My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Audio for an advanced copy of this in audiobook form in exchange for an honest review.

There are a lot of Greek Myth Retellings out there, which I know can elicit some skepticism amongst readers around whether a new publication can actually bring anything new. Personally though I’m not bored of retellings. There are several I’ve read recently that have really affected me. The vogue for telling old stories from marginalised perspectives is prevailing simply because it is a good idea. It’s fascinating to me to see a story reimagined from a different angle, and Greek myth, with its violence and its focus on the ‘heroic’, is a fertile ground for mining the stories of those initially dismissed to the shadows.

Of course not every book hits the mark, and it's all about the execution. Some retellings make me weep, and some make me bored. The Shadow of Perseus was… somewhere in between those two extremes. It certainly kept me turning the pages, and there were things that I really liked about it. There were also elements that did grate on me.

What gripped me?

This is a retelling of the myth of Perseus, son of Zeus, Gorgon-slayer, rescuer of princesses from sea-monsters, founder of Mycenae… hero. Except of course in this retelling his heroism is very much called into question. The story is told from the three points of view of the women closest to the young Perseus: his mother, Danae; his wife, Andromeda; and his victim - the Gorgon, Medusa.

The story runs fairly faithfully along the pathway carved out by the original myth - but with a significant departure in that there is neither magic nor evidence of the divine in this story. The characters are religious, yes, and there are prophecies and sacrifices galore - but there’s no evidence that this goes beyond superstition, ritual and cultural practice.

Taking out the magic is a hugely significant change. Without it, all the elements that made Perseus ‘heroic’ - ie. being the son of Zeus, slaying monsters - do not exist, and we are instead left with a young man who just wants to be a hero, and who uses violence as an attempt to prove himself one. It’s a clever and interesting device… to change one thing about the setting of the myth, causing the central character to become something entirely other.

I liked the way Heywood keeps key elements of the original story - the slaying of Medusa for instance, or Perseus finding Andromeda chained to a rock-face - but finds non-magical ways to underpin their set-up. The stories she weaves to set up these scenes are plausible and also interesting. I enjoyed the inventiveness behind these backstories.

What grated?

Well, Perseus was the least likeable character I’ve read for a very long time. In fact I’m ticking off unlikeable characters in my head trying to think of one I dislike more - and coming up short. It’s not even that he’s a villain… he’s not fun enough for that. I don’t love to hate him, I just hate him.

Now, a main character being unlikeable is absolutely not in itself a bad thing in terms of story, but I just could not find satisfaction in the way the story dealt with him. There’s no come-uppance, no redemption arc, and the negative character arc wasn’t twisty enough to capture me. Perseus came across simply as a violent and supremely entitled boy who lacks even a trace of emotional intelligence and murders without thought.

Perseus destroys multiple people’s lives… and keeps being rewarded for it. The women whose points of view we follow spend most of their time forcing themselves to endure him, trying even to understand him, and pleading with him not to murder the next victim. I ended up longing for some kind of justice, or at least for the women’s freedom from Perseus’ grasp.

Overall thoughts

I want to emphasise that, throughout this story, I absolutely kept wanting to know what happened next, from morbid fascination if not anything else. It’s a quick and engaging read in that respect, and at least on the surface level it’s an inventive and interesting retelling of the myth.

But when you get deeper - I’m torn. There’s an argument that the experiences of the three women - which meander between tragic and stoic - do reflect the sort of actual female experiences you’d get in a society as violent and patriarchal as the one depicted. There’s possibly a realistic kind of tragedy about that, which could be powerful. But…I found it difficult. The three women were too similar to each other. Beyond their slightly different circumstances and origins, I just couldn’t differentiate them enough to see them as distinct interesting people. Instead I just saw their identical plights - to have come into contact with such an awful human being as Perseus - and was left with an overarching feeling of frustration.

