I love Greek myth retellings so I’m always looking for new ones coming out. I love the story of Jason and Medea and really liked how their story was told in this book. We get to see all sides of Medea throughout her journey. Her anger at being a pawn for the gods, her friendships, her love, her becoming a powerful woman, and of course betrayal

My favorite thing about this book is that we were shown Orta of her whole life. Her past, her time with Jason and the argonauts, and then her life as a queen when she’s older. It was very clear in each stage of her life how she has changed and learned from past mistakes.

The author did a great job of keeping the story flowing while Medea and Jason are traveling by introducing new characters, locations, and cultures. She kept this part interesting by showing lots of new things. It was really interesting reading about the new cultures and their beliefs.

I love love loved this mythological retelling! Perfect for fans of Circe by madeline miller Medea tells the story of a woman often forgotten in the discussion of bloodthirsty greek mythology women - the woman who killed her two sons as revenge against her cheating husband. Her story is filled with tragedy from the very beginning and as the tragedy builds up.

The character exploration is simply fancinating, the political intrigue written to perfection - an absolute gem in the greek mythology retelling genre.

Dnf'ed at 63 pages.

I don't like Medea as a character yet and for a novel that wants to empower women it's portrayal of women who are more traditional is not great. They are all described as overly emotional as if that's a bad thing.

Normally I wouldn't rate a dnf as I don't find it fair to the book to not judge it on it's entirity

DNF at 12%

I can't get past the writing. I'm really bored with the whole story, and there is nothing holding my attention. The writing style is more telling than showing. I feel no real connection with Medea. The story has a nice pace but it's overshadowed by poor writing.

I struggled with Aeetes being mortal. I struggled with the goddess implanting desires and thoughts within this "feminist" story. Also, Greek Mythology has many goddesses; please name the goddess instead of just mentioning it once and saying it like it's a mystery.

Some may like this book but I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fascinating retelling of the story of Medea, whom most people will know only as the scorned woman who commits the terrible crime of killing her own children. About half way through this story now, finding it very absorbing and well-written, definitely one to recommend to fans of Madeline Miller etc especially if they want to explore something with some challenging themes.

A deep retelling of the story of Medea and Jason and the Argonauts

Imaginative and expansive story that focuses on the tale from the point of view of Medea, witch, princess, priestess of Hecate. So glad that I had a chance to read this book. I recommend it as an engrossing read.

I have started to dabble in mythology retellings of late, and Medea's story is one I knew nothing about so when I came across this book I was keen to read it.
I enjoyed reading Medea's POV and the past and present timelines, although I felt the pace of the book was a little slow in places, and then elsewhere it felt a tad rushed. Overall, I enjoyed this retelling of Medea and I would recommend this book to mythology enthusiasts.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an eARC to read and review. Medea is out now.

Medea by JJ Taylor is exactly the mythological retelling adventure I was hoping for right now. If you already love the myths this story is based on be aware that much of it treads familiar ground however this writer has lifted the veil on a a heaping serving a feminine anger and power that was hiding just under the edges of this tale.
This story is perfect for fans of Psyche and Eros or Circe that haven't quite had enough of re visting their favorite myths yet.

"Medea" offers a captivating reimagining of the legendary figure, weaving a tale of power, defiance, and self-discovery against the backdrop of ancient mythology. I like how the author delves into the complexities of Medea's character, portraying her as a woman grappling with her destiny amidst a world fraught with patriarchal oppression and divine interference. As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into a rich tapestry of sacrifice, political intrigue, and supernatural forces, where Medea's journey toward liberation becomes a gripping saga of courage and resilience. With its blend of mythology, magic, and timeless themes, "Medea" is a mesmerizing read that breathes new life into an iconic figure from Greek mythology.

Another enjoyable feminist retelling of a myth. It was nice to see a story of Medea where she was more than a lovestruck girl and then a seemingly heartless killer. I liked all the interactions with various goddesses and that there was some story of Medea’s life after Jason.

