A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning for rape. (I realize the entire mythos of Medusa originated from this, but on the off chance that someone reading this is unaware, I wanted to give a warning.)

Despite knowing the story of Medusa, this retelling packs a punch with the childhood and eventual rape of Medusa by Poseidon, and the curse cast upon her by Athena. I thought the adaptation of Stheno and Euryale of having also been mortal and likewise cursed by Athena was an interesting take on the myth. My general understanding was that all three of the gorgons were born, but only Medusa was mortal and a priestess for Athena, while the other two were always immortal. I thought this interpretation allowed cohesion between the two stories in a way that made thematically sense.

This book is good at placing the reader into the myth to experience it firsthand, but it is very quick and efficient in doing so. I really appreciated that neither Medusa nor Perseus were set to be the antagonist or villain of this story - both are victims of the wills of the men and gods around them. Typically, depending on the slant of the story that this myth is being retold, one or the other is cast in a less than sympathetic light, when neither has done anything deserving of derision. They are characters in a play, forced into roles that neither wanted but have no choice but to continue until the curtain drops.

There were also a few points I felt that this book incorporated a too modern perspective into the characters, in a way that felt almost confusing. I don’t necessarily disagree with them, as this is a feminist retelling of Medusa, but some aspects I found jarring. For instance, Medusa’s father wants to prevent her from marrying young and so that is the motivation for her becoming a priestess for Athena - and yet, her sister is married just as young as Medusa was when she left. I felt like there could have been a better reason for Medusa to become a priestess of Athena, to account for this discrepancy.

There are also times when the timeline skips around in a way that I found confusing, even being familiar with the entire story of Medusa. The biggest one I noticed was the change from Danae and infant Perseus almost drowning in the chest, to an adult Perseus talking to characters about events that we have not seen. I know the mythology, so I was aware of what was happening, but I felt there should have at least been a chapter or two to cover this timeline change to keep the reader aware of everything going on.

This novel also isn’t the best at letting the reader be aware of the passage of time as it happens. While I obviously knew time had passed from Medusa and her sisters escaping to their island, and Perseus making the promise of beheading her for the king, I was not aware millennia had passed until it was stated explicitly. The writing had led me to believe that maybe a few generations had passed, but not the expansive passage of time that the story explicitly states later.

I believe that as long as a reader is familiar with the myth of Medusa, this story is told very well and really brings to life the characters within the story. Overall, this book is a fairly quick read, so I do suggest giving it a try.

A quick read, this retelling is tragic and feminist. I really enjoyed the humanizing of Medusa, however I found most of the character development lacking. There were big jumps in time that I wish we had more information on, but overall this was an enjoyable read.

This book takes on a different perspective of walking us through the life of Medusa as a child and later as a priestess and then through all her tribulations until her paths cross with Perseus. It’s an interesting take to the retelling and portrays a feminist view with some very relatable narratives. I found it however be a bit slow paced but definitely worth a read!

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

Medusa was just thirteen when her uncommon beauty begins to draw men in earnest, determined to wed her. Her father refused to give his daughter to these men with untoward intentions and takes her to Athena's temple so she can live in safety and purity as one of the Goddess's priestesses. Soon, however, she draws the eye of another God, Poseidon, who doesn't take 'no' for an answer and forces himself upon her, abruptly vanishing and leaving Medusa to take the blame for desecrating Anthena's temple. Medusa is cursed. She looks like a monster and has been given the power to kill like a monster; damned for eternity. This is the Medusa we all know, 'Medusa's truth was lost, and all that remained was the story of monsters and heroes, though the world would never truly know which was which'.

I really enjoyed this short, simply told tale which is actually still so apt: judging at face value, blindly believing powerful people, and the power of patriarchy, 'Women use words and reason where men use fists and force. So why are we always second'? Hannah Lynn's straightforward storytelling ensures the tale is easy to follow but still leaves you pondering. I feel that many readers who'd like to learn more about Greek Mythology would find this a great taster.

I enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but the story is condensed and ultimately forgettable. It’s quite short for this type of content, listed at only 192 pages, and the whole thing feels overly simplified.

We have big jumps in the timeline, leaving large gaps with little explanation as to how the characters managed or what they endured.

