One of my favourite retellings ever! I had never heard of Medea before this but she is now a stand out figure in greek mythology for me. Rosie's writing was so engaging and I love how she stayed true to the darkness in Medea.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book.

🌩️Tragedy
🖤Dark
⭐Revenge
📖Mythology

I enjoyed this feminist retelling of Medea's story. Besides her marriage to Jason, I am not familiar with her tale. Medea's journey is filled with darkness, hatred, love, revenge and anguish. It's impossible not to become engrossed in her tragic story!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Medea!

I requested this because I wanted to get back on the Greek myths train, and I’d seen a lot of love on here for Hewlett’s other novel. Unfortunately this one just didn’t quite do it for me and it ended up being a DNF as I just wasn’t really vibing with the writing style.

As far as I know this isn’t marketed as YA, but that is definitely how the writing style came across to me. Medea’s story, even in it’s early stages, is one of the most horrifying and stressful (or at last, I think it is!) in Greek mythology, and unfortunately I just didn’t feel the gravity of it in this retelling.

This was particularly true when Jason makes his appearance - at this stage, the book drifted too far into YA-style swooning for me to continue on.

I don’t think that necessarily means that this is a bad book or that others might not enjoy it; this is purely a personal preference of mine, so if you enjoyed Hewlett’s first novel or similar retellings like Ariadne and Elektra, you might well find a lot to love here! I think I’ll also still pick up a copy of Hewlett’s retelling of Medusa to see if it was just this story in particular that wasn’t working for me.

If you’ve read this one, let me know how you found it and if you think I should give it another chance!

“I chose to live. I chose to live. I chose to live”

I have been a little bit burnt out with mythological retellings as of late but I utterly ADORED Medusa by Rosie Hewlett so I had such high hopes for Medea and honestly she has out done herself.

Having known the story of Medea already and some of her actions I was curious to see how the author would handle these aspects and she done so beautifully. Medea is a broken and beaten girl turned into a villain by her peers as she battles to just survive and honestly…chef kiss, the writing was so beautiful and the story powerful.

Cried like an absolute baby by the end of it (no surprises there) I cannot wait to see what the author writes next as she has absolute fan for life in me!

Thanks so much Netgalley & publisher for the ARC!

Medea, daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis, is 'chosen' by Hecate and has been 'blessed' with witchcraft. Her aunt Circe is brought in to help her manage those powers, but pretty soon Circe is exiled. Medea is left trapped with and used for her power by her abusive father and brother and separated from her sister. When Jason (of Argonaut fame) comes to Colchis to find the legendary golden fleece, she offers him her help, setting in motion a whole new life for herself.

I really enjoyed this - it's haunting and emotional but it reads like a train. The subject matter is pretty challenging as it's much more difficult to 'reframe' Medea than it is some of the other greek goddesses based on her actions in the source material, and at times it's therefor a pretty harrowing read - but it's quite artfully done and the book does a good job at showing both the darkness and the the light in Medea.

N.b. I was given a free digital copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Medea is no character that I paid much attention to, at all, ever. I requested this book not really knowing what I should expect, and I was pleasantly surprised by the way this retelling was done. Medea is such an intriguing character who will carve out a place for herself in the world at any cost, even if it means being corrupted by her magic - after all, everyone claims her powers make her evil and dangerous anyway, right? I love to see that!

What irked me a bit was the way in which Medea fell for the first person who ever showed even the slightest bit of interest in her not once but twice, and in Jason's case while being well aware that he had ulterior motives that should have made her a lot more hesitant that she was. Medea was such a fierce, intelligent and oftentimes dark character throughout the rest of the book, but here she acted rather out of character and, honestly, stupidly.

Other than Atalanta and maybe Orpheus, the side characters all fell rather flat for me. Medea's father and brother were well-portrayed in their cruelty, but Jason was a deceptive villain with no redeeming qualities, and most of the other characters were frankly forgettable. Even in such a harsh setting that feels like mc-against-the-world, I want three-dimensional characters with nuanced interactions and relationships, but that came a little short in this book due to the focus on Medea and her own thoughts and feelings.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the story. It was a quick read that managed to hold my attention, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mythology retellings!

4/5 stars.

So beautifully written. I loved the craft behind the description, whether for characters, settings or action scenes — the storytelling was immense.

