A review by unlikelyplaces
Medea by Rosie Hewlett

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 “I [am] the shadows cast by the sunbeam, dark and twisting”

Medea - Rosie Hewlett (Arc)

⭐️ - 4.75

(This review may contain some very mild spoilers but the story is like 2000 years old so I’ve decided it’s ok)

Euripides’ “Medea” is probably my favourite of the Greek tragedies so Rosie Hewlett had a high bar to meet and definitely succeeded for me. This was a beautiful retelling of Medea’s story.

If you are unfamiliar with the myth, Medea is the witch who helps the hero Jason win the Golden Fleece and goes on to become his wife and then some wild stuff happens from there.

Hewlett really leaned in to the fantasy, magical aspects of Medea’s power which I think really helped the story feel grand in scale and for those of you who like witchy books I think you’ll love this.

I also loved the way that Hewlett used the story to explore different forms of abuse and gaslighting and the way that it affects a person in a really poignant way. I thought it was handled really well and actually made me quite emotional.

For me the story was both helped and hindered by the fact that I knew the mythology so well. The first half felt a tad slow to me but I think that was because I was so looking forward to see what Hewlett did with the ending and it definitely paid off. I also enjoyed the little nods to the source material with things like the “gaggle of women” outside the house, for those who have read the original it was nice to see those links.

My main criticism is that at times I felt that, by trying to create justifications for some of Medea’s more questionable actions early on in the book, it sometimes felt as though some of the character’s agency was taken away. However, I can see where Hewlett was going with it and it did work overall for me.

If you like myth retellings, villain origin stories, or Madeline Miller’s “Circe”, you will love this book. Definitely recommend.

Release date: 21 March 2024 
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