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A review by bleadenreads
Medea by Rosie Hewlett
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Wow
I've been waiting to write this review because I wanted to get it right - but I don't think I can do this book justice.
If I was going to do book maths like @jenvcampbell I would say this book was Lullaby by Leila Slimani meets Circe by Madeline Miller. It's dark, twisty and uncomfortable but in a brilliantly written way.
I thought this was paced brilliantly and rich in setting, emotion and pain. It was great to read another interpretation of the Golden Fleece after Jennifer Saint's Atalanta.
Hewlett's decision to make Medea's father Aeetes without any powers was a genius move as she made him into a jealous, violent bully who made your skin crawl. Jason was absolutely pathetic and smarmy - the ultimate sleeze on track to change and then ruin Medea's life.
I absolutely adored how Hewlett wrote about magic through Hecate, Circe and Medea, in particular the darker powers thar Medea begins to use...
These powers draw Medea to make decisions that lead many to fear and then leave her. It was heartbreaking like watching a very slow car crash and yet Hewlett doesn't try to whitewash or justify Medea's decisions, which I think was all the more brave.
People may start to roll their eyes at another myth retelling but this is because there are still women's stories to be told anew - Medea in particular. This was definitely a standout and I highly recommend!
Medea is out on 21/03/24
I've been waiting to write this review because I wanted to get it right - but I don't think I can do this book justice.
If I was going to do book maths like @jenvcampbell I would say this book was Lullaby by Leila Slimani meets Circe by Madeline Miller. It's dark, twisty and uncomfortable but in a brilliantly written way.
I thought this was paced brilliantly and rich in setting, emotion and pain. It was great to read another interpretation of the Golden Fleece after Jennifer Saint's Atalanta.
Hewlett's decision to make Medea's father Aeetes without any powers was a genius move as she made him into a jealous, violent bully who made your skin crawl. Jason was absolutely pathetic and smarmy - the ultimate sleeze on track to change and then ruin Medea's life.
I absolutely adored how Hewlett wrote about magic through Hecate, Circe and Medea, in particular the darker powers thar Medea begins to use...
These powers draw Medea to make decisions that lead many to fear and then leave her. It was heartbreaking like watching a very slow car crash and yet Hewlett doesn't try to whitewash or justify Medea's decisions, which I think was all the more brave.
People may start to roll their eyes at another myth retelling but this is because there are still women's stories to be told anew - Medea in particular. This was definitely a standout and I highly recommend!
Medea is out on 21/03/24