Medea is a flawed and not completely likeable character, particularly by the end, but I loved the way writer delivered this sensitively. We’re totally aware of her faults at all times, we sympathise with her to an extent, but we also don’t glamorise her bad decisions. Understandably as the eponymous character, she is the best-written. This however meant some of the other characters were incomplete (I would have loved to know more about Circe, Chalciope and Atalanta — even Jason felt very 2D).

The time skips felt slightly jarring and lacklustre by disrupting the pace of the novel. To be fair to the writer, I can’t see a way around it in order to cover as much of the myth as she wanted, but personally I found the book slightly harder to get back into after such big time leaps: hence the 4 stars and not 5.

Overall though, this was highly enjoyable especially for someone who loves a Greek myth and a strong female protagonist!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written and totally captivating. I love Greek mythology, and this was excellently executed variation of the myth about Medea and Jason. I really expect to see more books like that. The characters are not one dimensional and deep. The author successfully keeping balance between the original story and psychological research of timeless human relationships problems and traumas.

Medea captivates with its intriguing tone and captivating narrative. While the story unfolds, the last third of the book elevates the tale with a stunning portrayal of toxicity, manipulation, and the profound sense of loss. The author intricately weaves together themes of betrayal and vengeance, immersing readers in a world where the boundaries between love and hate blur. With its beautiful complexity, the retelling stands out as one of the finest in recent memory, offering a truly fresh perspective. I only wish parts of the narrative were longer, to allow some of these moments to be fully fleshed out.

I struggled with this book. I enjoyed the story but I couldn't decide whether I supposed to sympathise or dislike Medea. She frustrated me and I felt like she didn't help herself sometimes. The author did a good job of writing Jason and making him the antihero. I would like to read more books by Rosie Hewlett.

Very well written mythology retelling.
I found the way the story of Medea was told in this book very compelling: you can feel the heaviness the surrounds the characters, the reasons for her choices, her mistakes. There is a theme of gaslighting handled well. However the worst part of the story (the murdering of her own children) is not well explained, nor as well linked to her character arc. As that was always the most difficult part to accept for me, the book falls short in explaining her reasoning there.
It is a well written book, I was hoping for the ending to make a little more sense than the original.

If you enjoy Greek mythology, you will like this beautifully written story of Medea.

This was a new story to me. Many of us know the stories of Jason and the Golden Fleece, and not so long ago I read Circe, so this was another piece of the puzzle that tells the stories of the Greek heroes and villains.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Medea, which I was so excited about because I enjoyed Medusa a lot, and Medea is one of my favourite mythological figures. Reading this book took me right back to my degree and reminded me of how fascinating she is!

Let me tell you that I was FUMING at Jason throughout this whole book! I already hated him from reading Euripides’ play, but his gaslighting and manipulation really got on my nerves, which shows how well written he was. Of course Medea is not faultless, but her complexity is very compelling.

I really enjoyed seeing a bit more of her early life, especially her relationship with Circe. I was pleasantly surprised to read all the moments with Atalanta, and I really just wanted Medea to make different decisions because I knew what was coming, but that is the point.

I always find it interesting to see how retellings reflect and adapt from the original sources. No spoilers, but I felt that Medea did feel consistent as a character, and her actions were both satisfying and devastating. I would have even loved for the book to be longer so that the section in Corinth could have had even more scenes given the time jump.

I flew through this book so quickly, and I had such a great time reading it! If you enjoy mythological retellings, I highly recommend giving Medea a go.

Abused by her father and brother, and shunned by her people, Medea is desperate for a different life. When the hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts arrive on Colchis seeking the legendary golden fleece, Medea sees her opportunity to escape. Using her magic to aid Jason in his quest, she sets in motion a series of events that will change her life, in some ways for the better, but in many ways for the worse.

I really enjoyed this re-telling of Medea and Jason’s story, which I was not previously very familiar with. It was great to learn more about Jason’s quest with the Argonauts and I particularly liked hearing more from the women who appear in these stories; in this case, Medea, Atalanta and Circe.

I’ve read quite a few modern re-tellings of Greek myths, and one of my favourite things in each of these is seeing the parts where the details cross over, so you can see where authors have interpreted parts of the stories in the same way (case in point, Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson includes a gay romance between Heracles and Hylas; in Medea, Hylas is referred to as Heracles’ “special friend”).