Character development is lacking.

Overall, an okay diversion for a few hours, but a missed opportunity for a more powerful story.

*Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eARC.*

This is the fifth iteration of the Medusa/Perseus myth crossover that I’ve read in the last few years. I would say “Athena’s Child” is the least complex of the tellings but that’s not to the diminishment of the reading experience. I cared deeply for Medusa and I liked how Ms. Lynn softened Perseus (I’ll take a more bland hero over a posturing dick any day). If it sounds like I’m not selling this story well, do forgive me. Overall, I liked the book and it’s the version I would probably be most likely to recommend for a teen reader who wants to dip their toe into the vast sea of mythological retellings.

Athena’s Child is a Greek Mythology retelling that follows the well known myths and stories of Medusa and Perseus.

This book was quite fast paced, it’s not long and as a result the narrative moves quite quickly. It doesn’t do anything to radical with the story and (fittingly) portrays Medusa is a sympathetic light. It would be a great starter novel for anyone interested in getting started reading mythology retellings. Particularly those with a female protagonist.

As the novel moved so quickly, I felt I wasn’t able to fully connect with the characters. More so observe them with fleeting sympathy. The writing itself was well constructed, it flowed and was expressive and engaging. I liked how it tackled the different versions of the myth without ignoring or disregarding the various versions.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the eARC.

This is a very quick retelling of the myth of Medusa with a split viewpoint between Medusa and Perseus. The story starts with Medusa and how she became the gorgon, transitions to Perseus (his birth and early life), and ends with the meeting of the two characters.

I wanted to like this book, but I just kind of wasn't interested about half way through, which for a really short book isn't a good sign. The first section where it's told from Medusa's viewpoint and how she was cursed by Athena was so captivating. To see this young girl give her all to serve her goddess only to be shunned and cursed when she is raped. That part was so soul crushing.

The next section that focuses on Perseus I just couldn't really care. I thought it would focus more on Danae, who was also taken advantage of by a God. But once she gives birth it's like she disappears. I know there is something to be said about how women in Greek Mythology are only important when they are serving men, but I thought the author had the opportunity to expand Danae. Instead we get more of wonder bread Perseus.

Athena's Child is a retelling of the story of Medusa from a feminist lens. The story stuck to the original tale and didn't really try to do anything different with it. The bits of story I ended up loving were while it was focused truly around Medusa, her childhood, and her relationship with her family and sisters. It was truly heartbreaking, and the writing, while simple, was beautiful.

However, while quite a short book, I found the story slow and dragging a bit, especially when the story flipped to Perseus. I keep flipping back and forth on whether this was purposeful, to show how women are overshadowed once again by men and their tales and made complacent side figures in their stories, but it just wasn't well enough executed for me to definitely say that.

I would have liked this to be longer, actually. I felt like we didn't really dive into motivations and characters as much as we could have. I understand leaving gaps for readers to fill in, but I just felt that more background (especially with Perseus and his mom) would have made the story richer. And while I understand the ending, again, I felt like that could have been fleshed out some more.

A good read, but left me wanting.

I haven't read any retellings of Medusa, and I enjoyed this simple and quick read as my first. I thought the writing was good and that it was a great retelling of Medusa's tradegy. I enjoyed Medusa's back story before she was made to be a villain, and I found her and Perseus to be likable characters.

Athena’s Child by Hannah Lynn is a heart-wrenching book. Following the story of Medusa, we are shown the story of how she was punished by Athena for the sins committed by Poseidon. We also follow Perseus as he is sent on the path to Medusa.

I am familiar with the legend of Medusa so I knew where the story was heading, but I still was holding out hope that it would be different however, Greek retellings rarely have a happy ending. I really enjoyed the first 50% of the book. It was easy to read, and I really felt for Medusa. We can see the descent from a priestess to a gorgon, we see Medusa as the victim she truly is instead of a monster as the stories try to depict her as. However, the second half of the book felt very rushed. I wished we had seen more of Medusa’s sisters and a little less about Perseus. We had a massive time skip and it felt like we missed a vital piece in the character development of Medusa. Overall, I would rate this book 3.5 stars.

Slight trigger warning for SA

If you are a fan of
-Greek retellings
-Heart-wrenching storylines
Then check out this book! Thanks, NetGalley for the arc!

