Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Morgan Is My Name

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't necessarily this. The author refers to it as a "feminist retelling" and I don't know if I necessarily see it that way? If it is it is very much not intersectional feminism and lives more in a women's lib type vain of feminism. I also see the author tweeted this is a planned trilogy, which I didn't know going in, but makes sense with the pacing. This is very slow and it isn't until near the end that Morgan actually takes some action and things in the plot stop happening to her and her making things happen.

The synopsis is basically noble born girl who loves her quiet secure life and her father has her whole life turned upside down. Her father dies and she ends up with a cruel stepfather who just wants her gone. Unfortunately, he's king and she's just a woman in medieval times, so she has no say in anything. She rebels under the threat of death and gets sent to a nunnery where she makes her first true friend. She is called back to be wed and shit starts getting even worse from there.

Basically, cruel man after cruel man is presented to her. Perhaps that is the feminist angle? I did like that Morgan is a healer and has a very strong ability in it which is consistently shunned, first as being of the devil and second as being unbecoming. Her best friend though is very much supportive of it and helps her out quite a bit. However, for the fact that she is her best friend there isn't a whole lot of them actually being friends. This is kind of an artifact of the narrative style and first person, but Alice still feels kind of empty. I felt that we know more about Arthur's nature once he is revealed than we do about Alice or Tressa (I am hoping that is the spelling because I just had the audiobook). For a feminist retelling the men are described in detail while the women are not so much? Save for the woman we see with Merlin the first time he is introduced. Most of the women in the story are cruel to each other, cold and callus. It was kind of exhausting.

Near the end when Morgan finally starts taking charge, which I kind of hate the inciting event for this, it started to pick up a bit. The pacing increased, the detail in which things were described changed and Morgan started using her abilities and her rank to her favor. I will probably pick up the rest when they come out but I am disappointed to have this as my first Arthurian tale. Especially with how much I loved the BBC Merlin show. I think I may have to go back to the OG feminist Arthurian retelling: The Mists of Avalon and give that one a go.

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bryonyindecisivereader's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“‘My name is Morgan,’ I said. ‘And there aren’t enough words for all that I am.’”

I adored Morgan is My Name from the very first page. The writing was so easy to enjoy and I felt compelled to read more of Morgan’s story – it was a really exciting promise of more to come.
Arthurian legend has traditionally been a story for men only, with brave knights and daring battles, but women do have a starring role in many ways. I was glad to see one of the women in the light, but I was also pleased with the glimpses of a young, loving Arthur who Morgan was able to be a sister to.
I enjoyed following Morgan from childhood through to adulthood. Her temper grew with her, but grew to become more resilience and determination to do right for herself and those she cares for. I loved following her through school, as she discovered skills and learning she was passionate about. We got to see glimpses of her magic, which will surely only get better with time and the space to practise.
She wasn’t a villain in this, but I can’t wait to see how she might become one – or if she even will, as it seems to have been the male-told stories that have painted her as a villain in the past.

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kazino's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Sophie Keetch for providing me with an advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this feminist retelling of Arthurian legend. I've always been fascinated with Morgan le Fay and the many contradictory narratives surrounding her character. Although, I am going to admit that my knowledge of Arthurian legend is heavily influenced by the BBC Merlin adaptation (I know it is woefully inaccurate). That being said, I was expecting to see some sort of villain origin story. It is clear that the author is knowledgeable about Arthurian legend and is genuinely passionate about telling Morgan's story.

Keetch's writing was compelling and elegant, her characters rich and complex. I fell in love with the setting of Tintagel and St. Brigid's Abbey (and even the hint of Camelot). Keetch breathes life into these settings and transports the reader there, immersing them within the story. Morgan made an amazing anti-heroine and I found myself rooting for her throughout the story. I would have loved to see more of her familial relationships since the female friendships seemed to make up the emotional core of the story for me.

My biggest issue with the novel was the pacing. I know we don't need to see every minute of Morgan's life, especially because we're following her from birth to her mid-twenties, but at certain points, it felt that we were skipping through crucial moments of her life. When these time skips occurred within chapters, rather than between them, I couldn't help but feel that some elements of the story were lost. Additionally, I went into this novel thinking it was a standalone, so I was a little disappointed when Arthur only came into play in the last 25% of the book. However, after looking at other reviews, I see that it is the beginning of a series. With this new perspective in mind, I believe this is a solid start to a duology or trilogy, but at the same time, I am left wondering if a series was necessary in the first place.

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conspystery's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

First, a massive thank you to Netgalley, Sophie Keetch, and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read an ARC of Morgan is My Name in exchange for an honest review! I didn’t realize this book was the first in a planned trilogy when I read it, but once I realized that, everything made a lot more sense. This book is a solid setup for a series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

I love Keetch’s take on the Arthurian setting. I think the success here comes from how rooted this book is in Morgan’s perspective; everything is filtered through her eyes. Tintagel Castle is given its atmosphere by Morgan’s experience of it, and so we as the audience are uniquely immersed in how it changes when Uther takes power.

