Rosie Hewlett

Gorgon. Killer. Monster. Victim. Survivor. Protector. Medusa breathes new life into an ancient story and echoes the battle that women throughout millennia have continued to wage.

Medusa

You know her name, you know her story. Just not the right one. WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL RUBERY BOOK OF THE YEAR AND RUBERY FICTION AWARD 2021 Within the depths of the Underworld the formidable snake-haired Gorgon has finally had enough. Tired of being eternally and unjustly brandished a villain, Medusa has found the courage to face her tragic past and speak out. Determined to expose the centuries of lies surrounding her name, Medusa gives unparalleled insight into her cursed life, from her earliest memories and abandonment at birth, right through to her tragic and untimely death at the hands of the hero Perseus. Through telling her story, Medusa finally reveals the lost truth behind antiquity's most infamous monster. Medusa breathes new life into an ancient story and echoes the battle that women throughout millennia have continued to wage - the opportunity to simply be heard. "I was so absorbed by the furious, passionate voice of Medusa interspersed with biting commentary." Jennifer Saint, author of ARIADNE

Several authors have recently captured Medusa; however, I loved Rosie Hewlett’s vision of her. Being able to go on the journey with her from a young Priestess of Athena to a mother and survivor. I enjoy it when authors allow their characters to be angry and show that frustration. Medusa gave us her honest point of view throughout her life through breaking the fourth wall multiple times. Thank you to NetGalley for the read!

Riley

This book takes the tale of Medusa and gives her a real voice - a choice when she hadn't had any before - a strength she is too often denied. 

Narah Quinn

This book takes the tale of Medusa and gives her a real voice - a choice when she hadn't had any before - a strength she is too often denied. 

Loved it - highly recommend it. 



Shareca

Rosie Hewlett's Medusa is an exhilarating look at Medusa. My interest in this book stemmed from my love of Medusa. It was a lot of fun -- the story is engaging and intriguing. It would be interesting to learn more about the characters and lore of this story. The narration was very poetic and I enjoyed the inner monologue.

Nimet Akiturkmen

Rating it 4.5 ⭐
I have read so many stories about Medusa, but never one from her POV. You could actually feel her sadness, shame, anger, all of it. I also love how in this story, you read about her bond with her sisters. Then why not 5 stars? She often broke the fourth wall and i like getting lost in the story as if I'm actually there. Other than that, I loved this retelling!! From her perspective it's so easy to understand why she became so vengeful. Her lonely childhood, Poseidon raping her, Athena wrongfully punishing her because of that and everything that came after. Also I loved the connection she formed w Perseus, it shows that she really wasnt just a monster. Anyway if you like mythology and wanna read more about Medusa, I highly recommend this retelling.

Amanda

I can't quite bring myself to give this 4 full stars. I enjoyed this retelling, and I immensely liked Medusa as a character. I actually liked all the main characters, except for Athena. She’s not really meant to be liked, though.

In this novel, Medusa is reclaiming her narrative and relaying the events of her life to us. She’s a strong narrator.

But, I could have done without a lot of her commentary on some of the events she tells us about. There was no need for the constant “honestly” or “to be completely honest” or “I must admit” intrusions. As the reader, I felt that Medusa was being honest already and didn’t need her constant reassurance. I’m not sure that makes sense to anyone else, but those little interjections took a lot away from the narrative to me. I believe Medusa already.

There was such beautiful writing and prose in this book, it included beautiful, insightful and feminist revelations that had to be juxtaposed with these silly remarks that take away from the value of the story. I’m not sure if all the “in hindsights” or “I must confess” phrases were meant to make this story a little more YA but I just didn’t think they were needed. Every point that Medusa tries to get across is effective without these unnecessary phrases, and I just feel it lowers the value of this book (and writing) somewhat. That is my only complaint with this book, but it’s a big one.

Also, I liked Perseus in this novel. I've noticed a lot of feminist Greek myth retellings try to get the reader to hate the male characters and vilify them. Which I understand because men are often the bad guys of myth who somehow become hailed as heroes. In "Medusa," Perseus is allowed to be a hero, yet he is gentle and kind, considerate and feels guilt. He doesn't want to kill Medusa but knows he must. We get his side of the story, without taking away from Medusa's. Many retellings don't capture this and I applaud Rosie Hewlett immensely for her characterization. 

Jessica Williamson

4.5 Stars

Yesssss. THIS IS THE MEDUSA BOOK I WAS HOPING FOR WITH LORE! 

This book gave all of my feminist Medusa thoughts their own wings to fly. 

Which is basically me just saying, I have a long-running obsession with Medusa and her origin story. The story we rarely hear because history has taught us that Medusa is a monster. But originally in Greek mythos, she was a monster, yes, but she was also a victim. 

This book is told to us from Medusa's POV in modern-day (from her place in Tartarus), as a reply of her life. From her birth to her death and even a little of her after-life. She talks about all of the things that happened to her. The tragedies of her life. But it's not all sad, there are some good parts as well. 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough if you love Medusa or Greek mythology. However, there are some hard content warnings here that you should definitely check out. While there is content involving abandonment, death, murder, and general bloodshed, I think the biggest is rape and rape resulting in pregnancy. 

cover 5; characters 4; plot 4; pace 5; writing 5; enjoyment 4.

Sarah

[*ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine*]
⭑⭑⭑⭑
 4.5 

 tw: rape, victim blaming. 

Favourite quote 

“I find that monsters are made, not born. Perhaps you should remember that next time you encounter one.”

I recommend this for 

If you like greek mythology, retellings and morally grey main characters, then this is the perfect book for you.

What I liked 

I have been wanting to read a retelling of Medusa for a while, so when I found out this book existed and it was on NetGalley, I couldn’t pass up the offer. This retelling was exactly what I was hoping for, a morally-grey Medusa, who, like many women in greek mythology, was unfairly mistreated and made a villain. I adored seeing her growing up as she navigates the complicated relationship with her sisters, her family and eventually the mostly unexpected character you think she could he ever be friends with.
I was honestly really surprised at how much I liked it. The character voice is poignant and strong. The narration pulled me in immediately and made me forget everything that surrounded me. It’s been hard for me to just sit and read lately, but I devoured this book in one day, so I think this is very telling.     I don’t do these comparison often, so when I do, it’s because I’m certain, but the beautiful, compelling, lyrical writing style reminded me of Madeline Miller’s one. I know, it’s a bold comparison.

What I didn’t like 

Certain parts felt unbalanced in length, the ending drags a bit and feels slower in comparison of the other parts. I wish some parts were longer.

Final thoughts 

Overall, this is a fantastic retelling that I would strongly recommend, especially if you’ve been looking for a Medusa story, this one will not disappoint you.

Draculelle

Disclaimer: The author, Rosie, sent me a copy of Medusa in exchange for an honest review (thank you, Rosie!). All opinions are my own.

My rating: 4.5 stars

Most of us are familiar with Medusa; a terrifying and hideous monster with serpents for hair. With one gaze she turns men into stone. But where does her story begin? 

‘Medusa’ is a feminist re-telling of the infamous gorgon’s life, from her childhood to her inevitable destruction. The story is written from the perspective of Medusa herself, and through Rosie’s words, I felt her pain, loneliness and struggle against the patriarchal society that Ancient Greece was. 

Rosie writes with such passion and it’s easy to see from reading her book how invested she is in the characters. I absolutely loved reading this and would recommend it to everyone, even if you don’t know much about Medusa or Greek mythology at all.

Medusa

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