Thank you to Netgalley & BooksGoSocial for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review

**TRIGGER WARNING** - This novel is based firmly on the rape of Medusa and her subsequent punishment.

I was drawn to the book down to the title - pure and simple. After reading the synopsis I wondered how well could a book set in the present Day but featuring a Mythical Woman would work!

I have to say the writer has done an exceptional job of blending the two together!

This book features current topics around victim blaming and the worlds cultural beliefs around where women ‘fit’ within the world.

This book infuriated me at some points and validated the feelings I have felt myself at other points.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would be happy to recommend it to others.

One of the most important skills for a writer is the ability to actually do enough research into aspects of the book being written to avoid coming across like you don't know anything. Unfortunately, "The Rape Trial of Medusa" fails on a number of levels, due to shoddy or non-existent research surrounding trial law.
It's clear in the beginning that the author is unsure if this is a civil case or a criminal case. That the case is moved from Greece to New York is absurd, and not in a readable, believable way..
Medusa constantly being referred to as the defendant - as the one who was raped it's questionable that she's not the victim - yet the attacker has diplomatic immunity. Given that the incident happened in Greece, between to people from Greece - Poseidon is supposedly the ambassador for the Olympians - he would not be able to claim diplomatic immunity just because the trial was moved.
Aside from the legal issue that were clearly not researched, the author spends an inordinate amount of time writing about the male member of the "defense" team, while relegating the female members to minimal description. That all of the descriptions of these people are hackneyed and full of cliches doesn't help.
The pretentious references to "the Handsome Anchor" "the Former Senator" "the Greek Expert" rather than actually naming these people shows that the author is pretending to write the great modern Greek tragedy without a clear understanding of how that would work. It's also more than a little offensive that "the attractive Reporter" (his writing not mine) is treated in an overtly sexist manner.
All of this review is based on reading less than 30% of this drivel. I will not be finishing it and do not recommend anyone bother.

I’ve began this book with lots of expectations, sadly it wasn’t for me.
I’ve really wanted to like it.

I hate to say that I did not enjoy this title and couldn't even get through the first few chapters of it. Some of the vocabulary used I were inappropriate in my eyes and there wasn't really a hook at the beginning of the book to bring readers in. I DNF'ed at 10%. I really dislike DNF'ing books, but I also don't believe in wasting my reading a book that I am not enjoying.

What a breath of fresh air for a novel!

Characters had a beautiful depth that made you love or hate them... there was no in between, pace was perfect, and the story was superb.

By far one of the better retellings of a myth. A solid 5/5!

I really enjoyed this book.
When I first read about Zeus sending out tweets I was not sure I would like this book, but it really grabbed me and I enjoyed all of the story.
It's a very interesting and well thought out retelling of the story of Medusa and a statement about being true to yourself and standing up for justice no matter what.

I recommend it to anyone who likes retellings or even just wants a great book to escape with.

This book was a gorgeous documentation about the standards and expectations of women.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a fresh representation of Greek mythology that also had a dose of commentary on the world today. This book told a great story while giving an important lesson and captured my attention from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking out a story that takes over your mind for a while after you read it.

The concept of this novel is very cool but I could tell from the first few pages I was not going to like it. The writing didn’t do justice to the story - at least from what I could get through. DNF at 10%.

I love the Greek Myths and Legends, so this book completely grabbed my attention from the start. Medusa's story has always been one of interest for me. I think this book is a bit like marmite, you either love it or you hate it. I really loved this book. I felt it was written well and covered a very difficult topic (obviously there are trigger warnings for the topic, it may not be for everyone).
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good book from start to finish. I'm not going to bother you with the blurb or my own description of it, since, if you came this far, you already read it.

What I liked:
This is what originality means. I can't say I've encounter books with a similar plot or setting.
It is well written, characters are defined in detail. Something I thoroughly enjoyed.
The antagonists, not so much, but I don't think it was needed, since these are guys that have being on earth for eons doing the same thing over and over again.

What I didn't like.
The author hints strongly at upcoming events. For instance, after Medusa's first description of her assault, within the first pages of the book, you know exactly who done what to whom. This happens constantly through out the book.
The trial, the main reason to read this book, goes without a glitch, all the way to the "I'm so angry, I'm going to confess" cliché.

That aside it was a great read, but not an "I can't put this book down" one. Still I enjoyed it and recommend it.

thank you for the book guys!

"Why not?" Medusa asked. "I am a freak, something to fear. Lepers are feared. Fat people are ridiculed. The homely ignored. We are raised to be perfect, especially women- we are bred to be beautiful. It's human nature to be curious about the pain that others endure. We are told at a young age not to stare, so we look away and pretend that freaks like me don't exist. We dont ask how it feels to be so ugly, so crippled, so fat, so- odd- unless we want to hurt them, and we do, sometimes, then we go in our way laughing at the pseudo-justice of our cruelty; laughing into our wine or with whoever we want to sleep with."

This book surprised me pleasantly and became one of my favourite books.

