I absolutely adored The Morrigan by Kim Curran. Just when I think I might have read enough myth retellings, The Morrigan reminds me why they can be so wonderful.

Based on Irish mythology, I particularly enjoyed the landscape, grey, rugged, yet green and bountiful.

I actually think feminist retellings are so rousing and important; dont get me wrong, the stories and characters are engaging, compelling and emotional - tears were shed. But some stories have been left in the hands of men for too long and this is just one example that asks us to consider The Morrigan from the female gaze and when we do, we are drawn into a story that shows us both the vulnerability of women through the ages, but their power too. These stories can ultimately give us power in the real world, by reminding us what we are capable of.

I will be encouraging others to pick this up and look forward to Kim Curran's next novel.

Born as one of the old favoured people, her family came to the island and settled. After fighting with the inhabitants they carved out a comfortable life but when her son is killed, she betrays her kind and they are banished. She alone stays to look after the land and its peoples. Goddess of battle, shapeshifter and woman of many names, she is remembered as The Morrigan.
This is a wonderful tale that encompasses much of the mythology of Ireland from the founding of Tara, the people of Tir Na Nog and the story of Cuchullhain. However it is also a story of the power of women and the thirst for vengeance. It's wonderfully written and engrossing.

Thank you to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for reaching out to me and providing access to this fantastic retelling from Irish Mythology.

Kim Curran is a new author to me and I loved her bold writing style and exploration into The Morrigan, a complex, multi-faceted goddess from Irish Mythology. I am a little familiar with Irish Mythology and it was refreshing to see an author bringing the stories to life on the page.

This book opens with the Tuatha De Danaan's journey back to Ireland and their battle with the Fir Bolg to reclaim the land. They are in turn defeated by the Milesians and driven underground. The Morrigan however refuses to be repressed beneath the earth with the rest of her race and goes out into the world on her own. The next part of the book features stories from the Ulster Cycle with The Morrigan meeting Queen Mebd and the great warrior, Cúchulainn.

I found this to be a beautifully written, fierce and feminist retelling that pulls no punches. The battle scenes are gruesome, gory and epic, definitely not for the squeamish. The witty dialogue adds a little humor and lightens an otherwise dark and brutal tale.

I would recommend this to fans of mythology fiction and I found it a little reminiscent of Circe by Madeline Miller. I will certainly be looking out for future books by this author.

The Morrigan is a feminist Irish mythology retelling, written from the perspective of the shape-shifting war goddess herself. I was unfamiliar with Irish mythology but who doesn't love a fierce female protagonist that defies the men around her?

"...wrote me out entirely because I didn't fit their narrative. I was too messy. A warrior and a mother? A seductress and crone? Poet and prophetess? No, no, no. Be neater. Be smaller. They reduced me to an old woman wailing for the dead. But I was so much more than that."

I was immediately blown away by the author's beautiful writing and I was highlighting left, right, and centre. This book is written with a slow, sweeping narrative as I imagine the author stitching together various mythological tales to form one comprehensive storyline. This narrative style definitely isn't for everyone but if you have enjoyed other mythological retellings (to me, it was very reminiscent of Clytemnestra) I would recommend you give this one a go!

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook (which I switched to at around 50%) - the narrator did a great job and hearing the Irish pronunciations only enhanced my reading experience.

In summary: you should pick up The Morrigan if you enjoy:
feminist mythological retellings
fierce female protagonists
stories that are dark and gritty
slow, sweeping narratives

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you so much to Penguin Michael Joseph for providing me with this wonderful ARC!
I love Irish Mythology, and the Morrigan has always been one of my favorites of the Tuatha de Danann, ever since I read the Mabinogion as a teenager. But whilst this book was good, it also did what I feared other mythological women books would do post-Circe.
First, the positives, because there certainly were some: starting with the fact that a debut author dared to thread together the notoriously messy tales of the Tuatha da Danann, and to humanize a goddess that is…far from human. This is the Morrigan we're talking about, goddess of battlefields and bloodshed, who represents some of the worst things people are capable of! But the book handled her well, making her into a character that the reader could partially connect to, and understand - even at her bloodiest of moments.
It certainly also managed to carry across the tone of the tales: which can be humorously crude, violent, and often both at the same time. It made the gods more relatable, and was full of some great characters to hate, too – especially the misogynists! Conchobar in particular, who I truly hated with a passion, and wanted to see wiped off of the face of the earth within a few pages of his arrival.
Women wronged and female vengeance was the center of this story, which was achieved mostly without tales being twisted out of shape, which is a very rare thing to find, in a story like this. It allowed the tales to be told in their more authentic form, on the most part, which was a nice change from the stories which try to bend and disfigure tales to mean things that they do not actually mean.
However, on the whole, it did still feel like the tales has been strung together haphazardly to create a story without a central thread and on a shaky premise, meaning that it felt meandering and distant - a byproduct of writing about a goddess who lived for millennia. At times, it even felt like Badb was trapped in her own narrative, that she was acting at the whims of the narrative and not necessarily shaping it, as she should. At times, it even felt like she was becoming a background character in her own story, to the likes of Mebh.
To be fair, that is an occupational hazard in handling these stories: which are all about battles, men’s egos, and the damage they create – especially in relation to women. But, on the whole, this is a brave effort of a debut and I for one am very glad that someone has been brave enough to tackle the tales of the Tuatha, amidst a deluge of stories about Greek and Roman mythology!

