Le Fay
Sophie Keetch
Le Fay is the second book in Sophie Keetch's Morgan Le Fay series. It is currently (4-Jun-2024) the final book, but after reading it, I have no doubt that a third is on the way. I will certainly read it.
If you're familiar with Arthurian legend, you know that Morgan Le Fay has traditionally been an enemy of Arthur's, the most potent of all. And of course, any enemy of Arthur's is, almost by definition, evil. At the end of Morgan Is My Name Morgan and Arthur have such a good understanding that I wondered whether Keetch's Arthur and Morgan would become enemies. The publisher's blurb reports, "Rising from the ashes of desperation, she emerges hard, crystalline and unforgiving - now she is Morgan Le Fay. And hate is in her heart..." So that would be a "Yes".
The big difference, of course, is that Le Fay is told from Morgan's first-person point of view. She doesn't see herself as evil -- she sees herself as betrayed. That's one of the big stories of Le Fay. It's a good story. And Keetch does it without herself betraying Arthur -- Arthur remains a sympathetic character, if you squint...
The second big story, hinted at in the title, is Morgan's leveling up. The name "Morgan Le Fay" has always meant Morgan the Fairy or Morgan of the Fae -- meaning that she was, in the old Arthurian legends, something more than human. The Morgan of Morgan Is My Name was entirely human -- a remarkably learned, intelligent, and able human, but still human. Now she discovers "strange but wonderful powers of her own she is still exploring" and is named "Le Fay".
The third big story is a romance. I won't tell you who it is, but if you guess, you'll probably guess right. This, to my taste was the least satisfactory story. Morgan spends a lot of time with her lover in loving bliss; indeed, it felt as if the story came to a halt to enjoy Morgan's happiness. As an old aromantic grump I found these interludes too long. As always, YMMV.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance reader copy of Le Fay.