"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!

"Though, if I have learned one thing in my life, it is that nobody will hand you your happiness. For happiness is not a gift to be given freely but a prize to be claimed. And I am ready to take what I am owed."

"The world tried to make me the victim, so I became its villain."

This book ripped my heart out of my chest and made me feel the full spectrum of human emotion. I grieved, I raged, I cheered on her vengeance. It's going to resonate with so many people. A book can't have you feel this much without being 5 stars.

This book is a retelling of Jason and the Argonauts from the sorceress Medea's perspective, revealing why she did the things that she did. It is a deep character dive into a broken woman who has been so manipulated her whole life that she goes from one type of manipulation to another until she finally breaks free.

Jason and the Argonauts was one of my favorite myths as a child, mostly because I loved the trials. While those don't take up a huge amount of this book, it was still fun to finally see them from the actual victor's POV, Medea. And I always knew then that Jason wasn't the best person, but oof this made me hate him maybe more than I've ever hated a character.

So many people are going to see themselves in this book. It was so hard reading Medea's inner thoughts as she was being love bombed by Jason, not seeing his manipulation and gaslighting for what it was. It's a tale as old as time, and so many people have been in relationships like this. She is so clearly the victim for so much of the story, making it so that once it got to the terrible things she did I really couldn't blame her. I wanted her to get revenge while I was simultaneously peering through my fingers scared to see what she would do. And it broke my heart.

This is a powerful, eye-opening read about a woman who is often named as a villain, but once you're inside her head you can't help but feel for her.

4.5 Stars

I have yet to read Hewlett's first book "Medusa" but now I really want to! As a fan of Greek mythology I am always enthused when a mostly forgotten character is given new life and that is Medea. Whether you are familiar with her story or not, I encourage you to read this book! If you are fans of "Circe", you get to see her here too!

I adore the way Hewlett wrote Medea as a tragic heroine of sorts; one who thinks she can manipulate darkness into happiness but ultimately meets the same calamity as most Greek characters.

My only wish was that we could have been with Medea over the time jumps (especially the Five year one) because I loved how her character grew and changed with each situation.

Overall, a satisfying story of love, power, sacrifice, and choice.

* Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an eARC*

Thank you Net Galley and publishers for letting me read an arc of this book in return for an honest review.

I love a good mythological retelling and who doesn't love a good witch story. I was quite familiar of the story of Medea and of the "great" hero Jason of the Argonauts so I was excited to read this retelling. Most stories paint Jason as the golden boy who can do no wrong and Medea as the evil witch who betrayed everyone. Jason never would have become the great hero he was if it wasn't for Medea. She did everything for him only for him to turn around and throw her away. But even though Medea is the villain she rose above everything and took what she was owed. No more men telling her what she can't do, hiding her away like their prized weapon. She's a powerful sorceress and this story portrays her as such. You really understand why she had to do the things she did. Such an action packed story, and even though I knew how it would end it was still heartbreaking to read. But in the end she still became a great queen.

3.5 ⭐️

I support women’s rights, but more importantly I support women’s wrongs (sometimes)!! I enjoy reading a female-based mythology retelling where the saying “hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned” really comes to life. And while I definitely saw some of those elements in place during this book, it was hard for me to sympathize with Medea solely based on how she ignored every single obvious red flag that Jason threw her way and ignored every single warning given to her by those who cared about her. I wasn’t too familiar with Medea’s story previous to this book and I’m glad i was able to learn about her life and all the tragedies that ensued within it.

thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Rosie Hewlett for an advanced copy of this book.

I began reading as soon as I received this book and was hooked from the start. Even if you’re not familiar with Greek mythology and Medea, you will be able to easily understand and enjoy this story. It reads like a historical fantasy novel, and pulls you in immediately. I carried the book around with me so I could fit in reading at every chance - it’s that good! Whether you’re a mythology lover or just want to get lost in a brilliant fantasy, don’t miss this one!

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

I could not put this book down! Medea was an absolute force of nature in Hewlett’s story and I was completely captivated by her. Seeing her go from a broken young girl taught to fear her magic to a powerful and vengeful sorceress was incredible. I also loved Medea’s relationships in this story. From her ill fated romance with Jason to her mentor Circe and friendship with Atalanta, we got to see so many different sides to her. One thing that was really prevalent was the double standards for men and women. What Jason is praised for, Medea is villainized and it was so hard to watch her let him manipulate and use her. Don’t worry, he gets what’s coming to him. I think anyone who loves Greek mythology, especially fans of Madeline Miller, Costanza Casati and Eilish Quin will enjoy this story so much.
CW: child abuse, domestic violence, animal death, child death, violence

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.