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the ARC.

My expectations for this book were high but nothing could’ve prepared me for how much I adored The Morrigan. Curran’s writing style here gripped me from the beginning and I found myself wanting more and more. It was poetic and expressive, fully immersing me in the story and made reading from the Morrigan’s perspective incredibly interesting.

The most interesting aspect of modern retellings to me is seeing how the author expands on our existing knowledge of a figure and fleshing them out into someone we can recognise. Curran does this excellently by showing us the Morrigan’s love, grief, anger, and empathy, making a decidedly non-human figure, incredibly human. This is only furthered by the exploration of the Morrigan’s relationships, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the dynamics evolve with her sisters, (Ériu, Fódla, and Banba), Lugh, the Dagda, Meche, and Medb.

While there isn’t a traditional story arc, the combination of tales and events from the Ulster Cycle and the Mythological Cycle allow for a clear character arc and journey for the Morrigan. I loved watching her grow and learn as a person and am looking forward to reading Curran’s future work. I would recommend to people looking for mythology retellings and enjoy poetic and evocative language.

Kim Curran’s The Morrigan is an encyclopaedic, rich retelling of Irish mythology that weaves together the stories of gods, goddesses, kings, queens and warriors. Though named for the fearsome war goddess herself, the novel expands beyond her legend, encompassing the rich tapestry of Ireland’s myths from the arrival of the Tuatha Dé Danann to the many battles for sovereignty.

Told from a first-person perspective, the narrative immerses the reader in the mind of the Morrigan, a shape-shifting, battle-hardened deity who is as terrifying as she is deeply human. Curran does an exceptional job of capturing the musicality of Ireland’s oral tradition, with writing that echoes the rhythmic, fireside storytelling of old. At first, the structure feels a little scattered, but as the novel progresses, it tightens into something masterfully woven, reflecting the tangled but deliberate nature of mythology itself.

The Morrigan as a character is deliciously dark and violent as she embodies fury and power, untethered by a single form. For me one of the novel’s standout elements is its treatment of this shape-shifting as a key aspect of the Morrigan’s identity. Her transformations feel fluid, visceral, and symbolic, as if to watch her shift is to witness something ancient, woven into the fabric of myth and magic.

If you are familiar to Irish mythology you’ll appreciate Curran’s nods to various myths. I especially loved the references to the Washer at the Ford and the banshee, subtle but powerful reminders of the Morrigan’s many faces.

Overall, The Morrigan is an enthralling read that breathes new life into Ireland’s ancient legends. While it requires some patience in the middle chapters, the payoff is a beautifully constructed, deeply immersive mythological epic. If you love Celtic lore, powerful female figures, and poetic storytelling, this is will be an enjoyable read for you.

The Morrigan is based around Irish mythology. Although I did like this book it seems more of a set of short stories rather than one story building up to an ending. I think it would’ve been good to learn more about The Morrigans origins so we know how she got her powers and why she loves war and blood so much. Although I did enjoy reading it, it felt like something was missing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting read this arc.

There have been so many Greek mythology retellings recently, it came as a nice surprise to see that this new novel by Kim Curran takes as its subject not another Greek goddess, but an Irish one. In Irish mythology, the Morrigan is known as the goddess of war and fate, a fierce, shapeshifting figure who leads warriors into battle and can foretell whether they will live or die. She is sometimes known as Badb, sometimes as Macha and sometimes as Nemain and often believed to be all three. In The Morrigan, Kim Curran sets out to tell her story.

