I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Morgan is My Name by Sophie Keetch. Thank you to Magpie Books and OneWorld Publications for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
An atmospheric, feminist retelling of the early life of famed villainess Morgan le Fay, set against the colourful chivalric backdrop of Arthurian legend.
When King Uther Pendragon murders her father and tricks her mother into marriage, Morgan refuses to be crushed. Trapped amid the machinations of men in a world of isolated castles and gossiping courts, she discovers secret powers. Vengeful and brilliant, it’s not long before Morgan becomes a worthy adversary to Merlin, influential sorcerer to the king. But fighting for her freedom, she risks losing everything – her reputation, her loved ones and her life.
Publication Date: 15th June
TW: death, murder, rape, miscarriage, domestic abuse, physical abuse, gaslighting, blood
My Thoughts:
Morgan is My Name is a fantastic retelling, building an enthralling and rich story.
This was an unexpected treasure for me. I love a good feminist retelling steeped in myth and legend and this gave me that and so much more. The story of Morgan le Fay is one that I am only familiar with through other adaptations and retellings, so I was excited to see Keetch’s take on it. This was a deeply layered story, digging into politics, familial relationships and power dynamics. It is an incredible blend of gritty political realities of kingdoms and their nobility, with bloodshed and patriarchal power, and fantastical elements that deeply intrigued me. I am so excited to see how Keetch builds on both of these for the following parts.
The pacing of this story is incredible and I love how it simmers with feminine rage. Watching Morgan’s awakening and her wisdom as she moves from tiny rebellions to larger power plays is fantastic. Her narrative voice is arresting and complex, three-dimensional and all too flawed and human. Keetch’s prose is so clean and engaging, full of detail and sensory immersion. This beauty is contrasted by the very keen sense of danger Morgan is constantly facing. As an educated and powerful woman in a male dominated world, she is always having to fight. The looming menace of Merlin in this story and other smaller elements promise to re-emerge in the future, with some very interesting set-ups. Keetch weaves the familiar elements we all know and twists them in unexpected and surprising ways. This is a truly special book that I absolutely loved. In terms of the future, just know I am incredibly eager to read the next part immediately!
Morgan is My Name is a spark that catches fire and I cannot wait to see what inferno Keetch builds.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds. Thank you to Headline for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Heartbroken by a recent split, with her 30th birthday looming, she loses her job and her home in the same morning because of two swaggering, dishonest men – the boss who sexually harassed her and the flatmate sleeping with her behind his fiancee’s back. But all Em can think about is catching a flight to attend her sister’s wedding and see her dying mother.
With a record-breaking heatwave, and a serial killer making the streets unsafe, London is completely gridlocked. Em’s life has always been full of men getting their own way, and today the scorched city teems with them standing between her and home. As Em’s troubled past returns to haunt her, she refuses to let them win. Her defiance leads to shocking consequences that soon spiral wildly out of control.
In a world where men don’t listen, and girls have no voice, one woman can change everything. Today, no one will be staying silent.
Publication Date: 22nd June
TW: death, murder, violence, serial killer, sexual abuse, harassment, sexual assault, rape, physical abuse
My Thoughts:
Good Girls Die Last was a sweltering, blistering and bombastic thriller that delves into rape culture and sexual harassment.
The pacing in this book is so, so strong. Simmonds has captured a storm in a bottle. It is intense, with a literal clock to race against. I sped through this in one sizzling sitting. The decision to set this in the middle of a heatwave adds such a blistering atmosphere of claustrophobia and paranoia. Everything just feels so close and with an undercurrent of violence threatening to burst at any given moment. This is such a well-plotted story, with lots of fantastic twists and turns. Simmonds also cleverly weaves in this meta narrative with the use of social media as almost a secondary voice, as well as newspaper clippings and other timelines fracturing into the present moment. All of this helps to build the believability but also grow that consummate sense of danger, as you are all too aware of the serial killer lurking but also the thousands of smaller fractures incurred on a daily basis and the various other predators wandering the streets.
This is a difficult book to read at times with visceral scenes of sexual harassment and violence. It brilliantly explores the media focus on a singular monster, rather than the multitude of incidents unreported everyday. Simmonds really digs into that underbelly of female rage in a world determined to harm and oppress. It insidiously builds and builds to a point where you either crack or transform in this world. I am currently loving the explosion of media around female rage and rape culture, with this latest offering cementing itself as a firm favourite for me.
Good Girls Die Last will be one of the most talked-about thrillers of the summer and deservedly so!
Finally, I’d like to delve into Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding. Thank you to Baskerville and John Murray Press for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
All of us knew him. One of us killed him…
Seven women stand in shock in a seedy hotel room; a man’s severed head sits in the centre of the floor. Each of the women – the wife, the teenager, the ex, the journalist, the colleague, the friend, and the woman who raised him – has a very good reason to have done it, yet each swears she did not. In order to protect each other, they must figure out who is responsible, all while staying one step ahead of the police.
Against the ticking clock of a murder investigation, each woman’s secret is brought to light as the connections between them converge to reveal a killer.
Publication Date: 22nd June
TW: death, murder, rape, graphic violence, domestic abuse, gaslighting, emotional abuse, manipulation, sexual abuse, sexual assault, suicide, transphobia, assault
My Thoughts:
Speak of the Devil was an intense and extremely compelling read.
I loved this intense and character driven thriller, as each connection was slowly revealed and the truth began to emerge. Wilding has a masterful grasp of all these interweaving narratives and characters. I was quickly pulled into this fast-moving stream of suspects and secrets, with tension you could not cut with a knife.It fractures the whole subgenre of media recently that has been nicknamed the ‘good for her’ genre, dealing with revenge narratives against abysmal, misogynistic and often violent men. This is a heavy read at times for dealing with this subject, particularly around sexual assault, abuse and violence. It narrows into that insidious manipulation of gaslighting and emotional manipulation, making characters doubt their perceptions of everything. I felt the pit in my stomach widen with every new revelation of evil actions. This is a book that devastates every character in its path, shaking their lives to their core and exposing every insecurity.
All of this makes for such a fascinating mystery. Every single character has a deeply believable motive and inciting incident that you keep flitting between people. Wilding exacerbates this through the use of multiple timelines and narratives, giving you an intimate look into everyone’s lives and moments leading up to this encounter. This book works so well because you become deeply invested in these flawed, fractured and three-dimensional women. They are the beating heart of this book and they are relatable in so many ways. Many of us will ache in our memories of moments just like theirs. Yet at the same time, these are the same women that are your suspect pool. Every moment becomes charged with suspicion and laced with tension, making for compulsive reading.
Speak of the Devil is a book you will struggle to get out of your head, with exceptional characters and a plot that is thrilling, twisty and tenacious.
A Short Book Lover 
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