Ahhhhh I totally loved this. A great re-claiming of the myth for women, something I am totally loving in the retelling genre. Fans of The Wolf Den or Ariadne will eat this up like southern butter cake!

The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood is an excellent historical fiction that tells the lives of the “forgotten women” surrounding the infamous Perseus, and that by giving them a voice, we may learn more about this man than originally thought.

This is an excellent HF with Greek Mythology presented from the woman’s’ point of view. We see the classic tale of Perseus presented from the lives, experiences, and stories of three of the women that have been classically associated with him, but yet been cast aside as “secondary characters “ without so much as a glance or a voice. In this book we have the stories brought forth of Danae his mother, Medusa the misjudged, and Andromeda his wife. Each woman gets their moment, their voice, their time to stand up for themselves and have their lives be presented.

We find through these avenues, that the stories that have been forged and told to us, may not be as forthright and honest as we had previously been led to believe.

A fascinating retelling from what is becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved The Daughters of Sparta, and I loved this book as well. Well Done!

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Dutton Books/ Penguin Group for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/21/23.