Le Fay by Sophie Keetch

They should fear me, the power I possessed, and the bright, ravenous rage that now fuelled my every breath… Even I did not know what I was capable of.

Lady Morgan surveys her life at Camelot: she is safe, valued for her intelligence, and has the love and respect of her brother King Arthur, despite a growing conflict with Queen Guinevere. 

It’s not enough. For, between the strict rules of court, a vengeful husband determined to snatch their son away, and a jealous rival in sorcerer Merlin, Morgan desires freedom. And when a face from her past arrives, igniting old memories and new desires, the future she is planning becomes fraught with danger.

Morgan must break the shackles of expectation to seek true happiness. In doing so, she discovers dark new powers that promise control of her life is within reach. But it’s at the risk of destroying everything…

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I read and loved the first instalment in this series; Morgan is My Name.  I know I did.  I can’t, however, remember very much about it beyond that feeling of positivity.  And I’d love to say that this had no bearing upon my enjoyment of this novel, but that’s sadly not quite true.  Don’t get me wrong – Le Fay is a fantastic novel, but I did feel that I was missing some of the backstory purely from my own forgetfulness.  So, I personally recommend reading these in quick succession, although you may have a brain less like a sieve than mine which renders this less important.  With the third part of the trilogy due in April 2026, I need to make sure that I get to quickly, although I’m pretty sure I won’t forget the events in this novel in a hurry!

Le Fay picks up in Camelot where Morgan, half-sister and advisor to King Arthur, leads a life of relative luxury.  She has concerns, of course, and yet the overwhelming feeling is positive.  She has the King’s ear, no small feat for a woman in medieval England, and is largely content.  Ok – she’d like to be an official advisor to the King, and her husband is out for revenge and wants to take custody of their young son with the law, such as it was at the time, on his side.  Not many are willing to go up against King Arthur, however, and so Morgan retains custody of her son for the time being. 

I adore Morgan.  While the traditional tales paint her as a villainess, Keetch presents a fully rounded character, portraying a woman who wants her freedom and independence and one who is willing to fight for it.  This attitude goes against what’s expected of a woman at the time, and causes no small amount of trouble for Morgan, particularly as she clashes with Arthur’s Queen, Guinevere, over this desire for agency and independence when she’s expected to be meek, submissive, and chaste.  The return of a familiar face (and it was this bit of the story in particular that I couldn’t remember! 🤦‍♀️) gives her an opportunity for happiness – one that she seizes with everything that she has and that she’s willing to risk everything for. 

One element of Morgan’s narrative that I’ve enjoyed is the development of her powers, and I felt that this aspect of the story took a little while to get going in this novel.  It does come as she, under duress, agrees to train with Merlin for a year, but until then, it’s very much a case of life in court, although she does manage to spice things up a little.  When it does get going, it’s fascinating, particularly as it becomes clear that she more naturally gifted than her would-be teacher with skills he can only dream of.  I think that while the first novel showed the girl becoming a woman, this novel shows the woman coming into her own and I am here for it.

It can be notoriously difficult to pen the middle book of a trilogy, and yet I felt that this one avoided the usual pitfalls.  Morgan develops as a character, and we begin to see how she becomes an antagonist in the traditional tales, although Keetch’s narrative sees her betrayed by those she trusts before she commits any crime of her own.  That she’s sacrificed so much for Arthur and done so much to support his reign only to be betrayed just adds salt to the wound.  To say that I’m curious as to what comes next doesn’t even begin to cover it.  Le Fay is another great novel, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how Keetch brings Morgan’s narrative to a close.  Roll on April!