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!

I love the trend of re-imagining Greek myths from the perspective of women, and so couldn't wait to delve into Stone Blind which tells the story of Medusa, from her own viewpoint.

The story is told through many different perspectives, with short chapters from different characters POV. This was slightly confusing at first, but I soon got used to it and enjoyed the breadth of perspectives that came from this. The story was sympathetic towards Medusa, giving me a whole new view on her story, and making me question - who is really the monster and who is the hero within these old stories? The new viewpoint of Perseus was both funny and disturbing- I'm reading the Greek myths stories with my 9 year old son currently and it was a really good exercise to ask him these questions and ponder the answers together.

Although the story is primarily around Medusa, it raises awareness of other characters within the myths, giving me a new understanding of, and sympathy towards, Athene and Gaia. I would definitely be interested in reading more from their POV by the same author.

On the whole this is an easy, interesting read which made me think and raises questions around topics of toxic masculinity and consent, with many of the hero's being nothing more than arrogant rapists but being idolised as Gods. In the Greek myths, many of the goddesses are as strong as the gods, and yet the behaviour of the gods is allowed to go unchecked, with the innocent women they rape becoming the victims of the goddess's scorn, so being punished twice but committing no crime. I've also been a big fan of the Greek myths, but this has made me rethink many of my favourite stories and want to read myths from other cultures to see if this is the same throughout.

This is a retelling of the intertwined stories of Medusa, Perseus, Athene and Andromeda – not just Medusa, as the title may have you believe. I love an Ancient Greek myth, and Haynes does a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life and making their stories feel modern and relevant.

There is so much vivid detail in this book, and every character is perfectly drawn… the fickle gods, the foolish boy who would be remembered as a hero, and the innocent girl who would be remembered as a monster. There is a real emotional depth to this book, but the points aren’t laboured so it doesn’t feel in any way preachy. The narrative changes between different characters, which kept my interest and allowed for a fuller story than I was expecting. While I see other readers wanted more focus on Medusa, I enjoyed learning more about the wider context of her story, which I believe allowed the true injustice of her fate to show even more keenly.

The writing was great, and I would absolutely read more by this author. This is perfect for any fans of a mythological retelling.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

I absolutely adore this author, I literally think Haynes could write anything and I would be keen to read. As soon as this was announced, I was desperate to know Medusa’s story.

Haynes has a very strong female tone throughout this one. We delve into the story of Medusa and so much more with this book. I have been completely enthralled and fascinated by what has been happening in the pages.

We explore so much with this book, Medusa, the snake hair, the curse… it’s a truly fascinating book to read. Haynes writes in a way that just flows and you really find that you race through this.

This is a book that really allows us an insight into Medusa. We are told this myth in a modern way and from a strong female author.

I have been completely addicted to this one. Haynes is an author who never disappoints. This is a book that needs to be a bestseller. This is an absolute masterpiece by a truly wonderful author.

I’m a huge fan of Natalie Haynes & myth retellings, especially female centric retellings. I was so xcited to review Stone Blind & I was not disappointed! Haynes’s writing is as exquisite as ever & I loved the characterisation of Medusa, so often vilified with no understanding of how she came to be. Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #StoneBlind #NatalieHaynes

I have been looking forward to this so much, I love the current focus on looking at Greek myths through a feminist eye and representing the women in a more realistic and nonjudgmental way, Medusa is one of my favourites she’s so hard done by, punished for something not her fault, then killed by another man and used as a weapon, I’d have loved a bit more focus on her, but that’s just me being obsessed with her story, I loved the fact it covers the whole story, her sistersAnd I adored the multiple POV which was done so well, if you are hesitant at all to buy or borrow this from your library, don’t hesitate at all, it’ll be one of your favourite books this year , because it’s one of mine

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

When someone says Medusa i think of the Roman version in which a beautiful human girl runs to the temple for protection only to be defiled by another God. the God whose temple she ran to for help curses her into the monster we all know with snakes for hair. Therefore i was confused when i started reading this book as i wasn't aware of the greek version!

Though i was expecting a different version i still enjoyed this version. I felt for Medusa and her sisters especially when their haven was shattered. However, i think this book is about a vast range of Greek Gods and figures and singling out Medusa was a bit misleading.

If you are interested in Greek mythology you should give this book a try as you do get a range of stories, unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest view. All opinions are my own.

There's a reason why Greek myths retellings are trending at the moment, and Nathalie Haynes is one of the masters of the game. In Stone Blind, she gives the backstory of a unfairly treated villain, and absolves all the women in the process.

Natalie Haynes retells the story of Medusa and all I can say is 5 stars; a gripping and eye opening perspective on the Medusa mythology.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

My thanks to NetGalley and Mantle publishing for the opportunity to review this book.
Engaging and emersive from page one.
Love Natalie Haynes writing style and the wit that flows on each page.
A triumph.

I'll start by saying, I'm not terribly familiar with Greek mythology beyond Disney's Hercules so in general I found the cast of names and their relationships a little difficult to follow, but nothing a quick Google didn't sort and it didn't hinder my enjoyment of this book.

I did know Medusa's story and as always it broke my heart but this time in new ways! Natalie's writing of Medusa and her sisters showed such a beautiful familial love, they embraced her strange differences (which were just her being mortal and not having snake hair and tusks really), they protected her fiercely and moved the freaking sea to keep her away from Poseidon.

I also loved how she framed Poseidon as a very spoiled child of a god. Particularly "It had left him feeling angry and empty. Why did no one care about his feelings? He regretted the whole encounter now. The girl had disappeared from his view once he'd raped her.' You can't read that and not think what the actual f-ing heckie is wrong with you?! Do you really expect ANYONE to feel bad for you? And of course that's what you should be thinking because your sympathies are with Medusa throughout the story.

I'm going to through in another poignant quote that I think also really highlights the love I felt between Medusa, her sisters and their relationship with the outside world. "'Why would anyone love a monster?' asked Perseus. 'Who are you to decide who is worthy of love?' said Hermes. 'I mean, I wasn't...' 'And who are you to decide who is a monster?' added the messenger god." It continues from there, in a scene I found myself adoring but I'll stop the quote for a moment. We know, and see, Perseus change from his quest, which is literally set up for him to kill a being Athene described as 'dangerous' - which he took to equate to 'monstrous'. Keeping in mind the change in Perseus' behaviour to just freely petrifying people and the final conversation between Athene and the Gorgoneion, it really sums up the entire feeling of the book: The gods, who destroy, killed Gaia's children, assault mortals, curse victims and the humans blindly following quests demanding murder are less monstrous than a mortal beloved by her dangerous sisters?

Following the tragic death of Medusa, we get the story from the Gorgoneion's view and for just a head, this is the sassiest and most fun character of the book in my opinion. "What I would like to say to him is that if it is so inconvenient carrying someone's head around in a bag, perhaps you should think about that before you decapitate them." How can you beat a sentence like that?

I've already recommended this book to quite a few people, saying it's a retelling of Medusa's story that will break your heart for her whether you know nothing or everything about her tale. And despite Disney's best efforts, the gods of Mount Olympus were not a fun bunch you'd want to know. Sorry to the ancient temple builders but it's true.

I have always been in love with Greek and Roman legends. I was always fascinated by Medusa ever since Raymond Harryhausen and his legendary films like Clash of the Titans. Many reviewers have said that this book disappoints as it does not just focus on Medusa (in fact Medusa makes up a very small parts of the book) but this is a great book and I highly recommend it if you enjoy stories of Greek Gods and Titans

Stone Blind is another wonderful retelling of Greek myth from the female perspective by Natalie Haynes. Engaging, witty and informative it reexamines the hero/villain dichotomy, and unveils the real monsters.

We know the mythological stories about Perseus and Medusa but the story behind is not well know and there's more than one version.
Medusa is someone who's turned into a Gorgon but she remains a human being with emotions and a lot of loneliness.
I loved this new version and loved how Medusa was portrayed.
An excellent and riveting novel, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A stunning and forgiving portrayal of a character who’s long been vilified.

I first encountered Medusa when I was 10 in a school play. She was portrayed then as the monster we despised and Perseus as our heroic slayer. However in Hayne’s Medusa, I emphathised deeply with her and thoroughly devoured this retelling.

Medusa is depicted with complexity and depth in a way I’d never experienced before. The book is also full of a myriad of background characters who are written with Haynes’ classic wit and excellence.