I’ve been wanting a story about Medusa for so long and I was so happy to have found this book. I think it’s an excellent story and I did enjoy it, however my biggest issue was with the voice of the story. It’s narrated by Medusa and her voice is too modern for the story and takes away from it in my opinion. I would have preferred a more “time period” sounding story, but that’s just me.

Who doesn't love a feminist re-telling of the old myths?! This book reframes the Medusa myth perfectly, showing us more to who she is than what we usually get from films and the like.

It's a lovely short read too at just over 200 pages, so easily finished in one decent reading session. Absolutely adored it.

Was sent this book on NetGalley for an honest review and I loved this book so much. Big fan of Greek mythology re telling sand I was thrilled to read the tale from Medusa’s perspective.

Her honesty with all she endured and her feelings just felt so raw and it was laid bare for the reader, you could understand and empathise with Medusa and her hardships.

Was written and laid out beautifully, amazing debut 💕
Will be adding this to my Greek mythology re telling collection.

Highly recommend!!!

Medusa has an interesting premise and an adequate execution. Rosie Hewlett's writing is concise and easy to follow, but most of the time, I didn't feel very challenged by what I was reading. I love how literature is reclaiming these stories that have been dominated by male heroes and female villains, changing it around and showing the female "villain's" side of the story, and Medusa falls under the category for sure. I look forward to reading more from this author, but I'll admit to not being terribly wowed by the writing style in Medusa. I might not be the right audience for the book, and I fully acknowledge that the issue might lie with me instead of the author/the book itself!

Medusa is a beautifully written, sombre tale about a very misunderstood Greek 'outcast'. I think the best thing go takeaway from this story it's explicit opportunity to offer insight and perspective. I would gladly recommend this book to any reader, not just those interested in the divinity of mythology.

I think short stories can often have much more impact than a longer one; medusa is very direct in what it wants to tell you, but giving the reader the freedom to explore their own interpretation.

The way in which Hewlett chooses to deliver her story further reflects and embraces the emotion and meaning of the tale; bitterness, pain and times of happiness. Although it may sound like a very powerfully written short story, it is not necessarily difficult to read and is a nice choice to pick as an 'on the go' read or between books etc.

4.5/5

I am ONE HUNDRED PERCENT here for all the mythological retellings lately - and I've been waiting for a Medusa one for soooo long.

I enjoyed this so so much! Told from Medusa's POV, speaking directly to the reader, this was a fast-paced tale of betrayal and revenge told in a beautiful and simplistic way.

Medusa tells us the horrors levied against her, the injustices she suffered and endured, and how she became the Medusa we know of today.

IT WAS SO GOOD. And I cried at work finishing it. And the cover's gorgeous. That's all. Buy this book xxx

Big big massive thanks to NetGalley, the author, and SilverWood Books Ltd for the e-ARC!

Medusa is an absolutely fantastic book by debut author Rosie Hewlett.

I have long been a fan of novels base on the Greek Myths and Medusa is a character that has often been villainized for her ability to turn men into stone but there have been few decent books about how the girl became the feared and demonised gorgon and the dreadful curse she was forced to endure through no fault of her own thanks to something as small as a simple, yet dreadful, misunderstanding. Told through Medusa's own word we get to learn about the woman behind the myth and how the curse affected every part of her life, it actually makes for a very sad tale indeed.

This is truly heartbreaking tale and Medusa is the total anti-hero of her own story. A fantastic book and a great addition to anyone's Greek Mythology library.

I was so excited for this Medusa retelling! Not only am I a huge fan, but I’ve never read a tale from her point of view!

It was really interesting to see how history will portray the story the way those in power want it to be remembered, not the way it really happened. It was really cool to experience Medusa’s backstory from her own self.

It was a good read, not too long or drawn out, and I hope to read more from this author!

This was a retelling from medusa's point of view. It is so well told that you are drawn in and next think you know you have finished the book.

"The reality is, the world will hear what it wants to hear. History will remember what it wants to remember."
This quote is very true and having a story being told by the main character perspective pushes for their story to be heard.

"I claimed earlier that beauty was my first curse, but perhaps it was actually being born a woman."
Given what happens in medusa's story you can certainly feel her pain, troubles and certainly given the various treatment you could argue that if she wasn't a woman her treatment, punishments etc would have been different.

If you like greek mythology, reading about a persons thoughts and reactions, or a strong women i really recommend this book.

I would happily have read more, and will certainly be looking out for more books by this author.

Thank you so much to Netgallery and the publishers for proving me with an ARC for an honest review.

This is a first Medusa retelling/reimagining of Medusa for me, and it was a great experience.

It is a quick read, took me about three hours to finish it. It's fast-paced, the language isn't too floral or complex to follow, so you can just breeze through it.

We read and follow Medusa's telling of her life. The author writes a feminist reimagining of the myth and it's always great to get this perspective. Medusa we learn about here is ordinary, smart, humble and even sarcastic and fun at times. It's easier to understand her and see another side of to this story; her as the victim and not just the vicious monster that all the tales portray her to be.

I feel like it would have been even better if it was a bit longer, more detailed.

If you enjoy reading Greek myth retellings, feminist reimaginings, and books that you can read in one sitting, then you'll enjoy this one.

This was a really interesting and thoughtful representation of Medusa.
Everyone knows the story of Perseus and how he removed her head of snakes, this version is told from Medusa's perspective and it highlights our belief in what we are told must be the truth.
You are introduced to Medusa as a child and see how she became a beautiful priestess to Athena. I haven't read the Greek myths since childhood and couldn't remember how she became a Gorgon in the first place. It's all explained in the storyline with a few unexpected twists and turns.
An enjoyable read and I give the book 4 stars.

An interesting take on Medusa's tale. This story showcased more of her early life before her change into Medusa. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style but it was still a really good story.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I can absolutely see why this book won the International Rubery book of the year award for 2021!

A stunning debut by Rosie Hewlett. Medusa has long been a favorite mythological figure of mine. I learned in college that the vilified version of her character had a lot of backstory, but I never really saw anyone put it out there in a feminist way until I came across this book.

A quick read, you will be totally engrossed by how Medusa was rejected by her birth family, left alone when her sole caretaker passed and then preyed upon, assaulted and punished by spiteful Gods. There is little wonder she used what small powers she had to exact revenge. The bonus side to this book is that we also get her perspective on the effects of her terror and that she doesn’t come out unscathed by her own actions.

Overall, you don’t have to be a scholar of Greek mythology, this is well researched and you can just enjoy being inside the head of one of the most feared monsters in all of creation. You may even find that you like her!

Thank you to @netgalley and @silverwoodbooks for this gifted review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this copy.

There are no words for how much I loved this!

I'm always a sucker for Greek Mythology, but this surpassed my expectations. Medusa has finally received the story she deserves.

I've also read Ariadne this year, which gave me similar vibes - in how women were always held responsible for men's mistakes in Greek myths: Medusa was not a bad person. She was not a monster. She was simply a girl who was the victim of an assault, and she was the one punished for it. The real monsters here are men and Athena.

I thoroughly enjoyed finally reading Medusa's story from a woman's perspective (her own), rather than a man's, and I hope Rosie Hewlett treats us to some more retellings soon!

I did really love this book, it was definitely the retelling that Medusa needed and deserved but there was something about the way the book was written that was slightly unappealing to me. The content, however, was phenomenal.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lets start with the structure of this story, which I love. Medusa is a first person retelling of the story of Medusa (duh), but instead of a classic novel format, it's written as a collection of poems! I loved this and thought it was especially clever given that so much classic Greek literature is delivered as epic poetry. We stan playing with form here at TimetoFangirl.

So I loved the structure, what about the content? Ehh, not so much.

The story we're presented feels very immature, which you wouldn't expect coming from an eons old narrator. I understand this is a YA work, but even the depth of the story was very immature, making the tale seem simplified compared to the source myths.

A truly unique and fascinating take on the well-known (or not?) story of Medusa. This book is narrated like a memoir and details the events of how a quiet young woman became the most feared monster of her time, ultimately leading to her death at the hands of Perseus.
Medusa is a fantastic main character, the writing style is quirky but lends itself beautifully to the story. I always loved Medusa and this wonderful book reminded me why.

Medusa is an interesting take on the Medusa tale. It's a first person account of her life. I enjoyed the book.

Medusa is a retelling of Medusa's full story from her origin and to her death. I've seen Medusa as a character before in the Percy Jackson series, but it's interesting to see her story taken in a different approach. Kind of like reading Grendel after Beowulf.

This story follows her mythological past more than Rick Riordan's more modernized approach. However, the story is uniquely told like Medusa is talking to us through the Underworld in 2021, trying to set her record straight.

I enjoyed the fact this book touches on a very difficult subject that is still debated on to this day. Even though this problem has been around for thousands of years, some people can't get the memo. I don't want to spoil it, so if you know her origin, you know. It's an important subject that I haven't seen discussed in books often, so I appreciate it.

I think books talking through difficult topics are good to bring that discussion to people.

I will admit that the book kept reminding me of a Tumblr discussion I saw on Pinterest recently. It also discussed Medusa's story, but it took a different spin on how Athena's part in her story could be interpreted. So, when seeing Athena so different in this book, I kept being reminded of the opposite.

The only thing that really stuck out to me was that sometimes the tone felt off. I feel like after a couple of more editing rounds, it would be all smooth. It would just jar me for a second before I'd continue reading.

Overall, this book is a quick read that discusses difficult, old topics in an enjoyable, modern way.

I devoured this book in 2 days.

This retelling of Medusa makes Medusa the narrator of her own story and Rosie Hewlett has given her a powerful and compelling voice. Of course we all know what happens in the end but I found myself wishing that it could be different for Medusa and she could dodge the inevitable. Of course she couldn't but the ending is actually hugely satisfying and somehow gives a peaceful conclusion to Medusa's turbulent life.

Super brilliant writing. Absolutely in my top 5 books so far this year. Well done Rosie Hewlett for penning a great read.