This book tells the story from Medusa’s perspective, and that’s utterly unique. Also, it’s done very well in an exciting way. You realize that Medusa is not an absolute monster. She’s like a child. She was given to Athena, and something happened that tends to go against her. She underwent this transformation into a monster. She discovered horribly and painfully that her curse is indiscriminate in who it impacts. It makes you realize the situation that men put women in. The tragedies affected women because of the behavior of men. If you could bottle confidence Medusa recalls “when I was little, my sisters never asked me to be anything other than who I was. Myself. That’s a great gift…. But in the end, it was taken from me” Olivia Lomenech Gill's artwork was the perfect match for the subtleness of emotion exhibited throughout the tale and also the melancholy that exuded from it at the end. A muted colour palette consisting of mostly earthy tones was used for each of the gorgeous images and I would happily display every single one of them on my walls. They were harrowing yet alluring, exactly like the story surrounding them.

When the blood dripped from Medusa’s head onto the plains of Libya, each drop of blood transformed into venomous serpents. The power of Medusa’s head is seen again when Perseus encountered the Titan Atlas. When Perseus asked Atlas for a place to rest for a short while, his request was refused. Knowing that he would not be able to defeat the Titan with brute force alone, he took out Medusa’s head and Atlas was turned into a mountain. Most importantly this book looks at self acceptance, accepting and owning who you are despite very dark periods and your mistakes. This made me love Medusa even more and was just so wholesome and happy to read these parts. These books allow you to engage with a captivating mythological character, gain cultural and literary knowledge, and explore thought-provoking themes that resonate beyond the ancient world.Also, most of the book is told in conversation format. So a lot of the significant events in Medusa’s mythos don’t actually *happen* in this book - Medusa just talks about when they happened. It was an interesting stylistic choice, and perhaps it works for some, but not for me - it made me a little bored, to be honest. (Very literal example of someone TELLING and not SHOWING). The dark story of Medusa is rooted in Greek mythology. Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters, but she was mortal. Medusa was renowned for her incredible beauty and a priestess in the temple of the goddess Athena. The tragedy of Medusa begins when she catches the eye of the god Poseidon. He becomes infatuated with her and forcefully assaults her in Athena’s temple. Not all ancient sources interpreted the myth of Medusa literally. According to Athenaeus, a Greek author who lived during the late second and early third centuries CE, the Gorgons were long-haired beasts, so terrifying that all who looked upon them were paralyzed and killed. [26] We all know what happens, but I will stop there, leaving you dear reader in Burton’s capable hands as she ends her marvelous retelling of this tale with a climactic ending.

Hesiod: Medusa’s lineage and her affair with the sea god Poseidon are outlined in the seventh-century BCE epic Theogony. The myth of Perseus’ slaying of Medusa is also described in the Shield of Heracles (220ff). Both Medusa and Perseus just youngsters, who were falling in love. Both forced to change, to be something they’re not. Medusa forced by the gods. Perseus forced by King Polydectes. This book had so many good things covering Medusa’s story. It shows her before Poseidon and Athena: how she was a sailor with her two sisters as divers. This book also shows a strong sisterhood between Stheno, Euyale and Medusa and I absolutely loved the relationship between Stheno and Medusa especially. This book also delved into rape culture, victim blaming and slut shaming- even by other women, acting as an agent for the patriarchy. Her Medusa has been on an isolated island, with her two sisters and her dog as company, since she was cursed by Athena to have snakes for hair. She has been on this island for 4 years isolated and lonely from others her age. When one day an intriguing boy arrives on the island called Perseus, he might be able to alleviate this desolation which will leas to trust, love and betrayal.Jessie Burton has followed down the path taken by writers such as Pat Barker, Madeline Miller, and Natalie Haynes. And that path is retelling these ancient myths from the perspective of, not minor characters, but characters who do not shine in the spotlight. In particular the female voice rarely heard in many of these tales. In her monstrous form, Medusa becomes an outcast, forced to live a life of isolation on an island. Her tragic fate continues when Perseus, a demigod and son of Zeus, is tasked with the quest to behead her.