Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. Michael writes a retelling of the classic story about Medousa. But in this story, it takes a different point of view; Medousa's pov to be exact. We get to see how the Spartans murder her family and she is sold as a slave. Later in the story she is driven mad by all of the pain and suffering she is put through. "In the end it is the Titans, not the Gods, who give her the care and love she longs for, but will she ever find the healing she so deeply desires?"

This is an intriguing look into the original story and is well written. Some parts were a little slow. Some trigger warnings: sexual assault, death, abuse.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

This was a great story. I loved getting insight on Medousa and hearing her tale. Unfortunately, it was quite tedious at times. I feel like many parts could’ve been shortened or glossed over and been just as meaningful/effective.

First of all, hank you for the Arc Netgalley.
I love a good greek mythology retelling. Medousa's story - just like many other women's of that time - is disturbing and there's a lot to learn from it.
The story captivated me, though some parts were dragging and i wish editing would have spotted that
Overall, fans of mythology retellings will not be disappointed.

Medusa is one of the known monsters in Greek mythology. This novel attempts to take a different look at the famous monster. This novel tells of a redemption story and a misunderstood character. I recommend this for fans of Circe!

I love retellings from Greek Mythology. This book could have been a lot shorter and still been a lovely read. The story was almost disturbing in parts. It was still an interesting and very human take on Medusa.

A very interesting take on a very well known story. I liked many pieces but unfortunately this story was dragging on and on for me.

I think a more modern cover design would help with future book sales. I noticed this book has a different cover on Goodreads, and it also doesn’t really speak to me. Perhaps a fan art contest would produce a visually stunning cover in exchange for a small commission. As it stands, this would not call to me in the way that Circe and Ariadne do.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I'm very divided on this book... I definitely enjoyed the mythological aspect, and overall thought this was a well thought out story. However, there were several scenes that I felt lent nothing to the story and could have been left out, and I also had a hard time stomaching the constant victim blaming. I know part of the point was to highlight how rape has been handled then and even now but it was difficult at times to get through because of that.

I have always been fascinated by the tale of Medusa. I even wrote a short story with her as one of the main antagonists. So, when I came across this book, I couldn't wait to read it. I'm glad I wasn't disappointed.

First, this book is long. So long in fact that I found myself wanting to just skim everything to get to the end. Except, I already knew the ending so why the rush? It made me realize that this novel is not for those who are impatient, and yes, there could be some sections that could be left out, but at the same time I really found myself enjoying how Medusa was brought up and what she learned as she grew into a young and beautiful woman. What made this novel even more interesting was the fact that just like Homer and The Iliad, the gods are present in all their selfish and omnipotent glory. By the end I really hated Athena. Hated a few of the other gods and goddesses too.

Anyway, if you have always been a fan of Greek mythology, then I highly recommend this novel. And, thanks to Netgalley for the read.

Great and Amazing Tale...................
Medousa by Michael F. Butchin is indeed an amazing tale of Medousa, a Gorgon. The author while narrating the story has portrayed a world where women are considered low in comparison to men. We have always read Greek Historical Fiction stories from a Hero's point of view. But, this book narrates the story from Medousa's point of view.

I loved the plot and there are some astonishing facts and anachronisms. But, they make the story more and more interesting. Medousa is not only a Greek Tale but an account of women of valor and strength. I would surely give the book 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

I love Mythology and I was very intrigued by Medusa's back story. This was a fantastic book, though possibly a little bit long . I would still recommend
Thank you for this eARC

I love Greek mythology and I always get excited to read something based on it. This book was a really well done read, the characters were great and I loved this take on Medousa.

I really enjoyed reading this 600+ pages book all the way through to the end!
It was really interesting to read and think of what could’ve made Medusa the way we think of her to be.

This story actually made me love Medousa and feel compassion for her. She is such a strong strong resilient character and overcomes so much it’s unbelievable.

