Morgan Is My Name

2023 reads

This book is phenomenal! If you have ever been curious about Morgan Le Fay from Arthurian legend, then this is a great view on a seemingly misunderstood character.

This story takes the love and the loss Morgan goes thru and turns it into a tale of power. The number of times I found myself relating to this character! I never have known much when it comes to Arthurian legend, and I'm so happy this is how her story was introduced to me.

I feel like this really can be related to so many other instances, real or fantasy, of powerful women being turned into monsters throughout time. I know I keep using this word, but the power in this book. Morgan's strength is unfathomable, and I will not easily forget her story.

Out June 13, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

I finished Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch a couple weeks ago and I still find myself thinking about it every day. I can’t wait for book 2!

best book i’ve read in 2023. i am gobsmacked. a fucking masterpiece

Rating: 2/5

Book Blurb: A powerful feminist retelling of the early life of Morgan le Fay, the famed villainess of Arthurian legend, this dazzling debut is the story of a woman both mortal and magical, formidable and misunderstood, told in her own words. Young Morgan of Cornwall lives a happy life in Tintagel Castle until King Uther Pendragon, with the help of the sorcerer Merlin, murders her father and tricks her mother into marriage. Furious, brilliant, and vengeful, Morgan defies her brutal stepfather, taking up a secret education, discovering a lifelong affinity with the healing arts, and falling in love with a man far beneath her station. However, defiance comes at a cost. Used as a bargaining chip in her stepfather’s war games, Morgan finds herself banished to a world of isolated castles and gossiping courts, amidst the machinations of kings, sorcerers, and men. But some desires are not easily forgotten, and the search for her independence is a quest Morgan cannot give up. As the era of King Arthur approaches, she must use all her wit, knowledge, and courage to fight against those who wish to deny her intelligence, crush her spirit, and control her body. But, in seeking her freedom, Morgan risks losing everything–her reputation, her loved ones, and her life.

Review:

A retelling of Morgan le Fay? Sign me up. The story follows Morgan’s early life as a misunderstood but magical woman who is dealing with not only a difficult family situation but a forbidden love and untapped magical powers. Morgan lives a happy life in Tintagel with her beloved father, until he is killed and now King Uther Pendragon along has violated her mother and taken the throne for himself. Morgan was born with a fiery temper and she will not let this brutal man stop her. She is educated in secret, discovering a love for ealing and soon finding a love of her own, albeit a forbidden one. But all good things end and soon she finds herself separated from her beloved and forced into a marriage she does not want. Things only get worse for her as she loses her love, is forced to deal with a husband who is terrible, and isolated and threatened. But Morgan has magic and a will that is unbreakable. This is the first book in the series if I am correct and so it ends very abruptly and you still have so many questions left. This book was just a really long read of this poor woman facing horrible circumstance after horrible circumstance. Everyone in it is unlikable ( except for you Alys) and you just kind of want Morgan to burn this whole place to the ground and just run off. Don’t even get me started on the angst of that relationship, definitely not a good time. Seriously this was a frustrating read and I just didn’t have a good time with it at all by the end. I am a huge fan of arthurian retellings but this one kind of just missed the mark for me unfortunately. So despite that, if you are looking for a Morgan le Fay retelling, give this a go maybe it will work out better for you than it did for me.

*Thanks Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Random House Canada for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

“Have you noticed, dear sister, that only we need to worry about that? A man might be told to say a few more Hail Marys, or spend some weeks exiled from a bed or two. But only women burn.”

— Morgan Is My Name

by Sophie Keetch

𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚍𝚘𝚐𝚐𝚢, 𝚌𝚘𝚠𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕, 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚙𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚠𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕, 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚍𝚘𝚐𝚐𝚢, 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚗, 𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚑𝚘𝚐, 𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚘, 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚐𝚐𝚢, 𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚎���𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚕𝚎, 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛, 𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚞𝚜, 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚕𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕, 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛, 𝚙𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚞𝚜𝚑, 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚘𝚙, 𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚜, 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚡 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚝, 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚐 𝚞𝚙, 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚜 𝚞𝚙, 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚍, 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎, 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚗, 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑, 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚎.

(gif cred: @itspapillonnoir)

some baby arthur doodles~ 🤠

Ninjavember Days 20 - 24

Bring Your Kid to Work Day!

(These two deserve something nice after last episode... from simpler times when the Closes were truly a trio)

"Morgan is my name, and its origin true at least - 'sea-born' by way of the Welsh tongue."

- Sophie Keetch, Morgan is my Name

I'm fulfilling what Bethesda could not 😑😤 And the cat name is Oslo! I hc Mateo and Noel both took care of this cat and it's a permanently resident at The Lodge, Oslo is a shy cat but he likes to be around Kristian. Oslo remind Kristian of a stray cat that he and his brother used to raised when they were kids.

I don’t know if anyone is reading Morgan Is My Name, but I just started, and I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s dark, with all of it so far playing out like Game of Thrones, but I like the main character a lot.

"I was gonna say you're like a son to me.. but you're more than that."

"It ain't that complicated!"

How quickly that shoulder pat of comfort turned into a condescending one.