A retelling of the Medusa story with Indian Mythology. It's been many months since I listened to this book, so my review will be lacking. Although there is rape and other violence towards women and girls (a warning is included), I think this was a great story showing a strong female main character who overcomes a lot and helps save others. The male main character has tragic story, too, and shows that what happened in the past, is what makes us today, but you can also change with new experiences and meeting new people.

I want to start by saying this is not your typical Rick Riordan Presents. Normally this imprint is meant for younger readers, but this is absolutely for older kids. It is a retelling of Medusa and it does not shy away from the horrors that she faced. There is numerous mentions of sexual assault and it does happen on the page. That being said. Holy SHIT. I could not put it down and the moment she became "Medusa" I was ready for her to burn her entire world down. This happens pretty early in the book and you don't really need more than a basic understanding of Medusa to see it coming. The entire topic was handled with care and while I do think it will be hard for some kids, I also know that some will identify with this book in a way that breaks my heart.

5 stars

I am such a huge fan of Rick Riordan and his mythology based books. When he began sponsoring authors of other cultures to write stories inspired by their myths and legends I had to check them out. This was such a fun book. I loved the magical elements and lens that this author provided.

I wanted both more and less from this story. It dragged for me in how long it was and some of the unnecessary exposition, I listened to the audiobook and found myself drifting off at times. I wanted more from the Indian mythology tie-in, it still felt very Greek Medusa to me.

Manisha is a compelling character and the violence she faces is horrifying. I thought the conversations around women standing up for women had the potential to be really powerful, but also was severely lacking in follow through at times. I was confused by the fact that she made it such a point to save/revenge the young girl in the first village she encounters after returning to the jungle and SAYS she will go check on the village after she is left behind, but then jump forward and I guess didn't because that's the village where the women get their mouths sown shut in retribution (sorry, some of the names have left me already).

Overall, I just thought this premise had better promise than follow through and we see so many mythological retellings that you've really got to bring it to be list worth I think.

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel being an Indian retelling of the Medusa story and Rick Riordan never disappoints in his recommendations. However, I would be remiss not to issue a trigger warning for this novel. This novel contains very explicit and graphic depictions of violence against women, including rape, assault and torture. In this novel, the monsters wear human faces. The violence within these pages will be disturbing. As you read this novel, please have resources and a trust person in your life to talk to. I did not expect this sort of content while reading and want others to know before they delve into the story.

This is the story of a "monster" created by men who seeks justice for those wrongly treated.

Manisha's origin story begins with flames and a gift of life as her whole literally burns around her.
Pratyush's origin story similarly begins with fire: one which destroys his childhood home and rips his devoted parents from him.
When their paths cross, one would think a fairy tale might ensue; however, the nightmare gets worse for them both. Can they find a way to be free and rid the world of injustice together?

Read on to find out.

Word on narration: this may be one of my favorite narrators of all time

A new retelling of Medusa that ties in Indian lore, following Manisha and Pratyush.

I really wanted to like this one because I've enjoyed other books produced by Rick Riordan, but this one was not my favorite for a few reasons. First, it jumps in time between characters. At first, it seems like it will be both, but then Pratyush is pretty much "present day" in the book after the first few chapters. I wish we just didn't have Pratyush's chapters. I don't think it really helped in any way. We could have gotten this from Manisha's pov and been perfectly fine. Secondly, I don't think 14 & up warning is really a good reflection of the sexual assault presented. I think it should be at least 16 and up because it is pretty brutal. Even for me in my 30s, I thought it was really hard to read.

Amazing reimagining of the story of Medusa, intertwine with South Asian myths and lots of strong females in this story. A great book for teens and confidence booster

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

This book is a retelling of Medusa with an Indian folklore twist. I'm hoping it's the start of a series because it left me with so many questions. Trigger alert- rape is a major theme throughout this book, not only the main character but others are raped. I would suggest an adult be around to talk to the kids about this book, consent and what to do in these situations. I'm told this is a middle school book but it's definitely geared toward older kids if you ask me. All in all a wonderful, powerful story that I hope to continue that has hard topics throughout.

Content warning: sexual assault (on and off page), violence against women, forced servitude, child endangerment

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

This is definitely an older YA, which might throw some Riordan fans off thinking this is another middle grade/younger YA mythological reimagining. That being said, Patel has an important message to tell through the Medusa myth that is relevant to teen readers that can handle reading about heavy topics. The violence isn't gratuitous, it serves a purpose.

I love how Patel handles Medusa's story through Manisha and how Medusa's powers are reimagined. Manisha's snakes are so much more than just a head of hair. It's really clever. I was leery of the somewhat insta-love Pratyush has with Manisha but I felt like it makes sense in the end... and honestly they are teenagers.

A DROP OF VENOM could have been shorter though, the plot does drag at times, and I'm just not sure how many teen readers will stick with it to the end.

