Love this! I had hit a reading funk and nothing was holding my attention, but then I started this and couldn't put it down! I need to remember that there's a reason these stories of mythology and lore have remained so popular so long. Medea is not a character I knew much about before reading The Witch of Colchis. It was amazing how her story touched so many others that I was more familiar with. Hewlett has a definite knack for capturing Medea and making her into a real person. There were a few places I felt could have used a little more substance, like when Medea makes what feels like a snap decision to leave her aunt, who she'd wanted to join permanently only days before, and decides she would rather run away with Jason even though Circe gives her the ultimatum that she'll never see her again. And her version of falling in love felt really unconvincing. I would also have really liked to see all the characters around Medea take on more depth. Only a few of them ever feel real (Atalanta remains a favorite). Overall though, this was a really enjoyable read!

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

The last few chapters of this!! Medea, my beloved revenge queen, you've awakened at last. The writing style in this book is beautiful, especially in the "five years later" section. Jason definitely got on my nerves, and I love that his death means nothing to Medea. I was waiting for him to croak the whole time.

The part where Medea and Jason were in exile in Corinth was the weakest for me, mostly because I was waiting for the narrative to throw Medea a bone after being love bombed and used by this loser for ten years. I wish we caught more glimpses of feral revenge Medea in the middle portions of the book that Chalciope talks about in the very last chapter.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing, the prose in particular. The way the story is presented is rather straightforward and ends with a rather juicy and very long-awaited descent into villainy. I would have loved to see more self-actualized Medea after essentially being told her origin story.

The Witch of Colchis by Rosie Hewlett is a captivating blend of historical fiction and fantasy, set against the backdrop of ancient Colchis. The novel centers on Medea, a powerful witch with a complex blend of strength and vulnerability. Hewlett's evocative prose and rich world-building bring Medea’s mythological world to life, blending historical detail with magical elements seamlessly.

The character-driven narrative explores themes of power, betrayal, and love, all while maintaining a strong sense of historical context. Hewlett’s portrayal of Medea is both nuanced and compelling, offering readers a fresh perspective on a classic myth. Overall, The Witch of Colchis is a beautifully written and immersive read that will appeal to fans of historical fantasy.

Holy Moly, this retelling brings the drama (so, have the popcorn ready). Medea and Jason are such a hot mess. Ah, hahaha but also 😩🤦🏽‍♀️.

I *knew* the story, but Hewlett’s voice cuts & serves us feminist rage in a way that makes me want to give a standing ovation.

I remember when I first heard the story, I just thought there was zero redemption for Medea. But Hewlett paints so many shades of grey- that you could #bookclub this book, and realize the audience will not always agree on what they felt.

My thanks to #netgalley & SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the eARC.

4.25/5

Hewlett’s “The Witch of Colchis” chronicles the life of Medea, princess of Colchis, from her early childhood through her encounters with Jason and beyond. We learn about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father Aeetes, and the cycles of that trauma that she later repeats in her relationship with Jason, as well as the repeated pain she inflicts on others. There are many questions this book poses about agency, choice, and morality under deadly circumstances, as well as the cyclical nature of victimhood and perpetration. A very interesting read to be sure, but I couldn’t help but be bothered by the very hand-wavy nature of Medea’s magic, which really didn’t make any sense nor have much basis in the myth that is the foundation of the story. This book also very much views Medea’s life through a 21st-century moral lens (I acknowledge that many of these myth retellings do this, but they do it better). Phrases were included like “boys will be boys” that just really took me out of the story and reminded me of the time period the book is being written in, and not the time in which it took place. Characters also frequently used the work “OK” in dialogue which also distracted me immensely. Overall a worthwhile read, but hardly my favorite myth retelling.

Just not for me, unfortunately. Greek mythology retellings are hit or miss for me, and the modern phrasing continually pulled me out of the narrative. I'm not sure if it was meant to feel as modern as it did, but it didn't feel particularly of the era. The messaging lacked subtlety, so it felt a bit like we were being beat over the head with it (trust your readers! they will get girl power without it being spelled out!). Whenever our modern understanding of female agency is mapped 1:1 onto the past it feels a bit shallow to me. I'd rather be shown her power and independence than be told that she has it- it's just not as convincing, especially when a male love interest seems to drive a lot of her decisions.