TW: Rape, sexual assault, physical abuse, murder, gore

I only wish it had been told in first person POV, since it’s supposed to be from Medousa’s POV. However, having it written in third person POV really helped to see everyone’s side in this story.

As someone who has also written a newish take on the legend of Medusa, I was eager to read this book. But it sorely needs editing--it's overlong, the dialogue is an awkward mix of the colloquial and the "elevated," and there's just a ton of stuff that takes away from the narrative rather than adding to it.

I love mythology, folklore etc and so this book was a m-ust for me and it was such a fresh and refreshing read. I loved that it didnt just recycle the old myths again by retelling them but, however, retold them in a fresh way by telling the reader about Medusas life and how she got where she was, like most people in this wprld she was a victim of circumstance and injustice and was villified for that and this retelling explains her plight perfectly. I also loved the other aspects of Greek Mythology told in this book such as Troy again told with a fresh view. I loved it

I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had to DNF this one, I just could not get into the story at all.

>I love Greek Mythology but this was a snail pace telling of the story.
> The dialogue in this was very high school/ secondary school and it just didn't work for the story. I know at the beginning the children are young but they do grow by the dialogue doesn't.
> This is a 700-page book that could probably have been half of it. Not to lie to you guys but it just dragged. Maybe the ending got better but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.

I'm sure this book would be great for some historically buff or lover of Greek Mythology who doesn't mind a slower-paced book but it just wasn't for me.

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

Actual Rating = 2.5

DNF at 25%, so my rating is for the first quarter of the book, it's absolutely possible it gets better.

This book wasn't bad and I'm a huge fan of Medusa stories in general, so there's that.

My biggest issue with this text is that it was sssssssllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. It's a pretty chunky book - almost 700 pages - and could've easily been half that. The dialogue was also super unrealistic and honestly cheesy in parts.

This is also personal preference but I don't understand why the author included characters from the Iliad. Like, I'm pretty sure those myths take place a long time apart and I didn't think the inclusion of those characters really added anything to the story.

DNF at 26%. The tone was inconsistent and I struggled to connect to the characters. Reading it felt a lot like a chore, and not enjoyable, so I stopped reading at roughly page 166

I really enjoyed this re-telling of Medusa's story. I particularly enjoyed how it twisted the readers perspective on what we thought we knew about the Greek Gods and important heroes. My favorite part was that it gave life to what continues to happen to women after they have been raped/sexually assaulted. I love that in the end Medusa does not waver from her truth. My only issues are the pacing was too slow at the first half of the book, the writing of the dialogue felt awkward/forced, and that I think Medusa's relationship with Cynisca was very toxic and she deserved someone better for her in the end.

Rating: 4.2/5
I received this eARC from Netgalley and BooksGoSocial

When Medousa is granted her freedom she devotes herself to Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, courage, and the strategy of war and trains to be a priestess, hoping for kindness and acceptance only to suffer rape and the curse that turns her into a Gorgon.
Fleeing to a life of solitude, Medousa is driven mad by her loneliness and pain, taking out her anger on travelers who cross her path.
In the end it is the Titans, not the Gods, who give her the care and love she longs for, but will she ever find the healing she so deeply desires?

This book will have you crying tears of joy and sadness. The way this author brought Greek mythology to life and humanized her was truly amazing. I always thought of Medousa as a villain but reading this book, I was able to see all the hardships that this mortal had to endure to finally have her happy ending. The depth of Medousa love even though all the pain is unbelievable and I loved how this author was able to show amazing character development. The way Greek Pantheon is shown for all the good there is real evil in their ways and that is what I really love when reading about Greek mythology.This retelling was amazing but the only reason I didn’t rate it higher was I felt that it had a lot of repetitiveness and that is why I rated it 4.2.
Content note: slavery, sexual harassment, sexual assault, child abuse, rape, victim blaming, solitary confinement.

I was given this eARC from Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for my honest review. I want to Thank Michael Butchin for writing an amazing book on this retelling of Greek mythology of Medousa