Heartbreakingly, breathtakingly beautiful. An absolute must for fans of legendborn and Arthurian legends. Beautifully written and absolutely heart shattering from the first few pages. 

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!

★★★★+

Part of this rating is definitely due to the voice actress on this book, if this was a physical I don't think I would have finished it at all. It's a solid set up for Morgan La Fey as we know her, allows us to see us to grow and the writing is beautiful at times. Morgan's friendship and the relationship with Arthur (which we see coming down to the very end), even her lil budding romance, are some of the highlights to this book.

However, if one was looking for magic and action, this most definitely is not the book for you. So while it was not a BAD book, I genuinely don't see myself going out of my way to recommend it to anyone. I would go on to the second book (out of the hope that she and Arthur become siblings that don't play about each other) as I do adore the Alice's and Morgan's friendship. 

You know what, somehow I feel like the contents of this book could have been cut short but at the same time.... It was needed in the plot idk. Anyway the voice acting was wonderful and added to much, 10/10 would recommend. 

 I have always loved finding new Arthurian retellings, and this one really drew me in right from the start.
Not a tale of knights and quests but rather the strength of women as the undercurrent of all stories.
It definitely read like a modern lens (the unexpected LGBTQ rep was heartwarming) rather than stuck in the stodgy old "A man is destined for greatness!" track, which may ruffle some more traditional feathers but I was in love through the whole thing.

The characters are vibrant, the storyline is a touch slow at times but with enough plot twists to entertain even those familiar with every detail of the legends.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the eBook ARC!

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.