*much of this is copied/pasted to my audiobook arc as I was listening to that while I was reading this copy.*
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper, and Natalie Haynes for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

"Stone Blind" by Natalie Haynes is a retelling of the Medusa myth told from the perspectives of the women often overlooked in this tale and the "hero", Perseus. This is my first and may be my last Haynes book. If you know me, I was not a fan of Madeline Miller's "Circe" and so far, have yet to read a Greek myth retelling that does more than create a convoluted narrative behind a feminist facade. Anyways, I was excited for this because I had been told that Haynes would be more up my alley as her works have been compared to Miller. All of that said, I do want to say that Haynes' writing was definitely one of my favorite things about this retelling. Reading it and listening to it was pleasant just because of Haynes' writing abilities.

I'm fairly new to the Classics as I've rarely studied it in my academic career and have only very recently taken a Classics graduate seminar last fall so many of the myths that get retold, like the Medusa one, are fairly fresh in my memory. I'm not going to try and say that I know more than Haynes who I believe is a Classics academic, BUT I do feel that there is a way to retell a story and this just didn't feel like the right tactic. One huge issue I had was the amount of perspectives we get; THERE ARE SO MANY. I mean, it was hitting GRRM levels of perspectives. It honestly would not have been such a problem if the perspectives sounded different every single perspective sounded the same (both read and listened to). If the chapter titles didn't have the perspective's name, I would have assumed it was all basically one narrator. Haynes occasionally used the second person perspective which was cool but because it just sounded like a slightly more aggressive version of the other perspectives, I found it difficult to really enjoy those moments. I do like that that perspective seemed to really be calling out the reader for believing in the traditional myth.

As an audiobook, the narrator did a great job in spite of the static perspectives. The narrator clearly tried to differentiate the different perspectives but at some point, there was no difference likely due to the actual writing.

Overall, this was such a massive disappointing read. I think Haynes is a fantastic writer and does a great job of telling me the story but the overcompensation of perspectives, the overly "woke" element present in this retelling (I feel like it's bordering on revisionist at some points), and just the general reading experience I had, makes this disappointing. If you enjoy Madeline Miller, I think you'll enjoy this.

I loved listening to this story. Stone Blind is the story of Medusa and all the women in the story of her life.

The audiobook kept my attention and had good pacing. I read alongside the audiobook for a few chapters and loved hearing how the story played out. I have heard myths of Medusa before but never the completed story that is presented here.

I will definitely recommend this title!

As several other reviewers have noted, this isn't really Medusa's story because, except from a few crucial scenes describing what was done to her, the book scarcely even mentions the Greek mythological character outside of those moments. This is a nice place to start if you're unfamiliar with Greek myth and want to read about Medusa and Perseus, but if you're hoping for a version that puts Medusa center stage, you'll probably be very underwhelmed.
Narration was good but not great.

This is the first mythology retelling for adults that I have read. I thought it was a very enjoyable way to learn a lot of Greek mythology. I liked how the author tied so many myths together and used alternating perspectives in order to give the characters whole lives instead of them just being players in a few disconnected stories. That being said, it was sometimes hard for me to find the plot because it took it a long time for the different threads of the stories to come together.

I really enjoyed the dive into what makes a monster a monster and how she showed the greed of the gods and kings, which is a common thread in mythology, and specifically how that effected the women involved.

I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author and really enjoyed her as a reader.

I don't know how to articulate the deep love I have for this book. I specifically had the lovely opportunity to listen to the audiobook of Stone Blind and was entranced each and every minute. The way that the alternating perspectives were weaved with so much thought was perfection and I loved getting to grow with Medusa over the course of her life. Greek mythology already has so many differing perspectives but Natalie Haynes is a master of giving life and breath to the characters whose stories have been overlooked. The idea of a deep dive into what makes a "monster", the perspective on the greediness of the gods and heroes, and how all this takes out and negatively impacts specifically female characters is bone chilling. When Gorgonian becomes the narrator, I felt like I could see the world through a new lens. I cannot recommend this book enough and look forward to it being published and read by more people!

I absolutely love Greek mythology and Medusa is one of my favorites so of course I had to read this book. I absolutely loved it! The feminist take it had on everything was perfection and makes you look at Medusa in a different light. I really enjoyed the narration and having someone pronounce the names correctly instead of me struggling with it in my head (lol). There are a LOT of characters so it was a little confusing at first, but it got easier as the story went. I loved the Gorgoneion POV and when I found out who it was it blew my mind. Overall, I highly enjoyed and recommend this book to anyone who loves or is interested in Greek mythology, or for anyone who wants a different take on a classic tale.

Another great and engaging book from Natalie Haynes. Love how she brings mythology to life! Thanks, NetGalley for the audio version.

Thank you, NetGalley,

I really enjoyed this novel. I am a huge fan of mythology and I learned a lot and even watched a few YouTube videos to make sense of the family tree because there is a lot covered and I'm a bit rusty on my Greek Mythology. I enjoyed all the characters in the story but it never seemed that Medusa was the focal point of the story. She was only in about seven chapters in the first person but was discussed in many. I think I was mistaken about the storyline. It is the story of Medusa but not from the perspective of Medusa. I felt that it was more about Perseus and his quest. It is told from multiple viewpoints from everyone that was involved in her torment. It is actually quite sad how awful everyone treated her. I don't want to say I'm disappointed because it wasn't what I expected but I was hoping for a different viewpoint. I would still read it again because I learned so much and would recommend it to others that are interested in mythology and history.

The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change and feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene's temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge--on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon's actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude.

Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

“I was, I am the daughter of a sea god, and even though I was fated to die, I was hardly an ordinary mortal, was I? I had wings, for a start. Do you have wings? No, I didn’t think so. Here’s something else I have: the ability to retain my memories, my faculties, even after death. I really wasn’t like other girls.”

The audio, done by Haynes herself, was absolutely fantastic! This has now become my favorite mythology and not just because it’s such a great story but also because it was surprisingly funny. I actually laughed quite a few times, out loud, and even had to relay a particular conversation to my husband because it was too humorous not to share!

I’ve known very little about Medusa’s life, especially the beginning, and this book fills in all those gaps. Not only does the story explore Medusa’s life from infancy on but it also follows her sisters and all the gods & mortals that played a part in her story. Each was essential and made this story incredibly enjoyable!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Audio for the #alc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed listening to this book! It was interesting to see the emotions attached with the Greek Gods and Goddesses. I was surprised to know that the author narrates this novel. She has a good soothing voice and kept the story interesting. The story was had interesting take on a familiar story that keeps the audience engaged in the outcome of something they may already know.

Not going to lie I was disappointed that this story didn't follow Medusa more. I thought that it was going to be about her and her struggles but that was only a portion of the story so it left me feeling disappointed. That being said I really enjoyed this story and the different parts of mythology that it followed. The story mainly followed Perseus and his adventures throughout the world, which is fine but the title leaves you thinking it won't be.

Over all it was a good story I just wish there would have been more about Medusa.

I loved the narrator, she brought the book to life.The characters were brought to life with the dialogue so it was different from other mythology books

Advanced Reader's Copy audiobook provided by NetGalley, and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Natalie Haynes is easily one of my all time favorite authors, and Stone Blind just cements the sentiments. Haynes has an amazing ability to recreate mythology in a way that feels entirely real and undone before. It feels as if the narrators of Stone Blind is speaking its truth directly, and only to you.

As the narrator of the audiobook, Haynes adds to the story by creating a further emotional layer and breath to it. While I am sure Stone Blind is excellent in all medias, the audio of this story feels absolutely right. The audio performance and masterful writing of Stone Blind gave me the feeling of sitting and watching a Greek tragedy 🎭

Loved the narrator for this audiobook. I thought the premise of the retelling of Medusa’s story was so exciting, but I found that this was only a little bit about Medusa and more about everyone else around Medusa. Overall, I still loved it!

In terms of mythological retellings... this was Pratchet-level!

With a witty voice and deadly pen, Haynes crafts a clear depiction of the power of women (always in threes) and the danger of power unchecked.

I really enjoyed her use of POV changes as well, adding a clear tone to characters or settings that rounded out the setting. This helped continuity as we shot sometimes years into the future following mythological events.

But the snark... the snark was the bread and butter! Fantastically done, and a great job on her self-read audiobook as well! Ass around an enjoyable yarn!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes is the story I've been waiting for. I adore Greek Mythology so I soak up all the retellings. I have been hoping for a Medusa side of the story and this one was great! Natalie Haynes will be an auto-buy author for me. I recommend this for anyone that likes Greek myths or misunderstood characters.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for an advance listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is my third Natalie Haynes title—and while I still loved her strong voice and unique perspective in combination with her vast and detailed knowledge of Greek history/mythology! The direction/purpose of this retelling was not nearly as clear to me as either ‘A Thousand Ships’ or ‘Pandora’s Jar’. In fact, it felt a little convoluted? Due in large part (my opinion) to the sheer number of characters included, and on top of that, the number of POVs the narration alternated between.

As an audiobook listener, this latter factor definitely impacted my engagement with and full understanding of the story. I appreciate that the physical book contains a ‘directory’ if you will that the reader can easily reference—and I think this would be an incredibly interesting book to tab and annotate. But when you are solely listening? I would actually argue that it all becomes a little disjointed and I spent too little time skimming the surface of too many character journeys. By the end of the book, I also felt as though this was as much, if not more, Athene’s story as Medusa’s despite the subtitle indicating otherwise… (Unless one considers the Gorgoneion an extension or afterlife of Medusa? Which is a whole ‘nother topic for debate entirely.)

Ultimately I still enjoyed this listen. I still laughed out loud at points. And it still left me with lots of food for thought, as they say! But I also felt like it still had the potential for even more. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ahhhh Natalie Haynes does not disappoint ! She does such an amazing job of reworking the original myth in interesting and thought provoking ways! And her prose is beautiful.

I really enjoyed this retelling. I thought the manner in which the story unfolds and the narrator is unique and engaging. A must read for mythology buffs and myth retelling junkies!

Stone Blind misses the mark for me. Way too many characters to keep track of and not nearly enough of Medusa, who drew me to the story to begin with. Sadly this was not really Medusa's story and I lost interest very quickly. This felt chaotic and confusing and much more like Persues' story rather than Medusa's.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.