The infamous Medusa is put to a modern day trial in NYC and Zeus, Athena, Poseidon etc, the Olympians are not the gods but rich people, so rich that they were assumed to be gods, once upon a time. Medusa was raped in the temple of Athena by Poseidon who tempted her but Medusa was the one who was punished because why not? She is a woman for god's sake and how can a man be wrong. But Maggie, and her colleagues are lawyers and are bent to provide justice to Medusa and burst the myth.

The story was not only focused on showing the problems with Greek mythologies and how over the centuries they have wronged women but also how women are still in a deplorable position. It provided various details of killing of girl child, killing of brides for dowry, and even though it's embarrassing to acknowledge how backward my country is in this sense, its not negligible and it's the bitter truth.

The mentality that a girl's beauty, her need to dress herself and look good can be moulded into 'she asked for it!' is so wrong. The part where Medusa said " He did everything and I did nothing yet am the whore" made my heartache because it is so true specially where rich men are concerned.

There is an element of mystery to the story which was again very interesting. Honestly this perspective made me feel the need to question why are the greek heroes still called heroes when they just raped, and killed, tricked and deceived!

The use of Hijab and the cultural appropriation of it into Greek mythology retelling is concerning though.

The trickle of romance and friendships provided softness to the otherwise aggravating narrative. Elements of humour and wonder against cross-generational aspects provided a novel angle. Does this book have issues? Yes. So will I recommend it, yes! I just feel that Medusa was a victim and everyone should know it. Also, I loved how contemporary the writing style felt even when dealing with a greek myth retelling!

I received an advance reader copy of the book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Michael Kasenow for providing me with an ARC of the title The Rape Trial of Medusa!

TW: Rape

This is an amazing read that I didn’t know I needed. Once I picked this up I found it really hard to put down. As a witch, I feel a very deep connection to the Old Gods/Goddesses. So, to see them brought to life in a modern retelling where they are held up to our standards was incredibly interesting.

These characters were developed perfectly and I found myself full of rage more times than not. I loved the feeling of the “Me Too” movement being included here. This also reminded me a bit of Circe while I was reading it as well.

Thank you again to those named above for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

"Zeus: "These were affairs. Rape is relative."
Harper: "Or in your case, mostly relatives."

This book was a really interesting concept, where the Greek gods are alive in present day New York and are the most powerful elites of society. Thousands of years ago, Medusa was raped and Athena punished her by stripping away her beauty and turning her into a monster. The book follows the trial against the Olympian family.

I loved the idea of Medusa getting justice. The crimes committed against her were horrific and the author did an amazing job of making the Olympians vile and easy to hate. Medusa, on the other hand, is quiet and apologetic. I felt so sorry for her all the way throughout the book and I wanted her to get her HEA.

I found the court case really interesting. I liked Maggie Harper and I loved the way she built her case. The changing of the jury was such a high moment and again when Harper questioned Zeus. I also liked that the judge was honorable and beyond bribery. The tweets about "fake news" were amusing and I enjoyed the snippets which showed the Olympian's dysfunctional family dynamic.

However, I didn't like the ending although it was completely unexpected. I also found the torture and abuse was at times too graphic and unnecessary. Overall however, I would recommend and would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

It’s not often I ever rate books below three stars, unless I truly had difficulties with enjoying them for reasons other than personal preference.

The Rape Trial of Medusa is, unfortunately, one of these books. I had great familiarity with Greek myths, and had always felt a sympathy for Medusa. When I hear the gods would be trumplike, I found myself even more interested in the book.

Unfortunately, I was vastly disappointed. The gods, free in their prejudices, seem to mostly exist so that the writer can have pleasure in writing the taunts. The violence is overstated, seemingly meant to be titillating for both reader and writer. All but one of the women in the story are one-dimensional, focused on little else but beauty. Medusa herself swings between the history of her rape, and once that’s resolved, how lovely her beauty is and was. She has no hesitations about leaping into a new sexual relationship, though the man brings very little to the table.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As the title suggests, the book deals with (in)famous rape of Medusa. After centuries, she is finally able to fight for justice. Against her stand the incredibly powerful Olympians, they have money and influence and they don’t hold themselves back from being cruel to get what they want and need and to get their message across (and sometimes also just for fun). It’s during this trial that the perfect facade they wore disappears and people become more critical of them.
I absolutely loved this part of the story, even though it was awful and heartbreaking. The way in which the story is told is very intriguing. It really felt as if I were watching an actual trial unfold in front of me. I simply could not stop reading and constantly needed more.
Unfortunately, my excitement dropped with the last 50 or so pages. It took a turn I didn’t really enjoy, so I finished this book with a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
I will still recommend this book to my friends, though, because for the most part, the book was great. 
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I did mock trial in high school for three years. Because of that, I feel a sort of insider knowledge when it comes to courtroom stories of many stripes. If written by a woman, perhaps this book would have been a cathartic writing and reading experience in response to the many high profile sexual abusers on trial today, but truthfully, it's hollow.

I wanted to like this book. I love the premise. Medusa deserves justice. Poseidon deserves punishment. Athena deserves a swift kick in the backside. However, I have some major issues with Michael Kasenow's writing.

