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A review by storiesdontcare
The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons
4.0
This may be more of a 3.5 for me; I'm really not sure. When I first saw this book, I knew I had to have it. Aside from the fact that I breathe Greek mythology, I have a soft spot for reviled women getting a sympathetic view. My expectations were high going in.
I really enjoyed the overall character of Medusa; I was able to feel her pain, her pleasure, her desires--really well done, in my opinion. However, there was something about the way the goddesses in particular were portrayed that irked me. Aphrodite and Persephone may just be too bubbly for my tastes here (I liked them, but I found myself annoyed with their dialogue), but Athena's actions are blamed on insanity and rage, and I think it would have done more for Medusa (and survivors reading the book) to address that, rather than cough it up to the book's ultimate reason for Athena's actions.
I really enjoyed the first part of the book, set on Medusa's island. The Olympus section was where I had a hard time story-wise--I hate it when every other character is keeping a secret from the main character about herself. The section that follows pulled me back in again, because it focused primarily on Medusa's healing, but the end resolution was a bit too tidy for me--I didn't dislike the ultimate reveal, but my issues largely had to do, again, with dialogue. There was another (spoilery) piece of Greek mythology that bothered me for most of the book because it seemed like certain...things were disregarded, but at the end this is addressed and these things are in their traditional place.This is nothing in the grand scheme of this novel, but it bothered me personally because of the way I am.
There were also a LOT of typos, and I had some issues with the way the book was set--the last page is a single word; section breaks seem like they ended up on the wrong side of the book, etc. I wouldn't think this is Lyons' fault, but I cringe a bit when I see a printed book with so many issues that should have been caught by an editor.
For readers who are rape survivors, I think this book could be either empowering or triggering, possibly both. Lyons' writing is very vivid--I could feel Medusa's disgust. I liked this book; if Lyons were to tackle another story from mythology I'd be interested in her take on it, but I just didn't love this book the way I hoped I would (that said, Medusa was perfect, and Hermes was almost perfect).
I really enjoyed the overall character of Medusa; I was able to feel her pain, her pleasure, her desires--really well done, in my opinion. However, there was something about the way the goddesses in particular were portrayed that irked me. Aphrodite and Persephone may just be too bubbly for my tastes here (I liked them, but I found myself annoyed with their dialogue), but Athena's actions are blamed on insanity and rage, and I think it would have done more for Medusa (and survivors reading the book) to address that, rather than cough it up to the book's ultimate reason for Athena's actions.
I really enjoyed the first part of the book, set on Medusa's island. The Olympus section was where I had a hard time story-wise--I hate it when every other character is keeping a secret from the main character about herself. The section that follows pulled me back in again, because it focused primarily on Medusa's healing, but the end resolution was a bit too tidy for me--I didn't dislike the ultimate reveal, but my issues largely had to do, again, with dialogue. There was another (spoilery) piece of Greek mythology that bothered me for most of the book because it seemed like certain...things were disregarded, but at the end this is addressed and these things are in their traditional place.This is nothing in the grand scheme of this novel, but it bothered me personally because of the way I am.
There were also a LOT of typos, and I had some issues with the way the book was set--the last page is a single word; section breaks seem like they ended up on the wrong side of the book, etc. I wouldn't think this is Lyons' fault, but I cringe a bit when I see a printed book with so many issues that should have been caught by an editor.
For readers who are rape survivors, I think this book could be either empowering or triggering, possibly both. Lyons' writing is very vivid--I could feel Medusa's disgust. I liked this book; if Lyons were to tackle another story from mythology I'd be interested in her take on it, but I just didn't love this book the way I hoped I would (that said, Medusa was perfect, and Hermes was almost perfect).