///// 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!

This was beautiful and gut wrenching and emotional and powerful all at the same time. A beautiful retelling of Medusa through two POVs in a way that it brings new humanity and light to the tale instead of just casting Medusa as the classic serpent woman. WELL DONE and worth the read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Athena's Child is a very well done retelling of Medusa's story. I have always been drawn to Medusa in mythology. Her story feels tragic and fascinating. Hannah Lynn puts Medusa front and center in this story where victim blaming and patriarchal bad behavior are the norm. All of her feelings of loyalty, love, and betrayal are eloquently conveyed. As Medusa struggles with her fate and the torturous life she and her sisters must lead, we see her fervently trying to protect others in this retelling. If you are a fan of mythology, I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

This is so well written and such a nice and unique Greek mythology retelling. I love that it wasn’t another retelling of the Trojan war. Really unique and I loved this one !

I adore retellings - especially those featuring monsters instead of the heroes. I appreciate the way the author draws out the humanity of the characters and tells the stories of Medusa, Danae, and Perseus through a new lens. It is a fairly quick read, well written, and gut wrenching.

I’m left reassured that monsters (and heroes) are not born - they’re grown.

I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

Athena's Child is the retelling of the stories of Medusa and Perseus, in so far as it pertains to his origins and Medusa. There's a bit of a feminist spin to the tale. It does a great job of showing the hypocrisy faced by women throughout history but doesn't actually offer a new approach to the story. Athena still doesn't come out of this story in a good light but Perseus perhaps regains some redemption.

It's easy to follow, and makes for a rather quick read so I would definitely recommend for anyone looking to figure out how Medusa ended up with snakes for hair or anyone looking to enjoy a tried and true Greek myth.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

“For those whose truth has been lost, may it one day be found.” From the dedication on, Athena’s Child is about discovering how Medusa came to be the villain in our stories. As she’s cursed by Athena and hunted by Peruses, we are sent on a journey to discover who Medusa really was, before she became what they made her.

I love Greek mythology and this is a beautifully tragic, but a bit basic of a retelling. I think it would be especially great for those new to the mythos as a more basic introduction to the tale.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy from NetGalley for review.

So what I like about this was that it's an easy, not overly dull retelling of Medusa and Perseus. It's perfect for when you're just starting to get into Greek mythos but don't want to read something like Madeline Miller's Circe (it's long and dry). I love that the author keeps it close to the original myth.

There were definitely some hard parts to read, like the parents being turned to stone and the sisters' transformation into murderers with no remorse (but like rightfully so because men suck), but I like that the author adds some instances of feminine rage. I wish there was more from Medusa's POV throughout the story.

Medusa has been getting her voice heard lately and this is another great retelling. I liked the changes in this one and enjoyed seeing how Medusa’s will continued after she was turned. I think this would be a great book to get younger readers in to mythology. I can’t wait to read the other two books in this trilogy!

Rounded up - I wish this stayed on the first trajectory which was very promising. The switch was abrupt as was the ending. Lots of out of nowhere shifts throughout

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Most readers know who Medusa is and how her curse affects those around her. ATHENA'S CHILD takes a step back and tells the story of how Medusa came to be cursed. A short, quick read that I enjoyed enough to check for back titles of Hannah Lynn.

It seems that mythological retellings have become popular lately. I haven't read any yet, but when I saw Athena's Child I knew I needed to read it.

Athena's child is a mythological retelling of Medusa's story. I find Medusa an absolutely fascinating mythological figure, and her story is rather sad, but familiar.

Medusa was assaulted by Posiden, but was not believed. Instead she was vilified and turned into a monster. Living out her days hunted, having to kill to protect herself. Until Perseus came along, was he really a hero that killed the monster Medusa, or was his act one of mercy.

I thought this story was very well written, it was captivating, but so very sad. In some ways, I liked the ending in this retelling and in some ways it was still sad. Medusa has been vilified forever and she deserved better.

If you enjoy mythological retellings this is a definite must read. It's a quick fast-paced story you could get through in one sitting.

2.5⭐️, rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Athena’s Child is the story of Medusa, and those who made her into a monster along the way. We see both Medusa and Perseus’ beginnings and the paths that bring their stories to collision.

I love a Greek mythology retelling, and I read my fair share. I really enjoy picking out the ways that each one brings something new to the table. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like Athena’s Child really did that at all. We got the standard narrative of Medusa and Perseus, the sympathetic monster and the somewhat-inept hero.

