I’ve been on a Greek mythology kick lately, so naturally I picked this one up. This is the third book about Medusa that I’ve read this year and I really enjoyed it. I liked how the story centered on her sisters instead of directly on her. The chaos of the family and their feelings was very unique. All in all, I would recommend this to someone who enjoys Greek mythology.

A beautiful and heartbreaking depiction of sisterhood - the gamut of emotions and experiences and choices. The stories are familiar, but the feelings were real. I found myself and my own sister reflected in these women and their relationships, the love and joy and frustration and anger, and the strange dichotomy of connection and loneliness. To be fair, I have been LOVING how many Greek/Roman retellings have been coming out recently, and it feels like they've all been amazing, but I was particularly happy with this one.

Violence: High
Sex: High

Whew, how did I forget how brutal Greek myths (and their retellings) can be? This is a heartbreaking yet also heartwarming story, and I fell in love with these characters. The relationships between Stheno, Eurayle, and Medusa felt as realistic and honest as any story of sisterhood, and I appreciated the dynamics that existed between each of them as well as their views of themselves. I did find the book to be a bit overwritten at times—which made it feel LONG—but I learned a lot, and I loved the construction, with Bear giving us first person POV with Stheno and third person with Eurayle's chapters. This one is not for the faint of heart, but lovers of mythology will really enjoy this one.

Medusa's Sisters by Lauren J.A.Bear is another wonderful tale inspired by Greek mythology. I did not want to like this book when I started it, but by the end I am an emotional puddle. Beautifully written. Great perspectives throughout the book. This book was heartbreaking but addictive. I LOVED this book!

Medusa's Sisters is a stunning story that highlights some fascinating figures that I don't often see in many modern day retellings. Most everyone knows at least something about Medusa and her gaze and popular imagery of snakes for hair, but who spends much time considering Medusa's family–and, in particular, her and her sisters?

Medusa actually has a number of siblings, but in Medusa's Sisters we mainly follow Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, the three Gorgons born from Phorcys and Ceto. Upon birth, these three are thrust into the harsh world of the gods where they often struggle to find their place or even demand any respect they feel they deserve, especially since they are considered rather unremarkable to look at since they have no odd traits or qualities. I thought Medusa's Sisters did an excellent job of portraying the cutthroat world and nature of the gods, from the Titans to the Olympians and everything in between, as well as their general perception and treatment of humans.

I absolutely loved this book and finished it in just a couple days (which is actually quite the feat given all the reading slumps I've been battling lately!). I've read a lot of Greek myth retellings and also just a lot of myth stories in general (although surprisingly, for studying Classics for both my BA and MA, I didn't spend as much time directly reading myth stories as one might think... but they are still very important!) and this is definitely one of the highlights in the Greek myth retelling genre. Bear has an eloquent prose that feels both accessible and timeless in how she narrates the actions and lives of these three sisters. And as previously mentioned, I feel like Bear really did tremendous work in capturing the way the gods interact and the sort of callous nature that exists within a world a of immortal beings with various abilities. Her writing completely transported me to the Greek world and subsequently transcended my expectations of this book.

Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa were all wonderfully complex and I found myself captivated by their stories. The story is told from Stheno and Euryale's POVs, Stheno's in first person and Euryale's in third. I enjoyed the different narrative choice for each character because it helped to not only easily differentiate them, but also provided different perspectives to better understand the world and characters within it. I felt like this alternating perspective also worked well with the pacing and helped maintain this book's steady pacing. It's a slightly slower paced story that is very much focused on characters, but not too slow to where it was boring; it never felt dry or dragged on, and I found myself captivated by each page.

I will certainly be keeping my eye out for any future books from Lauren J.A. Bear, as I cannot wait to see what else she can do. If you are at all interested in Greek myth or simply an excellently told tale full of drama, family, tragedy, finding oneself, and so much more, then you should definitely pick up a copy of Medusa's Sisters.