Do you know Perseus?! the Bastard of Zeus and Danae, He was a HERO, Medusa slayer, the sea monster defeater and the rescuer of Andromeda.
In the Shadow of Perseus, we know him from the point of view of three women, his mother, wife and his victim.
But this story is less by myth and more driven by realism, Perseus is no hero and more like a stupid, angry and sad child who wanted to prove that he is a hero.
Because of a prophecy, his grandfather wanted Perseus and Danae's death. They survived and Danae tried to raise a kind heart child, so this is where the story makes no sense, Perseus became an unlikeable and foolish man, and the story, well..., a little too much dramatic for a realistic one!

I don't know why this keeps happening, I want to read the retelling but instead, I face a feminist tale that the magic and gods are removed from it, not a myth anymore.
Don't make me wrong, 3.5 stars isn't a bad rating for a story, I liked the tale of three women and their lives, the writing style was easy to read (in this case to listen) and follow. Anyway, I am happy to read it, it was a good story in its own way.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for giving me a chance to listen to The Shadow of Perseus
by Claire Heywood and narrated by Olivia Darnley, I have given my honest review.

This was such a compelling and wonderful read! As a great lover of the Perseus myth (Clash of the Titans was one of my favourite films as a kid), it was fabulous to see the story told through the eyes of the women involved in his life. The narrative is split into parts, each told from the perspective of one of the women - Danae, Medusa and Andromeda and I thought that Claire Heywood captured each woman beautifully. Focusing on the plight of these women and exploring how Perseus's actions impacted their lives was a genius move, showing some of the less savory aspects of the story in all their unpleasant detail. I genuinely loved every minute of this book and cannot recommend it highly enough!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Gods and heroes, but all I could see was the humanity in them. Highly recommend!
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy.

When you take out the gods and monsters you are just left with all man's weaknesses and no excuses for their terrible actions. My 20 something daughter has been telling me for years that Perseus was just an abusive mysogynist, rapist and murderer - who knew!! The actions of the gods have always disguised the actions of the 'heroes', taking away choice and giving them agency and legitimising their actions. Claire Heywood's retelling aided by the voice of Olivia Darnley, leaves you under no illusion. Wish Medea had received a few more pages but maybe this is a way of illustrating how little Perseus thinks of her, other than as a task to be completed. On the whole I am loving all these retellings of the famous Greek myths. Also, in the best tradition of Homer, they should be listened to and not read! Thanks to Netgalley.

It's a bit of a shame for Claire Heywood that her retelling of the story of mythic Greek hero Perseus has come up a few months after the more famous Natalie Haynes published 'Stone Blind', a novel covering the same stories and with a similar focus on the female characters and the angle of painting Perseus in an unfavourable light. As readers interested in myth retellings are likely to read both, it's inevitable that the two will be compared, and in my mind Haynes' novel is stronger, despite this one being perfectly adequate.

This retelling is written in the third person from the viewpoint of three key women in Perseus' life - his mother, Danae; his wife, Andromeda; and Medusa, the supposed monster he kills. The main way it stands out from other myth retellings is the author's decision to not include any supernatural elements. The Gods are not characters who pop up and participate in the action. There is no magic or monsters or anything that might not happen in the real world. She finds quite clever and plausible ways to adapt the story to eliminate those elements, For example, rather than being the actual son of Zeus, Perseus is simply told that as a story by his mother to make him feel better about being illegitimate (he is the son of a baker). Medusa is not a monstrous creature but an ordinary woman that Perseus kills then pretends was actually a dangerous beast that he conquered. This conscious removal of the magical elements changes the story in interesting ways and makes it more relatable and believable.

The writing style is easy to read and unremarkable. I particularly liked the character of Andromeda and the way her story was reimagined, and the book is at its strongest when it reaches that section. However I found Perseus - on whom the whole narrative hinges - rather inconsistent and frustrating. Because we never get his viewpoint, much of his character development takes place off page. We are told frequently that he is a sweet natured, nice person, but only ever see an increasingly nasty, cruel, petulant youth who later morphs into a vicious, unpredictable murderer who thinks nothing of slitting the throats of multiple innocent people. This misinterpretation of his character might be acceptable if only Danae, his mother, made it, but Medusa does too - despite being someone with every reason to distrust him and being far from naive.

