Yeah, so this book really was a downer. I was angry for all the women in this and had a hard time pushing through it. I get that the story highlight the actions of Perseus but I can't pretend it didn't sting the whole way through. Would have been nice to find one person willing to stand up to him. It all just felt very one sided and I'm not sure it was presented in the best light.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this retelling of Perseus and the three women closest to him. The writing was beautifully descriptive and flowed so easily. Although it was broken down into parts for each woman, there was never a great place to put it down which kept me wanting to see what the next page would bring. I know this will quickly become a reader favorite!

I really enjoyed The Shadow of Perseus—enough to immediately put Claire Heywoods other book, Daughters of Sparta, on my to-read list!

The Shadow of Perseus is told from the viewpoint of the woman in Perseus's heroic(?) tale, including Danae, his mother; Medusa, who we all know; and Andromeda, his wife. I came into this book with very little information on Perseus as I had never delved much into Greek mythology. Based on the information I gathered both during and after reading the Shadow of Perseus, I feel that this book would be great for those both familiar with Perseus and those not. The novel sticks pretty closely with Perseus's tale, with notable changes that I felt made the book feel more realistic and exciting for those already familiar with Perseus, and that made me feel more emotionally invested in the characters. For example, Danae is not impregnated by Zeus, but rather by a young man she falls in love with while imprisoned. However, she tells young Perseus that she was impregnated by Zeus to prevent him from finding out the truth.

I really loved all of the women in the novel. Everything the women went through felt so real and was depicted in such a way that made you really feel their injustice. This novel really made me fall hard for feminist retellings of greek myths.

I recommend the Shadow of Perseus to Greek mythology enthusiasts, feminist fiction lovers, and anyone who just likes a really good book. Thanks to Claire Heywood and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

When you strip away the myth, legend, and obvious embellishments of classic hero stories, what remains? That is the story that Claire Heywood seeks to tell in her new novel, The Shadow of Perseus.

Beautifully written, The Shadow of Perseus is a fairly straightforward retelling. It is grounded in historical fiction without any speculative elements. The difference is that so many times, the details we get from stories have come from the supposed heroes themselves and not from those around them. In Heywood’s novel, we get perspective from Perseus’ mother, his wife, and Medusa herself. Although tragic, the voices of the women bring power to their story and challenge what does and does not make a hero.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Dutton, and Claire Heywood for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Perseus, Danae, Medusa, Andromeda.
This was an... interesting read. Including the perspective of Danae, Persueus's mother so heavily was wonderful and I enjoyed her perspective the most. But.
Without any magic, or gods, or divine interference... it just kind of fell flat from me. Which is entirely personal, I do respect and can appreciate what Ms. Heywood was trying to do it just didnt work for me, however; I still give the book three stars for the unique perspective, voice, and overall message. It is still a wonderful retelling.

I am conflicted over this retelling of the Perseus myth. I wasn’t familiar with it, so learning about him through women’s eyes for the first time was great. But he sounds like a terrible figure, and I couldn’t understand why each woman loved him. I know the author can’t stray too far from the myth, but I was seriously questioning his redemption at the end.

I picked up The Shadow of Perseus at the exact worst time. I had just finished reading Stone Blind, which is now quite possibly my favorite mythological retelling I’ve ever read, and which deals with the exact same myth. However, Heywood’s approach is as different from Haynes’ novel as two books with the same story at their core could possibly be, so I decided to go ahead and pick it up. I thought it would make for an interesting little book flight, allowing me to see the the same story from radically opposing angles. I was right, in a sense, but I found that I couldn’t help but compare the two books, to the detriment of this one.

It’s an interesting idea, rewriting a myth like that of Perseus and Medusa in a way that completely removes magic and the supernatural from every single element of the story. There is not a single fantastical element in this entire book. No gods, no magic, nothing. But, at least in my opinion, it made for a hollow retelling, especially of a story that is so heavily rooted in the fantastical. It was interesting to see how Heywood would take such solidly impossible aspects of the tale, like Perseus’s conception and the entire story of Medusa, and make them more historically plausible. But there was no joy in the reading of it.

