3⭐️

As someone with a degree in Classical Studies I have loved Medea for ages. I was really hoping that this would be a story of her strength, resilience, and brutality.

Instead I got a naive and easily manipulated girl who ignored all warning signs( trust me there were many) and who was effortlessly gaslighted by a pretty face.

I felt so much rage for Medea while reading this book only for it to simmer to such sadness for her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very familiar with her life and knew it was tragic. I was just hoping for a feminine rage twist. And we almost got it, we were so close. I wish this book had been just a little bit longer. I was really hoping to see Medea embrace her power and use it for herself instead allowing herself to be manipulated by others.

This is a superb Greek myth retelling written with emotional depth and an expert interpretation of the character's life and experiences.

I received an eARC of The Witch of Colchis by Rosie Hewlett from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark. My favorite fantasy books are all types of mythology retelling but Greek mythologies are definitely closer to my heart. The Witch of Colchis is about Medea of Colchis, niece of the sorceress Circe, with magical gifts of her own and how she helped the famous Jason and the Argonauts retrieve the Golden Fleece, which is one of the more famous Greek myths. I wholeheartedly loved this retelling of Medea. The writing was smooth, the story flowed, and I felt like I was flying through the chapters. I appreciated the depth given to Medea and while I don’t agree with all her actions, I do support some of her wrongs because she was manipulated and discarded by the ‘heroic’ Jason for his own righteousness. I am most certainly here for the mythology retellings that challenge some of these male heroes who left a wake of atrocities behind for their ‘glory.' The Witch of Colchis did this for Medea. I feel exceptionally fortunate to have received an eARC of The Witch of Colchis and I am grateful for Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmarks because this book was wickedly good. 5/5 stars.

This was….. SO GOOD. It’s the perfect “I support women’s rights…and their wrongs” book. You really grow to feel Medea’s suffering and anger and you get to empathize with her. There’s a line that goes something like “History tried to make me the victim, so I became the villain,” and I just love it so much. This is my first 5 star read of the year, I think. No notes!

"There is no time for doubt, not now. If I’m going to shatter my world, I need both hands firmly on the weapon to deliver that final blow."
▪️Rosie Hewlett, The Witch of Colchis, 4⭐
Pub day: 09/10/24
#gifted from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark
🐑 I'd give this five stars if it weren't for on-the-page explicit scenes that weren't necessary. This book is incredible! More mature and complex than her Medusa book, but both are great retellings. But Medea's story is insane, and Hewlett retold it with brilliance and emotion that blew me away! I love the Euripedes story, and I'm so thankful Hewlett did it such justice!!!

I'm a huge women in mythology book reader and will pick up any book that fits the bill. A funny story in the UK the book is called Medea but here they named it The Witch of Colchis. Not sure which title I like better and I really enjoyed this book very much! I'll be giving her other book Medusa a read. I'd love to get the UK edition as well. This is great for high school and up.

"The Witch of Colchis" delves into the timeless myth of Medea, the infamous sorceress from Greek mythology, and reimagines it through a psychological and spiritual lens. This thought-provoking exploration of one of literature's most complex female figures offers a fresh perspective on themes of fate, choice, and the transformative power of the feminine.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC Copy!

I am not very familiar with the story of Medea but I really enjoyed getting to know her in this story. Such a tragic story was told in such a beautiful way and this is now one of my favorite mythology books I have read so far. Rosie will forever be an auto buy author for me.

Media is a natural sorcerous who is trained by Circe who is one of my favorite characters from the Greek Mythos and I loved seeing her influence on Media's story. She experiences so much trauma and hate through her life it is not surprising that things end the way that they do. A true villain origin story and I loved every minute of it.

I stand for women’s rights AND women’s wrongs!
This was a beautiful retelling of Medea's story. We follow her from childhood through her dark ending. It is a very detailed story that reveals what molded her into the woman she is.

I was not very familiar with Medea’s story as a whole. I really didn’t even know about Jason and the Argonauts and how Medea played into that story. Most of what I knew was through Circe’s story. So, I was very excited to learn about another witch in Greek Mythology.

What I enjoyed:
We follow Medea from a young age until her ending.
The way the relationship between Medea & Jason is told. It makes it relatable to a wide range of women.

This book brought out so many emotions in me. I empathized with Medea throughout much of her story. She made many choices that people wouldn’t agree with, but this book provided a lot of the backstory and reasoning behind them.

If you enjoy Greek Mythology retellings, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️ “The Witch of Colchis” by Rosie Hewlett, out now!

This was so friggin’ good! I’m a sucker for a Greek Mythology retelling and this did not disappoint!

“The Witch of Colchis” tells the story of Medea — granddaughter of Helios & niece of Circe — through her life as she faces the consequences of betrayal, the cost of love, and the aftermath of deceit. 🧡🏺

⛔️ THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS ⛔️

My desire to drop kick Jason and Medea this entire book (for completely different reasons) was strong. Jason is your classic f*ck boy, a tale as old as time from the Greeks to your modern day Jason who’d probably pull a modern version of Greek Jason’s crap. Medea, I loved her but I just wanted to tell her she was a blind fool. Circe did try as any good aunt would but love is blind. 🥴

Several times, despite knowing how the original mythology went, I found myself having to put my kindle down and process the bull 💩 I just read because it was making me so angry. 😂

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Definitely would recommend for anyone wanting to get into reading Greek retellings. There wasn’t a lot of mythology background you’d need to know in my opinion so it definitely was an easier one to follow.

