Medusa by Jessie Burton

 Hello!

This week I am sharing a book review for Jessie Burtin's Medusa. This story is a retelling of the Greek mythology tale of Medusa. Before we jump straight in, I thought I'd give a trigger warning: this post mentions sexual assault. 

The cover and the illustrations within this copy were stunning! I really enjoyed the imagery side by side with the story. The artwork by Olivia Lomenech Gill is beautiful. The contents of this book were visually pleasing.

The story was overall interesting. I've recently found myself rewriting fairytales and thought this sounded interesting and good for research purposes. I really liked that this was a feminist retelling. It was engaging and an overall really good read.

The story deals with assault, and victim-blaming. Medusa was assaulted by Poseidon in Athena's temple. It was heartbreaking to read as she shared her experience with the reader. Athena, and the rest of the village, refused to believe Medusa. Athena punishes Medusa and her sisters, and they flee the village together. Medusa was once a 'beautiful' young woman (her own words) and was viciously turned into a woman with snakes in her hair. Arguably, a different kind of beauty.

After reading the part of her assault I felt a little guilty for my previous annoyance towards Medusa, much before talking of her assault she tells the story of how when growing up she was bullied and cast out by villagers due to her beauty and it felt very "oh-no poor me I'm pretty". It felt somewhat unrealistic, especially in today's society beauty is praised for no reason. I found it unrealistic that someone was being bullied because of them being too attractive, but maybe in another lifetime this was common. That being said, no one deserves to be assaulted or bullied. There's no one to blame but the attacker. 

I loved reading about Medusa and Perseus falling in love. I even more loved it when Medusa defended herself against him and turned him into stone. His selfishness taught her to love herself and be exactly who she is. She's inspiring to say the least. I enjoyed this retelling of Medusa. It was similar to the original but definitely sheds a more positive light on Medusa! In the end, she came out the winner, embracing her snakes, and ultimately loving herself. 

If you're looking for some female empowerment, owning her tragedies and coming out on top, then this is the book for you.

This was one of my favourite myths. So, what's your favourite myth?