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A review by tashasbooks
Athena's Child by Hannah Lynn
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Athena's Child is a feminist retelling from Medusa and Perseus' perspectives of his adventures and the gorgon villain. It is being traditionally republished after initially being self-published!
We follow Medusa from the beginning of her life, and how she became a priestess at the Temple of Athena. After she was preyed on by another god, she is cursed by Athena to life a life as a monster. Perseus is born to his mother Danae and Zeus. In order to save his mother from a horrible marriage to a ruthless king, he is tasked with bringing back Medusa's head. This story jumps from each POV.
I already was familiar with this Greek myth and have read many books similar. Greek mythology traditionally treats women as part of the men's story, and this book illustrates it well. There is an inherint patriarchal society where women must protect themselves from men's intentions and if they are assaulted, it becomes their fault. Even the gods perpetrate this, as we read in the book. I found it interesting how the author also showed how the women were entrenched in this type of society and reinforce it. After hearing Medusa's story, her own mother blames her.
I just had a huge pit in my stomach after finishing this book. Medusa is easily emphasized with in this retelling. She is forced to bear the brunt of the pain of other actions. Another part that I found unique and interesting was the relationship with her sisters/the other gorgons.
I really loved this retelling, it was very emotional and heartbreaking. This is a very quick read, less than 200 pages so I picked it up and read through it in a day. It is a short book with lots of time jumps, and I do feel it would have benefitted from being longer. In the middle of the book, I wish the characters and certain plots were more fleshed out.
The ending was so indicative of how stories and myths have treated Medusa and other women. Don't expect a happy ending (as is typical with greek myths for women). But overall, it really touched me and I very much recommend this book.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGally for proving me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
We follow Medusa from the beginning of her life, and how she became a priestess at the Temple of Athena. After she was preyed on by another god, she is cursed by Athena to life a life as a monster. Perseus is born to his mother Danae and Zeus. In order to save his mother from a horrible marriage to a ruthless king, he is tasked with bringing back Medusa's head. This story jumps from each POV.
I already was familiar with this Greek myth and have read many books similar. Greek mythology traditionally treats women as part of the men's story, and this book illustrates it well. There is an inherint patriarchal society where women must protect themselves from men's intentions and if they are assaulted, it becomes their fault. Even the gods perpetrate this, as we read in the book. I found it interesting how the author also showed how the women were entrenched in this type of society and reinforce it. After hearing Medusa's story, her own mother blames her.
I just had a huge pit in my stomach after finishing this book. Medusa is easily emphasized with in this retelling. She is forced to bear the brunt of the pain of other actions. Another part that I found unique and interesting was the relationship with her sisters/the other gorgons.
I really loved this retelling, it was very emotional and heartbreaking. This is a very quick read, less than 200 pages so I picked it up and read through it in a day. It is a short book with lots of time jumps, and I do feel it would have benefitted from being longer. In the middle of the book, I wish the characters and certain plots were more fleshed out.
The ending was so indicative of how stories and myths have treated Medusa and other women. Don't expect a happy ending (as is typical with greek myths for women). But overall, it really touched me and I very much recommend this book.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGally for proving me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, and Sexual violence