Disclaimer : I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

DNF @ 26%

Content Warning: sexual assault, misogyny, parental neglect, murder, other things that happen in mythology that are generally bad

I really have to stop reading Greek/Roman mythology reimaginings (because they sure as hell aren't retellings). As someone who has a minor in Classical Studies, they always make me so angry because they usually miss the point of the story or fill in details that were never there to begin with to make it make more sense.

Also, for a myth that's about sexual assault and the taking away of someone's power, I found it ironic that Medusa didn't have a perspective in this story at all. I even read all the chapter headings to see if that changed later on and it didn't. I am all for taking back power and reclaiming myths and figures for survivors, as a survivor myself, but it is frustrating to see it still be a story from someone else's perspective and narrative.

Anyway, I'm not the target audience for Greek/Roman mythology reimaginings because I have too intimate of knowledge with the texts to see them in the light of today's world.

I'm delighted by the sudden growth of this particular genre, as I can't get enough of these novels based on ancient myths and gods/goddesses. Medusa's Sister is engrossing, thrilling, and educational without being overbearing. I can't wait to see what's next for this author.

I've always been interested in Medusa's story, but I really didn't know much about Stheno, and Euryale and found them to be interesting, imperfect characters with difficult and incredible stories of their own.

I liked this story but for some reason I did not love it.
It's told in alternating views from Medusa's sisters Stheno and Euryale. It's mostly a sisterly bond story but it tells of the horrible abuse that all three sisters endured.
It does drag slowly in some parts of the telling so I wanted to read it but kinda was slow making myself.
At the end I did love all three sisters and felt some sorrow from their story.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

I relatively recently read the Medusa retelling Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes, so I was intrigued as soon as I discovered Medusa’s Sisters. Regrettably, I still haven’t gotten around to reading the major source material for Greek mythology, so I can’t speak to how this novel handles those narratives.

What I can say is that Medusa’s Sisters is a refreshing retelling that centers the relationship between sisters in Ancient Greece. Although Stheno and Euryale are immortal, and Medusa is their kin, they are uniquely curious about mortals and their lives. They develop messy romantic and platonic relationships, party with other youth, and gradually learn about religion, government, warfare, and more—just like mortals. Yet there remains a distance between them and the mortals they emulate, even while the three are just as trapped in Olympian rivalries.

I related the most to Stheno. I am not an oldest daughter, but I found familiarity in her stoicism, her service toward others, her confusion about her own desires. Though Euryale frequently irritated me, she was no less sympathetic. This story does not shy from depicting both the sisters’ flaws and their strengths. Similarly, the story does not hide the brutality of the world the sisters inhabit; a core theme is control and domination, and several women and minor goddesses attest to the prevalence of sexual assault.

Medusa’s Sisters spans many smaller, interwoven tales and elements of Greek mythology, including Perseus’ “heroism”, Orion’s constellation, and Semele’s rebirth on Olympus. At times, I had trouble holding onto each narrative without losing track of others. The pacing felt slightly off-kilter, though that is to be expected when trying to condense the equivalent of multiple lifetimes into a reasonably long book.

Pub date: 8/8/23
Genre: mythological retelling
Quick summary: This is the story of Stheno and Euryale, the immortal sisters of mortal Medusa, how they loved her, and the tragedies that separated them.

This is the third retelling of the Medusa myth I've read this year - it's clearly a trend! Good news - Lauren J.A. Bear managed to find something new to the story. I loved getting to know Stheno and Euryale, seeing them struggle with being lesser immortals and attempting to protect their beloved mortal sister. The narrative emphasized their lives pre-transformation and isolation, including the abuse each of them suffered. It was hard to read about the abuse leading to their fall, but I appreciated the chance to see the sisters' full story.

I enjoyed both audio and text, but I would pick the text unless you can listen to the audio without distraction. There are two voices for Euryale and Stheno, but I still found myself getting confused on audio with the constant perspective shifts and the unfamiliar secondary character names.

If you are interested in Medusa, I'd recommend this book and STONE BLIND! I think the two stories take complementary approaches to the myth, and both are excellent.