Athena’s child is a wonderful, but tragic, retelling of the myth of Medusa. It gives you a different perspective on Medusa’s story, with the first part of the book delving into how Medusa went from a beautiful priestess of Athena to the Gorgon of myth. The second part of the book goes into Perseus’ story, and his quest to becoming a hero. The changing POV and Hannah Lynn’s elegant writing makes for an easy read. As someone who loves Greek Mythology and retellings, I recommend this to anyone looking for a moving story.

As most people who would be interested in this are, I am a Greek Mythology lover. It was lovely to see Medusa portrayed in the proper light (a victim) and I very much enjoyed reading about her. However, the second half of the novel felt a little messy and I wish more time had been spent further developing Medusa’s sisters.
Overall rating: 3 stars

I am a Greek retelling geek and I will read anything Greek mythology inspired.
So you can feel my pain when i tell you that this book just didn't cut it for me. Maybe I am spoiled with the marvelous Medusa retelling s I have been reading this year? (Stoneblind by Nathalie Hayes)

Lets start of with the good. Athena's Child is a very quick, easy read. You can read it in a couple of hours.
And the speed you can read it with, comes from the the simplicity of the story.
Its a very basic retelling and that makes it an average book.
Especially because there are such wonderful, refreshing retellings of Medusa's story out there.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the arc!
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🐍As a classics major, I go into Greek mythology re-tellings with extreme skepticism…but this one took my breath away. The lore was pretty spot on, it follows the story of Medusa, a young preistess wronged by a god and punished by her goddess. Inturn, her curse rubs off on her sisters creating the three gorgons. In comes Perseus with a quest for Medusa’s head. The best pary of this whole book was the twist at the end, how the author, Hannah Lynn, see’s Medusa’s true end. It is one of great strength and a search for peace.🐍
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🗡️Truly a phenomenally done retelling of a myth that is popular but the lore gets scewed and twisted. Extremely happy with this beautiful novel.🗡️

Lynn's writing style is appealing and easy to read, so maybe for someone who hasn't got a clue about Medusa's story this book would be an interesting dive into mythology. However, if you're familiar with Medusa's story then you've essentially already read this book. As a "feminist retelling" I was expecting a lot more details/substance/character development, but it simply just felt like Lynn was telling the bare bones story of Medusa and Perseus. There was nothing original or fresh about it, no depth to the characters. While the prose and pace was good, it gave little to the plot, which completely took over the story. There's little to no character development. I would say half of this book is about Medusa and half was about Perseus, both halves basic and unexplored mythology. I also a fan of how the ending, *spoiler* which was essentially just assisted suicide and honestly felt a bit lazy, devoid of emotion, and underdeveloped.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Hannah Lynn for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a lover of Greek mythology, I am always in for reading books about this topic. Although this was not my favorite Greek re-telling, I did enjoy reading about Medusa before she became the monster she was. It showed that she was a human before everything and still tried to keep that aspect of herself. Nice short read.

Athena's Child by Hannah Lynn. Pub Date: September 26, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. When I saw this greek mythology novel, I had to request it because I am obsessed with reading anything related to this genre. In this first installment of a trilogy, the reader is immersed in the world of Medusa. Honestly, I did not know Medusa's story very well and this novel packed a punch to take the reader on the journey of how she turned into the person she was known to be. Scorned and under Athena's wrath, Medusa was a fierce character who was given a tough fate. I enjoyed the ease and flow of this novel, but felt it was a little flat in the storytelling. Regardless, I do think I will continue to read the rest of the trilogy because I am always interested in reading greek mythology stories. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley

I love a good Greek mythology retelling. Medusa’s story is so deeply heartbreaking and I was excited to read a fresh take on it!

I enjoyed the first 50% and the last 15% of this book. The middle was very slow and felt out of place with the story that was established. It felt like a completely different narrative when Perseus was introduced.

The time jumps are also quite large and jarring. I didn’t really know that we had jumped 2,000 years in the future for quite some time and it felt like we lost a lot of character development by doing that. For a book that claims to be a feminist retelling, I was really hoping for more of a Medusa centered story, not one where a man ends up being her hero.