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savage_book_review's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is an amazing piece of writing, brought to life with a flawless performance by the narrator. I'll examine each in turn, but it just needs to be said right out of the gate that this is probably my favourite 'straight' audiobook (I.e. not graphic audio) of the year so far. Everything about it; character, imagery, vibes, all of it, is incredibly well done!
First, the writing. It follows the trend of taking a character traditionally seen as 'the bad guy'; in this case, Morgan Le Fay / Morgana of the Arthurian legends, and humanising her to shed light on her motives and the reasons why she is the way she is. She certainly isn't the evil sorceress in this version! It deftly weaves in elements of the well known tale - King Uther slaying her father and forcing her mother into marriage, for example - while also introducing new elements that feed into her development and make her the educated, strong willed, independent soul that was the antithesis of what a woman should have been at that time. The writer has produced an incredibly sympathetic, layered and nuanced character that the reader cannot help but side with through her trials, tribulations and triumphs.
Each secondary character has also been meticulously crafted; there isn't a single person of import in here that doesn't feel real. I have to say, it's great to see Merlin in a different light - as much as I love the wizened old wise guy or the clotpole youngster, his having a bit of bite really works! Likewise the relationship between Morgan and her two ladies, Alice and Tressa, is beautifully done - it's heartfelt, genuine friendship with no bitchiness or power dynamics, just a deep and abiding care for each other. I adore Alice and Tressa's relationship development in the background - it's never a main focus, but the little glimpses you get are wonderful, and when the nature of their relationship is stated outright it somehow doesn't come as a surprise - it's just right.
The romantic element of the story again is wonderfully done. The pace is just right; while it feels like a slow burn, it's not actually that slow, but it still manages to give you everything you want when watching two people fall in love. If I have one criticism, it's that there is a 'cliff-edge' moment where everything suddenly shifts out if no-where, which just doesn't match the flow of the rest of the narrative. As a result, you then spend the rest of the book preparing for another moment like it rather than living in the moment with the characters.
As for the narration... wow. Every word is perfectly pitched and lends an extra layer of intensity, emotion and general brilliance to the written word. The pace is spot on for the story - it is on the slower side, but it absolutely works. She manages to embody Morgan completely, and with only slight tonal changes (no silly accents or putting on voices) manages to bring to life the rest of the cast as well. It's an absolute pleasure to listen to and I actually think I got more out of the audiobook than I would if I had just read it myself. I would absolutely happily buy this, so the fact that it's currently included in the Audible Plus catalogue (as is the sequel, I think) astounds me!
Seriously, go listen/read. You won't regret it.
First, the writing. It follows the trend of taking a character traditionally seen as 'the bad guy'; in this case, Morgan Le Fay / Morgana of the Arthurian legends, and humanising her to shed light on her motives and the reasons why she is the way she is. She certainly isn't the evil sorceress in this version! It deftly weaves in elements of the well known tale - King Uther slaying her father and forcing her mother into marriage, for example - while also introducing new elements that feed into her development and make her the educated, strong willed, independent soul that was the antithesis of what a woman should have been at that time. The writer has produced an incredibly sympathetic, layered and nuanced character that the reader cannot help but side with through her trials, tribulations and triumphs.
Each secondary character has also been meticulously crafted; there isn't a single person of import in here that doesn't feel real. I have to say, it's great to see Merlin in a different light - as much as I love the wizened old wise guy or the clotpole youngster, his having a bit of bite really works! Likewise the relationship between Morgan and her two ladies, Alice and Tressa, is beautifully done - it's heartfelt, genuine friendship with no bitchiness or power dynamics, just a deep and abiding care for each other. I adore Alice and Tressa's relationship development in the background - it's never a main focus, but the little glimpses you get are wonderful, and when the nature of their relationship is stated outright it somehow doesn't come as a surprise - it's just right.