This is the year of Medea retellings, and I’m living for it. Sadly though, this book just wasn’t really for me. 😞

This retelling was focused on historical and geographical events that happened leading up to the Trojan War. While I did enjoy the use of historic and major geographic events in this tale, it felt drawn out at times which in turn, made the reading experience feel long. 🗺️

This Medea is one that I expected to find: strong, independent, and ruthless at times with her opinions. I liked the inclusion and role that she had as a priestess of Hecate, but her relationship with this goddess and the others she meets on her journey make her out to be more of a pawn and tool to the gods than a formidable woman in her own right. That, and her gifts of witchcraft were never explicitly covered expect for a very short paragraph describing her youth with Circe which even then, was a short chapter. In general, this was more of a woman blessed by the gods than someone who had magic in their own right. 🔮

I did find the relationship between Medea and Jason in this retelling refreshing as they acknowledge their awkwardness with each other, but came to genuinely care for each other. I do feel like the deterioration of their relationship was too quickly glossed over and I wish we could have seen a deeper look at it in the end. 🐏

Lastly, like I mentioned before, the plot seems to drag at one point and then it suddenly accelerated towards the end. This pacing not only made it rather hard to keep up with the events, but also made the overall reading experience rather choppy. 🙁

In general, I do think this should be given a go because it really was cool seeing an actual historical series of events being used for the plot, but if you’re not into accurate mythology chain of events or references (ie. Paris as the lover of Achilles? Hmmm. . . ), then I would suggest looking elsewhere for a Medea retelling. 🫣

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for accepting my request to read in exchange for an honest review. ❤️

Publication date: February 1 (thought it was the 6th, but oh well)

Overall: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Greek retellings, and especially retellings of Greek figures that have previously been villainized have been really capturing my imagination this year. So this retelling of Medea really caught my attention.

And I wanted to like this one. Medea is such a complicated chararcter, and is probably one of the most well known villains of Greek mythology. And I was excited to see her story recontextualized. But this story seemed mostly torn between Medea has free will and is in control of her actions, even the horrific ones, and then have her be completely at the mercy of the goddesses with several of them actually possessing her and controlling her. Perhaps the weirdest thing to me is that, aside from her actions at the beginning to flee from her father and her actions at the end where she's fleeing from Jason, Medea feels very passive.

I think what most threw me off this book was how sequential it felt. Jason and Medea traveled to this location, Medea impressed a local god, everyone talked a lot, the Argonauts left, rinse and repeat, over and over again. It was all very tell; this happened and then this happened. The pacing felt weird because of that and I lost momentum at the end of every chapter. And then almost at the very end, a time skip of ten years, and telling me everything has changed? I lost interest.

My favorite parts were the latest chapters in the timeline. Where Medea is establishing herself as a powerful ruler, and reaching out to create alliances with the other women left behind to rule as their husbands fought at Troy. I wanted so much more of seeing that Medea.

There were some solid bones here, and I loved seeing the connections Medea made as she traveled between priestesses, queens, commoners, and princesses. But I just wanted more out of this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Books Go Social for this arc.

Where do I start with this one? I have been on a retelling kick in 2024 - Herc, Clytemnestra, Legendborn, and now Medea. Funnily, almost all of their stories somewhat intertwine for very different reasons. Medea snagged me in right from the very beginning with the very open line. "I've paid for my freedom in blood that drowns me in my dreams."

Medea is one of my favorite tales due to her associations with Hecate (one of my favorite goddesses) and her aunt, Circe...plus we love a murderous queen. Overall, this book was well-written, a good length, and I really enjoyed the time-jumps and non-linear story telling. However, the pacing was quite...off to me. The moments that should've been highly impactful came off a bit rough because of it.

Overall, an easy 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it and I'm truly in my ancient retelling era right now.

Shoutout to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this book. There was so much to unpack emotionally and so much to take to heart. I am always a stan for strong women!

I appreciate the copy of this. I had a very hard time reading this. Details were added that weren’t needed, it felt like the author was trying too hard

I think of the myth of Medea a lot. I even went to the Met to see an opera on it! This version of Medea brings a welcome new angle to the myth.

Medea is usually painted as a villain, a murderer, and a wholly unsympathetic character. Her crimes are depicted as terrible to fathom. In this book, she takes on new life, and the question of whether or not she is in control plays an intriguing part in the narrative. I noticed how the author deftly explored the question of agency in a world ruled by the fickle whims of the gods. I found myself drawing parallels to the modern relationship between mental health and responsibility for one's actions; in this case, Medea's mental state was not fully her own but she had to bear the consequences of public perception of women and of her actions. Her character was well-developed, with a strong voice set against shifting settings.

I really liked how the author took the epic form of chronicling a journey (in the tradition of The Odyssey) and applied it to Medea. Her travels, and the way she changed throughout them, were noteworthy and written in a digestible way.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to access this ARC!

Medea: Priestess, Princess, Witch by JJ Taylor offers a gripping reimagining of the legendary figure from Greek mythology. In this captivating tale, we follow Medea's journey as she navigates a world fraught with danger and oppression. Born with extraordinary powers, Medea struggles against the constraints placed upon her by men and gods alike. But with the arrival of Jason and his Argonauts, she finds herself at a crossroads, torn between love and the pursuit of her own freedom. Filled with intrigue, magic, and the timeless struggle for autonomy, this novel breathes new life into one of mythology's most enigmatic characters.

This book turned out to be quite an enjoyable reworking of the Medea story from Greek mythology. J.J. Taylor, the author, has managed to gather the stories of Medea into a cohesive storyline, with a plot that gives import to her struggle as a woman to be free in a time where females were generally seen as little more than property. There were a few points where I questioned the changes or variations on the myths, particularly towards the end, but overall, the story overcame the episodic nature of the Medea myths and breathed new life into a tragic and at times unsympathetic figure.

I particularly liked how Medea in many points stood in for the common person when she railed against her fate and had to decide how to deal with it - whether to just give up and resign herself to it or to accept and live the life the best she could while knowing she was a vessel for the gods and goddesses of the times. There were a few points where this struggle may have been internalized perhaps a few too many times, along with the reminders to Medea to humble herself, but I was impressed that this reexamination of her turned helped explain why her character committed many of the horrible acts that she did.

Overall, the prose of the book was quite good, with several passages that I found particularly well done. As Medea observes of many people, "There was truth in people's eyes even when there were lies on their lips. If you didn't look them in the eye, you might miss the truth of who they were." Or, when she comes into her power when she notes, "Was this what it was to be a god? To move as I wished, to know no consequence, and have men fear me? I liked it. I liked it very much."

I find it interesting when an author manages to successfully reimagine a piece of mythology, as it often shows how applicable the old myths, whether Greek or others, are to us today. With this tale, even with my few quibbles, Taylor has joined others in bringing new light to the old stories.

Medea by J J Taylor is a Greek mythology retelling set in ancient Greece. The storyline is appealing with a kingdom, mythical creatures and battles. But, as we go further in the story it loses its sheen. While reading it felt like a mere travel story which was a disappointment. Medea's character is nice emerging as a strong woman and who is trying to make her mark in this men's world. Few parts of the story were interesting. My favorite one was when Medea tries to flee from her father and the measures she took were shocking and unbelievable. But, still I wanted more from the plot, especially, a Greek atmosphere was absent. Also, it didn't felt like a retelling also. I would only give 3 stars to the book.

JJ Taylor's "Medea: Priestess, Princess, Witch" offers a refreshing take on the iconic figure from Greek mythology. The story delves into the struggles of Medea as she fights against the oppression of cruel gods and egotistical men in her quest for freedom.

Set against the backdrop of King Aeetes' court on the Black Sea, Taylor paints a vivid picture of a world filled with magic, politics, and divine intervention. As Medea grapples with her own power and destiny, readers are drawn into a captivating narrative filled with sacrifices, deceit, and the ever-present influence of gods.

One of the book's strengths lies in its portrayal of strong female characters, challenging traditional gender roles and showcasing the depth and complexity of women in ancient mythology. Taylor's depiction of Medea as a formidable warrior who refuses to be defined by her emotions adds depth to the character and makes for a compelling read.

As someone not well-versed in Greek mythology, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel. Taylor's storytelling prowess kept me engaged from start to finish, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages to uncover Medea's fate.

"Medea: Priestess, Princess, Witch" marks an impressive debut for JJ Taylor, and I look forward to reading more from this talented author in the future. If you're a fan of Greek mythology or enjoy stories featuring strong female protagonists, I highly recommend giving this book a read.

Thank you NetGalley and JJ Taylor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.