The myth of Perseus and Medusa has always been a dark one, but it felt far darker without any divine aid or intervention upon which to place the blame for Perseus’s “heroic” actions. Which was likely the very point Heywood was seeking to make. But while I appreciate the trend of taking heroic tales and shining a harsher light on the hero and his actions, this was so extreme that I couldn’t understand how anyone suffered Perseus, much less felt anything like awe or respect or love for him. Every single one of his actions was appalling and senseless, to the point where it felt like someone needed to put him down for the sake of the world’s safety. This also resulting in the three women in his life, from whom we get the story, coming across as unreliable, unsympathetic, and weak, which I’m fairly certain was not the intent. I felt nothing for Danae, or Andromeda, or even Medusa, and I know I was meant to. But their decisions in part led to Perseus’s choices, and I couldn’t help but feel like they had asked for it in some way. Which ENRAGED me, as I would never blame a victim for their own trauma. It was this that led to my distaste for the storytelling turning into near hatred.

What kept me from giving this book a single star instead of the 2 upon which I settled was the core point Heywood sought to enforce throughout the book. Stories are powerful. The stories we weave and proclaim are what will be remembered, even if they are false. And, when those lies are the core of our own stories, we will often begin to believe they are true. Heywood demonstrated this undeniably.

While I disliked this book intensely, I can think of a lot of readers who will not share my views. Which is one of the things I love most about the book world. So if you’ve been on the hunt for a mythological retelling that strips away every ounce of the fantastic to give you a much more plausible iteration of the story, then I believe you could love this. Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t for me.

I've read a few feminist retellings that center the voices of the women surrounding Perseus, but none that include his mother Danae in such a compelling manner. She seemed to speak to all mothers who would prefer to shield their gentle sons from toxic masculinity against heavy societal pressure to "let him be a man" and "you don't want him tied to your apron strings" and also the dire prospect of "being a mama's boy." It was clear that Perseus would have been far better off learning kindness from his mother than becoming a brutal "hero" whose campaign of terror did not stop with beheading poor Medusa, whose home he invaded, after all.

The inclusion of Danae made the book as far as I'm concerned. Highly recommended.

I have always loved Greek mythology and have really enjoyed the recent wave of Greek mythology retellings. I was so excited when my request for The Shadow of Perseus was accepted on NetGalley as I was very interested in hearing the story of Perseus told through the perspectives of three women interwoven in his story but not really given the spotlight (or in Medusa’s case, vilified). This book did not disappoint and satiated my craving for a Greek story with a more interesting look at the “hero” story of Perseus.

Following the perspectives of Danae, Perseus’ mother, Medusa, and Andromeda, Perseus’ wife (that he kidnapped from her homeland), this was a beautifully written story that I was so absorbed in the entire time. All three women were such strong characters surviving unimaginable traumas and wrapped up in the story of a self-absorbed man-child who consistently makes catastrophic decisions that ruin these women’s lives.

Although I enjoyed all of the stories, I definitely enjoyed the section on Medusa the most as it was a very interesting retelling of a much known and reviled Greek character. By fashioning her as a woman that ran away from a terrible event in her own life to join a tribe of other women with similar backstories who protect one another from the evils of men, this made what Perseus does to her so much more upsetting as you come to love her and really root for her.

The very end of this book moved me so much as two of the women came together to pay tribute to the third and pledged to one another that they would continue to survive amidst a world that was so very cruel to women. I found this book to be so beautifully written and such an interesting take on a historical period where women were minor characters or villains living in the “shadow” of the male hero. I definitely recommend to anyone that also loves a historical retelling or reimagining.

The Shadow of Perseus takes its reader on a journey along the edge of Perseus’ life, and gives a deep look into the lives of the women surrounding him. Through the stories of Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda, Claire Heywood’s novel depicts a tale of betrayal, lies, suffering, and survival in the midst of Perseus’ quest to prove himself. With a fresh take on this piece of mythology, this book suggests a less fantastical version of Perseus’ accomplishments, and the impacts that his lies and manipulation had on the women around him.