The novel begins with the Tuatha Dé Danann, the supernatural race to which the Morrigan belongs, returning to Ireland having spent many generations ‘in the north of the world learning arts and magic’. Soon after their arrival, they defeat the Fir Bolg in battle to reclaim Ireland for themselves, only to be defeated in turn by the invading Milesians, who drive them underground. Rather than stay beneath the earth with her own people, the Morrigan goes out into the world where she discovers that even the power of a goddess is limited in a land ruled by men.

The Morrigan is beautifully written and as a debut novel, I thought it was very impressive. Having very little knowledge of Irish mythology, I found it fascinating and particularly enjoyed the first section about the Tuatha Dé Danann, where the writing style, together with the shapeshifting, magical beings and epic battles, makes it feel like a high fantasy novel. The later stages of the book are based on the Ulster Cycle – with the Morrigan crossing paths with Medb, Queen of Connacht; Conchobar, King of Ulaid; and the legendary warrior Cúchulainn – and feel slightly more grounded in reality, but less captivating for me personally. I did love the way Curran incorporates all of the Morrigan’s three parts into the novel, moving seamlessly from Badb to Macha to Nemain, showing how her personality and actions change as she takes on each persona, while at the same time retaining memories of her previous lives and experiences.

However, there was so much happening in this book that I started to feel overwhelmed. There seemed to be no real direction to the plot and it felt like a string of short stories and separate episodes rather than one cohesive narrative. I think there was easily enough material here for a trilogy, rather than trying to pack everything into a single book. Maybe readers more familiar with Irish myth and legend would have found it all easier to follow than I did, but as a newcomer it was just too much for me to process all at once.

I would still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in sampling some Irish mythology – or anyone with existing knowledge who wants to see how Kim Curran approaches the subject. It has certainly left me wanting to look into some of the stories and characters in more depth and wishing more authors would move away from Greek mythology to explore other parts of the world!

I want to be the Morrigan when I grow up.

A glorious mix of Irish folklore, a story of belonging and a tale of a woman misunderstood.

The story centred Morrigan, known as Babd, a powerful being with deadly power, in a time of men who laughed at, belittled and ultimately learned to fear her.

A tale of feminism, female centred rage and the unending wrath only a woman can experience at the hands of those who hate her, oftentimes, the men around her.

I felt every kernel of Morrigan’s anger, indignation and frustration throughout her story, and the constant theme of women rising up to be stronger, prouder and fiercer was a shining light throughout.

Personally, I loved the many references to old Irish mythology and folklore, weaving in rich stories of the world the Tuatha Dé Danaan lived in. The story was happening around you as you read, and it was both descriptive and magical to be thrust into the world of old Ireland.

The only thing I found broke my immersion a little bit was the heavy use of old Irish naming conventions, which was a struggle to remember with so many location and character names - this is nothing on the author, more on my own ability to remember them! With that being said, I’m so glad careful consideration was taken to uphold the language, and I really appreciated the detailed guide at the front of the book.

This was definitely a character centred story and so the plot happened very much around the Morrigan, and I felt it became a little slow towards the latter half of the story.

I still enjoyed and would recommend this to any mythology lovers, but this is definitely a slower story weaving in a wider message that leaves you feeling both satisfied and wanting more, feeling both hope and rage for how the Morringan’s life ended up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book, I was honoured to have received it!

The Morrigan is a fierce, feminist retelling of Irish mythology, told from the perspective of the goddess of war herself. Bold, unapologetic, and wonderfully complex, The Morrigan represents both divine power and the timeless struggles faced by women. Curran weaves ancient myth with modern themes of resilience and rage, creating a story that feels both timeless and refreshingly relevant.
Rather than following a straightforward plot, the book flows through different myths and lifetimes, focusing on the women at the heart of these tales. While the shifting timelines might feel a bit disorienting at first, they add depth to the story, making it easy to dip in and out of The Morrigan’s many forms and experiences. Each time she transforms, it’s painful—a powerful metaphor for the struggles and sacrifices women often face, even when they hold great power.
Curran’s writing is both blunt and beautiful, bringing to life scenes of battle, heartbreak, and rebirth in vivid detail. The Morrigan is gloriously angry and unflinchingly fierce, but it’s her moments of vulnerability her desire to be seen and loved that make her truly captivating. She doesn’t need to be likable to hold your attention; her raw, authentic voice is more than enough.
What makes this book stand out is how it draws parallels between The Morrigan’s divine experiences and the lives of mortal women, highlighting the universal fight for respect and agency. Even with all her power, The Morrigan often finds herself struggling against those who wrong her, pushing her to face her enemies with both strength and creativity.
If you’re a fan of Irish mythology or love stories about strong, unapologetic women, The Morrigan is definitely worth a read. It’s a beautifully written, powerful exploration of myth, rage, and resilience that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

As a genre, mythology is a pillar of fiction. Yet the market is saturated with popular stories of Greek, Asian or Arthurian legends. Some folktales have been left in the dark and Kim Curran’s latest book invites us into the rich stories of the Celtic figure, The Morrigan.

