"For what would he see - a girl or a monster? Or both at the same time? " (6)
Jessie Burton's Medusa is a triumph in modern story-telling. This feminist re-telling of the mythological Medusa, gives voice to the girl; the monster.
a 14year old girl, whose fate is sealed due to her beauty.
"When you're a girl, people think your beauty is their possession. As if it's there for their own pleasure" (77)
Her being becomes the property of the townsfolk the gods Poseidon and Athena and she loses her own sense of self as they take ownership of her through their words, their actions and their violations. Following 4 years of self imposed exile, with her dog and her sisters, Medusa yearns for company, friendship, love...to be normal. She mourns all that she lost and all that she did not get to experience.
"I was lonely and I was angry, and rage and loneliness can end up tasting the same." (2)
A boat washes ashore with a boy: Perseus and his dog and Medusa is drawn to him: " To look at that boy was painful, yet I could not turn away." (3). A cave wall separates the pair as they share their stories. Medusa finally finds her voice and takes possession of her own tale; growing once again in strength, confidence and self belief. It is beautiful to see her worth come alive on the pages, depicted so stunningly by Burton's poetic language and accompanied by the most stunning illustrations by Olivia Lomenech Gill.
The sheer beauty of the landscape is unveiled in exquisite language: "The sky fades bruise-blue to deep black shelter. And always the breeze, a hush for the troubled heart" (31) and accentuated by images to pour over. It is such a special book. You will definitely covet a hard copy to hold in your hands and relish. This will be a book you will gift yourself and many others. With thanks to #JessieBurton #OliviaLomenechGill #Bloomsbury #Netgalley

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book refashioins and retells the myth of Medusa and Perseus. It does this in such an easily digestible form with an almost minimalist setting and cast. I loved the tightness and brevity of the narrative, the descriptions of the snakes and the mixing of past and present.

So well done

This is a great retelling of the story of Medusa. We hear from her directly what her life was like, gradually find out the back story of how she clashed with Athena and how she finds out, with devastating effect, what happens if someone meets her gaze.
Not only is this a great read which brings mythology to life but the physical book is beautiful, glorious illustrations bring the story to life. It would be a fantastic addition to anyone’s bookshelf

This is such a stunning retelling of a much told myth. The illustrations are beyond stunning and really add to the story. Reading this book really was a joy! Beyond excited to read whatever Burton brings out next!

Unfortunately I couldn't get this to work on my kindle, but have since picked up a copy irl and wow, what a thing of beauty - jessie burton's writing mixed with the beautiful art work is a must for any literary lover!

I really wanted to love this, it was so highly anticipated, but I found it extremely underwhelming. It is marketed at teens which I think is an accurate target audience - it just lacked substance for me and read more like a light diary. I struggled to get invested and closed the book feeling a little disappointed.

A gorgeously illustrated take on the Medusa story. Burton provides us with a unique insight into Medusa's character, her backstory and her encounters with Perseus.

There's no way to tackle the Medusa story without it being terribly sad, and there is an air of melancholy that hangs over the story as you read it. It feels quite modern and certainly puts a feminist spin on the myth so if you are a traditionalist then this perhaps isn't the book for you.

This is a brilliant retelling of the story of Medusa. This is not the usual story of the gorgon who turns all that she sees into stone but the story of a young girl who just wants to live her life in peace. Because everyone knows the story of Medusa, we all know how it ends and that sense of doom is apparent throughout the story. Medusa is a real victim here and I loved this superb reimagining of the traditional story. The illustrations are perfect too and I went out and bought a physical copy of the book so that I could appreciate them properly.
Thank you to Net Galley and Bloomsbury Children's books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really enjoying this, however, access to the book on the Netgalley app expired before I was able to finish it and it would not download again.
But top marks for what I was able to read of this imaginative re-telling of an ancient myth, however, the illustrations really need to be appreciated in a physical book rather than using an app on a phone screen.
If you enjoyed Silence of the Girls, you'll enjoy this beautifully told story that gives life to the young girl behind the story.

I’m always keen to read retellings of myths, legends, and fairy tales, especially ones that place a feminist slant on stories that might originally have read as misogynistic. I mostly prefer Greek mythology over the Roman versions of the same stories, in spite of studying Latin at school. I also appreciate a well-illustrated novel or novella, so this book was enticing on all counts, though I suspect it would work even better in print than it does as in electronic formats. In this version of the story, told from Medusa’s point of view rather than from that of Perseus, and using the Greek names in spite of borrowing heavily from Ovid, Medusa is the only Gorgon with snakes for hair, while her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, are the only members of the trio to have wings.

This version of the story opens with Medusa living in exile on a remote island with her sisters and her dog. While her sisters are out on their daily explorations of the local area, Medusa watches a boy come ashore with his own dog. She is fascinated by her visitors, but fears that he will either be put off by her snakes – all of which have names and distinct personalities – or else fall victim to the curse which has been placed on Medusa by the goddess Athena that harm will come to any man wholooks upon her.

When it becomes clear the boy will be staying for a while, and that he is aware the island is inhabited, since he has met Medusa’s dog, she ventures to speak to him from the other side of a rock. The two become friends, although only the boy gives away his real name, Perseus, while Medusa uses an alias. The two share food and tell their stories to each other – still separated by the rock – and it slowly becomes clear that Perseus has come deliberately to the island in search of Medusa. From this point onward, it s obvious things will not end well, especially when Medusa’s sisters challenge her about her developing feelings for Perseus.

I liked the characterisation of Medusa very much. She is naive at times and was previously a little self-centred. However, she deserves better than the fate she received. Perseus comes across as far more of a brat, and it is his unwavering belief his original plan is the only way forward that ultimately leads to everything falling apart for the pair. The illustrations were stunning too and really complemented the vivid descriptions in the prose. One I’d definitely love to be gifted as a physical book.

The most beautifully illustrated retelling of a classic story where Medusa is usually portrayed as a no questions asked villain.
Here one of my long standing favourite authors Jessie Burton shows us a more sympathetic side of Medusa and how she came to be.
I loved this and would like to see more collaborations between authors and illustrators on a similar theme of mythological retellings.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc. I didn't get to it in time, but I'm glad that's the case because I went out and purchased a physical copy and nothing beats flicking through the pages and absorbing the text and art, physically. What a beautiful addition to my collection and an interesting voice and narrative for a much feared woman of Ancient Greek mythology.

This was amazing. I loved the feminist approach of a well known myth, looking at the story from another perspective and hearing how Medusa may have got to this point.

The story telling was captivating, engaging, enraging and beautifully explored what it means to be a girl who's body is only seen as another's possession and how to claim it back as your own when you thought you could only wait for someone else to save you. You can be the hero of your own story.

The only thing that irritated me was Medusa's constant question marks in her internal monologue. I appreicate that she has a lot of unanswered questions to a lot of traumatic experiences and I used to end my sentences in a question a lot when I was that age (maybe uncertainty within myself), but it was a little annoying to read.

The art throughout this was absolutely stunning. It really complimented the story and I loved how textured it looked. It had such detail and vivid colours, whilst still being loose and free (perfect for what Medusa wanted in life) in style.

Overall, this was a fantastic book. I'm glad I went ahead a purchased it.

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

I've always had a soft spot for Medusa - she gets a bad rap as this terrifying gorgon snake-hair lady who'll kill you as soon as look at you, but actually her story is deeply tragic - she is transformed into a gorgon as a 'punishment' from being raped by Poseidon (I guess that's Greek mythology logic for you), and upon discovering that any man who looks at her will turn to stone, Medusa and her sisters flee to live on a secluded island. And she wouldn't ever have hurt anyone if people didn't keep insisting on trying to come and find her.

So I really loved this sympathetic and thoughtful retelling of Medusa's story: instead of being presented as a monster, Burton presents Medusa as brave young woman who has suffered greatly and continues to survive. When Perseus rocks up on her island, Medusa is entranced - and by keeping herself hidden inside her cave while Perseus remains outside, they are able to talk to each other and develop a friendship.

The gorgeous storytelling is enhanced by equally gorgeous illustrations that really pull it all together.

Medusa, Greek myth with a head of snakes instead of hair, has been exiled by the gods and lives alone, until Perseus lands on her island. What follows is a new take on the old legend.

Jessie Burton has taken a well known character, and one who is usually cast as the villain of the piece, and retold her story from a different perspective. Similar to Maleficent, we see how Medusa came to become the snake headed demon of the myths and perhaps feel some sympathy for her plight.

An engaging read.

Exiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love, betrayal . and destiny itself.

Filled with glorious full-colour illustrations by award-winning Olivia Lomenech Gill, this astonishing retelling of Greek myth is perfect for readers of Circe and The Silence of the Girls. Illuminating the girl behind the legend, it brings alive Medusa for a new generation

I just loved this version of a classic story, from the writing style to the amazing illustrations, this is the perfect book for a new generation of readers to be introduced to the legend of Medusa.

Highly recommend this to everyone for the reasons I mentioned above.

I absolutely loved this book, it was enthralling from the start and I was dissapointed when it finished, a brilliant telling of a story we though we knew, I would definitely recommend this book, one of the best books I have read this year

As a massive fan of the legend of Medusa I was not disappointed with this thrilling read. We are able to get an insight on how horribly Medusa was treated by the gods in her very own words. Without giving away too much this really is a binge read, I couldn’t put it down. My heart aches for Medusa and I will be telling anyone who will listen to me to buy it!

A beautiful retelling of the Medusa myth from Medusa's perspective. The narrative is (on the surface) similar to several other recent retellings, but makes some surprising changes to the source material to stand on its own as an innovative retelling.

The story follows a well-known version of the Medusa myth - Medusa is assaulted by Poseidon in Athena's temple, and transformed into a monster with snakes for hair who's gaze petrifies. She is later killed by the hero Perseus. Unlike most retellings, Burton refuses to be bound by the ancient material, and gives us a fresh look at the tale through the eyes of the eighteen-year-old Medusa.

Medusa's motivations and aspirations are shaped by who she is and what has happened to her throughout her life, bestowing her with an agency often missing in these sorts of retellings in which she is usually defined only by the assault. The flexibility of the myth is cleverly used to achieve this. Medusa herself is skilfully drawn: her loneliness and youthful longing for first romance are believable and evocative.

The book is wonderfully illustrated; an image of Poseidon is particularly emotive paired with Medusa's narration. I loved this book and would absolutely recommend for those looking for a women-led treatment of a popular myth.

(Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and Net Galley who provided me with a free ARC in return for an honest review).

There are no real words to describe just how beautiful this book is. Having now seen it in person as well as in PDF, I feel that I can say it is one of the most stunning words of illustrated fiction for adults that we have seen, and we need more books like this out there.

As for the story itself, it's a real twist on the Medusa myth that pulled at my heart, and reignited my passion for mythology alongside of pushing at my rage for the way Medusa was treated by history.

I have been obsessed with mythology (especially Greek) since I was a child. Jessie Burton did not disappoint with this poetic feminist retelling of Medusa.

Medusa’s story has always been hard-hitting as it makes a monster out of the victim, so to hear this version, I was awestruck and couldn’t put it down. I just purchased a hard copy for myself plus, I work with residential youth so, I have bought a few copies for each house as I know the girls will love this.

The writing style is mesmerising and tragically empowering. To hear the victims story instead of one of the monstrous gorgons was amazing and it captivates you from the beginning.

The illustrations were beautiful and fit the story perfectly! There are so many quotes you could zone in on! I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who adores Greek Mythology.

I would like to thank Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Jessie Burton & Olivia Lomenech Gill for my copy of the ARC via Netgalley. Due to this kind gesture, I have decided to leave an honest review.