked Braithe, as she seemed relatable. Their relationship was great. I enjoyed the alternative view of Gwenvere being the "evil" one and manipulating the kingdom.

I had just a few things I didn't like. The story got a little slow at times. Gwenvere seemed like a spoiled toddler and I think it would have been more impactful if she had been less immature. Lastly, I get that "brat" was a term of endearment, but did she have to say it SO MUCH? I'd like it more if the word was used half as much!

Overall, I thought the story was interesting and I enjoyed it! I'd recommend it to anyone that likes Arthurian stories and lighter fantasy.

4/6
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this eARC!

The second Arthurian retelling that I’ve read this month, so maybe it suffered from the comparison? IDK

This book in fact did NOT suffer from comparison, as this and that were very different vibes.
This one followed Morgana (also known as Morgan La Fay), who in this version of the story is Arthur’s half-sister. The story revolves around Morgana’s training to become, and then becoming, a Priestess of the Lady. The priestesses have varying degrees of magical abilities, but Morgana has the most. She is able to accurately scry via different means, commune with animals and bugs, and can even change her shape at will.

SPOILERS:

If you are looking for a completely different take on the legend of King Arthur, then this is not for you as it comes to the same conclusion of the well-known tale. After only being king for a few short years, Arthur dies/succumbs to his injuries. I haven’t actually read the original (or any ‘official’) versions of the story, so I’m not 100% sure, but to me, after finding out about Lancelot and Gwenevere’s betrayal (and her laughter at him), Arthur goes into battle without his special magic charm (that Morgana created earlier to let him survive anything) to purposefully get himself killed. Especially since he gives the charm to Lancelot who survives.

In this version, Gwen is a changeling, or a human that was taught dark magic by the ‘evil’ fae. Her magic basically makes anyone and everyone fall in love with her, and believe that she can do no wrong, even when she is a terrible brat. Her magic is so strong, that even when characters see her glamour fail and Gwen’s ‘true’ hideous face is revealed, they don’t believe it and Gwen is allowed to continue manipulating the King.

Instead of bringing these concerns to Arthur, Morgana does a lot of standing around, looking out windows, and brooding. She’s competent in all sorts of charms if she puts her mind to it, why couldn’t she have created a charm to break Gwen’s spell? She didn’t even try! She’s supposed to be “protecting the true king” and yet… She had no problem getting Uther killed because he was going to betray Camelot and poisoned Arthur, but she balked at the idea of pushing Gwen off the battlements (and then Gwen pushed Morgana!)

I guess the author wanted this to follow the traditional pattern of Arthur dying at the end, but the boy barely ruled for what? 5 years maybe (I lost track, but I think it was waaaay less than 10!)

Also, Mordred was here, but he was not a villain at all, he was just Arthur’s younger half brother who took up the mantle of kingship after Arthur dies, but he does not get Excalibur (that goes back to the isle with Morgana so she can put it back in the stone).

It kind of ends on a cliff hanger-ish, but I don’t expect there to be a sequel.

Final: I would buy this in softcover eventually. I’m glad to have read it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC, the review is my own opinions.
2.5 rounded up

I love Louisa Morgan books. Magic with badass women throughout varying historical periods is right up my alley.

That being said, I feel like this one missed the mark a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it but nothing really happens. It’s 500+ pages (on my kobo) and the climax felt like a tacked on event at the end to tie up loose ends. Gwenvere was this evil villain who had everyone under her spell, even Morgana, and yet she’s handled quickly, efficiently and almost entirely off the page. It felt like a cop out. I didn’t really get the development of Braithe either. It didn’t really serve any purpose other than being the only one to see through Gwenvere.

I really would have liked to know more about the Blackbird’s story.

An Arthurian re-telling of a story you know and have seen but from Morgana Le Fey point of view. I dove in to The Faerie Morgana and didn’t come up for air until the last page. I love Arthurian retellings and this one too me was unique take on it. I loved having it from Morgana’s perspective. I thought seeing her go from being a child then into an acolyte, to priestess, to one of the nine. And while the former is very brief I did like that it was included.
This was my first Louisa Morgan book and overall I thought it was very well researched, very well written, and very well executed. Her writting made me get lost in the world easily. I loved the twitsts she made to make it her own. And I loved the addition of her handmaid Braithe. The person who turns out to be the villian of this story is not someone I expected it to be at the beginning fo the book and I loved that! If Louisa Morgan decided to make this a series and do more I would not be opposed!
Thank you to Orbit for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Morgana is a character I’ve been fascinated with since I was a child. I’ve read so many stories that include her so I was excited to read this one that focused on her solely. I enjoyed the lyrical quality to this book, the starry descriptions, and the lush settings. Morgana herself was gorgeous and I couldn’t get enough of her enchanting demeanor, but did feel as if her character was concealed a little too much and her magic was never fully revealed. I wanted so much to glimpse her true magical being and live in her power. This came close to that, but didn’t quite follow through unfortunately.