Badb, a powerful shapeshifting prophetic goddess, stands at odds with her people. The tribe have just returned to their homeland and within their homestead societal gender norms are developing. Unsatisfied with her lot, Badb plots. Her schemes culminate in grand battles with foes. The tribe recognises her prowess in war, but as she is a woman, they do not take her calls for the throne seriously. The book follows Badb’s pursuit of power and her transition into the entity known as The Morrigan, on the rich backdrop of Gaelic Ireland.

Initially I struggled to get into the book. The first arc drags as Curran sets up the world and the story. I also wrestled with Badb’s characterisation. At first it felt like feminism gone wrong. In Badb’s mind, the goal of every female should be to want more. She admonishes her sisters for ‘settling’ into classical women's roles. Thankfully Badb grows from this mindset. She develops into a figure you can empathise with and end up rooting for.

As the book is a culmination of Celtic stories written into one narrative, the book has ‘arcs’. There are several side characters that we meet. They belong in their own arcs within the story, but every character thrives on the page and is important to Badb’s development. Altogether these points may be distracting and ruin the flow to some readers. However I chose to look at it as now this arc has ended, what is Badb getting up to next? Who is she going to meet now? This motivated me to keep going.

The dialogue is punchy and filled with sass. The language is clear and easy to follow. You can very easily imagine the picture Curran is creating and you can picture the atmosphere of the scenes.

I definitely recommend this book (4/5 stars). Any fan of the mythology genre will enjoy this, especially if they are tired of reading the same stories from other popular sub-genres. Any book club that chose this book will also have a lot to discuss.

The Morrigan is a fresh story in the underutilised Celtic folklore. It is full of women's rights and their wrongs and you crave for both of them all the same. Despite a slow start, it is a well-written and empowering story about a formidable Goddess and the mortal women she inspires.

Ruler. Mother. Goddess. Warrior.

An excellent retelling of Irish mythology from the POV of the goddess of war. Beginning with the Tuatha De Danann's arrival on the shores of Ireland and concluding with the reign and battles of Queen Medb, this story is filled with female rage, strife and power.

I was drawn to this book by the cover and the frequent mentions (and theories surrounding) of The Morrigan in fae fantasy, and I wasn't disappointed. This story spans centuries and so much violence against women, but the Morrigan is a force of fury, justice, and revenge.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this eCopy to review

I recently finished reading The Morrigan by Kim Curran, and it was quite an intriguing journey.

The story begins with a tribe of gods arriving on the rocky shores of ancient Ireland. Among them is a strange, hungry, red-haired girl who can change shape from bird to beast to goddess. This girl, who dreams of battle, blood, death, and power, is none other than The Morrigan. As she grows, she learns that a woman who seeks to rule will always be in danger and that there are far more treacherous figures in this land than the gods who raised her. Her journey spans a thousand years, filled with love, pain, and rage that will be remembered for millennia.

Curran's retelling of the mythic Irish goddess of war is both fierce and captivating. The prose is lyrical and powerful, making every page crackle with energy. The Morrigan is portrayed as a complex and compelling protagonist, whose rage and power are palpable throughout the narrative. The book delves deep into themes of power, love, and the raw, unfiltered emotions that drive us.

The Morrigan is a beautifully dark and powerful tale that will resonate with fans of mythological retellings and those who appreciate strong, multifaceted female characters

Rating: 3/5, good. Book to be released 6 February 2025.

Since my teens I've been interested in paganism. In The Morrigan, Kim Curran depicts a mythical Ireland where gods and creatures roamed free in the land. Curran uses her bold writing to explore The Morrigan, goddess of war and prophecy, and her people the Tuatha Dé Danann, arriving from the liminal space to a land later called Ireland. The "second" part of the book is related to the Ulster Cycle, where the famous hero Cuchulainn and queen Medb meets The Morrigan.

