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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was in a reading rut and was gifted this book and it inspired me to get back on track with my goals! It’s an incredible retelling of Medusa’s story told from many perspectives. The language isn’t super complex and the way Haynes flips the narrative on its head is something I really appreciate.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, War
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes