This was another fascinating re-imagining of the Perseus and Medusa myth that I really enjoyed. Told in a variety of voices and styles, we see a lot of the interactions between the gods here, which I loved and I thought Natalie Haynes pitched these characters really well. There was definitely a vein of dark humour running through the narrative, which I wasn't expecting but which did provide some much appreciated levity. I thought the relationship between Medusa and her sisters was beautifully captured, but strangely in a book about Medusa, she didn't seem to feature that much in the narrative. Overall, I thought this was a very enjoyable read and another success from the author whose books I will continue to pick up in the future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love these retelling of classical stories and Natalie Haynes’ is up there with the very best. It’s a great story, here given a modern twist but with all of the power and importance of the original. Fantastic.

Greek Mythology has always been one of my favourite reads, ever since I trawled the shelves in the local library as a child. Natalie Haynes gave me a much needed Greek Mythology hit when I read A Thousand Ships, and she does it again with Stone Blind.

I loved how the stories of Medusa, her sisters and Perseus were woven together so that we get a rounded view of the story. Medusa’s sisters, the Gorgons Sthenno and Euryale are seen as more than just monsters. They are given personalities and feelings - they care for their little sister Medusa, and nurture her from a baby into a young woman.

But Sthenno and Euryale aren’t there when Medusa is raped by Poseidon. And this is where we’re introduced to Medusa as victim. She’s never normally portrayed as a victim, even when Perseus decapitates her, but Haynes has turned this story on its head. And I’m most definitely here for all that!

To match the new Medusa, we have a new Perseus. He’s an accidental hero. He just wants to save his mother the only way he can - but he needs a lot of godly interventions and help. He’s a bit brainless, if I’m honest!

I’ve always thought that the Gods were petty, and their constant bickering with one another in this book just reinforces this - I really liked how they argued, fought and tried to ge tone up on one another.

And the ending was as emotional as only a sentient, decapitated head could be. Poor Medusa. Still used as a tool for men’s pleasure, displeasure and anger.

I’m eagerly awaiting whatever comes next from Natalie Haynes, because this book was outstanding.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

I've loved Natalie Haynes other Greek retellings, and knew this one would be a winner even before I picked it up. Medusa's story, told from a more modern perspective with lots of God's bickering? Yes please.

Haynes has a way of weaving (see what I did there?) all the idiosyncrasies of the Gods, all their terrible decisions and self absorbed behaviour into a story that is both full of wit, and also terribly sad. Medusa has been demonised throughout history, the monster who dared to defy the Gods, when in reality she was just a girl who caught the eye of a few vengeful deities. The relationship she shares with her sisters in particular is really well done, drawing on the idea that looks can be deceptive and the real monster may actually be that idiotic boy with a sword.

However, for a novel supposedly about Medusa this spends a lot of time telling Athena's story. From her birth and relationship with the other Olympians, she's a complex God who thrives on discourse and worship while continually seeking attention from Zeus. In some ways we can draw a parallel between Medusa and Athena. Both have absent fathers, strive to define themselves as individuals but ultimately Medusa has the love of her sisters to keep her grounded and show compassion. Athens throughout has a callous streak that can be seen in all the Gods. I loved all this backstory - you can't separate Medusa from Athens when telling either of their stories, but felt that a lot more could have been done for Medusa. Again, she feels a little bit like the forgotten character, pushed to the side in favour of a brighter star. I wanted more insight into how she felt alone in that cave, frightened to look upon her sisters.

Overall however, this was another solid read from Natalie Haynes. The writing is engaging and full of thoughtful insights into the Greek myths that will have me returning to all of her novels, and anything she decides to write in the future.

Natalie Haynes once again crafts a witty and sensitive portrayal of iconic women in Greek mythology. I loved how petty all the Gods were, with their squabbles bleeding over for better or mostly worst for those on earth. My favourite part has to be when Zeus forgets about his bastard son and Athena has to remind him to save him from drowning. Another retelling that weaves famous characters together to tell the whole story that is quite frankly a must for any Greek myth lover to read. If you haven't checked out Natalie Haynes by now then I don't know what you're doing. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Natalie Haynes is the queen of historical retelling and this tale of Medusa is no different. Intriguing and entertaining, she gives a voice to a woman previously just seen as a villain

2.5* rounded down. I was quite looking forward to this as Medusa is one of my favourite mythical figures and I've previously enjoyed other retellings of myths, but I found that I was underwhelmed. I don't think the story was as compelling as it could have been, partly because the prose was missing a little extra something, and sometimes I was tempted to skim ahead or not read at all for a few days because I felt bored. I don't think I gained very much from the retelling, personally, although many other female reviewers may disagree.

Wow. I love Haynes’ writing and her passion for mythology. She makes the stories, the myths even more real, and Stone Blind is no exception. I became a fan after reading A Thousand Ships, and this foray into Medusa’s story cements her geniusness.

I love the humanity that Haynes brings to her stories, particularly so as she asks the reader what makes a monster? Is it how they look? How they act? Or the thoughts they think. When you think of Medusa, you think of the hideous monster from 1981’s Clash of the Titian’s with Harry Hamlin as Perseus (or is that just me?). I must admit - I was not sympathetic to her story or how she came to have her curse. Just imagine having the power of turning any living thing to stone simply by looking at it. You can never be free around those who you love - how sad. She actually brought a tear to my eye when her snakes (the Herpeta) tell the reader of the moments leading up to the attack on Medusa. And the story doesn’t end here - we also learn that her severed head has things to tell us.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Pan Mamillan and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for review.

Natalie Haynes has done it again. A funny, sarcastic, heartbreaking, compassionate retelling of a story I thought I knew since I was a child. I loved Haynes’ dry wit and humour shining through this story.

Five stars, bring on the next one!

If you’ve been following this account for a while it’s no secret that I love a good mythical retelling and as far as I’m concerned Natalie Haynes is one of the best at it.

Stone Blind, which focuses on Medusa, was one of my most anticipated reads of the year - she’s a fascinating character. I was lucky enough to hear Haynes speak in Bath, at one of the best book events I think I’ve been to.

I have to admit, though, that the book itself really let me down. To start, it really does not focus that much on Medusa herself. It was interesting to hear more about the other gods and mortals, and how all these myths are interconnected, but I came to this for Medusa’s story and just didn’t get as much of it as I was expecting.

I also felt throughout like the dialogue was contrived and not the quality I usually expect - the meeting between Poseidon and Medusa was meant to be terrifying, and it just fell flat for me.

There was a lot I loved about this too - the sections that we did get to spend with Medusa were fantastic, and I think she and her Gorgon sisters are some of my favourite characters of 2022. Seeing more of Athene was also fabulous - she’s my favourite goddess and I loved that she was included.

If you like mythical retellings already, I think you’ll enjoy this - if not, I don’t think it’ll convince you to read more.

The more I read of the Greek myths the more I enjoy them and the more I want to read. This is another interesting retelling of the story of Medusa told from several different views points.

I unfortunately didn’t enjoy this as much as I did the previous novel. I found the characters lacked depth and found myself just reading to get through it.

I’m not a huge reader of Greek mythological retelling but I am aware of the general summary of Medusa’s story, so Hayne’s retelling of a figure that is both loved and despised was quite interesting to read. To be honest I thought the character development and presence should have been stronger, but that being said, Haynes is a really promising writer and i’m still keen to read her previous novel, A Thousand Ships.

Natalie Haynes set herself a challenge: how to rehabilitate and reclaim that most deadly of monsters – Medusa. In this feminist-revisionist retelling, she gives the other side of the story. Medusa is a victim and why would we blame the victim?

We also hear her backstory. Her Gorgon sisters are bemused by the human child who apparently washes up on the shore near their cave, but grow to love and care for her: “Did all children collapse with no warning?” (Their puzzled but growing love for Medusa is delightful to observe, by the way).

She also upends the traditional take on the story: we know the gods are spiteful, but here they are also silly. Poseidon is less a hero and more an idiot boy.

There is a cast of thousands, so it is fortunate that a dramatis personae helps us to tell our Danaë from our Dictys.

I enjoyed the novel. It was interesting. It challenged my received thinking; and I met many deities, nymphs and heroes who were new to me. The one thing that was not to my taste was the knowing, arch tone at times, for example Hera’s story as wife to a serial rapist (Zeus). I would have preferred a more straightforward retelling. However, I think I am in a minority here as many reviewers and critics praise Natalie Haynes’ wit and humour.