This is one of the areas where the deviation from the 'magical' elements of the story lets it down. In the original story, Medusa at least appeared to be a horrible, dangerous, inhuman creature. And the subsequent people he killed he did so by flashing her head at them, turning them to stone. That rather cowardly, remote and bloodless method of killing is one that might be consistent with his character, and is a far cry from the brutal, bloody, close quarters knifings he commits here - and without any apparent qualms. Because his character is inconsistent with the presented facts, it is difficult to buy into, and as such, it weakens the whole story.

If you are a fan of myth retellings or particularly interested in stories set in ancient/classical times, it is worth reading. It's probably not one for broader readers with less of a particular interest in the genre. I'd recommend leaving at least a year between reading this and 'Stone Blind' so you don't feel like you're reading the same plot twice in a short space of time. However a book club might like to read both together in order to compare them - there would be lots of interesting discussion opportunities there.

The audiobook narration is easy to listen to and well paced. It works well as an audiobook because the story is simple to follow. I also liked that I didn't have to mentally stumble across how to pronounce the Greek names, which is what usually happens when I read a mythical-times novel on the page.

I'm sorry to say that I really didn't enjoy this "re-telling". I use the quotation marks because you can't re-tell a Greek myth by removing all the myth. As the author stresses she use as much historical evidence as she could so this should really be historical fiction in my eyes.

I understand what Claire Heywood was trying to achieve but for it failed miserably. Danae appeared weak and incapable of either helping herself or seeing the truth. Medusa was a victim of abuse and remained one in choosing to believe in an unknown boy's true nature, despite the evidence of her own eyes. Finally we are given Andromeda, our third weak and victimised woman who sits back and lets Perseus do exactly what he likes for much of her story.

I can't help thinking that if Danae had been strong she would have escaped from her first prison. If Medusa had listened to the warning signs and not been so swayed by a pretty face she would have lived to tell the tale. Finally Andromeda would have taken Perseus knife from him while he slept and finished him off.

I can't tell you how much I missed the magic that is so much a part of the Greek myths that to remove it completely is to lose the whole point of the story.

Safe to say, I'm cured of reading these feminist re-tellings. For me they have run their course.

"The Shadow of Perseus" was an interesting retelling of the myths surrounding Perseus told from the perspective of the most important women in his life.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and the way it questioned Perseus' heroicness and let the reader see them from a new angle.
I enjoyed Medusa's section of the book the least just because her decisions felt rather weird considering her history.

Danae's and Andromeda's narratives were a lot more compelling and I definitely enjoyed this novel.

Wow! Just wow! I love a Greek Mythology retelling and this has to be up there with one of the best I've ever read. It was such a good twist on the tale. If you take out the gods and had an alternative storyline what would happen, well now we know. Incredible. Engaging. Dramatic. Emotional. It was great. I have to add that the authors notes at the end were absolutely fascinating. Loved every second of it. I had the audiobook and must say it was narrated perfectly. Highly, highly recommend.

a very human retelling - claire heywood removes the more fantastical elements of these myths to tell a story that feels closer to reality. definitely would make a good choice for someone interested in the retelling trend but hesitant to read anything firmly fantasy.

i would have liked much more of this imagining of medusa -- i loved the portrayal of the gorgons.

definitely reads more like three short stories or novellas rather than a cohesive whole. perseus's characterisation did not read consistently to me, but we are seeing him through three different women's eyes.

i am in full support of finding imaginative ways to centre the women in a story like this, but something irks me about their stories being limited to perseus' presence in their lives as if they can only have their stories told *because* of him, and not *in spite* of him

This book is as mesmerisingly beautiful as it is heartbreaking.
The Shadow of Perseus is a stunning mythical retelling, giving a fresh new perspective on the “hero” Perseus told from the most important women in his life.

I am so blessed I got to listen to this via the audiobook as it gave me the opportunity to fully immerse myself into the lives of Danae, Medusa and Andromeda.
As the words were spoken, the majestic world formed in my mind. Every intricate detail wonderfully crafted right before my eyes. And then we have the women. And what women they are! I was taken through a myriad of emotions, feeling everything the 3 protagonists felt. From happiness and laughter to sadness, despair and heartache.

