Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear

Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear

Title:  Medusa’s Sisters

Author: Lauren J.A. Bear
Publisher:  Ace
Genre:  General Fiction (Adult), Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Format:  Kindle
No. of Pages:  372
Date of Publication:  8 August, 2023
My Rating:  5 Stars

My Thoughts 

Ancient mythology never held much lure for me but the synopsis for Media's Sisters was intriguing. And then I saw the cast of characters and felt that I would never be able to fully get into this one due to not knowing who's who. 

Despite these two strikes (against me), I love a feminist retelling of old tales and decided to forge ahead. No regrets - the story of Medusa and her sisters is an amazing, consuming tale; I found myself immersed in it from the beginning and wow. 

I cannot find the words to convey how much this story captivated me. 

This debut is beautifully written, and will surely pull you in just as it did me. 

* I think this one will be great in audiobook form, especially if they go with more than one narrator.

*I'm rethinking my stance on feminist mythology retelling and plan on reading some others. 

Strong recommendation from me. 

Thank you to Ace (Berkley Publishing Group) and NetGalley for the DRC!

Description

A vivid and moving reimagining of the myth of Medusa and the sisters who loved her.

The end of the story is only the beginning…

Even before they were transformed into Gorgons, Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale were unique among their immortal family. Curious about mortals and their lives, Medusa and her sisters entered the human world in search of a place to belong, yet quickly found themselves at the perilous center of a dangerous Olympian rivalry and learned—too late—that a god's love is a violent one.

 Forgotten by history and diminished by poets, the other two Gorgons have never been more than horrifying hags, damned and doomed. But they were sisters first, and their journey from lowly sea-born origins to the outskirts of the pantheon is a journey that rests, hidden, underneath their scales.

 Monsters, but not monstrous, Stheno and Euryale will step into the light for the first time to tell the story of how all three sisters lived and were changed by each other, as they struggle against the inherent conflict between sisterhood and individuality, myth and truth, vengeance and peace.