Thank you to Netgalley and penguin group Dutton for a copy of this AMAZING book. The shadow of Perseus was told from three points of views: Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda. These are women who were vital in Perseus's life. Readers might find Heywood’s retelling to be a bit different from what we usually hear, but her spin on the book was such a great take on the women.

For Danae, the myth we believe is Zeus visits Danae as a golden shower and she becomes pregnant. Heywood does take this myth into consideration, she uses it as an excuse as to why Danae became pregnant in her enclosure, for the eyes of the public. But in the book, Danae has been visited multiple times by a boy who works at a bakery. His visits become a solace to Danae, and they fall in love. Then in their union came Perseus.

As for Medusa, in the myth, we all know her to be a gorgon with snakes for hair and can turn anyone into stone with her eyes. Heyward turns the gorgons into a tribe located in eastern Libya in a cave known as the green mountain. In a way, their community reminds me of the Amazons. They are strongly independent and no men are allowed in the tribe. The tribe is made of women who were cast out of their former tribes or sought refuge from the abuse of men. They have their own little temple filled with snakes they tend. Believing as they protect the snakes, the snakes will return the favor. Their venom is a story of protection, a cure, and a weapon.

Lastly, we have Andromeda wife of Perseus. In the myth, she was tied to a rock to be devoured by a sea monster sent by Poseidon. The reasoning behind why this event occurred is still the same in the book, but instead of andromeda being devoured by a monster, Andromeda offers herself to her tribe. Like medusa, Andromeda belonged to a tribe located in western Egypt. Andromeda wants to bear herself on a rock to appease the god her family wronged — Ammon. In hopes, he will accept this form of sacrifice and cease the wind storms that were devastating their tribe. Perseus sees Andromeda on the rock and acts as if she’s a damsel in distress, and wants to be the hero who saved her “from a monster”. With this whole ordeal, Perseus believes Andromeda to be his wife — although she’s promised to another. He takes her captive on the ship until he reunites with his mother.

I believe medusa’s point of view was my favorite to read. It was heartbreaking, and I quickly felt attached to her and her story. I felt anger for what transpired between her and Perseus. Many readers may find themselves to feel the same for all women when they tell their story, but I believe medusa hurt the most in some way. Throughout the story, Perseus wanted to prove himself to be worthy, seen as a man instead of a boy. I believed him to be a man-child who sorely needed a rude awakening. This does contribute to the slightly toxic masculinity that was shown throughout his life. It wasn’t the norm for him to be emotional, and to be against violence. He was pushed into all of these things Danae was protecting from the Pythias prophecy. Her efforts were all for naught, seeing as he wreaked havoc wherever he went.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and the research Heywood weaved into the story to make it her own. I love the fact that she implemented a language barrier between Andromeda and Perseus, it made her story more complex and heart-wrenching. We see character development in Andromeda, and her growing influence over Perseus (even if it’s just a little it goes a long way). Her take on Medusa can sway readers to change their view on Medusa. She has been heated too much by the general myth, and it’s time to see her in a new light. Heywood really gave voices and strong dynamics to these women, showing that they have a story to tell and are just impactful to mythology as Perseus.

After reading Claire Heywood’s Daughters of Sparta almost two years ago, I’d been keeping an eye out for whatever she might publish next. As soon as I saw the description for the recently released The Shadow of Perseus, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy (especially after also reading Pandora’s Jar last year and the way Natalie Haynes explored the figure of Medusa). In her latest novel, Heywood did not disappoint. Her exploration of the myths that surround the forming of Perseus through the perspectives of the three key women in those myths – his mother, Danae, the “monster,” Medusa, and his wife, Andromeda – demonstrate the threat of challenged masculinity and the weight of prophecy in shaping who we allow ourselves to become.

Danae’s father has married several times with none of those marriages producing a son, so he has sent word for the Oracle to advise him in his next match. When word arrives, the Oracle has declared that he will never father a son, and in fact, Danae’s son will be his doom. In an attempt to thwart fate, Danae is imprisoned by her father. But her prison isn’t as impenetrable as anyone thought. Though she might run away if she wished, Danae believed her father would eventually relent. Unfortunately, when she falls pregnant, her father instead sets her adrift at sea encased in a flimsy vessel that Poseidon may claim or spare as the god wishes, absolving himself of any blame should she and her child perish. But Danae is rescued and raises her son, Perseus in relative safety until he becomes a young man and the men of her new community begin pushing her to let them teach him how to be a man. The tales Danae spun to comfort her fatherless son combine with the brutal lessons of the men around him and Perseus is unleashed on the world with a delicate sense of himself and a dangerous edge that have him determined to prove himself and fulfill the Oracle’s prophecy, regardless of who he may hurt along his way.