I really enjoyed this story, I dont actually have a lot of experience with the Medusa story other than what is very common knowledge, so reading this retelling of her story really helped me with getting a deeper insight into her ledgend. I think this book was very well paced to keep me captivated throughout, mythology retellings are known for being slow and I do like that about them but this story in particular felt really fast paced for the book type. I loved all of the storylines about every character not just Medusa and I felt so invested in their story endings. I loved the writing style and have already gone and bought all of Haynes' backlog ready to binge! A really great book that I felt really connected to and would see myself re reading a lot in the future.

Headlines:
Quippy narrative voice
Medusa linked the stories
Loved the godly insight

Stoneblind delivered so much more than my expectations. I was expecting a straight retelling of Medusa and while that was on the table, this story had multiple stories/characters/gods spinning off and then linking back up together. I thought how this was conceived and laid to page, was brilliant. Added to this was an irreverant, quippy narrative voice that made me smile and smirk at times; all that made me an early fan.

Some of my favourite characters were Medusa and her sisters, Hera (surprisingly), Zeus (just for the ego observation, not his behaviours) and Dictys. I thought Medusa's individual story was well crafted and fresh through Natalie Hayne's eyes. I particularly enjoyed the continuation of her narrative after meeting Perseus.

The way the greek gods were portrayed invited the reader to know them on a family-level which is something I've not read before. Hera and Athene's irreverance to Zeus was brilliant to read. Of course, as you would expect there were the very gruesome and abusive behaviours from the male gods which was unpleasant to say the least but true to these mythologies.

Overall, this was a great greek mythology retelling and I'm such a fan of Natalie Haynes' takes on this part of mythology/history.

Thank you to PanMacmilan for the eARC.

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

In this modern retelling of the classic myth of Medusa, we see all perspectives of the story told through multiple POVs to truly be encapsulated in the transformation of a mortal girl into a Gorgon.

The tale of Medusa is one of my favourites which meant I went into this one with some apprehension as I was scared it would let me down, especially as one of my all time favourite mythology books is a Medusa retelling.

What I think stands this book apart is the multiple POVs for this myth, and the very predominant female focus! I sometimes feel that even in modern retellings that are marketed as focusing on the women in mythology, these voices can still end up being outweighed by the male perspective. I thought the multiple POV was done really well, but I do wish we got more of Medusa’s side of the story as I did feel in the second half of the book that Athene overshadowed Medusa.

There were some moments of genuine humour as the author shows the petty squabbles of the gods and their obsession with power.

I feel pretty comfortable with mythology but I would say you don’t need any prior understanding to be able to enjoy this book so don’t let that put you off if you are wanting to try it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⚠️CW// rape, misogyny

Haynes' fresh take on the Medusa story casts the scope much wider to cover petty gods, demi-gods and the unfortunate people caught up in the collateral damage of their rivalries. There are a lot of people doing some pretty terrible things to others. I found it misleading to present the novel as Medusa's tale when she only appears as one character among many. Haynes deals with a tapestry of themes such as family, beauty and monstrosity, with the cynicism and brutality of the original myths kept mostly intact. There is enough humanity and pathos injected in, however, to make this a gut punch of a novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book is the latest in a plethora of feminist retellings of Greek mythology. Medusa has always been a mysterious character, portrayed as a villain without a lot of backstory in the original myths. Haynes does a good job of demystifying her, placing her tragic story alongside the story of her killer, which initially might seem like a choice that diminishes Medusa's tale but in fact exposes Perseus as nothing more than a self-important child. However, I still prefer the approach of other writers such as Pat Barker and Madeline Miller.

I adored this book. Slotting nicely into the tradition of feminist retellings of mythology, this takes the story of Medusa - and while it follows the broad beats of the myths we know, it turns it on its head in many ways. And it does so very well. Sitting nicely between commercial and literary in tone, I especially appreciated the snarky commentary of the Gorgoneion throughout - and the general sentiment of male incapability woven through the story. Because we all know Perseus is a little shit, and Zeus isn't much better. A very fun and compelling read that I highly recommend!