I would like to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this book.

I am a HUGE fan of Greek Mythology, and retellings are my particular weakness, especially those with a female perspective.

Medusa, is an amazingly poignant and profound retelling of Medusa's story. The story is told from a first-person perspective and gives humanity to the Medusa we have come to know as a monster. Medusa, with her signature head-of-snakes, has been exiled to an island after being unfairly punished. She lives only with her sisters, until the charming and handsome Perseus arrives and turns her world upside down. Medusa experiences desire, love, and of course, betrayal. Her story and emotions bring about a connection to the reader and elicits empathy as we look into Medusa's struggles with loneliness, autonomy, status-quo, lingering trauma from sexual assault, and toxic masculinity and gender roles. Her hunger for human connection and love hit far too close to home.

There are surprising twists on the original Medusa story. It is a haunting and powerful retelling that I just couldn't put down! Fans of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint will LOVE this book, as will feminists and those who enjoy retellings of Greek myths like I do. I will be recommending this book to my book club, librarian friends, and everyone!

Hauntingly beautiful, Jessie does a wonderful job showing us the innocence of Medusa and giving her so much emotion and longing. Perseus is awful and I will never like him.

THIS! I absolutely loved this retelling of Medusa. This is the story that Medusa deserves and Jessie did not let her down. I liked that the author combined elements from the classic versions and offered unique storytelling as well. It was just so. tragically beautiful that I could not put it down and I did not want it to end.

Medusa lives on an island with her two older, immortal sisters, and her dog Argentus. Transformed by Athena four years ago, she watches the ocean, and is lonely, with the many snakes, formerly her hair, keeping her company while her sisters are at sea fishing.

One day, a young man arrives on their island in a small boat, with his dog Orado. Medusa gives Perseus food, and talks to him, all the while concealing herself behind a rock wall. Medusa discovers they have things in common, but she also notes that Poseidon has been pivotal to both their young lives. In Perseus’ case, he and his mother were saved by the god, in Medusa’s…..not so much. And to add insult to rape, Athena cursed young, traumatized Medusa not long after her violent encounter with the god.

When Perseus finally reveals why he is on his journey, Medusa realizes that they both have a choice to make, and Medusa takes a chance and tells him who she is. This leads to a terrible confrontation, but is also the means for Medusa finally coming into her own and owning her situation.

Jessie Burton's lyrical language evokes powerful images, and the accompanying artwork by Olivia Lomenech, work in concert to beautifully relate the story of a traumatized Medusa finding connection with another person.

This is a powerful tale of a young woman growing past the hatred and limits placed on her by others, and a terrible rape, to find herself stronger and more centred. Burton's story is moving and beautiful.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Bloomsbury USA for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Jessie Burton takes the story of Medusa and turns its mythos on its head (at least the ending). Jessie’s writing style is so lovely, and I appreciated the “soft” quality of the storytelling, especially for a story as delicate as Medusa’s. However, I felt that Medusa wasn’t as developed as I would have liked. Medusa was missing a depth of emotion, which makes sense since the story is set 4 years after the big events that lead to her snakes. I still feel it was missing some poignancy, and her growth feels rushed at the end.

With that being said, I still really loved the story! I wish it had been longer, so there could have been more room for “showing” instead of “telling” (the story could have easily been 300 pages long and I would have eaten it up). There were times when I found myself in Medusa, and her interaction with her sister Stheno hit me so hard. So many of us just want to be seen and that validation goes a long way to heal, which I feel impacted Medusa’s growth.

This was such a good short read, and I highly recommend reading it for your next read!

I love feminist Greek myth retellings and Medusa as a character has always intrigued me. I appreciate how this narrative offers a humanized portrayal of Medusa, positioning her as the heroine. If you’re a fan of Madeline Miller’s retellings, you’ll enjoy this immensely.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I love that this story humanized Medusa and made her the heroine. Much like Miller’s Circe, this book gives Medusa the voice she has always needed.

Ever since writing my Master's Thesis about "Circe" by Madeline Miller in 2021, I have been feeling a serious greek mythology retelling burnout. I think Medusa by Jessie Burton might just have fixed that!

I thoroughly enjoyed this spin on Medusa's story. I feel like her story is still largely used in a misogynistic way to portray women as monster's or "men eaters" in pop culture, so I was super glad that the story moved away from this narrative.

When I am reading greek mythology retellings I am looking for two things:

1. I need the retelling to shine a new light on the story. I don't want to be reading the third account of a story I already know.
2. The retelling needs to have a strong feminist commentary throughout.

Both of these things were more than well done in "Medusa".

A lyrical, and timeless story of Medusa. This falls along the lines of Madeline Millers works. If you were a fan of Circe, you will devour this feminist retelling. Captures your heart, and your attention right from the first chapter. My E-ARC was kind of formatted weird, that is my only complaint, and could absolutely be something maybe I did wrong?

"Medusa" by Jessie Burton, falls disappointingly short of expectations. The promise of a compelling tale about the exiled Gorgon, haunted by gods and surrounded by snakes, failed to deliver a satisfying narrative.

Despite the intriguing premise, the execution lacked the depth and engagement found in similar mythological stories. Medusa's character, meant to be a central focus, feels one-dimensional, and her journey lacks the emotional resonance that would make readers empathize with her plight. The memories of her past are inadequately explored, leaving a void in understanding the depth of her struggles.

The introduction of Perseus as a catalyst for change in Medusa's life feels forced, and the ensuing desire, love, and betrayal fail to evoke the intended emotional impact. The narrative fails to capture the essence of the myth or offer a fresh perspective on the character of Medusa.

While marketed as a book for fans of Greek mythology, "Medusa" lacks the depth and substance needed to satisfy readers who enjoyed works like "Circe" and "Ariadne." The execution of the story and character development leaves much to be desired, resulting in a disappointing read for those seeking a captivating mythological tale.

(Actual: 4.25⭐, rounded up) This is the story Medusa deserves and is one I didn't even realize I had been waiting for until I finally dove in! I love how this book isn't just a standard retelling, but rather adds something new, refreshing, and multi-faceted to the table in relation to Medusa's story and role within Greek mythology. This book was simply fascinating, and I think many people would enjoy it whether they're a Greek mythology enthusiast or not!

Thank you NetGalley for “Medusa” by Jessie Burton in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited for this, and I ended up loving it! I have always been very passionate about Medusa, so this gave me evening I was hoping for and more. Great storytelling and beautiful prose. Powerful story, I would recommend.

“…when you’re a girl, people think your beauty is their possession.”

I’m always down for a Medusa retelling and I’m down to see what Jessie Burton is writing so this was always going to be up my alley!

And boy did it deliver!

What you take from this is the sheer unfairness of the story of Medusa. Of how little say she actually has in her own story and how everything turns against her for just existing in her world.

I loved the writing in this and I loved the relationship between Medusa and Perseus and I think you could really feel the turmoil that they each go through as the story progresses.

*4.5 stars

After being exiled to an island far from the rest of the world, Medusa never thought she’d find love. Not that she was looking for it. Abused by a god, cursed by a goddess, Medusa just wanted to live in peace with her sisters and dog. But one day a handsome man rowed up to her shores, making her question everything she thought she wanted.

In this Medusa retelling, Jessie Burton shows us that labels never give us the full story of a person. She uses the story of Medusa to show how often, instead of being seen as victims of abuse, women have been accused of bringing on the abuse instead.

In a short amount of time, we see Medusa change from a naive girl, to a woman who refuses to be blamed for something she didn’t do. She refuses to be ashamed of who she is now, and embraces the scars that have made her who she is today.

This is a moving story. I could feel anger for the injustice Medusa experiences, yet I loved the way this story ended.

If you like Greek mythology and enjoy retellings that focus on sharing the side of the women characters labeled as monsters, I’d recommend picking up Medusa!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Medusa by Jessie Burton is a retelling of the tale of Medusa from her point of view after she is turned into the Grogon beast by Athena. She is on the island of Sarpedon as she welcomes Perseus. She is just as lost and lonely as he is, and through their secret conversations, they form a friendship and connection unlike they have ever experienced before.

Since this in YA, friendship and love quickly form without much logic or pragmatics, but it was sweet nevertheless. I appreciated seeing Medusa in a different light, a girl born of trauma who is not monstrous as in the original mythologies. I loved the art from Olivia Lomenech Gill in the illustrated version. I recommend it to young readers who are interested in a more nuanced story about Medusa.

Absolutely a story that needs to be read by any lover of Greek mythology. It offers us all the traditional story but in Medusa’s perspective, one that deserves to be heard.

Medusa was such an interesting re-telling that really perfected the idea or image of a woman coming into her strength. I wasn't sure what to expect when starting this as I'd never really read anything about Medusa previously. My familiarity limited itself to movies or other texts that briefly mentioned her and most of them focused on her as an adult. This story focuses on her beginning and her life as a young girl.

The story of Medusa is a sad one that shows the wrath of Gods and their cruelty and vanity. The more re-tellings I put myself through the more often I find myself hating the Gods. The stories told show that they are self-centered, easily angered, and full of jealousy. Medusa herself is punished by a jealous Athena after Zeus rapes her within Athena's temple. Rather than focusing on Zeus's unthinkable act, Athena focuses her rage on the destruction of her temple. In order to get repayment and also claiming to help Medusa, she transforms her and her sisters from beautiful girls to monsters. All of them turning into Gorgons, with her sisters gaining wings, and Medusa gaining a head full of snakes she transforms their lives forever.

While I wanted to enjoy Medusa coming into herself and realizing her power against any man fool enough to look at her, I just felt really sad. Women being taken and having forced violence against them is a tale as old as time and one I'm not interested in. While that piece was frustrating, Burton did a great job with this story and I would recommend anyone who would love to see a back story on Medusa and the Gods.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

“Exiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love, betrayal . and destiny itself.”

A feminist Medusa retelling? Sign me up! I am a sucker for Greek and other mythology retellings, and this one did not disappoint. Both beautiful and heart breaking, I devoured this book. My only wish is that it was longer. I needed more Medusa.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.