What shines bright about these women is their strength, courage and compassion. During all the pain and trauma they were put through, they remained kind, loving and still had hope in their hearts.

What I admired and loved about this retelling was the fact that, although the gods are mentioned, they aren’t the focus. The focus truly is on these three fierce and determined women.
Honestly, if you love mythology and a unique, feminist take on a well known story, this is the book for you.

Thank you, Hodder & Stoughton Audio & NetGalley, for the audiobook. This is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this arc for a review.

History remembers him as a hero. But the women who knew him best remember a different man.
The book is divided into different parts.
Beginning with Danae, Perseus’s mother and the circumstances of how he was brought into the world.
Then Medusa and Andromeda, describing Perseus’s actions after his first romantic rejection, and how he takes his wife.

The Shadow of Perseus provides a varied and exciting exploration of different people and cultures that span different places, people and cultures and exploring different sides of the story normally neglected by traditional retellings.

One of the most surprising discoveries is that there are no monsters in this story – they only exist in what Perseus boasts. Likewise, there are no gods directly involved, despite the nature of prophecies surrounding the traditional myth.

This is an uncomfortable, yet profoundly important, read making us question the difference between hero and maniac - and who gets to decide. Seemingly, those who write history. Those with power. Those being traditionally male and white.

THOUGH HER MOUTH
WAS SILENT, HER HEART SCREAMED,
with sorrow for the woman whose head was stolen, and with terror for herself.

“There is no beast. Only us.
WE ARE THE GORGONS. WE WOMEN HERE.”
She gestured across the wide cave, and his gaze followed. He looked back at her and she smiled gently. “Are we so terrifying?”

my new favorite genre is feminist mythology retellings. and the shadow of perseus is one of the best books in that genre i’ve currently read. despite choosing the tell this story without it’s mythical elements (only interventions and such) it closely follows the original myth of perseus. having the story told to us through 3 different perspectives instead of perseus himself brought a truly new vision of the events and how the truth can easily be twisted to fit a certain narrative. i found the reimagining of the mythical elements especially clever along with the characters development for danae and andromeda which made me truly empathize with their hardships and how horrible they were treated both by perseus and society. even if greek mythology isn’t your thing, this isn’t only it and the thing you might not like in other retellings like jennifer saint’s or madeline miller’s may be completely different here and this book solely focuses on its characters instead of an overall plot. 5⭐️

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Shadow of Perseus
Claire Heywood

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I have to admit to being pretty new to reading the retellings of the myths - this will be only my second retelling!
I know! Where have I been!?
But I honestly am getting pretty hooked on them!

I do have some knowledge as I seem to have watched most of the films - my son is obsessed - so I do know the stories in part.

This book tells the story of Perseus in 3 sections - starting with the story of his mother before, being imprisoned by her father, the King of Argos, to put a stop to a prophecy telling that her unborn son would be the death of the King. Whilst in prison, Danae is visited by a boy and they fall in love. Upon discovering that Danae is now with child, she is banished and gets stranded on a remote island far away. Part one tells of her struggle to bring up the young Perseus alone.
Part 2 sees Perseus take to the seas and we follow his adventures with Medusa.
And the final part seeing Perseus take a wife and return home to his mother. Events then lead to their joint return to Argos.

I found this retelling fascinating!
There was little mention of the Gods (only in passing) and nobody had any mythical, magical powers or strengths - they were just average human beings. The events still fitted with the myths perfectly, but they were really well worked into a natural mortal way of living.

I thought the writing style was brilliant - there were definite nods to the classics (I've read some Homer) and the storyline flowed nicely to create this mortal turn of events.

The characters were well presented and developed nicely throughout - I really felt for both Danae and Andromeda as their loyalties and loves were torn and challenged.

I found this so interesting, shocking and gripping - and I couldn't put it down.

Really looking forward to reading more retellings and definitely more from this author.

Retelling Greek Mythology still happening nowdays, but finally we got a little different plot from this one. Normally, each MC would told their sobbing stories after being bullied by God and Goddess. But at Perseus we will get his story without any mystical aspect of it.