The Shadow of Perseus isn’t just a version of the Perseus myths told from a female perspective. Heywood removes the outright, stated existence of the gods themselves and instead provides more realistic explanations for the more fantastical elements we recognize from the myths – Medusa’s hair of snakes, the sacrifice of Andromeda to a monster. In so many ways, the stripped-down version of the story that Heywood presents is more terrifying for its relatability. She demonstrates the horrors that are far more likely to lie beneath the surface of such gilded tales of heroism, showing just how easy it is to construct a narrative that suits the violent oppressor’s purpose and ego. But, of course, it isn’t just about the story that gets told and how it benefits the storyteller – it’s about the power granted to the liar and what they choose to do with it.

In the case of Heywood’s Perseus, much is made of how masculinity is defined, how it’s demonstrated, and what is expected when it is disrespected. Each of the women whose perspectives comprise the novel – Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda – recognize and respond to the threat posed by Perseus specifically (and men more generally) when that sense of status as a man is challenged or dismissed. Reading about women recognizing the threat and then moderating their language and behavior to keep from triggering the violent rage of a man with insecurities was almost too easy to relate to.

With so much of Daughters of Sparta focusing on feminine roles in society and The Shadow of Perseus exploring how masculinity is defined and demonstrated, I’m curious to see what myth Heywood might focus on next.

I don’t know what it is about mythology retellings, but they are definitely one of my reading sweet spots and 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗨𝗦 was no exception. In this particular iteration, Claire Heywood gives us the life of Perseus from the perspectives of his mother, Danae, the woman he’s best known for slaying, Medusa, and his wife, Andromeda…but, she does so in a very unique way. She follows his story as we would know it, but takes away all the help from the gods that Perseus gets in the original. Instead, she treats his life and his journey like that of just a man with no connection to the gods. This was an impressive twist (making Perseus even more of a creeper), and one I only fully understood when reading the author’s notes.⁣
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It’s hard to talk about this book without bringing up 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 by Natalie Haynes which was released earlier this month. It was the story of Medusa’s life, in which Perseus plays a dominant role. There was much overlap between the two stories, but for me that only made 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘴 richer. His basic story was so fresh in my mind and then I loved seeing the very different way that Heywood approached it. If, like me, you’re a mythology geek, you’re going to want to add this one to your TBR. I loved it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣⁣
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Thanks to @duttonbooks and @clairheywoodauthor for copies of #TheShadowOfPerseus.
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I love and will forever be here for myth retellings -- especially when they're female-centered or a feminist spin. Such was the case with THE SHADOW OF PERSEUS. Told in three voices (Danae, his mother; Medusa; and Andromeda, his wife) this novel explores Perseus' upbringing and how these three women were caught in his midst.

While this was a solid, middle-of-the-road read for me, I did want more. I wanted to get to know these women better as people themselves, not just in how they related to this boy, though I suppose that was the point as they were simply shadows of Perseus.

As a side note, there's unlikeable. characters..and then there's Perseus.

I thought this book was OK. Well, I thought the concept was very fresh the story itself came across as kind of bland. I thought the writing was good though and I did like the female perspective.

The Shadow of Perseus reimagines the myth of Perseus as though it could have really happened. People believe in the Gods and act on those beliefs, but all the mess and drama is thanks to humans being their own silly selves. It also brings to the forefront three women who are simply supporting actors in the classical myth.

The first is Danae, Perseus’ mother who survived her father’s attempt to kill her and did everything she could to protect Perseus, though perhaps he might have had a better life if she had not told him he was the grandson of a king. The second is Medusa who rescued Perseus and then he betrays her. The third is Andromeda, a young woman intent on saving her people by enduring an ordeal. Perseus unnecessarily rescues her and she becomes his reluctant wife, though she is clever enough to make the best of a bad situation.

Through all of this, Perseus is an ungrateful oaf. I loved to see it.



The Shadow of Perseus is surprising and fresh. I love that Perseus was such vain and slightly stupid man, a man undone by his own myth. We see where the myth comes from. We can imagine him telling of his heroics and passing these twisted tales on so we hear his delusional story rather than the far more interesting and honest stories of the women. I love the originality of Heywood’s concept of Perseus as the self-aggrandizing, brutish anti-hero.

The Shadow of Perseus moves quickly. When it was over, I wanted more. Not because the book was not satisfying and complete, but because I want to see the Heywood treatment of all the myths.

I received an e-galley of The Shadow of Perseus from the publisher through NetGalley

The Shadow of Perseus at Dutton | Penguin Random House
Claire Heywood

I love Greek mythology and this book is a wonderfully imaginative re-telling of the Perseus story, but this time focusing on the three most important women in his life -- his mother Danae, Medusa, and his wife Andromeda.