First, he usage of hijab to describe the headscarf worn by Medusa to cover her snakes. The first time I read the word, I stopped and googled its definition. Maybe I was wrong about its meaning. Nope, I was right. Hijab is the head covering used in the Muslim faith and is born out of the qur'anic tradition. Medusa isn't Muslim! Why would she wear a hijab? Why would her team of supporters wear them in solidarity? Why would her legal team consistently refer to her head covering as a hijab? Especially Crystal, the researcher. She should know better!

My next issue was the fact Medusa was on trial, not Poseidon. So how is this her rape trial? Why does she have to prove she was raped? Why isn't Poseidon even there to be questioned? This is the biggest shitshow of victim blaming I have ever seen.

Lastly and the final reason I DNF this book, was the way Medusa's legal team treated her. Hardy's "Jesus Fucking Christ!" comment at seeing her face the first time was completely uncalled for and not appropriate to his place as a supporter. Haven't you ever seen Medusa's image before? Seriously, what did they expect?

Overall, I think this story needs to be done, but it should be done right. And this just isn't it.

DNF at 15%

Thank you NetGalley for a gifted ebook for exchange of a honest review.

I had to DNF at 13%. I liked what we got to see of Maggie, but other than that, i couldn't connect to any of the characters. It felt like I was being held at arm's length with all of them the entire time. To add onto that, I got to know some of the characters more than I got to know Medusa, who doesn't really seem to be the main character of the story. Yes, she's a mythological character that most people typically know, but in this book she's come out of hiding to pursue justice against her rapist, there is a lot of character exposition we could have gotten with her. I'm not sure if that happens in the rest of the book, but it didn't happen in the first 13&. Additionally there are quite a few instances of too much info umping. I don't mind learning some background on characters, but having a three page exposition on anyone other than Medusa doesn't seem too pertinent to the story and it made it harder to connect to any of them while also pulling me out of the thing entirely. I really wish I could have liked this more and finished it. It has a really interesting premise that I think could be amazing.

*NetGalley provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review* TRIGGER WARNING - This novel is based firmly on the rape of Medusa and her subsequent punishment. Only read if you are not triggered by this topic.

I clicked on this book because of the title. I mean, really how could you not be intrigued by this? This novel is a modern-day parallel to the stories of the Greek gods and today's powerful Elite. There were good things and bad things about this novel; but mostly good! This novel takes place in present day New York where the mythical Medusa Gorgon has finally achieved representation for the trial of the century: her rape, and subsequent punishment for being raped by a powerful, rich, and influential male. In this case, an Olympian.

I'll start with the "eh" parts: PACING. The beginning starts slow, and is written as if it is a news article. We meet the players, we have narration by the news casters covering the trial, and slowly we get introduced to the players. The trial itself is solid, we get an idea of how the whole thing is moving, we have delays and extensions, and we get to see the witnesses called to the stand. However, after a pretty big reveal in the novel, the deaths of our influential Olympian are numerous, but we don't really get to see the devastation. It happens rather quickly and is breezed past essentially, that I didn't feel drawn in or vested in suspense for this particular part. The third-quarter of the book sped up and continued that fast-paced momentum through to the end. Normally a fast-pace is a good thing, but this was just a bit too fast for me. There were so many things happening, big reveals, big moments, that I just felt the author could have slowed down just a hair to let those moments really wash over us.
I was also a bit disappointed with the ending, because the set-up of the story-line was preparing me to root for women and to expose those male supremacists and their idea that women who are beautiful and accentuate that beauty are at fault for any sexual crime against them, but the ending, and the person responsible for the whole thing fell on: a woman. Yuck. It just felt a bit conflicting at the end, but I did appreciate the twist because the idea that women break each other down is also common in our society. Ugh. I was left a bit conflicted at the end.

The Good: I liked the way the novel was written. It felt like a news feature in some chapters and then an actual novel in others. The character development was interesting; and the parallels to today's political climate towards women, the idea of rape, and the politicians involved in both rape allegations and legislation was perfect. There was a lot of allusion to "fake news", "twitter posts", "locker room talk", and commentary regarding the victimization of the perpetrators. There were parts in this novel where I was literally shaking with rage, because there are so many people who consistently blame the victim for his/her rape and the author really portrayed the villains in this mindset that was sadly, very accurate to today. Particularly, the commentary on the way the news outlets handle this case, the ruling, and the subsequent events regarding those involved in this affair.

The cover could have been a bit less "legal-ish" -- kinda reminded me of a crime textbook I had back in college, but nonetheless, the novel was provoking, enraging, endearing, and at times absolutely heart-breaking for many reasons. As a woman, this novel spoke to me on many levels, and I recommend it for both male and female readers with an interest in fiction and political crime. I rated this a FOUR-star for the political commentary and creative use of the Medusa myth.

This was an interesting read. I loved the whole Greek mythology retelling. The author did an amazing job of putting the Greek gods into the modern day. I wish we got a bit more detail of what they are doing etc.
This was overall a good read with what felt like a bit of a rushed ending because such a large chunk of the book was based on the trial alone.

Good book, perhaps needed a bit more detail and length to it.