Reviews with content warning for Death - STONE BLIND - Der Blick der Medusa: Roman

I was expecting for a little bit more from this book. Mainly, for it to be primarily from Medusa's perspective. But instead, we get a lot of plot lines that do not all converge and actually very little screen time from the titular character herself.

The whole book read as Medusa - as seen by others, and not all relevant in nature. I think I learnt more about Athene than Medusa in this whole book and I was left rather dissatisfied because of it.

There is this line towards Perseus: "And who are you to decide who is a monster?" - and it would have been SO great to have come from Medusa instead of Hermes, to have her challenge Perseus and his quest because really, at the end of the day, they are both two people who by all means should've had nothing to do with each other (and probably would have had nothing to do with each other were it not for some king's bruised ego).

There are a few good moments in the book - Medusa and her sisters' love for each other is something that was articulated very well. Athene's competitiveness was also well-highlighted. Perseus being characterised as an impulsive teen was also done quite well.

I would have expected some more rage from Medusa herself, but there is barely any from her (given that her chapters are also so rare). I got more rage from Hera and Athene, and even Euryale and Stenho.

Prose-wise, it was okay. Some very funny moments here and there and the descriptions were very well done - I could always picture the environment in my mind's eye. The Chapter structure was a little odd than what I am used to (being more accustomed to longer ones), so the action felt a bit all over the place sometimes. Also, there were a few chapters here and there that seemed to be 4th-wall-breaker types - as much as I appreciated the messages in the book, these chapters did not help with my immersion, taking me straight out of the book.

Overall, it was an ok book. I had high hopes for the titulary character and interactions with the themes presented in the blurb, but sadly, this wasn't quite delivered on.

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sierraashley's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Very well done. Love the satire. I was giggling as I'd read, especially when they were making fun of Perseus. Medusa is one of my favorite characters ever and didn't deserve what happened to her and I'm glad someone finally told her story.

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shay_starlessxsea's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

Borrowed from my local library.
What a gem of a book! A wonderful weaving together of Athene, Medusa/the Gorgons, Danae & Perseus' stories into a Medusa retelling unlike anything I've read previously. I really enjoyed it (although I wasn't a big fan of the sections addressing the reader directly) and will definitely read more from Natalie Haynes.

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midnightrain_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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nak34's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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katcass's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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cnannery19's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

stellahadz's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

"Who decides what is a monster?"

Aside from the final chapter, I wouldn't call this book a retelling so much as a reframing; the character of Medusa is given space to be a fully fleshed-out character as opposed to simply a monster. Haynes turns the idea of a "hero" on its head through the character of Perseus, who is portrayed as impulsive, bratty, and incompetent instead of brave and adventurous. The tone of the story is elegant and wise but not overly serious - as much as I enjoyed Madeline Miller's books, I found that they lacked levity. I appreciated that there was some humor in Stone Blind. It helps the book feel more modern, reinforcing the idea that its themes and topics are still relevant. I liked the multiple POVs and getting to see how the different aspects of the story tied together through different characters.

Overall a super enjoyable read. I'm often skeptical of Greek mythology retellings, but this one definitely exceeded my expectations and I'm very interested in reading more of Haynes's work.

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