Claire Haywood’s writing of female characters within this novel conveys an enormous amount of thoughtfulness and care, while touching on darker themes of life in a time when tales of impossibly-masculine heroes ran rampant. By placing the source of Perseus’ power in the women around him, Claire Haywood writes a devastating narrative of the effect that the pursuit of masculinity may have. This book is wonderfully constructed, and left me hanging on to every word, flipping to the next page without hesitation. We get to know each character so intimately, and are given the opportunity to see them grow and change in the midst of their suffering, and overcome it if they are able. The solidarity that these women experience as they cling to one another for survival is raw and emotional, and I loved reading about these reimagined female characters. While at times difficult to read, as the challenges these women face are so terrible, this book is an excellent retelling of a portion of famous mythology that offers a fresh perspective from the outside of the so-called hero. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dutton Penguin Group for granting me the opportunity to read this book!

“It was an understanding that ran deeper than words, cut by shared experience, like two channels now flowing into one.”(Chapter 43)

Thank you so much @duttonbooks for the complimentary eARC and to @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook.

I am officially a fan of Greek mythology retellings!! I recently read a novella that was a retelling, which I enjoyed, but was a little nervous going into this one as a full-length novel/almost 11-hour audiobook. I did not need to worry. I could not put this down and ended up requesting the audio because I wanted to listen to it when I couldn’t sit and read. I loved the story of Perseus being told from the women’s perspective, shining a less than flattering light on him. You get the story of his mother Danae, his wife Andromeda, and Medusa and I loved them so much I wanted to fight Perseus.😆I would have loved more Medusa, I was a little disappointed by how short her part was. Heywood removes all fantasy elements from the story so don’t discount this one if you’re not interested in reading about Greek gods or magic!

When you think that you had enough Greek myths retellings, Claire Heywood pulls this rabbit out of her magician's hat just to show you that you actually needed this one. This book is genuinely brilliant, written by an expert passionate about her subject. Perseus is shown from the perspective of the women who marked his life: his mother Danae, Medusa, the monster that he's supposed to kill and his wife Andromeda.
This narrative puts into a new perspective the famous and anachronistic saying that behind every great man there is a great woman. In this case, there are three women who contribute to the creation of this controversial hero, tormented and predestined to ignominy that "In trying to become a man, had turned himself into a monster" They are his shadow and his light at the end of the tunnel. The three alternating perspectives gives the novel a dynamism that makes it a true page turner.

I really enjoyed this new look at the well-known story of Perseus! The women are often overlooked in Greek mythology and I’m loving the trend of retelling the myths from the women’s perspective. These retellings can be hit or miss for me, but this one was a winner.

The book follows the perspectives of the three women tied to Perseus’s story. His mother, Danae, the one he kills, Medusa, and his wife, Andromeda. I enjoyed all of their POVs, but I do wish Medusa’s part was longer.

I also really liked that Claire Heywood took out the “fantasy” elements of these myths and just gave the characters normal abilities without the influence of the gods and goddesses. I find retellings often focus a lot on the gods and goddesses POVs, which often just sounds like whiny children, doesn’t really add anything new to the story, and the actual people impacted in the stories are overlooked.
I definitely recommend this to mythology fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I gotta be honest with you, every time I go into a Greek Mythology retelling I realize how little I actually know about the myths??? I know everyone's names, and sometimes I have a vague impression about their story, but honestly this was all new to me.

I read a completely different Medusa retelling recently, so now I want to look into that because ROUGH.

The classic Greek mythology theme of oppressed women trying to take back their power in whatever small ways they can continued here, and it felt a little painfully repetitive as bad things kept happening.

Also I had no idea that any of these myths would be in Libya! I thought that was really interesting.

Overall - really enjoyed!

I enjoyed reading The Shadow of Perseus! I love Greek mythology, so it made the book engaging to me. However, a lot of mythology retelling are currently being published and this one didn’t stand out to me. Thanks for the arc!!

Love reading Greek Mythology especially when it’s written as well as The Shadow of Perseus!! Claire Heywood did an excellent job bringing these characters and their journeys to life!! Showing the resilience of women that still continues today!!! I felt the pacing was perfect and would definitely recommend this book!! Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

I've been really excited for this for a very long time, and while the writing is beautiful and the story is interesting, it is so far removed from the myth of Perseus that it can't truly be considered a retelling. I'm always confused when writers choose to change these myths into historical fiction, and this is probably the most egregious example I've read--there is no way one can write a non-mythological version of this story and keep it intact enough to resemble the original, and while I understand rewriting stories under a different context, the portrait of Perseus in this book requires too much reaching to be plausible.