The Morrigan is a ferocious, shapeshifting, warmonger, short-tempered, priestess, goddess, with long and unruled red hair, who is constantly plotting and desiring war. Her relationship with her kinsman is complicated, with some harrowing moments. With time, they follow different paths, leading her to isolate herself in Ireland. The themes explored in this book (sexual assault, war, violence, abortion, feminism) are dark and may not be for everyone. The feminist rage in this book compares well with many current feminist retellings.

Once in Ireland, The Morrigan becomes involved in several parallel stories, serving more as a background character to depict the Ulster Cycle (around 1200 CE). I honestly did not enjoy this second part as much as I did the first part. While the first half of the book, the story of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was extremely impactful and dark and fun, this second felt rushed and lackluster. Here, the feminist rage goes berserker and the banter between characters is childish. The book never recovers.

Even with these issues, The Morrigan is a fun book that perhaps would benefit from a narrower scope of story. Nonetheless, it is a powerful book (especially the first half) that opens an important door for Irish mythology retellings. I would recommend this book if you enjoy fantasy, historical fiction and feminist rage. I am grateful for receiving this advanced copy from Kim Curran and Penguin.

An Irish myth-retelling of the Tuatha Dé Dannan from The Morrigan’s perspective.

The story starts from the Tuatha Dé Dannan return journey to reclaim Ireland through the wars they wage with various other tribes, their banishment and the spread of humans.

I generally enjoy myth retelling and I think lots of people will enjoy this but, I have to say that this isn't my preferred style of retelling - I like more historical fiction/fantasy based on myths and this felt more like a straight retelling of myths (if that makes sense).

I'm not familiar with the stories of the Morrigan, I get the impression that this story pulls together a lot of tales involving her and that gives the first part, especially, the feeling of a collection of short stories. I didn't feel any real connection to anything, nor did I have much sense of the time or place. On landing on Ireland, The Morrigan seems to immediately have anger, blood and battle lust but with no reason for it - making her a difficult perspective to read from.

I have seen this described as a feminist retelling but I don't think that just because something is told from a female perspective means it’s feminist. For a lot of the story, The Morrigan is very "not like other girls" and it's quite late on that she realises she’s spent her time try to be masculine, hasn’t spent time with women and been generally unsympathetic to their lives.

So whilst it wasn't my favourite style, and was a bit too dark and brutal for me, I thought it was a well-written and powerful retelling of an overlooked mythical figure and I did enjoy learning more about the character. I'm sure it will be very popular with a lot of people

Rage, thy name is The Morrigan.

From the across the ocean to Ireland's rocky and desolate west coast, a tribe of Gods return to claim their ancestral lands.

Amongst their number is an extraordinary shapeshifting girl with red hair and a heart full of rage. Blood and battle are in her future and her name will be remembered for eons,

Ireland's Goddess of War - The Morrigan

If you enjoy mythological or folklore retellings then this sweeping, epic tale about the goddess The Morrigan will be right up your street.

I've read a lot of mythology retellings in recent years and had a good time reading this one. At the beginning there was a few things in the writing that I found overly exaggerated and made me roll by eyes a bit, and the motivations for characters doing pretty wild things was a little fuzzy. However this definitely improved as the book went on and I ended up enjoying the story. Sometimes I found the magic a little inconsistent, the power certain characters had made some plot points a little convenient but then you question why they couldn't use that same power in other circumstances within the story.

Nevertheless I had a good time reading this, it was a great book to pick up before going to sleep, just a fun time all-round. Would recommend for fans of Sophie Keetch and Lucy Holland,

Kim Curran's 'The Morrigan' is a captivating and fiercely original retelling of the Irish goddess. Curran weaves together strands of ancient Irish Myths following the Ulster Cycle and other elements of Irish folktale to create a complex and compelling protagonist. Despite the ancient setting, this woman, warrior, goddess is just as relevant to women today as she struggles with all the myriad emotions and expectations that make up womanhood. The writing is vivid and fast-paced and almost reads like a spoken word tale of old, packed with action and poignant moments.
This is a must-read for fans of strong female characters and mythological fiction.

Thanks to net galley for approving my request for an arc.

What a story, I was only vaguely familiar with the mythology of the Morrígan so this was a fascinating read. The story itself spans over hundreds of years following the life of the Morrigan through many battles, trials and loss. I found it a little hard to sink into at first but once I caught the flow, I was away for the ride. The prose is beautifully poetic and reads exactly each a myth should.

A poignant dark tale of female rage, grief and anger. I’ll definitely be getting a physical copy when it’s released.