Overall the book was well written, but my biggest issue came along with the dialogue. There were a lot of instances where the book felt really preachy - there’s a way to emphasize the wrongs women are subjected to in society and the way that they’re put down by men without it being a soapbox speech, and sadly that nuance was missed here.

If you like extremely descriptive books, then you’ll appreciate the detail and depth to be found in the prose. The timing was very clunky, however, and some of the time or setting jumps were so sudden that it wasn’t easy to keep track of how much time was meant to have passed between scenes. Some jumps are weeks, some years, some millennia, and none of them were very clear.

Overall, not a bad book by any stretch, but I wouldn’t recommend it if someone asked.

I am heavily conflicted on this book. On one hand, it was an accurate retelling of the source material and was a fun and enjoyable read. On the other, it's claiming itself to be a feminist retelling, without really doing the work of interrogating this story and its characters. Personally, I don't think it's enough to just give a tragic assault backstory to a "villain". Especially when this story already existed in the greater classical cannon. I do think the very end presents some good ideas, but they weren't well integrated into the rest of the story. Not everything has to be a "feminist" retelling and if you separate this book from that qualifier I think it's a great read!

Athena's child by Hannah Lynn is a retelling of a Greek mythology, a story of Medusa. When we say Medusa, a monster comes to our mind, a head surrounded by numerous snakes hissing and the eyes which can turn anyone who gazes into them into stone.

It has always fascinated me, the Greek mythology and stories like Medusa and Perseus so I was definitely intrigued by the book.

We know more about Perseus who beheaded this monster, killing her and even used it to turn Cetus into stone. But what of Medusa? We know so little. was she both a monster or was she made into a monster?

Athena's child made me think of Medusa as a human being. A human being with two arms, two legs and a beautiful face which led her to her damnation. She was a living, breathing human being with all kind of emotions, the same ones which keep our hearts beating and our souls alive, yours and mine. I loved reading about Medusa but there was a draught of emotions.

I wanted to feel how dreary it must have felt for a curse as one she was bestowed upon by Athena. But there were almost little to none of those emotions. I would have loved to see a range of emotions , say ranging from sadness to disappointment, hatred even after serving a God for so many years and coming back not only empty handed but with a curse that somehow snatched her family from her leaving her with no true companion. Such is a mockery of Greek Gods. There should have been anger and fury but it just felt with so very less emotions.

Nonetheless, It is a fast read, first half being of Medusa. The second half is about Perseus. The shift in the narrative was so sudden that it didn't make sense and it even felt fractured for about few chapters even when I understood that Perseus' part was integral to the story. The ending was good and being a short read I was about to finish it off.

Thank you Netgalley and sourcebook landmark publishing for providing me with ARC in exchange of an honest review.

The story of Medusa has always been one of the villain. But was she really?

This was a quick read but in the time we get with her we learn of girl not born of evil, but cursed for being beautiful and by the vile acts of men

This is a slim one, coming in under 300 pages, so the action starts pretty fast. We are introduced to Medusa and her family when she is still a child. She becomes a priestess at a temple dedicated to Athena, and seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders… and also a soft spot for women in trouble.

But eventually, she finds herself in trouble when she is raped by Poseidon. Athena doesn’t quite buy her narrative, and punishes her by giving her snakes for hair, and the curse of turning people to stone with a glance. She only discovers this last part on accident, when she seeks solace at her family’s farmstead and turns her parents. Feeling bad for orphaning her two younger sisters, she flees with them to find a place to hide.

All three of them end up with the curse of Athena, and live for hundreds of years on a deserted island. Men come from time to time to try to slay them, but the sisters – now known as Gorgons – always prevail.

The narrative then jumps to the tale of Danaë, herself a girl at the time. (We stick with this tale for a while, and it was admittedly a bit jarring, as it takes quite a bit of time for the two tales to intertwine.) Eventually, Danaë gives birth to Perseus, who is a half-God. When he grows up, he is given the challenge of bringing back Medusa’s head. He only trains for this challenge while on the ship, sailing to her island. But he is helped by two of his half-siblings – other children of Zeus – including Athena herself, who of course wants to rid the world of the monster she created.

So, what makes this retelling different from my old understanding of Greek mythology is that it attempts to humanize Medusa – especially by showing that she was once a human. It emphasizes that she was really turned into a monster as punishment for Poseidon’s actions, and that she really doesn’t want to turn people into stone – but does so to protect herself and her sisters.

Aside from the abrupt narrative shift in the middle, this was a solid story. And it’s pretty short, if you’re looking for a quicker read.