Soneela Nankani does a good job with the audiobook narration.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Disney Audiobooks, and Rick Riordan Presents in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I was expecting from the Rick Riordan Presents line of books. It is much darker and much more graphic. I believe it keeps true to the Indian mythology of Medusa and the actions that are portrayed are real world types of happenings but I didn’t expect it here. Beyond that, it had moments that were very engaging and moments that were just slow. Due to the graphic nature (rape, sexual mutilation, abuse, death, violence) I would recommend this for much other students. I will not be putting it in my elementary/middle grade collection.

The audiobook narration was well performed. I would recommend listening to this version.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney for the ARC. I was really surprised how well the sensitive subject matter in this book was handled. This was a hard retelling about Medusa origins. I listened to the audio and it was very well done. If recommending to some, check the trigger warnings. The author explains what her purpose was for the story.

I have been looking for Medusa love in the mythological retelling scene and this is it! I loved the blend of Greek myth with South Asian culture. The world building was truly outstanding, especially from one of Patel's only fantasy novels. Over the course of events in this book, the reader is forced to ponder what is means to be good vs bad or considered a monster.
This is a tense and heavy read at times. I worry some will see the Rick Riordan imprint and think middle grade when it is in fact young adult. I think if the imprint produces more YA titles, that confusion stands less of a chance of happening.

The story is 4 stars, but I'm adding a star for Soneela Nankani's stellar performance (as always)!

In this reimagining of the Medusa story, Manisha embraces her naga magic after an assault almost kills her. She sets off on a search for the family she hasn't seen in years, using her powers to help women in oppressive and abusive environments along the way. Unbeknownst to her, the boy she loves, Pratyush, has been sent after her - only he doesn't know it's Manisha who's really the Serpent Queen.

This book does not shy away from honest, sometimes graphic depictions of sexual assault and violence upon women. Manisha faces danger after danger, but does not sway in her determination to avenge women and right wrongs. The romance between Manisha and Pratyush feels genuine, and adds to the story.

Patel has created a complex mythology here with characters to match. Neither protagonist is all "good". They have motivations and secrets, trauma that informs their decisions. They are both cogs is a much larger machine, fighting for their own futures apart from a system that controls them. Its fascinating and complex, though a bit slow moving, with a grand scope.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of the Audiobook of A Drop of Venom. This book was hard for me to follow in the beginning but once it got going I was involved and wanted to know the rest of the story. This is a Medusa myth retelling with Indian folklore. This is a YA Fantasy book that is not a typical Rick Riordan presents book. It is not marketed for elementary or middle-grade students. There were times when the physical and sexual violence was a lot to absorb but it is an important aspect of the story. I loved how Manisha grew and came into her own as the story went on. She has a tremendous amount of growth from the start of this book until the ending. I can't wait until the next book comes out, please tell me there is another one coming out!

Since I am the librarian in a school that serves grades 6-12, this book would be a great addition to my collection. Most Rick Riordan presents books are written for middle school. The language and writing style would be okay for middle school, but the content makes this more YA to me. It was interesting to see the Medusa story from the Indian mythology point of view.

It was a gritty, but griping story line.

I really liked the beginning of this book. It had me tue ing the pages and gobbling up the story. When the story it around the 75% mark I stared to get a little bored. I thought the story it was telling was strong and well told. It was the ending that I did not love. I’m not sure if there is going to be a second one or the reader is supposed to make inferences about the ending. I did like the messages it was portraying and I thought it handled the subject matter with care.
This is a Medusa retelling with the authors cultural influences. It is about a monster slayer and a girl who’s taking back her life after being sexually assaulted and who the monsters really are.
I liked this book but it had its flaws. It gets a very low 4 STARS form me.

Listened at 2.5x speed. Narration was still solid and made the story easy to follow.

The story was Indian mythology mixed with a retelling of Medusa. There are strong feminist angles, and the story opens with an extension list of possible triggers--which is always appreciated.

As a YA book, the topics are intense. Menstruations is a common topic, women's bodies are incredible objectified and defiled, and sexual assault is prevalent. While the undercurrent of the romance story is nice to have, it doesn't take away from the fear that the women live in daily. The most positive element would be the power/magic that circulates and must be harnessed...but diving into its use too much would give away the plot.

Overall: 3 stars (I liked it)

I'll tell my students about: LGBT+, language, menstruation, rape, mutilation/gore/violence/death, slavery, supernatural

**Thank you to NetGalley & Disney Audiobooks, Rick Riordan Presents for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I really enjoyed this novel. The narrator was great! The author intro was very well done and gave trigger warnings about some of the harder topics in the book. They were handled very well!

A Drop of Venom is a recent YA Fantasy release pitched as a retelling of the Medusa myth, steeped in Indian mythology. Patel's writing is strong and I appreciate the tough topics that she examined, I liked the incorporation of Indian mythology and thought it added another level to the story. The story was hard to get into. It was very slow moving in the beginning, and it took a bit for things started to pick up. I didnt like the instant love between the MCs tho. Its still worth reading but check the trigger warnings before you do.