There were a few characters in this story that I fully connected with. Both the true hero of the story and the villain were exceptional. Their characters really drew me in and made this exciting and intriguing rather than the shield Morgana’s side of the plot put up. It was lovely, and I enjoyed reading this book, like most Arthurian based novels, but I wanted more from Morgana in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I wanted to love this one so bad. Nice prose and an immersive story. Yet I didn’t feel like much happened. It was told from a very limited perspective that left me feeling unfulfilled by the end.

Unfortunately I am not a fan of the writing style so I will not be finishing this.
I’m sad about it because I love a morgana and King Arthur mythology but the writing is not something I can get past even after several chapters

I had a lot of fun reading Louisa Morgan's take on King Arthur and Morgana in her soon to be published novel "The Faerie Morgana". If you are unfamilliar with King Arthur and the lore surrounding him, this book is a wonderful almalgamtion of the stories surrounding him, If you are en expert, this book will read like a warm embrace. Fun, easy to rrad, and even easier to love, "The Faerie Morgana" is told in 3 parts that showcase the magic tale of Morgana and King Arthur.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC!

I have been obsessed with Arthurian mythology since I was a child and read everything I can find on the subject. I’m conflicted on this book. If it’s truly a stand alone novel then my 3 ⭐️ rating stands. However if it’s the start of a series it would be bumped up to 4.5⭐️.

I was more than happy to follow Morgana and Braithe’s story and only know what they know about Arthur’s court. The writing and the story pulled me right in and I was hooked.

SPOILERS!

However, I didn’t like how the book just ended with the Blackbird sailing away praying to the Lady for protection for Morgana and all of Lloegyr. That’s the end. No follow up on Braithe’s story and how her powers develop, nothing further on Morgana’s future as a Fae and seeing the world change. I would have even taken a mini time jump to 10-20 years in the future to check in with the Isle and the priestesses.

I hope there is another book in this world coming because I was all in until the abrupt ending.

An Intriguing Addition to Arthurian Lore

I was not familiar with author Louisa Morgan, but I am interested in the character of Morgan Le Fay, or, Morgana. I will start by saying that the alternate version of Medieval Britain she has created was confusing for me at first. However, as the story moved along, I became more comfortable with it.
It is the characters that drive this novel and make it worth reading. Besides Morgana, there is her friend and handmaid Braith, an original character who is fascinating. Arthur is there as a young king trying to keep peace in the land. The author uses different versions of names for some of the characters. She bases these changes on her fondness for Medieval language.
The villain of the story is unexpected and well written. The magic is carefully crafted in this land. Overall, I felt that this was a fine portrait of the character. This Morgana is powerful, wise and very loyal to her king. I believe that The Faerie Morgana is worthwhile dive into Arthurian literature.

The Faerie Morgana isn’t your usual Arthurian epic, it’s quieter, more introspective, and far more concerned with the emotional weight of legacy than with swords or thrones. It’s a story about choices, power, and the ache of being misunderstood.

Morgana has long been cast as a villain in most retellings, but Louisa Morgan strips that away and gives us a version of her that’s vulnerable, complex, and painfully human. Watching her grow, first as a lonely child, then as a woman burdened by expectation, magic, and love, was slow but incredibly rewarding.

That said, the pacing dragged for me at times. It takes its time, especially in the first half, and there were moments I found myself waiting for something more to happen. But then again, this is a story that values becoming more than it does action.

One of the unexpected highlights for me was Braithe; loyal, fierce, and layered in ways I wasn’t expecting. The dynamic between her and Morgana added such emotional depth to the narrative, especially when Arthur entered the picture. Speaking of Arthur: this version of him surprised me. He’s not the golden king of old myths. He’s softer, more tragic, and at times infuriatingly real.

The magic here is subtle, almost like a thread of mist running beneath the surface, it never overwhelms, but it’s always there, shaping everything. Morgan doesn’t write this as a fantasy so much as a memory, filled with regret and longing.