The Witch of Colchis is a retelling the Jason and the Golden Fleece from the point of view of Medea. Hewlett’s retelling of Medea’s life show how she has been used and manipulated for her magical abilities, when she was a young woman looking for the love and companionship denied her, her whole life. Hewlett’s Medea has all the emotions and feelings that was missing from the Classical Greek Tales.

At first glance, many would interpret this as a villain origin story...and maybe that's what it is in some aspect. So call me a medea apolgist, but I feel like this is her vindication story. Medea may have been mad and driven to do many things that were unforgiveable, but when you read about the situations she was put through, the way she was groomed and the life she was forced to live, it's almost as if she had no chlices in her actions.
Rosie Hewlett's novel shed light on the complexittiess of the story of Medea and showed that, despite her many flaws, there was a strong woman underneath that was bent, broken, and bruised at the hands of men. The story was fantastic. Highly recommend.

I was so so excited to read Medea’s story, and I wasn’t disappointed! I really enjoyed the voice in this as well, whereas books by Jennifer Saint have a more classically sterile and removed voice, this has more emotion and rage. She is one of Greek mythologies most overlooked women, while her husband Jason is one of the most famous men, despite him owing his successes to her. I’ve hated Jason for a while, seeing him obviously hide behind others’s accomplishments, and seeing Medea finally reclaim herself was satisfying. She will never be the same as she was, but she finally sees him for who he is, after 75% of this being me groaning at her blindness, but it helps you to understand how she could have become the person she does. Not all monsters are born, and not all monsters are the monsters.

I love a good Greek Mythology retelling and wow did I love this one. The imagery is painted beautifully and you can really feel the emotions of the main character. Following her journey was captivating and you really could understand why she did the things she did. I would love to read more from this author.

First and foremost, I am biased as I love any and all retellings from Greek mythology. Yes, I loved this one just as well. I haven't liked Jason and his story for awhile. And as normal on not only mythology but throughout history, we have a woman...a powerful woman who is misunderstood and cast as a villain.

I loved the depth we saw in Medea throughout these pages. It hurt seeing her fall for Jason to escape the life she lived. I was sorry she didn't listen to Atalanta who has been give her own powerful voice in another authors work. I hate that because of Jason and his manipulative and weak ways, she walked away from everything she knew and loved...Hecate, Circe, friendships that could've burned bright and fierce...and most importantly, herself. She tossed herself aside time and again and made the decisions she did because Jason offered her a piece of something she'd needed and never received...love and kindness.

While Medea may have done villainous acts...I appreciate the human side of this look into her. She Mas made into a villain...did what she thought was needed of her. A powerful woman, held under the foot of a man he thought he was worth more than he was.

While I was only vaguely familiar with Medea, mainly through Jason's story, I found this story from her POV to be quite complex. There is honestly so much complexity to her story that it feels like some parts had to be skipped over and weren't given their due. But, honestly, it would have been a very long book if the author had done that.

I love the way we learned about her childhood, the way we saw her with her children, and even the last chapter with her father and sister. I love the way that Jason wasn't the hero basically at all in this story.

Overall, a wonderful retelling from Medea's point of view.

I would like to thank Netgally and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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

I love a myth retelling, especially when it highlights women we don’t often see in stories. I was really excited to start “The Witch of Colchis” because I didn’t know much about Medea outside of her relationship with Circe. Unfortunately, this book fell flat. The first half felt very slow as we see Medea struggle under her father, then under Jason. It seemed that the whole book was focused on who Medea was in relation to the men around her, instead of who she is on her own.

Even in the context of her marriage to Jason, Medea felt like a stupid and ignorant child which was definitely a choice by the author. I would have loved to see more through from Medea. She’s a strong character, let her be that! I loved and preferred the sections that were about Medea as a sorceress, rather than Medea as a daughter/wife/mother. Her marriage to Jason takes up over half of the book. At 90%, we skip forward 5 years with only a brief mention of her leaving Jason, marrying Aegeus, having more kids, becoming queen again, etc. I would have rather seen those 5 years than some of the boring times with Jason!

I was really hoping to see more of her magic developing and coming into her own as a witch. We see the catalyst for her use of darker magic, but her growth in it happens off page at the end of the book.

Overall, I appreciate seeing what the author did with the retelling, but it’s not as strong as other myths I’ve read.

I was given this book as an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this opportunity!
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"Remember, you are to be his wife, not his weapon," she says, her voice firm as her grip.
"I know that."
"I know you do. But does he?"
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I am not sure I have words to describe how much I adored this book.

