Morgan is My Name
by Sophie Keetch
The (a) story follows Morgan, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, growing up wild and carefree in her family’s castle along the Cornish coast. But everything she loves is destroyed in one fateful night, after the cruel King Uther Pendragon murders her father and uses deceitful magic to trick her mother into an unhappy marriage. More of an outcast than ever in her own home, Morgan takes every opportunity she is given to defy her repulsive stepfather, from getting an education to pursuing a romance with a man far below her station.
But Uther’s influence stretches far and wide, and everywhere Morgan turns she seems to find herself at the mercy of powerful men who only care about what they can get from her. And as the age of King Arthur dawns, the fated villainess of legend will risk it all to save herself and those she cares about from further tyranny.
The (A) story is a feminist perspective from the sometimes-ally, sometimes-villain of Arthurian legend: Morgan le Fay. It explores how the powerful influence of bad men and patriarchal systems can warp a bright and brilliant mind into something cold and hollow, and hints at the possibilities for darker ambitions brewed from such abuses. It is about vengeance, grief, and mental and emotional health. But it is also about friendship and family, and, buried deep at the heart of things, hope.
This book was almost as mentally and emotionally difficult to read as The Handmaid’s Tale, and that’s saying something. Truthfully, it was not what I expected: I was caught off-guard by the more “historical” take of the story—even though the book is technically still a “fantasy.” But while there was, indeed, magic involved in the plot, it wasn’t really a main focus. And if I had gone into the book being more aware of that, I probably would have appreciated it far more than I did.
I do think it’s an important and interesting feminist take on the story of Morgan le Fay, showing just how much some women slowly get beaten down spiritually and emotionally over time by the influential men in their lives that, yeah, oftentimes they end up perfectly fine with the idea of becoming the villains of the story if they can achieve it. However, I think there are probably more interesting takes on Morgan’s side of the Arthurian legend floating around out there – at least, for people who are in it mainly for the fantasy.
If you enjoy historical romances and the myths of King Arthur, and would be ecstatic to find a book that combines the two, you will probably love Morgan is My Name. But if you’re looking for a fantasy story that is a bit more…well…fantastical, then you could probably afford to skip it. Truthfully, it might all depend on your mood. Give it a read and decide for yourself!
