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A review by lou_mac
Medusa [Illustrated Gift Edition] by Jessie Burton
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I'm a bit stuck on what I think about this - a YA take on the Medusa myth, it's well written and easy to read and is probably a good introduction to Greek myths for those who don't know them well.
I picked this up not realising it was a YA retelling, so it just hit in a few of the wrong places for me and there are elements where I wasn't quite sure what the author was going for with some of their choices. In the classic myths - women are treated awfully, and books like Circe have shown how recentering the protagonist as the women can make for a powerful story. The women are no longer but parts in heroic men's stories. However in the book it all felt a little two dimensional... but again, maybe that's just the audience it is aimed at.
The elements of Medusa not knowing what her "power" is was interesting, and the twists away from the original myth are interesting enough but certainly not my favourite retelling.
I picked this up not realising it was a YA retelling, so it just hit in a few of the wrong places for me and there are elements where I wasn't quite sure what the author was going for with some of their choices. In the classic myths - women are treated awfully, and books like Circe have shown how recentering the protagonist as the women can make for a powerful story. The women are no longer but parts in heroic men's stories. However in the book it all felt a little two dimensional... but again, maybe that's just the audience it is aimed at.
The elements of Medusa not knowing what her "power" is was interesting, and the twists away from the original myth are interesting enough but certainly not my favourite retelling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence