as a mythology lover (especially greek), i usually devour retellings with excitement. however, whilst this book was technically fine, i just didn't get the excitement as i read it? i like that it was easy to read and definitely can see the correct audience for it, but personally i found it lacklustre and also didn't like the removal of magical aspects. overall, the book was just... fine? to me

Three women bound by one man fight to have their voices heard. Danae, daughter of a proud king, prophecied to bear a child who will be her father's downfall, abandoned to gods. Medusa, abused and abandoned, taken in by a group of independent women, destroyed by a vengeful boy. Andromeda, sacrificing herself to save her family, kidnapped and forced to travel far from home. Their link, Perseus, not quite the hero of legend.
In this novel Heywood has tried to give a more realistic representation of myth and legend. Taking characters from the great ancient writings she has woven a story which works from a historical perspective, placed in actual locations around the Mediterranean. Here the hero is little more than a boy with a violent temper and at the end no-one wins.

This is the second book by Claire Heywood on my reading list. "Daughters of Sparta" was a fine, feminist retelling - and "The Shadow of Perseus" does it again. Claire Heywood reimagines the very fantastical story of Greek hero Perseus, minus all the supernatural elements. Zeus is not his father in this tale, neither is Medusa really a monster with a head of snakes. Instead the author tells us about Perseus through the eyes of three important women in his life: his mother Danae, the Gorgon Medusa and his later wife Andromeda.
While reading it, I had all the feels: pity, anger, more anger, disgust, empathy. Perseus is the most unlikeable character in a long time, the women mostly powerless (to be expected in their surroundings) and somewhat distant. I had hoped for a deeper character outline of Medusa and Andromeda. Nevertheless, this novel shows how stories are evolving and which role the narrator is playing in establishing a "truth". By leaving out the supernatural, Claire Heywood paints a very different picture of the "hero" with the voices of those who usually are not heard.

Maybe it's because there have been a lot of retellings of Greek myths lately, but "The Shadow of Perseus" is not my favorite. But it is a very good book for all readers who want to dive into that genre, because it hints to a very important truth: Stories are told by those who win.

When I was young, I remember watching a film about the Argonauts and in it, Perseus was played by Harry Hamlin. He was a golden boy, a hero and could do no wrong. We believe what we are told and what we see and this is what I thought, Perseus meant gold and meant hero.

Unsurprisingly there are different sides to the same story and this book is a dazzling and brilliant interpretation and retelling of events, the women of these stories front and centre and Perseus as the title suggests merely a shadow.

We meet Danae, his mother; she raises her son, telling him the story of his birth and his ‘father’ Zeus who came as a golden shower of rain.
…..first mistake? Let your son think he is a god.

‘She had seen what men could do. She had to push away the memory of their blank faces, nailing board after board as she pleaded for her life. No son of hers would be so heartless.’

We meet Medusa, his foe; Unsurprisingly she is not an actual monster, the Gorgons are just women who have left other tribes under threat to themselves in most cases. They live quietly and help others where they can. I found this part of the story really engaging and different. We are so influenced and conditioned by what we read that we don’t stop to think of the alternative stories and I’m saying this as a woman!

‘Each day the world gives birth to another wronged woman,’ Medusa said quietly.’

And we meet Andromeda, his wife, a true survivor. We see Perseus for the massive man baby he is; selfish, cruel and childish.

‘Though her mouth was silent her heart screamed, with sorrow for the woman whose head was stolen, and with terror for herself.’

The power of women changes through this book, from subservient Danae, to Medusa, wiser, but in the end too trusting; to Andromeda, who learns to wield her power for her use. These women were survivors, enduring all manner of horrors and it is their tale, not Perseus’ which we should remember.

‘Silence was strength when it was all she had, but words would be her true power.’

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Shadow of Perseus’ by Claire Heywood.

This is a feminist retelling of the story of Perseus, the legendary founder of Mycenae, told from the perspectives of the three women who featured in his life: Danae, his mother, Medusa, the Gorgon, and Andromeda, his wife.

In recent years there have been many retellings of Greek mythology presenting them from the viewpoints of the women in the tales. Indeed, this is the fourth retelling of the Perseus myth or rather the fourth that presents Medusa as more than a monster with the power to turn those that gaze upon her to stone.

This was an okay read with Perseus emerging as a spoiled and entitled man-boy leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. So, definitely no hero though Andromeda and Danae certainly do all they can to calm his murderous impulses and encourage him to be the king they envision. As for Medusa ….

It was obvious from the opening chapters that Claire Heywood’s approach was going to be to strip out all traces of mythology and the fantastical from the story and opt instead for realism. My heart sank a little.

As she writes in her Author’s Note: “I wanted to reimagine this myth within a historically authentic setting, without the intervention of gods or supernatural forces, and so create a story driven primarily by human decision.”

