(1) YA This spirited, intelligent mashup of Arthuriana puts Morgan Le Fay -- now Ancient Crone, cheerfully saggy-bosomed and thin-haired -- and her granddaughter, Young Hag, at the center of a fresh new story. At her ceremonial naming with her mother and grandmother, Young Hag learns from Ancient Crone that the ways between Faerie and the human world have been severed and that it is their task to return the broken sword Excalibur to Avalon to mend that rupture. As they traverse the wild countryside, Young Hag learns through Taliesin the bard and Ancient Crone just how King Arthur, Merlin, magic, and the land ended up in this predicament. When Ancient Crone disappears and Young Hag's recently met traveling companion, Tom, is magically ensnared, Young Hag is on her own, piecing together stories, "fragments, questions, faces, threads all gathering, and me at the heart" -- to bring all to a new beginning. Greenberg's drawing style is comic but has a skillfully naive, seemingly unpracticed quality that enhances the protagonist's poignant, youthful courage. Epic tragedy and grave betrayals are conveyed with a light touch, while Young Hag's arduous personal growth and development have a heartwarming gravitas. "It takes a whole life to come of age," says Ancient Crone -- robust words of wisdom for any reader. Greenberg's play with her sources -- medieval Arthuriana, Edmund Spenser's Britomart (here wonderfully queer and pink-haired), Christina Rosetti's "Goblin Market" -- has satisfying imaginative and critical depth.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(4) YA After being accused of practicing witchcraft on four girls at Ainsworth School and of poisoning her friends, Katy (Legacy) is now ostracized and alone. She must clear her name by stopping a mysterious woman, Morgan le Fay, from bringing the Darkness back. Weaving Arthurian legend into this entry adds a new twist, but the writing remains flat, as does Katy's romantic relationship.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) YA Contemporary teen Lizzy Mortimer and her grandmother Bizzy, descendants of Morgan le Faye, have the ability to see death-specters of their loved ones. The tale's weaving in of Arthurian mythos is well done. Other plot twists seem superfluous, as does the book's framing device (the story is Lizzy's letter to her English teacher explaining why she should pass the class).

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(2) YA Spanning the years of her youth and ending with her decision to bring her brother to ruin, this novel examines the events that cause Morgan to embark on a path of death and darkness. Introspective, yet threaded with intrigue and adventure, this compelling study of the legendary villainess explores the ways that love, hate, jealousy, and the desire for power shape one young woman's fate and affect the destiny of others.

Reviewer: Anne St. John | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2001