Thank you to Berkley and @letstalkbookspromo for providing an e-ARC and @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Medusa’s Sister by Lauren J A Bear is one of the most beautifully written mythological retellings I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

Told from the perspectives of her older sister, Euryale and Stheno, the book follows the three sisters from birth to their transformation into the Gorgons to after the demise of Medusa. The story is woven through with beautifully written prose and I felt the full gamut of emotions - joy, despair and even anger. The world was not kind to these sisters and it’s heartbreaking to read how much they suffered.

That said, the research that went into this novel is top notch. The attention to detail was amazing. The world is written in lush detail and I found that I could not put it down. The author is a master of pacing and the book just flows.

This book is the perfect feminist retelling of a little talked about figure from Greek Mythology. I find myself with a new appreciation for Medusa and her sisters and I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Short synopsis: The life the Greek myth Medua, but from the perspective of her sisters Stheno and Euryale who were triplets with her.

My thoughts: I’m going to start by saying I almost gave up on this at 10%, there were so many characters and I was so confused as to what was happening. I decided to give myself until 20%, then I was hooked.

I know these are myths, but I had no idea of the torment and abuse Medusa went through (nor that she was a triplet and why the three of them were cursed). I always thought of her as the “bad guy” which is what Athena wanted in the story.

As someone who was once vaguely interested in mythology (like 9th grade) some of the stories I remembered and others I didn’t. The author did a fairly good job at explaining things so I mostly understood.

This is so much more than a retold Greek Myth. This is the story of family, and love between sisters at all costs. A story of power, and how women are demoralized and taken advantage of.

Read if you love:
- Greek mythology
- Women empowering women
- Bonds between sisters
- Fighting for what you love
- Gods, goddesses, and monsters

Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale were unique among immortals before they were transformed into Gorgons. Medusa and her sisters were curious about humanity and searched for a place to belong among them. Unfortunately, it put them at the center of a dangerous rivalry. Too late, they realize that a god's love is a violent one.

People remember Medusa due to Perseus' quest to bring her head back to save his mother. People often forget that she had two sisters, and she was the most mortal of the three. Stheno and Euryale take center stage here, showing how all three sisters lived and influenced each other over centuries. For those who aren't knowledgeable about Greek mythology, Stheno gives the tale of their family and birth. The Gorgons were all born human-looking instead of monstrous as their siblings and essentially raised themselves. Fascination with humans and Euryale's intention to get Poseidon's attention brings them to Thebes and then Athens, interacting with humans and gods alike. This brings the sisters joy, friendship, misery, and grief.

Mythology has changed over time, and this is acknowledged at the end of the novel. I liked seeing how the variations were woven into the novel, as well as the reason why the sisters were cursed to be Gorgons. It's heartbreaking and potentially triggering for Medusa to be abused in such a way, with more description than other mortals were. The Olympians rarely answer for any of the crimes they commit against mortals or the Titans. It's a world where 'might makes right', after all, so Stheno and Euryale get revenge in the only ways that they know how. It doesn't thrust them into the limelight by any means, and it's also incredibly sad for me to see how it all comes together in the end. Many of the monstrous creatures are not treated well in mythology or by the beautiful Olympians, and this book forces us to see them as creatures with feelings, emotions, and loves all their own. I liked seeing this side of myths, in a manner I hadn't ever thought of before.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of Medusa's Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear. In exchange for an honest review.

Medusa's Sisters is a captivating reimagining of the classic Medusa myth, breathing new life into the often-overlooked sisters behind the tale. Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale, curious and unique among immortals, venture into the human world in search of belonging, only to be ensnared in the tumultuous web of Olympian rivalry and the harsh realities of divine affection. This novel gives voice to the forgotten Gorgon sisters, shedding light on their journey from obscurity to the edges of the pantheon. While history has often painted them as mere monsters, Bear unveils the humanity beneath their scales, crafting a narrative that explores the intricate balance between sisterhood and individuality, myth and truth. "Medusa's Sisters" is a poignant and enchanting tale that offers a fresh perspective on the complexities of love, identity, and the power of untold stories.