Confused? Hehe.. at first I also felt that way. Perseus always famous as one of the biggest demigod heroes who sailed the oceans, eradicated many monsters, saved many kingdoms. Myth said that he was born from Zeus who came to his mother, Danae in the guise as golden rain. At here Perseus has a normal human father and his personality and mentality are purely the result of his own choice in life. Medusa is depicted as a woman who chose to leave society and create a community to protect oppressed women. The story of his relationship with Andromeda is also related with modern marriage issues, and super interesting even though the story lacks the Kraken in it.

The writing is straight forward and the narrative is less angsty. But I like the different approach from the author to unrevealing Perseus's story. It is different, fresh and well research. I appreciate author's effort to get correctly historical setting that make me easy to follow Perseus journey. The author is new name for me but I am sure will checking more of her books.

I got chance to enjoyed this story from both version, e-copy and audio. I switches between them and both completely each other. The audio isnt bring different voice between three narrator but still smooth and enjoyable to listen.

Thank you so much for Netgalley and Hodder&Stoughton Audio for provide my copy. I truly enjoyed my reading time. My opinions and thoughts are my own.

The Shadow of Perseus follows the story of the three women within the mythology of Perseus; the women who made the young man a most renowned figure in literature. This inventive retelling challenges the one sided narrative often found within history, harkening back to the figures most effected by our ‘heroes’.

From Danae, Medusa and to Andromeda, Heywood brings to life these neglected, female characters, giving a voice and depth to their role within Perseus’ life. By reinventing these figures, Heywood offers a grim version to our beloved Perseus, exposing him for the man he is.

I really liked this book. I liked how Heywood maintains the decorum of the time, portraying realistic representations of what it means to be a woman within antiquity. Particularly I like how she subverts Perseus’ paternity, reducing his status way earlier on in the book. I like this subversion particularly because it exposes our hero for what he is: a man who believes he is better than everyone else. It’s particularly interesting reading from the women’s perspective because Heywood exposes Perseus for what he is. This is shown early on, particularly in Danae’s POV in which she vocalises that Perseus is more fragile than the other boys; he’s not as tall or strong willed. If anything, she exposes him to be an irritable, demanding young man. It becomes worse once he interacts with Medusa, to which Heywood portrays excellently, once more subverting the original tale, bringing familiar, modern themes regarding consent. It’s when he meets Medusa that we see Perseus is a representation of a man consumed by toxic masculinity.

Additionally, I’m a massive fan of Heywood’s writing style. Her characters are convincing as well as the relationships she creates between them. I really did enjoy reading the role these women play within Perseus life, but more importantly how they lived before he emerged into them. The original myths, of course, do not permit any such detail given to these women, so I enjoy how Heywood vilifies and de-vilifies certain figures.

As for the audiobook I really enjoyed it! I really enjoyed the narrator and the detail she gave to each character. It was very easy to decipher which character she was voicing thanks to her distinctive vocal changes through accents and intonations!

I love Greek mythology and Greek Mythology retellings and this book was such a delight. I loved how the author shaped Perseus's story into something new: a feminist tale of the three most influential women in Perseus’s life -Danae, Medusa and Andromeda.

I loved how Claire Heywood changed their stories in a way that made sense by leaving out the fantasy elements and focusing on the human aspect. Here, Zeus didn't appear as a shower of gold but the rain looked like gold and there was a boy ; The Gorgons weren't mystical beasts but a fierce sisterhood of wronged women ; No princess chained to a rock wainting for a sea monster to devour her but a resilient girl doing what she can for those she loves and to survive.

Danae, Medusa and Andromeda went through their own kind of abuse, hardship but each had their empowerment and strength.

This was beautifully written.

This was a great feminist retelling!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the Audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who loves Greek Mythology retellings i absolutely loved reading this book.
The book starts with Danae who is imprisoned by her own father Akrisios when he hears about the prophecy that her son would be the end of him. How Akrisios in fear seals his daughter in a chest and sends it to the sea. The story about how Danae survives give birth to her son Perseus.
The Shadow of Perseus is told in the perspectives of the three women mostly associated with Perseus. His mother Danae and then Medusa and Andromeda.