I have always known that Medea was a large female character in Greek Mythology, but going into this book, the only think I knew about her story was that she was a witch. Walking away from this book, I am blown away by the life and emotion that Rosie Hewlett was able to bring to Medea and her story.

When writing stories that are heavily focused on female rage, I think it is easy to go too far and get to a point where it feels like there is too much repetition in the darkness inside of the women suffering but the well seems to be bottomless when it comes to the story Rosie has told and the life and darkness she brought to Medea. I didn't have a single moment where I found the rage or the darkness or the pain repetitive. Every blow was fresh and real and new, and I could have read about it for 500 more pages if Rosie had let me. The character she created was beautiful and consistent and lost and I have never wanted to run to the side of a character to defend her more in my life. Rosie created a character that was worth fighting for, in my mind, and I will be searching for books that make me feel like this one did for the rest of my life.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the writing style. Hewlett has perfected the writing style needed to bring a Mythology retelling to life for readers. It is a style that is rooted in description and artistic details, a style that allows the readers to feel transported to the world of Greek gods and goddesses. It is impossible to avoid losing yourself in a world that is so well built and described. And when you start to lose yourself in the world, the main character comes to life even easier and that is my experience from start to finish with Medea. Her world was so easy to get lost in that I had no issues connecting to the situations she faced and the decisions that she made.
Once you get lost in a world, losing yourself in the main character is the next big adventure and Medea was easy to get lost in. Medea is a character that has perfected a calm exterior while drowning under turbulent emotions and memories and hurt inside of her. The duality of her character was addicting from the start, but to see those two sides of her grow throughout the story was beautiful. Her calm moments turned to numbness and her turbulent moments turned to chaos. Those two sides were at play throughout the whole book and watching how polarizing they were inside of once character was amazing.
Another fun aspect of this book were the time gaps. I am sure this book could have been huge if the gaps weren't incorporated, but every gap happened at the end of chapter for Medea. Each gap comes at a turning point for Medea where she is looking forward to something in the future that has the power to change her life. And with each time gap that we encounter, we are reminded of how cruel the fates can be. The life that Medea imagined for herself slowly fades from her grip as reality spirals into something unrecognizable to both her and to the reader. While the gaps can leave you wondering what really happened in the time we missed, we get pieces of the story that connect the dots enough for us to put an abstract idea together in our minds. And with those pieces we are given, the readers are overwhelmed with the cruelty of the Greek world and the fates towards a woman who just wants to be normal and happy.

Of all the things covered in this book, I think the most magical theme that you see running from front to back is the idea that women become darkness so that men around them can shine in their presence. Medea first interacts with this idea when she is young and naive, willing to become darkness for Jason to shine. But Medea revisits the dark and oppressive reality of this idea after the betrayal of Jason. This theme shows up in more than just Medea, for we see it in the moments that we get to interact with Atalanta and the Argonauts, and if you know the story of Circe, you see it in her character when you have moments with her.
Medea spends so long being darkness while Jason is able to be seen as light. And that storyline is one that women in any time and place can learn from. I think we see the beginnings of a lot of female empowerments in these myths where women are so neglected and belittled, but this book just happens to be filled with my favorite reminder of all. The idea of a woman making herself less for a man to be secure and stable is one of the main points of this book. Medea does everything that she can to shrink herself, and in doing so, it just makes Jason seem larger than life to her. But eventually, we watch Jason fall from his pedestal and Medea come to terms with the fact that she has been behind every single success Jason has ever had, but she has never had a moment of recognition from him or the world around her.
And when she realizes this, she snaps. And in the pain of those drastic changes, we see the real Medea without concerns about her image or actions or the darkness that she carries. And that is the Medea we are left with at the end of the book.

Thank you for this ARC!

This book was a great retelling of the Medea. Great book if you like Greek mythology.

This was hard for me to get into and through. I get that the women had it bad and there was a lot of violence, but my goodness it was just so down that it was a slow read.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

The story grips you from the very beginning, with a great character setup and a tale begging to be unraveled. You root for Medea, but it's lost halfway through the book - what began as a strong, independent woman turns into a young girl besotted by men and desperate for affirmations. Many mentions of handsome men and not enough depth to her own independence. She makes terrible choices, quickly chooses the "dark" side and lets the male figures in her life dictate her choices. I wanted to believe in her and held out until the last page, but it just got worse.