I do wish the ending hadn’t felt so rushed. I wish we’d gotten a little more there because I loved Medea in her after. She deserved better. 😪

❗️Disclaimer: I received a free copy and am providing an honest review.❗️

Wow! I've only ever read one other book about Medea, which is what got me to try this one out. There was a lot of violence in this, which I think would be pretty normal for her story being told. If you are faint of heart, you probably need to skip this one. Her life is just so tragic and awful. You feel for her and just hope it'll get better, but her life is pretty rough. I swear, I wanted to punch Jason in his stupid, selfish face the whole time.
I got this as an ARC from Netgalley, but these opinions are my own.

I am such a fan of feminist-centered retellings and this one did not disappoint. Medea is quite the tragic figure and villain in mythology and this book paints her as a complex woman yet does not make excuses for her actions. The book focuses on the events and people that shape Medea into the person she eventually becomes and it was intriguing, harrowing, and frustrating. At times I wanted to reach into the book and shake Medea to wake her up and realize just how toxic her relationship with Jason was.

Overall, this is a great retelling. Hewlett writes beautifully and brings a voice to one of the most maligned women in mythology.

"Atlanta once told me the world would make me the villain of this story, but she was wrong. The world tried to make the victim, so I became its villain."

What an amazing quote from Medea!

Even though her name is on the cover, I only saw The Witch of Colchis and went in to this book with no expectations. Boy am I glad that it was a Greek retelling about a character I have wanted to read more about since Circe.

To say this book is quite the roller coaster ride is poorly explaining the journey we are actually taken on. Of course Medea is our main character but Jason of the Argonauts and a handful of others share the spotlight throughout the story. And its safe to say that if you know nothing of either character, your opinions on one or the other will go back and forth so many times you will get whiplash! In a good way.

This story is fantastic, and I will have to say one of--if not--my favorite stories/retellings thus far.

Medea is in fact, THE witch of Colchis.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity of reading this before it released!

i loved this! i haven’t read a greek mythology book in a while but it’s all i’m thinking about now. i enjoyed the writing and thought the author did a great job writing such a complex character

This was perfect for fans of Circe. Medea is pretty a wonderful main character to follow and cheer on. I loved the inclusion of James and the Golden Fleece .

I loveeeed Medea's story. She has been mentioned in other storylines but you of course never get a thorough detailed story of her life. This book really took us through a painfully beautiful story of a woman who has been repeatedly wronged by those in her life. She has been dealt cards where it doesn't matter which one she chooses, it will always lead to a darker road for her. I really felt for Medea in this story and felt she was very misunderstood. She grows up within an abusive and rough childhood, and has to scheme and fight to find her way out. Where she the believes she has made it on the other-side just to be wronged by the one she has placed all her trust and love in. To then have to fight again and still be lost. Although all of this trouble, I do feel like she grew as a character. We start the story with this scared child and end up with a strong witch/queen. I feel like in the end she finds some peace and resolution. The author did just such a beautiful job with giving us so many sides of her and multiple conflicting/vulnerable moments in her journey. Does she have guilt? regret? I'm not sure. But i do have a sense that she does in a way. She is just such an interesting character!!! This story will stick with me.

An amazing accurate telling of the Jason and Medea story from Medea's POV!

What it is about:
Medea lives in ancient Colchis as a princess. However, after discovering she has been blessed with magic abilities by the goddess Hecate, she is treated anything like a princess. Her aunt Circe helps Medea understand her magic but warns her against dark magic and its dangers. One day Medea never sees her aunt Circe again. Feeling lost, alone, and unwanted by her own parents Medea desperately wants to find a way to escape her circumstances. So when the beautiful and charming Greek hero Jason arrives in Colchis to try and retrieve the golden fleece from her father the king, she instantly falls in love and makes a plan. Medea could have never guessed how wrong that plan could go.

What I think:
This was a wonderful telling of the Jason and Medea story from the POV of Medea. As a Classicist I greatly appreciated how incredibly accurate this book is! The author did an excellent job at creating Medea’s perspective while incorporating the culture of ancient Greece. Medea is not just the mad/crazy women that the ancient myth makes her out to be. She a complex character that is in love, makes mistakes, and wants revenge.

As a Percy Jackson fan, When I met Medea in the heroes of olympus series, I was rooting for the heroes than her. Here, I was all about Medea winning. Loved the villain origin story and really ate up the entire Jason is a Dick parts

A decent enough read but in a saturated Greek mythology market I don't feel like this one added much. Additionally, I have read other, arguably better, renditions of Medea.

Medea. Sorceress. Witch. Kin slayer. Medea’s story is usually written by the victors. It’s time for her to tell her own story.

I really loved this version of Medea! There was such strong characterization and buildup for Medea’s decisions. The backstory of her abuse and denigration by her father and her brother, setting her up for looking for an escape. Her naiveté made it believable that she loved Jason and looked past his manipulations.

And the inclusion of Atalanta! I loved the appearance of one of my favorite women in Greek myths to provide a friend and eventually a foil for Medea’s choices.

My only frustration is that I didn’t like the ten year time skip. I understand the restrictions on making a reasonably sized novel, but just little snippets throughout the ten years to show more of Medea’s decline and the crumbling of her marriage. Most of the Medea retellings I’ve read also skip these ten years, and I really want to see someone explore that time a little more.

Thanks to both NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this arc!