Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Medusa [Illustrated Gift Edition] by Jessie Burton

42 reviews

jujullesbookworm's review against another edition

emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Stalking, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Sexism and Murder

frantically's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Gorgeous, gorgeous writing. I do feel like the message, while beautiful and touching, especially at the end, was very Feminism 101 and also Medusa 101 but that didn't redact from my reading experience too much. What did redact from it was Burton's insistence on using 'mum' instead of 'mother'. Still, this had me absolutely hooked and I devoured it in a day. Will look into the author's other works.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Bullying and Stalking

Minor: Body shaming, Grief, Confinement, and Blood

words_and_dreams's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First book to make me cry in a while...granted I was hormonal...but still. 😭

Feminist retelling of the Medusa myth. This story is told from Medusa's viewpoint as it should be and we get a very human story. Medusa is abused and 'punished' by the very one who should have protected her. Her and her sisters flee to the island in the midst of the ocean to hide and live in peace and exile until a young man Perseus turns up. 

'The changes he and Athena had wrought upon me had left me feeling out of my own control for years, but when Perseus had come for me in that cave with his sword, something had shifred. I was proud of who I was, and I had as much right to be alive as Perseus did. They'd all tested me; they'd all tried to see if I would break. But I was tired of men and gods and goddesses dictating the ebb and flow of my happiness, my state of mind.Id trusted Perseus. I had thought he was my one true hope. But it turned out my one true hope was me.'

Beautifully written, full of heart and emotion and the ending we all deserved

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence and Sexual violence

pia4599's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Grief, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, and Classism

ladykatka's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Very fast and easy read. Didn't know it was YA when I picked it out from the library. I liked this better than Stone Blind since it was actually Medusa telling the story. The ending wasn't what I expected. The whole story felt slow but also rushed. It was not bad but overall not the best.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Bullying, Grief, and Rape

temi1008's review against another edition

hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Rape

n_slovakova's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

kayceeisbookish's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Confinement, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Grief, and Rape

lyndsaydurbs's review against another edition

emotional relaxing slow-paced

4.5

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Medusa by Jessie Burton was a fast read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Burton tells the story of Perseus and Medusa meeting, we are being told the life moments of both our characters as they form a bond from around a cave wall. 

Medusa has her reasons to hide from Perseus, she has snakes for hair and hasn’t been treated well by others at all. Perseus tells part of his own traumatic tales as well, the perils that his mother faces while waiting for his return. 

Over the course of a few days, Perseus and Medusa share more of themselves until Perseus’ mission comes to light and Medusa reveals who she is.

I enjoyed what Burton did with this story. Being told from Medusa’s perspective we relive some of the horrible moments of her life and the treatment of her by both the Gods and her fellow townspeople before she became a Gorgon. As someone that knows the greek myths surrounding Perseus and his quests, I was curious what Burton may change. I personally enjoyed the ending but I also know it will not be for everyone. I really enjoyed Burton’s writing style though and loved the way the story flowed together!

“I’d handed myself over to the will of other people. I felt that I had to be beautiful in their eyes, otherwise I would no longer be myself”

“I was not going to let him destroy me for who I was, or who he thought I was, for his own ends”

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

hilarylouise's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

I found the audio on this difficult to navigate at times, particularly during conversations, as often there was no indication of a switch of speaker, either through the text or the audio.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death, Rape, and Sexual violence