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A review by sreddous
The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
The Ancient Greek definition of a "hero" isn't really the same as what we use in modern times to describe a "hero" -- by our modern terms it's about saving people mostly, but by ancient terms it was more about going on quests for glory, and it's cool to see that "hero" might be a flimsy term in this book too. This is an interesting interpretation of Perseus's character -- that he's basically a whiny man child who can't stand people thinking of him as anything other than a big strong tough guy. That's an interesting take on an "ancient mythological hero"!
The close-POV storytelling from the three women around him goes into good details make sense as to why they make the decisions they do, although I think Medusa's was the weakest of the bunch. The ending feels earned for the most part, which is satisfying. It's well-built-up-to enough that Andromeda tries here and there to get her words and opinions in and they affect Perseus. This is a "frustrating story" but in a good, realistic way -- this really might be how the women around this man who went on this violent quest for glory felt!
Still, ultimately, there are a few things about the ending that didn't feel "finished" -- I think I'm not sure I trust that Perseus is the "gentle boy that Danae once knew". Trying to be generic to avoid spoilers, there are a few times in the book where Perseus seems like he's being reasonable, then someone calls him "boy" even by accident, and he goes into a murderous rage. We've even seen buildup of how the uncle called him "my boy", so I think I don't actually trust that things are better now that they at least got away from one major problem.
Overall, though, a cool retelling of some mythological stories (but without the myth and powers and such, which was okay IMO!).
The close-POV storytelling from the three women around him goes into good details make sense as to why they make the decisions they do, although I think Medusa's was the weakest of the bunch. The ending feels earned for the most part, which is satisfying. It's well-built-up-to enough that Andromeda tries here and there to get her words and opinions in and they affect Perseus. This is a "frustrating story" but in a good, realistic way -- this really might be how the women around this man who went on this violent quest for glory felt!
Still, ultimately, there are a few things about the ending that didn't feel "finished" -- I think I'm not sure I trust that Perseus is the "gentle boy that Danae once knew". Trying to be generic to avoid spoilers, there are a few times in the book where Perseus seems like he's being reasonable, then someone calls him "boy" even by accident, and he goes into a murderous rage. We've even seen buildup of how the uncle called him "my boy", so I think I don't actually trust that things are better now that they at least got away from one major problem.
Overall, though, a cool retelling of some mythological stories (but without the myth and powers and such, which was okay IMO!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment