I love a good Greek mythology retelling and this was no different. This story was tough and hopeful and wonderful. It’s definitely worth the read.

A really really gorgeous retelling of Medea's story!! Complex and fascinating, it was hard to believe this was a debut novel.


The feminist twist on her story was brilliant, and Quin's writing is a beautiful thing. Would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Greek mythology or retellings.

Upon requesting an ARC of this title from Netgalley, the premise had me at “Greek mythology” as this subject is of great interest to me. I am utterly fascinated with the old authors and their ideas of these characters and the authors of the new generation who devote so much energy into investigating these *female* characters who were more often than not, villainized or degraded in the original tales. On this note: I will encourage any and every reader to read or have a listen to Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes as she dives deep into many of the Greek Legends and makes valid comparisons between the old teachings and the new learnings.

Medea: I knew nothing of her apart from her being a murderess villain. Her story has been small in old tales, but Eilish Quin brings her character to life, provides her more depth and gives the reader new perception. While Medea is without a doubt guilty of her crimes, this novel shows us a girl who became a woman who was continuously oppressed by the men in her age and in her life. That world was brutal and she was more vulnerable in a way and far more intellectual than given previous credit. This offers more authenticity to the legend or myth of Medea.

I’d like to give my sincerest thanks to the author and Atria who published this gripping piece of historical fantasy, for a digital Advanced Readers Copy of Medea. All words, thoughts, and opinions shared within this review are mine and mine alone.

I did not finish this book but feel I should leave a review since I did read a good portion of it
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC!
This book was not for me. I can see for many the author's writing style would be very engaging and would draw many readers in. Maybe in a few months I can try again.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for author's writing.

UGH MY HEART after this one.

I only know a little about the story of Medea from other greek spin offs like Clytemnestra and Circe where we get snippets of her story. I was really excited to read this and I was not disappointed! I absolutely loved Quinn's fresh take on her story and the libererties she took to make plot points really come together.

The writing was phenomenal and I really had no qualms with anything other than that devastating ending. UGH.

Medea is a retelling of the titular figure from mythology, best known as a witch and the wife of Jason (of the Argonauts). I have read so many female centered books based off of women from Greek mythology that I have decided to collect them all. Medea, it's your time, come on down! I was interested in this book in particular because Medea is one of the most controversial figures in Greek mythology. Historically, she is often depicted as evil (or at the very least morally gray) due to her involvement in Jason's story and murders that she committed for power, including killing her children. I wondered how this would be depicted in the novel and both was nervous about and looked forward to reading it.

I thought this was a good depiction of Medea as a character. She had a complex personality and you understand more of her reasons for doing what she did based on her pervious experiences. I'm always confused by witchcraft in Greek mythology as I most often associate it with Northern European tradition, so I liked seeing it here. The witchcraft itself was pretty gruesome, so be prepared for that. I liked that this book made me think about the internal lives of people and how they are remembered. What version of a person are we remembering? Is the whole of a person ever accurately represented? Certainly not in Medea's case.

Now that I have read so many female-centered mythology retellings, I'm noticing patterns. A big one is that women who are traditionally seen as villains or commit terrible acts are often survivors of sexual violence. There are obviously other aspects at play, such as a stifled role in a male dominated world or trying to be themselves in a culture that had very narrow expectations for women. However, several books, like this one, have long depictions of physical and sexual violence, which are difficult for me to read. I understand why this is present in these stories, but I would really like to have some other ideas for why "evil" women of myth became "evil." This is more an observation of the genre than a criticism of the book, but it is something that I kept thinking about as I was reading.

HUGE CONTENT WARNING for descriptions of violence towards adolescents and young children. In both cases, these characters are loved and the plan was to resurrect them with witchcraft, with varying results. This is what Medea is probably the most known for, and what I was the most worried about going into it. And it was pretty brutal. There are also descriptions of violence towards animals and adults that was difficult for me to read. I tried to skip over most of them when possible, which worked fine. I recommend being prepared before going into the book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who wants a more complex look into the divisive figure and is prepared for the subject matter. 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 from me. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

I really need to stop just asking for every single mythology retelling. Nothing can or ever will compare to Spin by Rebecca Caprara and I'm not sure I wanna read a book with family dynamics like that.

Quinn’s portrayal of Medea tells of a kind and misunderstood girl who wanted to understand the power of herbs and who loved her siblings and children fiercely. Her skills at “necromancy” lead her down a very treacherous path and this story showed the softer side Medea as she took that journey.

I liked this take on Medea’s life and how all the most notable aspects of her history came to be. It was interesting and well written.

Thanks Atria Books for the arc via Netgalley!

Medea was a good story but I wasn't entirely invested. There were times when the story felt too slow for me. Overall, I enjoyed it and learning more about the mythology of Medea and why she was feared.

I'm really enjoying the new novels retelling Greek mythology from a feminist lens - and Medea was no different. I knew the story of Medea before reading Eilish Quin's book and so I was curious how she could make her more sympathetic, given how how tragic her story is. I wasn't disappointed, Quin does a wonderful job telling the backstory of Medea before she met Jason (the worst man in all of Greek myth, imho). I do wish that Quin had delved a little deeper into Medea's dark side, because even though she is a tragic figure, she also did some terrible things that can't be explained away. Overall Quin's writing was immersive and I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading other books by the author.

I will eagerly take up any retelling of Greek mythology and was glad this one was given to me. I knew the story of Medea and got to meet her in a few other books but never got to delve quite like this. I'm glad she's getting her due.