The ways this story was changed to be more "realistic" are so numerous and, in many cases, so incredulous that it took away from any enjoyment I had in the genuinely great writing and pacing. There's so much that is changed for seemingly no reason other than to make the other changes more plausible, which is not how Greek mythology works. Most of the myths are there not only to entertain, but to teach a lesson, and what lesson is this book supposed to give us? That no matter how gently and carefully they're raised, men will always need the women around them to "manage" them, as Danae says? That murderers can be redeemed because they're still fragile little boys underneath their outer shell? How is this fitting with the supposedly feminist narrative this book was built on?

I think those new to mythology would like this book--again, the writing is beautiful and the story Heywood tells is great--but it's not really Perseus' story, and when you think about the kinds of messages it sends, I was disappointed beyond belief.

another dull entry in the greek mythology retelling trend. the absolute opposite of engaging; just very dry. could not get through it.

I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

In the hands of Claire Heywood, the story of Perseus becomes historical fiction rather than Greek myth. The Shadow of Perseus retells the myth as a story of humans rather than Gods, reset in the ancient world of humans. The writing itself is affecting and descriptive (and even beautiful when the story allows for it), but the story is brutal.

Over the course of the novel, we learn about the lives and dreams of three women: Danae, the mother of Perseus; and Medusa and Andromeda, into whose lives Perseus forces himself. Although told through the women’s lives, these women remain mostly passive and victims. About halfway through the story, we meet Andromeda, and her story is the most engaging one—she is clever and a person of action. Although Andromeda is the most developed of the three women characters, she too is trapped managing a violent man’s moods.

The male vision of heroes and Gods removed women’s experiences in a larger-than-life tale, while this reality-bound women’s narrative is straight-forward and grim. There wasn’t enough that was compelling about the women for me to love the story and Perseus felt like a one-dimensional plot device.

Perseus is a heroic figure that many have heard of. Not many have heard of the women that lived in his shadow, however. This story is told in four parts, from the points of view of three women with whom Perseus crossed paths during his life: his mother, Danae; Medusa, priestess of Gorgo; and Andromeda, the woman who would become Perseus's wife. These women have one major thing in common - they were severely wronged by Perseus. Their stories shed a new light on this "hero" of mythology.

I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling. Maybe it was because I'm pretty familiar with the story of Perseus and was thrilled to see a high-and-mighty male hero's story retold in a less-than-favorable light. Good LORD did I dislike Perseus in this version of the story. When we as readers feel strongly towards characters - in either a positive or a negative way - that, to me, is a sign of strong writing and character creation. And let me tell you, I wanted to reach into the page and slap this little whiny fragile man-boy in the face.

I loved that the women were at the forefront of this story. Danae's trauma was very difficult to read (but it's not surprising how she was treated, given the historical backdrop) but she was one of my favorite characters. I loved her character arc - a woman wronged, a protective mother, an independent woman, and finally, full-circle, a savior to her father even though he cast her away.

I was fascinated by the retelling of Medusa. I've never read any account of any version of the myth where she is NOT a horrifying, snake-haired, turn-people-into-stone-with-one-look monster. Here she was just a woman. A woman scarred, a woman reborn, a woman with a new-found purpose. Who made the mistake of trusting a man with a pathetically fragile sense of pride and a really concerning violent streak. The power of storytelling was key in this portion of the novel - Perseus believed the Gorgons to be monsters. He was lied to, of course, which in turn hurt his pride. When he saw an opportunity to make the Gorgons monsters, he spun a new lie out of the one told to him.

And then we have Andromeda. A woman without a voice (illustrated perfectly by the language barrier between Perseus and her people) literally ripped from her home by a pompous violent douchebag (sorry, he made me really mad). I loved her growth. She and Danae both transformed from women with no voices to women being the voice of reason for the dagger-happy Perseus. They were calling the shots by the end of the novel, AND they included Medusa in their victory by properly laying her to rest.

In summary... I loved the POVs, the women, the growth, the ending. I hated Perseus... but I think I was supposed to.