It wasn't until recent years did I find out that Medusa had sisters. In many retellings they were never mentioned or if they were they were background characters to Medusa. However in Medusa's Sisters by Lauren J. A. Bear both Stheno and Euryale take front stage. We follow the story from the beginning of their lives to when they are cursed and the aftermath of it all. Never have I ever wanted to change the ending of a book so badly as I did this one. I say I want to change it, not because it was bad by any means but, because I was heart broken for them all. As many people know the story of Medusa it was refreshing to see it in the eyes of her sisters even if it was very painful to read. As an older sister I related heavily with Stheno and how she felt protective over her siblings. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

I shed so many tears reading this beautiful book and any other book written by this author I am for sure going to pick up. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Pick this book up if you like
-Greek mythology
-Sister hood bonds
-Realistic family dynamics
-Tragic tales

Trigger warnings for: Sexual Assault

I LOVE a retelling and one that centers around the famous story of Medusa is always an automatic yes from me. This book was so interesting, thoughtfully written, and engaging throughout. It is not to say the characters weren't flawed, because they were but this book allowed the reader to see the more human side of The Gorgons and how they came to be the feared creatures we all know and love. I loved reading about each sister, their relationships with each other, and how stories could be skewed to paint women (especially these three) in a negative light. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

We all know the story of Medusa, but did you know she had sisters? She was one of triplets and they all had a hard and tragic life, but nothing as tragic as Medusa's own ending. In this book you will see how the triplets came to this world, how they were raised, how they lived and what they all dreamed of. You come to understand a little more of the heartache that Medusa had along with the heartache that her death left the world with.

I do love good mythology and this author did not disappoint me at all. I enjoyed all the background on the parents of Medusa and her sisters as well as the history of all the pantheons. The story/plot was well developed, and the pace was well done. I already knew a lot about Medusa, but seeing how her sisters merged into her story and at the same time having a story of their own added in was great. I loved the different POVs from Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. I loved getting to hear their story about what happened and how they handled the world that they were in.

I thought the sisters each had their own personalities and they all felt real to me, and at times I was able to connect with them. I thought having Medusa’s sisters explain what happened between Athena and Poseidon was done so well that I felt that I was there with them witnessing the heartache that they all felt and the betrayal that Euryale felt from Poseidon. My heart went out to Euryale for that moment and afterwards I thought she was so strong to handle the death of her sister to have to find out what she wanted the most in life and going to get it. I loved that Stheno was the caretaker of the group and watching her go through her own grief after being turned was sad but seeing how she pulled herself out of it to take care of her sisters was beautiful.

I want to say more than I really do, but if I was, I would spoil the book and if you love mythology books you really need to read this one. This book will show you love, beauty, heartache, sacrifice and above all a sisterly bond.

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to review this book.

We all know the story of Medusa and her tragic ending. But what do we know of her life? This story gives us a glimpse of that through the eyes of her sisters as they leave their watery home and explore the world of humans, first in Thebes and then Athens. We also get a glimpse of her foe Perseus and how he came to be challenged to face Medusa.

This one reminded me of Natalie Haynes or Jennifer Saint in tone and structure. It has all the tragedy you expect with a mythology story but also offers the feminist spin of women trying to find their own way and not be dictated by a man. Part of the novel reminded me of The Wolf Den. It starts off a little heavy on world building brain dump of every epic Greek god and immortal that you can think of and how they relate to Medusa, it's a bit dense, but press through that and there is a great story beyond.

Thanks to Berkley and Ace for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Wow. This story was one for the women.

For most of this book, I did not like Euryale. She came across as selfish, angry, hateful, spiteful, and just plain awful. Of course things change but she was not a character I liked till the end.

Stheno was the protector and caregiver. And ultimately alone. Her character broke my heart over and over again. The way the story starts make you believe she is blood thirsty and evil, but wait till the story unfolds.

Medusa. A mythology legend that was done wrong. Athena and Poseidon both did her dirty. You want justice but nothing ever comes for the gods and goddesses.

Mythology is intriguing but the gods and goddesses were awful beings. The stories about them always have their harshest judgments, their selfish ways, how they take what they want regardless of the consequences, how they punish you for any slight seen against them. Interesting doesn’t make them worthy. However this book told the tale in a unique way and gave the gorgons a voice finally.