3.5 - 4 stars

It was hard not to read this book with a low level of dread. Being familiar with the legend of Perseus, and especially being a big fan of Medusa, you know how things are going to go, but like a slow motion car crash, you can’t look away. This is a story about the decisions of an angry boy who thought the world was his for the taking. It’s a story about a world where women are at the mercy of the laws and decisions and fragile emotions of men. It’s a horrible story. It’s about the violence wrought by those in power, and the difference it makes depending on who tells [our] stories. This book made me incredibly angry - it moved me in my rage and horror, but I can’t say that I particularly *enjoyed* my reading. It was a well written story, just one that made me sad and angry and disgusted. Heywood is a talented writer, and I found I had a hard time taking a break from this story.

This is the reimagined story of the three women who were around and knew Perseus. If you don’t know the story, Perseus is the beloved hero that is supposed to save everyone form the monster sent to destroy everyone.

This story is very imaginative retelling and a different take on the tale of Perseus. I love Greek mythology, so of course I went into this book with a fresh and different perspective. I really loved seeing Medusa and a different side to her as well.

I can’t say I overly loved the story, but I didn’t hate it. There were times I felt myself drifting and not keeping up with the story, but that’s my own doing as at the time of reading I wasn’t in the mood.

But all in all, if you love Greek Mythology’s or want a different take on it, than I say go for this one.

To start off this review, my feelings for this book were massively affected by the fact that I read Stone Blind a month before reading this. I did not know at the time that Stone Blind was a multiple POV story including Andromeda, Perseus, etc. I thought it was just a Medusa retelling from her POV. While Shadows of Perseus does include Danae, a new perspective, Andromeda and Medusa felt repetitive because I had just read a book with their POVs. I'm giving this book a neutral 3 star rating since this is certainly a case where I read this book at the wrong time. I'm hoping in the next few months I can come back to it with fresh eyes where I don't feel as influenced by a previous read.

If I go merely off of my feelings now, nothing stood out to me about this book due to the repetitious feeling. I've already started to feel oversaturated in the Greek mythology retelling department, so my feelings only worsened by reading SOP and SB so close together. I do believe Shadow of Perseus would be a great book for people new to the Greek mythology genre. It gives a realistic interpretation of Perseus and his toxic relationship to the women in his life.

Besides reading <i>The Song of Achilles</i> and <i>Circe</i>, <i>The Shadow of Perseus</i>is my first foray into Greek mythology retellings. I find mythology a little overwhelming and always feel like I don't know enough to fully grasp the stories and how everyone is connected. <i>The Shadow of Perseus<i/> drew me in because of its feminist lens.

<i>The Shadow of Perseus</i> has three points of view: Danae, mother of Perseus, and Medusa and Andromeda, two women who encounter Perseus. Through these three perspectives, these women and their lives, past and present, are explored. Perseus connects these women, as he has a major hand in what their lives become. I cannot speak to the accuracy or liberties Heywood takes with each woman's story, but they encapsulate the missing voices that accompany a "hero's" journey. As you might expect, there are some hard-hitting aspects to the story, including sexual assault and violence.

I enjoyed each woman's perspective equally. The chapters are short and the writing is beautiful and descriptive, so the story is easy to fall into. I'd recommend this to people who have already read popular Greek retelling like Madeline Miller's novels or to anyone looking to start reading these kinds of retellings. I consider this to be very accessible. I plan to go back and read Heywood's debut <i>Daughters of Sparta</i>.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dutton for the copy in exchange for an honest review. I DNF'ed at 20% of the way through.

What really gets me is how this is a retelling of a famous greek mythology story MINUS all the mythology. It's basically been removed of all its magic and the gods. That isn't really personally fun for me.

It also didn't help that the writing was very simple, it felt like it was meant for younger audiences.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC for this story. I absolutely loved this point of view story of all the women Perseus had connections to and how their lives were so drastically changed by him. Often times we view the male Greek or Roman heroes of classical literature as good, honest, and brave with little to no fault. Reading this story definitely lifted the veil from my eyes and my feelings toward Perseus are more disappointed than anything. This book makes me want to see other women's point of views from these ancient tales. The author was very good in making the reader sympathetic and engrossed with each woman's tale. I think the story of Medusa was my most favorite. I felt the most connection and sympathy with her. I would have loved if her story were a bit longer, but of course it was cut short, so to speak, by Perseus, literally. The way the author crafted Perseus from such a sweet human little boy into a full grown monster took me aback sometimes by how cruel and egotistical he was toward others around him, not just the women. All the characters were developed beautiful and served their roles perfectly in this story. I look forward to seeing if this author writes more books like this! Keep up the good work!

I feel the same way about this book as I do about Claire Heywood's previous work, Daughters of Sparta. I appreciate the feminist lens through which the myth of Perseus is historicized and rewritten and am grateful for Heywood's thoughtful contextualization in her notes. By removing any mythological / fantastical elements from the story, however, we're left with a bleak retelling that depicts Perseus as irredeemable and the main women in his life--Danae and Andromeda--wholly without agency and unable to separate themselves from him. (Medusa's story is the most engaging, and she's the most complete person without Perseus, but her section is by far the shortest.) The writing is also, again, fine but doesn't add as much depth to the story as I was anticipating.

A Myth Retold without Fantasy or Magic

Three women figured prominently in the tale of Perseus: Danae, his mother, Medusa, the Gorgon he slew, and Andromeda, his wife. In Greek mythology, Perseus, descended from Zeus, is a perfect hero. However, the experiences of the three women in his life paint a different picture. In this book Perseus comes across as cruel angrily trying to prove his descent from Zeus.

Instead of the magic and fantasy of the Greek myth, this book is relentlessly realistic. The story is told from the point of view of each of the three women in turn. I liked that each woman had a section of the book to tell her story. It kept the flow going. I often find that a story becomes choppy when the author moves back and forth from chapter to chapter among characters.

While I found the book interesting, I am not a big fan of retelling myths in all the grim reality of the period. I enjoyed seeing how the author envisages the historical settings. However, for me the myths have their own beauty. It is the way people at the time looked on their gods and heroes and the magic and fantasy play a major role.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

So, you thought Perseus was a great Greek hero who saved damsels and destroyed monsters? Well, it turns out he was just a self-obsessed, overgrown child who had a penchant for gratuitous violence and sticking his nose (among other things) where it didn’t belong.

In The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood, the story of the Gorgon-slayer is told through the perspectives of his mother, Danae, the Gorgon, Medusa, and his wife, Andromeda. The book begins with Danae and the prophecy that leaves her cast off, pregnant, and alone. As the tale weaves between the lives of the three women, we learn what really makes one a hero or a monster.

I'm a big fan of Greek mythology, and Heywood's book presents a unique take on a familiar story. It flows seamlessly from one perspective to another and delves deep into the psyches of the characters. I really enjoyed the way Andromeda's backstory was told, and I fell in love with Medusa. Hers was the shortest section, and I wanted more of her. The book could get pretty depressing at times. I'm not sure if it was because I felt so much for the characters or if it was just the way the story was written.

Heywood says in the author's note that she wanted to tell the story in a historical context, without the interference of gods and fantastical elements. While I did enjoy this approach and found it interesting, I think having to contend with the whims and tricks of the gods makes a story more fun.

Thank you Dutton books for the chance to read and review this copy.

Heywood is one of the new masters of Greek retellings. Her take on Perseus is brilliant and highly entertaining. Cant wait for her next book!

I love a feminist retelling of Greek mythology and since picking up Heywood’s debut last year, I’ve been so excited for this follow up. Told through the lens of three different women (Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda), the story of Greek hero Perseus is re-imagined and enlightening.
I love this book's take on how history can be retold by the victors and the narrative can be spun to make someone a hero. It’s a little too on the nose for current society, but that’s exactly why it works. Victors have been retelling their stories for thousands of years, and making themselves the heroes.

I love that this has no God intervention or the magic that comes with mythology. It’s just human behavior that has persisted for eons, and will likely continue to persist.
Make sure to pick it up wherever books are sold TOMORROW!
Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

A masterfully crafted tale, Heywood triumphantly reclaims the stories of three of Greek Mythology's most deserving women. With brilliant, confident writing, The Shadow of Perseus has illuminated the stories of ladies too often relegated to the role of villain or damsel in distress, and has instead given them the recognition they deserve.

Out now! [Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a gifted copy!]

Rating: 5/5 stars

Told from the perspective of three women—Danae, Medusa, and Andromeda—THE SHADOW OF PERSEUS is a feminist reimagining of the myth of the Greek “hero” who founded Mycenae.

I usually enjoy a retelling, so I had high hopes for this book, and when I tell you it still BLEW. ME. AWAY. I was a bit nervous that the structure (each part focusing on a different protagonist) might make the novel feel disconnected, but instead the different characters wove their stories together PERFECTLY and I was so deeply drawn to all three of them and the tales they had to tell. And it’s not just the protagonists that are well-written…the villains in this book are perfectly rendered and deeply, magnificently hatable in parts as well (I may have wanted to google “does Perseus die a violent death???” a few times—sorry, not sorry).

Heywood does so much here with regard to commentary on stories/myth, the voices of women, and how history is remembered and passed on, but the best part is that she manages to pack all of this into a book that is also extremely entertaining, fast-paced, and simply fun to read (though also emotional and heartbreaking in more than a few parts). I have a feeling she’s just become an auto-buy author of mine, and I need to go get my hands on DAUGHTERS OF SPARTA asap.

If you enjoy retellings, PLEASE go read this one.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: Greek mythology; feminist retellings; vibrant characters

CW: Sexual assault/rape; confinement/kidnapping; emotional abuse; murder/blood/violence; suicidal thoughts