This book is very well written and tells the story brilliantly. The only problem is that Medea is incredibly naïve and I spent the entire time wanting to reach out and shake her. The amount she sacrifices for a man is embarrassing. Still, irritation aside, I really enjoyed it.

I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to the fantasy and mythology genre, but, I am widening my perspectives and so far loving it. The author has done this brilliantly. The story is beautifully written, the characters come alive on the page, the settings pop and all characters have believable voices. One of the key elements of this book is world-building, the author has created an intricate and detailed world, complete with its own histories, cultures, and languages.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A book I had high hopes for, but unfortunately didn't quite live up to my expectations. Undoubtedly, my lofty expectations colored my reading experience. I'm a sucker for mythological retellings, and the premise of this one had me hooked from the start.

However, despite the promising premise, the execution fell short for me. While the story remained fairly faithful, which I usually appreciate in retellings, I found myself struggling with certain aspects. In the beginning, I found myself drawn to the character of Medea, but as her infatuation with Jason unfolded, it all felt a bit forced and lacking in depth. Medea seemed to lose those intriguing layers I was beginning to appreciate.

Although I did enjoy the author's writing style, I couldn't help but find it a bit too simplistic at times. Furthermore, the pacing of the story felt rushed on occasion; I longed for more depth, and the frequent time jumps didn't help in that regard.

Overall, while the book didn't quite meet my expectations, there were still some redeeming qualities. It's certainly worth a read for fans of mythological retellings,

I went into Medea totally blind as I don’t know anything about the original Greek tragedy. I did recognise some of the characters (Circe and Atalanta) which probably helped but it didn’t matter that I went in blind at all! Medea was a beautifully easy read, and I was very quickly hooked on the story.

The author did an excellent job with building the characters of this story. I really liked that each character had almost a good and bad side, creating more honest and authentic storylines. And as we know from any Greek myth, no one is perfect. Medea was a difficult character as you could feel her pain and self-destruction, but she often feels that too and ignores it, it made her hard to like as our protagonist – which is not necessarily a bad thing! However, I really loved Atalanta. She was a seriously cool character!!!

The last few chapters did absolutely break me as I felt Medea slip into madness and complete self-destruction mode (which the author did a great job of building slowly throughout the novel). As Greek tragedies go it was heart-breaking, sad but also very real and moving. Loved this book.

"I thought we could put goodness into the world, but violence only breeds violence, and we have dealt our fair share, have we not?"

Since she was a little girl, her family has kept Medea away from people. After all, she's a powerful witch and no one wants to be near her. At least, that's what her cruel father keeps telling her. Even so, he uses Medea to cast spells to protect the famous Golden Fleece, which is said to give powers to whoever wears it.

Then Jason and his famed warriors, the Argonauts arrive. Medea is instantly bewitched by the handsome and charming young man. In exchange for helping him to pass the magical trials she has set, she asks him to take her away when he's obtained the fleece.

When they flee Medea's father's land, she thinks she's left the darkness behind her. But it will find her wherever she goes. Until she does the unthinkable.

I loved this retelling of the Medea myth. She's such a misunderstood figure in Greek mythology – always made out to be the villain when really, she's also frequently been victimised, making her what she is. Admittedly she makes some awful choices and those cannot be condoned, but she always feels like there is no other way out and her motive is never to be cruel.

This is such an engaging book even though the story is known and many will already be aware of how it ends. The joy in reading this is really delving deep into an infamous figure and discovering WHY she is the way she is.

This is a book for anyone who loves Greek mythology and a gripping retelling full of depth.

There is no doubt that this is a spectacularly well-written book. Incredible research and so vividly drawn your heart aches throughout. It is also absolutely brutal, violence and pain and abuse and heartache deep through the pages. I found the section towards the end utterly disturbing and it will haunt me for some time. An incredible book, but deeply distressing.

Rosie Hewlett has a beautiful way of writing and telling the story of Medea. Although it was a story I am already quite familiar with, it was writen in such a way that still captivated me and kept me hooked! A beautiful feminist retelling of a Classic tale. If you like Greek mythology and a little bit of drama, this is definitely for you!