I wouldn’t call this a definitive Arthurian retelling, but it’s one of the more thoughtful ones I’ve read. It gave Morgana back her story, and while it didn’t shatter me, it left a definite ache.

Highly recommended for readers who like their myths slow-burning and emotionally resonant.

Hello fellow readers, before you dive into this art, let me give you a heads up as to how to make this book a wonderful experience.

It seems like reading the book Morgana is incredibly helpful for this, as I initially thought this was gonna be a King Arthur retelling due to the sword in the rock. But then the sword was pulled out almost immediately, and I was left with a really rich atmospheric detail, and it went a little bit slow slowly for me - so here is what you should know.

If you really enjoy writing that focuses heavily on the environment and is a bit slower you will love this and soak in it and enjoy every moment of it.
I think the cover represents the contents really well and I think that is a job well done just in general because it allows you to know what you’re getting into.
This is definitely not a super dark book from my experience. The first chapter does have mentioned of the daughter having to leave and run away and separate from the mom, but there is no overly dramatic, extreme actions and things that take place. It’s more of just a she’s escaping. The king that she is escaping from is just not a good guy and her mom married him because he had charm initially and he turns out to be a bad ruler so I enjoyed that portion.

As far as the writing style goes, it’s personally not my favorite, however I think it’s really well done for this type of book. It’s very atmospheric and romantic, and it allows for a slower paced book to come to fruition with a lot of atmospheric elements.

I think I was potentially either wanting more humor or something fast paced, and the writing style to be slightly differently for me to get fully engrossed in this however, I can definitely see myself purchasing this at a bookstore in the future. This was a book for me that was a bit out of my comfort zone and I wanted to try something different and I’m happy that I did and I’m also not surprised that I didn’t end up loving this one, but I am slightly bummed so I’m hoping in the future I end up gravitating more towards books like this. I also think I don’t love fantasy books where slavery is a trope because it just simply makes me uncomfortable. That’s such a me thing and it’s very personal but that’s one of my gripes with fantasy and the genre in general is there’s always servants and that’s not my vibe.

I still very much recommend this book to fantasy lovers, as you can see, the ratings are phenomenal. This just wasn’t a book that I personally connected with, but I definitely would recommend this one and I can see myself picking this back up in the future and wanting to read it.

Thank you for the ARC! I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

This was a beautifully written book! I was wonderfully surprised by the gorgeous prose used by Louisa Morgan throughout The Faerie Morgana. It was refreshingly lyrical in its writing and had the feel of a classic fairytale.

There were times when the story came more slowly, and plot points took a while to unfold. I also wish Morgana and Braithe had more agency within the story but understand why they hesitated as often as they did. As with any story based on Arthurian Legend, I had the distinctly irritating experience of knowing how the story ends yet still being surprised and dissappointed when it slapped me in the face (in the best way possible).

Overall, this is absolutely a book I would recommend and I will likely look into other novels by Louisa Morgan. Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books/Redhook for the opportunity to read and review The Faerie Morgana.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for an early copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was really excited to see an Arthurian legend retelling from a female perspective since I could not slog through Mists of Avalon lol. This is told mostly from 2 female perspectives, Arthur’s half sister Morgana and her hand maiden Braithe, and a few segments from the Blackbird.

This book was enjoyable and not difficult to read. It does however assume you are at least somewhat familiar with the legend because it doesn’t go out of its way to explain a lot. This was definitely character forward more than plot forward.

What didn’t really work for me was the mid chapter POV switches. They were generally marked with a little symbol but you had to figure out who’s head we were in now which did detract a little from the story. It didn’t seem necessary to switch so often.

This seems more like a low stakes version of the well known legend and I would recommend if that sounds like it would be your thing.

Louisa Morgan’s *The Faerie Morgana* is a beautifully written, super atmospheric take on Morgan Le Fay that totally flips the script. Morgana’s not the villain here—she’s powerful, complicated, and honestly kind of awesome. She doesn’t fit into anyone’s box, whether she’s being worshipped, feared, or misunderstood, and watching her try to make sense of her place in Camelot’s world is both magical and heartbreaking. If you’re into feminist spins on mythology or loved *Circe*, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

This atmospheric retelling offers a fresh and lyrical look at Morgana, balancing magic and mythology with rich character moments. Though the pacing is slow and the action muted, the immersive worldbuilding and complex relationships make it a rewarding read for fans of thoughtful fantasy.