The romantic element of the story again is wonderfully done. The pace is just right; while it feels like a slow burn, it's not actually that slow, but it still manages to give you everything you want when watching two people fall in love. If I have one criticism, it's that there is a 'cliff-edge' moment where everything suddenly shifts out if no-where, which just doesn't match the flow of the rest of the narrative. As a result, you then spend the rest of the book preparing for another moment like it rather than living in the moment with the characters.
As for the narration... wow. Every word is perfectly pitched and lends an extra layer of intensity, emotion and general brilliance to the written word. The pace is spot on for the story - it is on the slower side, but it absolutely works. She manages to embody Morgan completely, and with only slight tonal changes (no silly accents or putting on voices) manages to bring to life the rest of the cast as well. It's an absolute pleasure to listen to and I actually think I got more out of the audiobook than I would if I had just read it myself. I would absolutely happily buy this, so the fact that it's currently included in the Audible Plus catalogue (as is the sequel, I think) astounds me!
Seriously, go listen/read. You won't regret it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Murder
lookitslil's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
bookhoe1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-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
5.0
Heartbreakingly, breathtakingly beautiful. An absolute must for fans of legendborn and Arthurian legends. Beautifully written and absolutely heart shattering from the first few pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Vomit
Minor: Sexual violence
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lillelow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Covering about fifteen years, following Morgan from childhood to womanhood, her growth and the injustices she endures, this novel truly felt like a journey and a half.
As I was reading, the pages flew by and I felt very immersed in the story. But as I put the book down I didn’t really find myself reaching for it again, so it took me surprisingly long to get through it. Don’t get me wrong, disrupting and unexpected things happen that made me want to continue, but the pacing didn’t change very much: Something happened, then something else, and something else… and it’s not entirely clear where things were heading, so we’re mainly going along for the ride. That’s all right and well, but but maybe I would have hoped for a bit more intensity and higher stakes, all the while it was still interesting and well narrated.
The first couple of chapters gripped me off the bat, then I found myself a bit bored with the slightly dragged out (quite cliché but still well written) romance, before things stepped up a bit in intrigue and pace towards the last third of the book.
I would have liked to see certain people suffer a bit more at the hands of Morgan, but it was truly refreshing and empowering to see her grow into her own power. I enjoyed her as a fleshed out protagonist and the people she chose to place her trust in. I found the empowerment of women to be masterfully woven into this setting of formal courts and malign kings without making it into something overly feminist and unbelievable for the time period in which the story takes place.
Looking forward to reading the follow-up!
★★★★+
As I was reading, the pages flew by and I felt very immersed in the story. But as I put the book down I didn’t really find myself reaching for it again, so it took me surprisingly long to get through it. Don’t get me wrong, disrupting and unexpected things happen that made me want to continue, but the pacing didn’t change very much: Something happened, then something else, and something else… and it’s not entirely clear where things were heading, so we’re mainly going along for the ride. That’s all right and well, but but maybe I would have hoped for a bit more intensity and higher stakes, all the while it was still interesting and well narrated.
The first couple of chapters gripped me off the bat, then I found myself a bit bored with the slightly dragged out (quite cliché but still well written) romance, before things stepped up a bit in intrigue and pace towards the last third of the book.
I would have liked to see certain people suffer a bit more at the hands of Morgan, but it was truly refreshing and empowering to see her grow into her own power. I enjoyed her as a fleshed out protagonist and the people she chose to place her trust in. I found the empowerment of women to be masterfully woven into this setting of formal courts and malign kings without making it into something overly feminist and unbelievable for the time period in which the story takes place.
Looking forward to reading the follow-up!
★★★★+
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion, War, and Classism
samburkhouse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual violence, and Abandonment
Minor: War
tifftastic87's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Rape
tas_takes_down_the_man's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
Liked hearing about Morgan’s perspective. Weird to see the Pendragon’s as the villains and this version of Merlin is awful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Grief and Abortion
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