Plot Synopsis

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.

Book Review

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the e-ARC.

I’m calling it, this is the year of King Arthur. This is the third Arthurian legend book I’ve read this year and daresay my favorite.

I loved Morgan as the strong willed daughter of Cornwall whose tiny defiances shaped her into the woman who would become the myth. I loved her strong relationships with her family and with Alys. This book really explores what it was like to have no or little agency in the games of men. Morgan continually uses what little power she has to carve out a life for herself where she can learn and heal. There is such a quiet strength in learning how to use the power you have to effect change.

I kind of hope there are more novels by Sophie Keetch exploring Morgan, the person she was and the myth she became, but I’m also happy where this book ended.