While I appreciate her wanting to take a different approach and also to be accurate in terms of her settings based on her research and understanding of the Bronze Age Mediterranean world, I am not keen on the stripping away of the mythical aspects.

While I would welcome a combination of both approaches I understand that not all writers are comfortable with or indeed able to depict the sacred and numinous alongside a historical perspective.

For those readers not bothered by this absence or who are seeking a reimagining based on a more realistic approach, then I am certain that ‘The Shadow of Perseus’ will be well received.

Overall, while ‘The Shadow of Perseus’ was not my cup of tea in terms of the removal of the elements that make mythology mythic, I recognise what Claire Heywood was seeking to do even if it fell rather flat for me. Give me golden rain, demigods, Athena’s reluctant patronage, and the kraken rising every time.

A different perspective of a familiar tale. Well written, with sympathetic characters, all apart from the ‘hero’, but that’s the whole point of the novel. I enjoyed it.

I was initially surprised by how human Heywood made her characters, but this added a different type of authenticity to the characters that I've not seen in other myth retellings. The lack of godly intervention/the supernatural element added a sense of frailty to the characters and their overall arcs. The humanising of these mythical events, such as the shower of 'golden' rain in the torchlight, and Medusa's hair being a crown, was a real strength of Heywood's interpretation.

It was fitting that the book began and ended with Danae's perspective, but I do wish we'd had more of Medusa's perspective as I would have liked for her backstory to be fleshed out a bit more. It was perhaps more of a fleeting mention, rather than a huge part of her story. That being said, the reimagining of the Gorgons as a tribal community of 'outcasts', rather than hideous beasts, was perhaps my favourite aspect of the book as it gave a fresh perspective on how these women may have been viewed at the time.

Like Daughters of Sparta, this was a slower paced book, and more focused on the emotional journeys of the characters rather than the mythic journey itself. There were some beautifully poignant moments throughout the book, particularly towards the end, when Perseus is at his most violent. The emotional strength of the women in Perseus' life was brilliantly written and was expertly coupled with the fragility of their circumstances.

Overall, this was a poignant and fresh perspective on the myth of Perseus and his legacy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC!

A retelling of the tale of Perseus. I liked that this book was told from multiple points of views of Dánae, Medusa & Andromeda

First we meet Danae in Argos. Her father the king receives a prophecy that she will have a son who will grow up to kill him. So, we end up with yet another princess locked up because of a threatened man. In a classic version of her story, Zeus visits her cell as a shower of golden rain that impregnates her (ew). Here, there’s an actual man involved, but she still she is banished. Among the far from glamorous fishers of Seriphos, she tries to protect her son from everything and he turns out, well, as Perseus. Stroppy doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Medusa, meanwhile, is living a quiet life after past trauma. She is a guardian of snakes, a priestess. Rather than snakes for hair she has a crown made from shed snake skins, a thing of beauty. Claire Heywood gives us a different spin on the Gorgon: here, they are ‘sisters in spirit, though not in blood’, a community providing refuge, a literal safe space. Until Perseus turns up.
Andromeda has a loving family and the prospect of a bright future with a husband she has chosen. But the wounded pride of a rejected suitor and a powerful sandstorm put her in peril. And just when you think she’s safe, along comes bloody Perseus and his stinky head-in-a-bag. Andromeda’s fortitude is admirable; her husband’s behaviour is not.
The enduring popularity of the Greek myths with their many characters and variations in story, and the centuries of male-gazey versions sent our way mean that the well of female-centred adaptations is unlikely to run dry any time soon. A good thing, as far as I’m concerned – there are so many stories and angles to explore. The Shadow of Perseus is a good read, whether you’re familiar with the myths or not.

This was an ok Greek retelling for me. I did enjoy that the story was from multiple pov’s and that it wasn’t just about the monsters and the gods themselves. The writing was enjoyable enough but the market seems fixed with Greek retellings currently and this one just missed the mark slightly for me personally!

Thank you Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a very interesting take on the story of Perseus. The way this was written the way a historical novel would, without the mythology aspect. I was satisfied by the plot of this novel and the form of the characters, however I felt that there could’ve been more to the ending. I also would have liked the plot to have slightly more energy to it, at times it was too simply written for me personally. Danae’s strength through Perseus’ story was what made the book for me, and her humility. The way her story was entwined with Andromeda was well done. Additionally, Medusa’s story made me feel such empathy with her, and the terrible things she faced, especially from the hands of Perseus.

Perseus has never been my favorite hero but seeing him in this book has been very traumatic. The story has been completely reimagined even if the main events remain the same, as it happens in The song of Achilles. I must admit that I really loved this new light on the story, one that tries to be more realistic than the myth. Indeed Medusa is just a girl that lives outside society and is seen as a monster by men who can’t conceive women being independent; Andromeda is a girl that doesn’t need to be saved and is taken away from her family and lover; Danae is a lonely girl that ends up with a son from the only boy that defies her father and males her feel less lonely. All these women have something original to say, I especially loved Andromeda’s story, who is able to take the best from a terrible situation. Perseus is really awful, he thinks he is a great hero, but he always remains a boy that wants to impress other. He is definitely not the center of the story but just the switch the makes those women tell us their story.

The genre of myth retelling has become very competitive in the past few years. For Greek Myth lovers like me, this isn’t a bad thing, but for an author I imagine it’s difficult to create something that stands out and can be rated among some really fantastic fictional work.

The Perseus I’m most familiar with is from the original 1981 Clash of the Titans movie and of course the remakes that followed. Claire Heywood choses to tell her story of Perseus without the interference of the Gods and so this novel is more historical fiction, using just the bones of the myth as a guide as opposed to a retelling.

I really enjoyed the world building aspect in this book and that the writing was fast and easy to read but, I couldn’t find any sort of character development for Perseus. It felt with the turn of a page he was suddenly an angry young man and every time we met him he had become angrier and more violent without any insight into why.

This left the storytelling to the three women in his life, Danae his mother, Medusa the Gorgon and Andromeda his wife. Unfortunately for me, it felt a mammoth task, to tell each of their experiences with Perseus in one short book and in the end everything felt rushed. I did however really enjoy the short part with Medusa, I loved the direction the author took with the Gorgons.

Thank you @hodderbooks and @netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book tells the story of Perseus through the voices of the women in his life: his mother Danae, his trophy Medusa and his wife Andromeda. They tell a totally different story from the one the "hero" tells, with more violence and with the feminist aspect. It´s well written and readable, though the end to me seemed implausible. A powerful retelling of the tale though.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: abuse, murder, death, rape

I enjoyed reading Claire Heywood's debut novel, "Daughters of Sparta" so I was pleased to be accepted for the ARC for her second novel. "The Shadow of Perseus" tells the myth of Perseus from the three women in his life: his mother, Danae, his wife Andromeda and his victim Medusa. I was really looking forward to this book but unfortunately it didn't live up to the standards I had for it, there wasn't much difference between the characters' voices. I did find myself enjoying the Danae parts the most, as we didn't get that much time with Medusa before she was killed and Andromeda. I think part of what made this book suffer the most was the fact that the fantasy elements of Greek mythology were taken out.

Another retelling of a Greek myth, this time a feminist take on the story of Perseus. Told from the perspective of three female protagonists, this is a tale of fragile masculinity which resonates with our time. It is well-written and shows that good storytelling can transcend the ages. It is a family saga in many ways and highlights the thin line which can exist between hero and villain. This is a page-turning story well told and no one should let the Greek myth element put them off - this is a timeless tale.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC

Trigger warnings for The Shadow of Perseus include: rape, kidnapping, murder and self harm.
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This book feels like it's trying to be both a retelling of Greek mythology, and simultaneously a historical fiction novel, and it doesn't quite meet either of them honestly. It took away a lot of the elements of that make it a mythology retelling aside from the characters.
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It's not that it was a bad book exactly, more that having read other retellings of other tales from Greek mythology, this one just didn't sit in the same category as the others.
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Maybe it was the writing style, or the fact that it just didn't read like the story I know it to be, but I just didn't really get on with it very much.
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Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adore all things mythology, but what I often don't adore is the omission of the female gaze and viewpoint from the myths. This newest tranche of mythology coming through that helps us see the ancient world through a grounding in the female gaze and realism really fleshes out and makes real the myths I've come to love.

There is so much I didn't know about Perseus, but the view of his mother and, later, his wife, really adds a layer of feminism to the tale. I also greatly appreciated that this didn't just start at Perseus, it gives rise to the audience knowing that he was made grand through the suffering of his mother and swift maddening of his grandfather.

Brilliant.

If you like the kind of book that has you shouting out loud at the characters, then "The Shadow of Perseus" is the book for you. I think it's absolutely brilliant! It's bold and brave, and beautiful in parts...and also a little bit gut-wrenching in others. I loved the writing, (some of!) the characters, and the delivery was spot-on. I'd like to read this one again. In summer. With a view of the sea.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I really enjoyed reading ‘The Shadow of Perseus’.
It is the story of Perseus from birth to adulthood and the women who have a great impact on his life.
I loved the more human take on the Greek myth, and that he was a floored human being. The book is a real page turner. You want to know how Medusa would be described as a woman.
I definitely found myself changing from liking him to disliking Perseus due to his awful behaviour. The women were amazing and very clever, especially Andromeda.
I loved every minute of this amazing book. What a brilliant new take on a Greek myth.
Thank you Claire Haywood