When Medea, daughter of a sea nymph and granddaughter of the Titan Helios is born, she is immediately a disappointment. Her father resents her for being a girl, not the male heir he is desperate for. Her mother reviles her for reasons unknown to Medea. The least beautiful of her siblings, Medea teaches herself Pharmakon, Ancient Greek witchcraft. When she hears tell of a terrible prophecy, her witchcraft takes a turn towards the dark art of necromancy. Eventually married to the hero Jason at the behest of the Gods, Medea flees her home of Kolchis and embarks on a journey of magic and perhaps madness.

This book features:
- Feminist retelling
- Witchcraft and magic
- Greek tragedy

This was a 4.5 ⭐️ book for me. I really loved this retelling. As a big fan of feminist retellings like Circe, this book was everything I wanted it to be. The first person POV and getting a glimpse of who Medea is as a person, rather than just the tragedy of her story, was so gripping and beautiful and heart wrenching all at once. This was an amazing debut and I cannot wait to see what this author puts out next

Absolutely hearbreaking and filled me with rage. Why is it that women in ancient greece and mythology were treated so horribly! I had lots of tears with this one and I am forever rooting for Medea

The story of Medea is one that I am very familiar with, that being said, Eilish Quin has done a beautiful job with her rendition of this story. Medea has so many layers and side stories surround her overall myth, and this book so beautifully covers the most important ones. The writing within this book is beautiful and fluid. overall I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged even though I already knew the stories of Medea, and never once left me wanting more.

I struggle with how to rate this book, primarily because I struggled with this book. The prose is beautiful and it excels when it comes to the mythology of it all. However, the plot dragged for me, especially in the first half, and I found it hard to continue reading at times. I do think the story of Medea was artfully retold, and I would recommend this to anyone looking for extra Greek mythology retellings.

I had a really hard time keeping up with this book, as in it was so slow. I kept finding my mind wandering because this wasn't holding my interest and i loveee greek mythology so i was really looking forward to this. this is also my first story ive read about medea, so maybe if i knew more about her it would be a different experience? but this just really dragged and never grabbed me into the story.

I really think that Greek Mythology makes great material for fiction. Let’s be honest, these really are tales that have stood the test of time. More often than not, the original sources don’t even agree on the story; this leaves plenty of room for a fiction author to really “make it their own.”

I was pretty stoked to read Medea’s story, or at least a modern retelling of it. I’ve always found that Medea really got the short end of the stick. Jason has to be the least “heroic” hero of all mythology; he really didn’t do jack squat on his own. He had three labours to obtain the Golden Fleece and he couldn’t have accomplished any of them without Medea; anything else the Argonauts did, well, don’t forget Heracles was there and he seems to be the hero trump card that gets them out of any trouble.

For me, the story of Medea is one of vengeance, taken for granted and thrown aside when a better offer comes along, Medea commits the ultimate crime, killing her own children (sorry if this is a spoiler for you, but it’s a really old story). I wanted to get more of the betrayal, the “justification” of Medea’s actions.

I found that Quin gave Medea a get-out-of-jail-free card. It just wasn’t what I wanted, I wanted Medea backed into a corner with no other options. I wanted to understand the sacrifice she made, and I wanted it to be a real sacrifice. Medea was a betrayed woman without options, that is the story I wanted to read. But the story wasn’t mine to tell. Quin embraced the story and did it her way.

3.5 Stars

Thank you Net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This is a telling of the story of Medea from Greek Mythology. The story accounts for her harsh upbringing as well as the harsh environment for women when she did come of age. The story gives a new perspective on a tragic tale. I would recommend.

In this incredible Greek mythology retelling, Eilish Quin brings Medea the sorceress to life. Showing her complexity as the granddaughter of a Titan and the daughter of a sea nymph, readers explore Medea’s childhood as a plain second daughter -- not as talented or beautiful or graceful as her older sister and not the son her father the sorcerer king so desperately wanted -- and her rise to power as a great sorceress. Quin takes the standard mythological narrative and reframes it, emphasizing the cruelty of men (particularly Jason and her father), Medea’s cunning and cleverness, and her love for her brother Phaethon. Giving Medea, so often a misunderstood woman framed as a killer of her own children and her brother, Quin peels back the curtain to show Medea’s side of the story and what her life must have been like to make her so desperate. Quin’s characters are the highlight of this story, and she retells the relevant myths with great detail and character development. Medea is, of course, the most complex and developed character in the novel, but the side characters such as Jason, Phaethon, and the rest of her family (including her sorceress aunt Circe) are also complex, fascinating, and multifaceted characters.

From the first time I read the play "Medea," I was fascinated by the character; having had the opportunity to play the role only served to heighten that fascination. Here, Eilish Quin does a fairly good job of delving more deeply into this mysterious, witchy woman, and humanizing her beyond that heinous act for which most people 'know' her - the murder of her own children. In Quin's reimagining, Medea is not a heartless murderess, so wracked with a thirst for vengeance that she butchers her children, but a woman who is so sure of her own power and ability that it backfires tremendously. It isn't a perfect novel (it was a little on the slow side, at times), and there were some really nitpicky things that I noticed ('wretch' was repeatedly used instead of 'retch,' for instance), but it was pretty well-done, and gives an oft-maligned character a chance to be something more than history has rendered her. Enjoyable read, particularly for folks who enjoy retellings of Greek mythology and plays.