The timeline jumps made sense as it spans a decade, but the choices she makes are odd. Her indifference to her children (won't share the spoiler but this was the worst part of the book and made me really dislike her) and lack of morals stray so far from the young girl we meet in the beginning. What could have been a strong and powerful women quickly became a woman shaped by trauma and vengeance. We have this setup the entire book of a girl who will grow into a powerful witch, but there isn't much "witchiness", only drama. Where is her growth, acceptance and power? It just misses the mark.

Circe is mentioned a lot in this story, and I feel it was written to mimic the book "Circe" but is missing the impact and depth. There are moments where I feel like I am rereading "Circe" and then we switch back to the main character and she is petty, weak and indecisive. There's such a major shift, it feels like the author paints Circe in a golden light without ever giving Medea the same attention.

Would I read this again? Likely no.

The myth of Jason and Medea isn't usually one of my favorite Greek myths, but when I saw/received a copy of this book, I thought I'd give it a try. And I've got to say, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it gave a fresh new perspective to Medea's story and expanded her story to more than what has been seen in relation to Jason in the original Greek myth. Plus, the story had me hooked from the beginning and I couldn't wait to see what Medea would do next. So, overall, I really enjoyed this book and if you happen to be a fan of Greek mythology, I would definitely recommend giving this book a try.

“A Disgraced Daughter.
A Fearsome Witch.
A Woman More Myth Than Mortal.”

Medea earns many titles during her story, but the most well known one is witch...or if you prefer sorceress. Medea's life as Princess of Colchis has been a lonely one. Filled with abuse from her father, a neglectful mother, and a brother who delights in nothing more than tormenting his sister.

Medea's father plans to use his daughter's gifts of witchcraft as a weapon. So when the heroic and handsome Jason arrives to claim the fated Golden Fleece, Medea sees his ship, the Argo, as a chance to finally escape her prison.
Her path will be full of choices, each one having its own unique consequences.

Thoughts:
This retelling of Medea's tragic story was excellent. Medea's character was well written and made me feel a variety of emotions. You can't help but love, sympathize, and hate Medea's actions all at the same time. She has a tragic childhood and is so full of hope for her future. Only for her adult life to be even more complicated.

My favorite minor character in this was Atalanta. Not only was she just super cool, but she was a true friend to Medea. She desperately tried to get Medea to see what was right in front of her. She's the friend that is yelling at you that your boyfriend isn't a nice guy while you deny it, even though it's super obvious that he's just a gaslighting jerk.

The events of the story provided a sense of foreboding and tension that paved the way for an emotional ending. This was an incredibly empowering novel and I thought the author did an amazing job retelling Medea's witchy story. (I would love for a retelling of Atalanta by Hewlett as well!)

I can't recommend this enough if you are a fan of Greek Mythology like I am! Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Rosie Hewlett for this advanced digital copy!

I don't know if I can read another Medea retelling after this one because this one was TOO GOOD! The story hooks you right from the start like a sling shot ready for take off. I was instantly curious about the main character, Medea, as well as her Aunt, Circe. They both are portrayed as independent and strong women who have sass and class making this story a very feminist read!

This story is beautifully written. The author's writing is easy to follow and their diction was very enjoyable to read. Once Jason and the Argonauts entered the plot I read this book very fast.

I enjoyed the complexity of Medea's character and learning about her journey. Medea goes from struggling hero to unhinged anti-hero as the story progresses.

I loved how the writer showed character depth with Medea and Circe's relationship. I also loved how the author showed Medea's relationship with Jason and how it impacted Medea's relationship with her aunt, Circe.

There were definately times where my brain was rooting for Medea and saying "oh no" whenever she got into trouble. I also enjoyed reading how Hewlett wrote the shift in Jason's character as the story moved and how this added to Medea's struggles.

This story shows the struggles that women experience in society from the past and present through Medea's perspective. You can also see it in Circe's character. This story definately plays with the concept of female rage as a result of women's struggles within society. Which made for some very intense scenes! There were also so many interesting characters from greek mythology like Atalanta, Circe, and Hecate which I loved!

The last chapter was the best chapter. It wrapped everything up perfectly and I adored the POV it was in!

I would definately recommend this book to all who enjoy feminist related books that have female rage in them and anyone who loves greek mythology.

• Run Date For Review: My review will be up on my social media blog via Instagram (@dreamy.bookish.valkyrie) during the week of August 26, 2024, the month prior to the publication month (September 2024).