The Faerie Morgana offers a beautifully imagined world with rich, magical elements and intriguing power dynamics rooted in Arthurian legend. The setting is lush, and the concept of a priestess raised in the Lady’s Temple grappling with identity, power, and loyalty has a lot of promise. Morgan le Fay is portrayed with nuance, and the blend of myth and character introspection gives the book a thoughtful, almost meditative tone.

That said, the pacing holds it back. The story spends a lot of time circling the same emotional territory and internal conflicts without enough payoff. Key moments feel stretched out, and while the writing is elegant, the plot can feel like it’s spinning its wheels—especially in the middle. Some twists, particularly around Morgana’s relationships and Arthur’s fate, are compelling but come a bit too late.

Thanks to the author, Orbit Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.

To start off, I have a soft spot for literally any King Arthur/Camelot inspired works, so I was looking forward to reading this. And The Faerie Morgana did not disappoint! I really enjoyed seeing both familiar and original characters and content. Following Morgana in the three part setup throughout her life in service to the Lady and to Arthur was quietly gripping the whole way through. And Braithe was a wonderful, devoted, and quietly powerful character! The writing was evocative and atmospheric, and it reminded me of TH White's The Once and Future King.

Definitely recommend picking up this book!

I will admit that I am not completely familiar with the story of King Arthur and all of its characters but I will say that reading this book was definitely an interesting journey. This novel focuses on Morgana who is a very well liked Enchantress in the court of King Arthur. It's a very intriguing story as from childhood her mother couldn't afford to take care of her so she was literally abandoned. Then of course her half brother Arthur manages to lift the sword from the stone and become King. I admire her strength of being cordial with Guinevere for the sake of her relationship with Arthur because Guinevere is not exactly the most easy person to get along with. Overall I was very impressed with this book and I am glad I took the time to read it.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.