Thanks to Penguin Groups Dutton and Net Galley for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review!
This is actually my first time reading a novel based on Greek Mythology and I was not disappointed. I thought the author made this story so unique by telling it from the perspective of the three most influential women in Perseus’s life. The thing that has steered me away from mythological novels is my fear that I would become confused or disinterested (I don’t gravitate towards fantasy), but the author wrote this story chronologically and in a way that is easy for mythology amateurs to comprehend and enjoy.

Another incredible book by Claire heywood! If you love Greek mythology or mythology retellings you will love this. I finished it in 2 nights and stayed up later than I’d like to admit. An immersive tale that keeps you hooked even with time jumps and changing main characters. Ugh I can’t put into words how much I enjoyed this!

3/5 stars. This was a lovely entry by the author of "Daughters of Sparta." The story was well down but wish the female characters had featured more character development. Not a great or terrible story. Enjoyable but forgettable.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

What an absolute gem of a novel. I love historical mythological retellings, and this one absolutely delivered for me.
It’s the story of Perseus, as told through the eyes of three of the key women in his life - his mother, Danae, his wife, Andromeda, and Medusa. Rather than focus on any mythological elements, it paints a darker and more realistic version of the events of his life. It casts him as less of a hero and more as a troubled villain, consumed by the idea of the dark destiny awaiting him, foretold by the god Apollo.
Each of these women are horribly wronged by Perseus in a myriad of ways, yet he sees himself only as their savior. His delusions of grandeur and self importance are so incredibly frustrating to read, I was horrified and anxious to see how much more tragedy would befall these women because of him. The perseverance and strength, and at times, cunning, they exhibited in the face of his evil, was riveting.
This was a masterful work of fiction, and one I’ll be thinking about for a very long time.

If you love Greek mythology, you’ll love this female-centric retelling of the Perseus myth. Told from the perspectives of the three most influential women in Perseus’s life – Danae, Andromeda, and Medusa – this novel is a fresh and unique take on the hero story you thought you knew. Claire Heywood turns the old narrative on its head and gives agency and voice to women who were traditionally supporting characters. The prose is nothing short of gorgeous – the settings and descriptions are lush and the characterizations rich. A brilliant and totally immersive read!

Highly recommended for lovers of Greek mythology retellings. Fans of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint are sure to enjoy this one! Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I am absolutely thrilled to have been able to read an advanced readers copy of this book. The story was amazing from beginning to end. I loved it so much I was glued to the pages all day and into the night! I loved the different perspectives given Danae, Andromeda, etc. I loved the descriptions of the characters and their environments. It was a wonderful book and I can’t wait to read anything else by Claire Heywood.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a retelling of the myth of Perseus from the women’s perspective. In all the versions I have read, he has been the hero. Reading about him as the villain to Medusa, Andromeda, and Danae was very interesting! I found their journey to using their voices very compelling. The characters were very well developed, but the modern tone, writing, and ideas made it hard to become immersed in the story. I would recommend this for someone who likes greek mythology without the poetic/archaic language it is usually written in.

4.5 stars

If you love the “Circe,” you will love this! This was so good and interesting! I find Greek mythology very fascinating and some books are super dry, but that is not the case with this book.

I liked how the book is broken into three different parts/POV: Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda. It really showed the evolution of Perseus.

I will definitely read Claire Heywood’s other books!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

In The Shadow of Perseus, we get the story of Perseus as seen through the eyes of the women in his life. I really liked this format and the voice it gave to the female characters. I also liked the author’s note about her motivation in changing the perspective of the narrative around Perseus. However, the 3 women’s stories felt more like short stories until the end, and I wish it had felt more cohesive. Also, the ending was a bit of a letdown for me. Be aware this story has some gore and violence. While I prefer Heywood’s Daughters of Sparta over this one, I’m still glad I read it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

There are always different perspectives to a story, different ways for it to be told. In some cases, Perseus is held up as a hero. However, this story of Perseus is told from different women's points of view and is a different story altogether.

Danae's father, a king of Argos, learned of a prophecy that his daughter's son would be his death. So, of course, he locks his daughter away so she will never become pregnant. Yet there is a hole in the ceiling that is the perfect size for a handsome young man to climb through. Danae falls in love and a bit later, after many visits, she becomes pregnant. When her father finds out, he tosses her in a boat covered in boards nailed on like a lid and pushes her out to sea for the gods to decide her fate. (All of this is very normal in Greek mythology)

Fast forward, and Danae has her son on a distant island, doing everything she can to raise him with love and gentleness. Now, this story can be taken as Perseus was born evil, and that's that. But by the end of the book, after hearing the tales and seeing through the eyes of Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda, I realized that it's not so simple. Every aspect of Perseus's life, including himself, created the man he became. It was no one's fault at all. It's just the story of how evil becomes so evil. And, the answer is usually by a thousand different things.

I really enjoyed this. I thought the story was told really well from the different perspectives. I think the author did a brilliant job sculpting Pereus's character, and I definitely recommend this to fans of mythology.

Out February 21, 2023!

Content warnings for sexual assault, murder, and some gore.

The Shadow of Perseus was utterly captivating. I devoured this story of the mythical hero (or is he?) Perseus in just a couple of days. Claire Heywood took this myth and stripped out the magic and the gods, and while this may not sound like your typical ancient Greek drama, it's a gripping tale of deeply flawed humans. The story is told from the point of view of three women who most deeply impact Perseus' life: Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda. Danae struggles with rearing her jealous, headstrong son. Medusa's snakes aren't what you might expect, and while Perseus does save Andromeda from her fate of being chained to rocks next to the sea, maybe it wasn't exactly the outcome she was hoping for. All of this is makes for an absolutely riveting story. A must read for your 2023 TBR list.

The Shadow of Perseus is a retelling of the story of the Greek hero, Perseus. This version is told from the perspective of the three main women in his life, Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda.

I thought this retelling was excellent. Heywood's version removes all of the magical elements of the myth to leave us with a story that feels more real and relatable. The women in this story had so little autonomy over their lives and Heywood's writing paints a brilliant picture of their strength and resilience.

This was a unique take on a well known myth and I would highly recommend for fans of mythology.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Claire Heywood does it again. I absolutely loved Daughters of Sparta and she did the same thing here in The Shadow of Perseus. She writes from a fresh perspective and breathes new life into these old myths.

I was a little hesitant that I wasn't going to like it since I'm a Medusa fan and I'm not big into Perseus, but because of that, this book gave me exactly what I needed. I also loved reading about both Danae and Andromeda, who have always been minor characters in my mind. They both brought so many layers to the story and highlighted the plight of women in this time period. Women were just things to be used and disposed of by men, regardless of whether those men were their fathers, sons, neighbors, or even just random strangers staking a claim.

This author has definitely become an automatic pick up for me. I'm already looking forward to whatever tale she takes on next.

In this version, Perseus is a giant man child with a delicate ego. If not stroked just right he demolishes people. Like a modern day incel, if you will.

Now the most interesting part of this retelling is not just the perspective of the women, but the inclusion of the huge variety of cultures. There are different languages, customs, dress, etc. Many mythological stories are mostly white washed and homogenous in culture. This was fascinating!

Holy retelling! This is your mythology book for this year. I could not put it down. New views. New perspectives. No mention of actual gods or goddesses coming to rescue— which I loved! Raw, real, and page turning. Yes

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book I've read by this author, and I feel that it surpasses the first. What I love about both works is how the author has stripped away the supernatural/magic of the myth, and retold it from a purely historical context. This method makes the story fresh and new especially when told from the perspective of the women who in the past have had little/no voice. The Shadow of Perseus is well written, well researched, and I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're a classical student like myself.

The Shadow of Perseus was a novel right up my alley! Claire Heywood tells the story of well-known mythological Perseus, but the main focus lies with the three different women--Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda--who have played a role in his story. This novel explores a new side of Perseus and the focus on the women is an appreciated approach. The writing was easy to understand while still being beautifully done. I do wish that more of the book would have focused on Medusa when she was alive but I can understand why she had less time compared to the other two female leads.

In The Shadow of Perseus, we hear a retelling of Perseus the Hero, but from three new sets of eyes, the three most important women to him: Danae, Medusa and Andromeda. I loved all of these women and their trials and tribulations. As with Daughters of Sparta, Claire Heywood is able to make these retelling relevant and come to life.

The Shadow of Perseus is a Greek Mythology retelling about the "hero" Perseus, killer of Medusa and founder of Mycenae, told through the perspectives of Danae- his mom, Medusa, and Andromeda-his wife. This story is based more on historical context with fewer magical elements than the original one. Heywood's version of the story explores a reality where Perseus is really an insecure and respect-hungry boy who harms and murders the helpless and is no real hero.

I thought Heywood's take on the myth was an excellent and unique contribution to mythological retellings, and for that, it is a five-star read for me. This book focuses more on the injustice the three women face and how men, particularly Perseus, have wronged them. They exhibit strength but have a limited agency which might make some readers uncomfortable—strong trigger warnings for abuse, little man syndrome, and heartwrenching displays of patriarchy and unnecessary violence.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dutton Books, and Claire Heywood for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these comments and thoughts are my own.

I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology. I love everything about it. I’m always skeptical about reading books that people put their own twist to or make their own version of it because sometimes they just don’t do the history of the mythology any justice. M

I can honestly say I think this was beautifully written. I never thought Perseus was a hero. I never thought he was this fantastic and amazing person. Having this story told in the eyes of three important women that were in his life, was spectacular. I loved seeing their side of the story. I loved seeing their “truth”.

This story did make Perseus out to be, well a monster more or less. Im not sure if I agree that he was as horrible as this story tells but I think it’s headed down a more true path than what most stories tell.

Im definitely buying a copy of this book for my mythology collection but it was wonderful.

5 stars!