Even when we see Arthur towards the end (which itself is fascinating and I can’t wait to see more of his interactions with Morgan in future books!) he doesn’t immediately consume the narrative, as I feel like often happens in Arthurian lit. Morgan quite reasonably has her own concerns about Arthur, but Arthur himself isn’t at the center of them, so he doesn’t overwhelm the story.

Every corner of the world that we see feels not only like we are there, but like we are there as Morgan, which I think is crucial to this book’s introspective narrative style.

One particular detail about the setting I really enjoy is the worldbuilding around magic-- magic isn’t an over-the-top, wondrous gift of vibrance to the world as many versions of Arthuriana seem to prefer, rather an intensely powerful yet hushed, secretive force that’s almost ominous in its presence. Regardless of one’s familiarity with the title character’s story, the seemingly innocent against-the-rules allure Morgan initially finds in magic carries a sharp sense of foreboding that subtly curdles the rest of the world around it as the novel continues. This fascinating, darker Arthuriana roots its lighter moments in Morgan’s own lightness. The setting bends around her. It’s extremely satisfying, immersive, and engaging.

Keetch’s emphasis on Morgan’s voice drives the narrative forward in many more ways than the setting, though. I don’t know if I’d call Morgan a completely unreliable narrator, but the presentation of the supporting cast in this novel seems to be heavily influenced by Morgan’s own mindset. I think Sir Accolon, Merlin, the Lady of the Lake, and Morgan’s eventual husband are all great examples of Morgan’s perception lording over objectivity, mostly in a very good way. The prose itself reflects the centering Morgan is My Name commits to; there are paragraphs upon paragraphs delving into Morgan’s introspection in her own voice, and I for one adore the level of detail afforded to her thought processes through the novel. While I don’t think the writing is necessarily a total standout, it’s solid and approachable in its more languid moments of reflective stream-of-consciousness, and the moments where it is confrontational and action-driven work well without breaking the flow at all. The slow pacing complements the prose style and narrative focus. It reminds me a little bit of a more prosaic, less mythologically grandiose Circe by Madeline Miller.

Obviously, this book’s success hinges entirely on Keetch’s development of Morgan into a realistically flawed, well-rounded, interesting character; Keetch does a decent job on this front. My only issue here is that because this kind of feminist retelling of myth has become a lot more popular and widespread in recent years-- a trend I am extremely glad to see-- it’s a lot more difficult to make these stories and main characters stand out. Morgan, to me at least, is fascinating but not totally exceptional or unique for a work like this. Her relationships with Accolon and her eventual husband don’t help there; the romance in this book takes a lot of power away from its narrative for me, and even the subversion we see with the husband feels tired and a little overdone. The novel is aided in that regard by the remainder of its supporting cast (Morgan’s family, Merlin and the Lady of the Lake, and Lady Alys and Tressa add a lot of color in particular) and setting, but I feel like it isn’t quite as defined and distinct as it would like to be.

With how well-written and interesting I found it to be anyway, though, I’m optimistic that future books in this trilogy will expand upon the world of Morgan is My Name and help it carve out its own space in the genre. This book and series have an absurd amount of potential to be phenomenal; I’m so excited to see Keetch’s work come into its own here!

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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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I had high expectations based on the synopsis of an Arthurian retelling about Arthur’s Half sister Morgan le Fay (and I love retellings). I was pulled in from the prologue, it was so good but then it slows down and drags.

Pacing is all over the place, sluggish and slow as the story is dragged out and apparently will be book 1 of a trilogy. Honestly the retelling could be done in 1 book instead of 3 and would be much better written. It drags out the story so much that it makes me not want to pick it up or have any interest in reading a whole series especially because it starts when Morgan is 8 but then we suddenly skip to her being 15 so clearly the author knows she can skip around to tell the whole story in 1 book.

The writing style is just not my cup of tea with so many words written but so little being said to move the story or develop the character.

It’s also less fantasy and more romance than expected. I could not care less about Morgan’s childhood in this much detail and want to hear the powerful feminist story being taken back from all the Arthur legends painting Morgan in a terrible light, like I was promised. Another novel that has an amazing concept but lacks in execution.

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roget's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

A fiery retelling of the legend of Morgan le Fay, which follows her childhood, adolescence, education, tumultuous marriage, and her role in the establishment in Arthur's court.

In one word, it is a book about suffering. Keetch draws from familiar ground to create a healer type figure who struggles to find peace and purpose in a world where she is treated as property. Keetch's Morgan is courageous, brash, angry, and the story telling pulls readers into these headspaces with her.

When she is harmed, you feel the snap of rage. When her expertise is stifled and dismissed, then forbidden, you experience the suffocation, the frustration of knowing what it is to be able yet forbidden from helping others. When she takes up defiance in her honesty and courage, you soar, and when trouble knocks on her door, you flinch. It is evocative.

Well-paced, movingly crafted--up to the very end, which felt sudden. There were a few plot threads that I had expected to be addressed and were not. Morgan's internality is teetering on a precipice of dark and light, and this feels more like the first entry in a duology or trilogy than a standalone.

Women's healthcare and agency is a thematic heartbeat underneath the story, and many readers might relate to Morgan's frustration that female bodies are so unstudied and unsupported by the medical field in comparison to male ones.

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rdorka's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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