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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
One of the newest trends in publishing seems to be myth-retellings and as with any trend you do have to sift through a lot of mediocre money-grabs to find the good stuff. This is one of the better offerings from the genre, avoiding the predictability that can come with a re-telling of a well known myth by providing a fresh take that manages to hit the well-known plot points from a new perspective and with a new emotional weight.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
One of my favorite Greek retellings so far, Haynes framed what it’s like to be a woman—both modern and in myth—with her intricate story-telling and portrayal of Medusa.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m wary of new Greek mythology retellings because of the recent trend of making them into “dark romance”, distorting the source material so much in the process that at that point they should have just written something else. Natalie Haynes didn’t do that, for which I’m delighted.
The characters feel true to the myths, with their humanity enhanced by Haynes’ witty dialogue and meta commentary. I am particularly fond of the snakes POV. I do wish she’d had a bit more compassion for Perseus, who is simply a sheltered teenage boy with the emotional range of a stone, pardon the pun, doing his best. Which is tragically bad. Perhaps he had more of his father in him that was good for anyone, but I would have hoped Dictys would have had more influence in his ability to feel any sort of empathy for anyone beyond himself and his own mother. I think Haynes could have made him a little less sociopathic without changing the story.
The characters feel true to the myths, with their humanity enhanced by Haynes’ witty dialogue and meta commentary. I am particularly fond of the snakes POV. I do wish she’d had a bit more compassion for Perseus, who is simply a sheltered teenage boy with the emotional range of a stone, pardon the pun, doing his best. Which is tragically bad. Perhaps he had more of his father in him that was good for anyone, but I would have hoped Dictys would have had more influence in his ability to feel any sort of empathy for anyone beyond himself and his own mother. I think Haynes could have made him a little less sociopathic without changing the story.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated