***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

Medusa has always held a special place in my heart, so I was really looking forward to hearing her side of the story.

The first half of the book delivers beautifully, but part two just kills the book for me.

A refreshing look at one of Greek mythology's most famous icons. I loved the humanization of Medusa in this retelling as well as the passionate commentary about how society's treatment, vilification and abuse of women.

Part 1 was definitely the most riveting for me. Unfortunately, the momentum tapered off with the introduction of Perseus. I would have preferred to hear more from his mother Danae, especially considering the book's feminist vibes.

I also found the final act + ending very underwhelming. It felt like there was so much unfulfilled promise – much like Medusa herself. Maybe I just wanted a different ending for her this time. Nevertheless, this was a solid and enjoyable read.

In a conversation with the author at the end of the book, Hannah M. Lynn says she was compelled to tell Medusa's tale in the hope that she would be remembered as more than just a monster. Well, she has definitely achieved that with Athena's Child and I look forward to more retellings from her.

Mythology retellings are one of my favorite genres too read, and I really wanted to love Athena's Child. Unfortunately, this book fell a little flat for me. While the plot was face-paced and easy to follow, the action of the story was dominant, and the characters felt a little one-dimensional. Developed characters in this genre is a must for me, and I think if it had that extra layer of depth, I would have loved this one.

Probably more like 3.5 stars
The writing was beautiful but it really didn’t add anything new to the story we already know. I love mythology retellings but a lot of them are repetitive and I wish the authors took a little more creative risk

This book is fairly short, and doesn't add much new to an already well-known story. However, the beautiful writing and the excellent characterizations of both Medusa and Perseus were so well done that I couldn't help but enjoy it anyways. And this is coming from someone who is usually a Perseus hater.
Additionally, I appreciated the way the gods were written. They truly felt as if they were separate from humans, and didn't hold the same understanding of time and morality that we do.
Again, the plot is nothing new, so for the most part do not expect anything fast-paced or shocking. But the character explorations are well worth the read

I went into this book really excited for the retelling of Medusa and getting some more background into her story. Unfortunately, it just didn't come together like I was hoping.

Special thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Greek mythology telling are in the spotlight for about a year now. I love reading Greek mythology and this book did not let me down!

This is a retelling of Medusa, whose name always brings to mind a creature with snakes coming out of her head. This is the story of Athena's child, Medusa and how she was a beautiful girl and a victim of her mother's curse. But why? Why did part 2 skip to Perseus's POV. It would've been 5 stars if the book stuck with Medusa a little more and Perseus in the last quarter of the book. In my own opinion, I took away 1 star for that, to make it a 4 star book. Still good just part 2 was a tad boring.

4.5

This is a strong story of early feminism. When people think of Medusa, they don’t think of anything other than a snake-haired monster that turns men to stone. This retelling shines a whole new light on her. Most adaptations of the story of Medusa have her as this terrifying, horrible, monster and villain. In this adaptation, it shows up why and how that came to be.

The writing was amazing, all the emotions could be felt through the words and I felt really connected to Medusa.

I enjoyed the point of view of Perseus and, before that, his mother’s too. It added to the story and legend of Medusa and her eventual death.

This book is full of emotions which I didn’t expect. It’s also a great reminder of how, even in ancient mythology, men in great power can ruin a woman’s life and the woman is the only one that suffers.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Retellings of Greek myths from a feminist point of view are having their moment now. I’ve recently read both Elektra and Ariadne and recommend them. Now, I have enjoyed another retelling from the Greeks, the story of Medusa…and what a story it is!

Those who know anything about Medusa may well find her repulsive. However, much like Frankenstein’s monster, there was more to this woman than a reader might assume. As a beautiful woman, she was treated very poorly, as was often the case for those who lived among the gods. This was especially true for women if they caught the eye of a libidinous male with another jealous female in his life (in this case Athena).

This story is about Medusa and also Perseus. Spend time with them and other gods and Greeks. Though their tales are writ large, in many ways these characters act as mortal as the reader. This allows the reader to relate to the novel.

Recommended to those who enjoy retellings of important ancient Greek women, along with those who enjoy historical fiction.

Many thanks to Source Books/Landmark for this title. All opinions are my own.

Athena’s Child by Hannah Lynn is a retelling of the story of Medusa. This was so interesting because I love how the story humanized Medusa. Reading her villian origin story made me furious. The injustice and unfairness of it gives a gravity to all of Medusa’s actions going forward. If you love retellings and Greek mythology, Athena’s Child is for you.

(Actual: 3.25⭐) This retelling of Medusa's story was good and a fresh take on the original myth, I found the writing to be a bit too simple; it was like it was missing something, which I couldn't bring myself to ignore despite there also being some great gems of passages littered throughout. I wish the story itself was also longer, as it felt like a novella if anything. While my overall reading experience for this book was pleasant - I breezed through this read faster than I expected to, honestly - I think the writing could have been stronger and the plot of the story definitely could have been expanded upon more.

A beautiful, magical devastating retelling of Medusa. Often made out to be a monster it becomes clear that Medusa is nothing more than a woman scorned and punished by Gods who gravely wronged her.

Medusa was a beautiful human girl who was sent to Athena’s temple to be a priestess to save her from an early marriage. One day, she was visited by the god Poseidon, who raped her. When Athena discovered that, she punished Medusa by cursing her to turn anyone she looks at to stone. Perseus was born to a human mother as the son of Zeus. When his mother was sent to marry a horrible King, Perseus was given the quest to get the head of Medusa to earn his mother’s freedom. Medusa and Perseus are used as pawns for the gods, but they end up having more in common than expected.

This was a great retelling of Medusa’s story. She is often made to be the villain in stories, but she is actually a victim of the gods. In this story, she was born as a human and made into a Gorgon rather than being born one. I really liked the twist at the end. I didn’t expect it, but it was a nice way to bring the story full circle and connect Medusa and Perseus in an original way.

Athena’s Child is a beautiful retelling of Medusa’s story.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for sending me a copy of this book!

Content warnings: rape, spousal abuse, death, death of parents

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC of this book!

This was surprisingly refreshing for a retelling Greek mythology. I think on of its strengths is telling the story in a short number of pages without feeling like we are missing anything. We get to see Medusa go from a young woman, to the monster the gods make her. You really feel for Medusa and want to curse the Poseidon and Athena for what they both did to her. Perseus was also a good take on his character because of his questioning (you'll understand when you read). Too often heroes in stories just go to kill the "monster" because they were told it was a monster. The story doesn't drift far from the one everyone knows, but feels more satisfying if still tragic.

///// English /////

*Disclaimer: I had received a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 7 / 10 – 3,5 stars out of 5

“Medusa grew from monsters, but she was not born of them”.

On this occasion, Hannah Lynn gives us a retelling of the Greek myth of Medusa, one of the Gorgons. It is a crude story that makes anyone angry just by reading it.

Medusa, dedicated her life, body and soul to the Goddess Athena to escape the deplorable acts of men, is raped in the temple by Poseidon and the Goddess ends up punishing her with a crown of snakes and the ability to turn anyone into stone when they look her eyes.

It is heartbreaking to think that she, who had given her life to caring for the devotees and the Goddess herself, was blamed for something she did not want, for protecting the cleanliness and sanctity of the temple, and her mission.

It is even worse to know that Perseus decided not to tell the truth so as not to anger the Gods who had helped him save his mother and so as not to lose fame.

His real story was forgotten, despite having sacrificed himself again.

“But what is a burden for some is freedom for another. A snake charmer earns his living where others would find their demise. “A sailor spends years at sea, when others may perish in a week.”

I would have loved to see a retelling of this myth in which Athena actually turned Medusa into a Gorgon so that she could defend herself from men (and Gods) who could harm her.

It's a good story, I liked it, but I didn't feel it was different from other similar ones.




///// Español /////

*Aviso: Recibí un eARC gratuito a cambio de una revisión honesta.

Puntuación: 7 / 10 – 3,5 estrellas de 5

“Medusa grew from monsters, but she was not born of them”.

Hannah Lynn nos regala en esta ocasión un retelling del mito griego de Medusa, una de las Gorgonas. Es una historia cruda y que enfurece a cualquiera con solo leerla.

Medusa, dedicada su vida en cuerpo y alma a la diosa Atenea para escapar de los actos deplorables de los hombres, es violada en el templo por Poseidón y la Diosa acaba por castigarla con una corona de serpientes y la capacidad de convertir en piedra a quien mire.

Resulta descorazonador pensar que se le culpó a ella, que había entregado su vida a cuidar a los devotos y a la Diosa misma, por algo que no quería, por proteger la pulcritud y santidad del templo, y de su misión.

Incluso resulta aún peor saber que Perseo decidió no contar la verdad para no enfadar a los Dioses que le habían ayudado a salvar a su madre y para no perder la fama.

Su historia real cayó en el olvido, a pesar de haberse sacrificado de nuevo.

“But what is a burden for some is freedom for another. A snake charmer earns his living where others would find their demise. A sailor spends years at sea, when others may perish in a week”.

Me habría encantado ver un retelling de este mito en el que Atenea realmente convirtió a Medusa en una Gorgona para que pudiera defenderse de los hombres (y dioses) que podían llegar a hacerle daño.

Es una buena historia, me gustó, pero no lo sentí diferente de otros similares.

I loved this book the first time I read it on KU and I'll love it every time I reread it as well. Hannah Lynn's writing skills are impeccable and I wish on everything she would do more of these retellings.

There is so much thought and care put into this series and its breathtaking.

Enjoyed this book although there were some parts I found slow I did really like it. I had never read a book by this author before and was interested because of the cover and the description but I'm glad I got to read it and would read more books by this author.

Hmmm. So I was really excited to read this. Out of all the Mythological figures, Medusa has always been my favorite/the one who interests me most. But she always seems to be a background player in someone else’s story.

So I was excited to find a book that’s just about Medusa! Except… it’s not?

The first half of this was *excellent* and I really enjoyed following Medusa and seeing more of her life and her story before she ended up as a “monster” on an island.

But then part two switched to Perseus’s pov. Who I am not at all interested in. (We got enough of him from Clash of the Titans??? And he’s also the least interesting character in that movie soo….)

For the second half of this book, I was just bored??? I did like the few Medusa chapters sprinkled in, but I was mostly just ready to be done.

I wish this would’ve just stuck with Medusa’s pov because I would’ve loved to see more of her on the island and how it went with her sisters after their transformation. If this would’ve ~ended with Perseus showing up in the very last chapter, I would’ve preferred that.

This also had some major time jumps (I guess to cut out the “boring stuff”) but in the Perseus section, it just felt disjointed? Which made me feel even more disconnected from the story.

It’s just disappointing because this was shaping up to be the mythology retelling I had the most luck with. I did genuinely enjoy the first half though. I just wish this would’ve stuck with Medusa.

So I’d give part one a million starts and part two, like, one? (For the Medusa chapters)

If you’re okay with this switching pov or are more interested in Perseus than I am, you might have better luck with this. But, unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

But thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!