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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I guess this is already published by the author herself back in 2020 but now it’s being republished by Sourcebooks Landmark; which is how I got an eARC with a publishing date of September 26 🎉
I’m curious what the differences are between the self published and now traditionally published versions especially because the TRAD book is 192 pages while Lynn’s self published work is 252 😳
Anyways, on to my review of Athena’s Child-Immediately pulled in! That prologue, chills 😍 I was so excited to finally read a Medusa retelling and that we are finally getting a story where Medusa is not a monster born but a “monster” who was made, victimized by the actions of others.
We get POVs from Medusa and Perseus. The first half is mainly Medusa, focusing on her early life and how she became a Gorgon. Then in the second half we get Perseus’ back story and his “heroic” journey. I wish we would’ve gotten more from Medusa though, this novel certainly is quick, to the point, and interesting but it doesn’t add anything new to the Medusa story which I found disappointing.
I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half because I didn’t care about Perseus and wanted to get back to Medusa. The writing style is okay, it’s simple and makes for a quick read but does more telling than showing. I do wonder if the novel is better in the self published version as it’s about 50ish pages more than this version.
Some time jumps could be jarring at times with no warning, the book is split into two parts but the time jump occurs 2-3 chapters into part 2. Seemed like it could’ve been organized a bit smoother. I thought this would be 4.5-5 stars easily but towards the end I just got disappointed in how the story ended up.
Overall not a bad read and one I’d still recommend for Greek mythology lovers, for a quick and easy read! I’m interested to check out the other 2 books in Lynn’s series and hope I’ll enjoy them more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
wormlibrary's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Really torn about this one.
This is the story of Medusa (and Perseus) and that’s pretty much it. Most of the first part covers her life, almost every chapter a time jump to the next major scene. There’s not a lot of meandering, it’s to the point and the writing style is good, but just when I thought we were getting to the part that’s going to offer a new take, some deeper characterization, we go to Perseus. After time jumping through months, years, decades and ultimately millenia with Medusa, Perseus gets the narrative advantage of having a mortal life span that allows his story to be delivered in a way that doesn’t feel choppy. I actually wouldn’t have minded this, had it not been for his detour, a scene that I couldn’t wait to be done so we can get back to the meat of it.
This was a tragic, heartbreaking telling that really succinctly delivered the Medusa myth, but I’m afraid it didn’t blow me away as someone who’s familiar with this version of it. I can see people liking it a lot more than I did however and I recommend it.
Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is the story of Medusa (and Perseus) and that’s pretty much it. Most of the first part covers her life, almost every chapter a time jump to the next major scene. There’s not a lot of meandering, it’s to the point and the writing style is good, but just when I thought we were getting to the part that’s going to offer a new take, some deeper characterization, we go to Perseus. After time jumping through months, years, decades and ultimately millenia with Medusa, Perseus gets the narrative advantage of having a mortal life span that allows his story to be delivered in a way that doesn’t feel choppy. I actually wouldn’t have minded this, had it not been for his detour, a scene that I couldn’t wait to be done so we can get back to the meat of it.
This was a tragic, heartbreaking telling that really succinctly delivered the Medusa myth, but I’m afraid it didn’t blow me away as someone who’s familiar with this version of it. I can see people liking it a lot more than I did however and I recommend it.
Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
readbyella_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
cynicalraven's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
I hoped for more... I loved Medusa's characterization but the story is basically Ovid's one. I wished there was more "retelling", more original elements. Best part of the book was Peseus' and Medusa's conversation at the end
Please check the content warnings. Although, if you're familiar with the story you already know what I'm referring to.
Please check the content warnings. Although, if you're familiar with the story you already know what I'm referring to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Suicide attempt
enjolrss's review against another edition
dark
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Lettura piacevole e scorrevole, ma la storia avrebbe potuto essere molto più dettagliata e approfondita. Il libro cavalca l'onda di Circe e la Canzone di Achille, ma purtroppo non arriva allo stesso livello. (Per chi cerca la versione inglese il titolo originale è Athena's child)
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, and Suicide attempt
rd77's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
A sad story that brings a new perspective to the story of Medusa. I think I would have liked it more if the book was longer. It felt very short, so there was little room to develop characters and settings, to the point that one feels unattached to most characters besides Medusa and Perseus.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
elizabetharrow's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Suicide attempt
Content Warning: Victim Blaming