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Medea
Eilish Quin's MEDEA, a feminist reimagining of Circe's niece, Medea and her early years on the lonely island of Kolchis with a domineering father and absent mother, her growing expertise in the art of sorcery, to the arrival of Jason, preordained by the gods to be not only her husband, but also her lifeline to escape her isolated existence, and her travels across treacherous seas with the Argonauts, to Loan Le at Atria, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Jessica Spitz at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
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First published February 13, 2024
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February 19, 2024
“Witchcraft relies on the connection among all things, the intrinsic links that tie us all together. And as far as voids go, I would imagine that all of us are mostly made up of space—although whether or not that qualifies as emptiness is another matter.”
When it comes to Greek mythology and feminist retellings, I find it difficult to look away. I’ve been looking forward to reading a retelling of Medea, who I consider one of the most complex and fascinating characters in Greek mythology and I’m glad to say that debut author Eilish Quin’s retelling of Medea’s story does not disappoint!
Granddaughter of Helios, Titan god of the sun, Medea was born to the sorcerer King Aeetes of Colchis and Oceanid nymph Idyia. The novel follows Medea through her formative years, growing up in Colchis with her older sister Chalciope and younger brother Phaethon for whose care she assumes responsibility after their mother returns to the sea despite the prophetic visions and the sense of foreboding that had prompted Idyia to distance herself from her daughter. Her relationship with her father is complicated. Aeetes oscillates between complete disregard for his daughter and disdain for her wild ways unlike her more demure and lady-like sister, and begrudging acknowledgment when he realizes she possesses a gift for knowledge not unlike his own or his sister, the powerful sorceress Circe, which prompts him to agree to help her in the study of the art of Pharmakon- the power of herbs and flowers. But Medea goes a step further and hones her skills in private, fully aware that her father would never allow her to experiment as she does, leaning toward darker practices. We follow her through the years as she meets Jason and the Argonauts on their quest, a turning point in her life that brings with it an opportunity for freedom from her stifling life in Colchis, love, marriage, chaos, betrayal, grief and a shocking act of revenge that earns her the reputation of one of the most maligned and vilified characters in Greek mythology.
"'Heroes,' I explained bluntly. 'Those who seek only their own aggrandizement, and glory, who are more concerned with their legendary legacies than with the realities of those around them, who serve as unlucky collateral. In a thousand years, stories of your greatness may still abound, while the lives and aspirations of the less charismatic mortals who served and adored you utterly, drift away into obscurity, forgotten. What truth is there in that?'"
Medea by Eilish Quin is a captivating novel and an impressive debut. Beautifully written and vividly descriptive with a fluid narrative, I thoroughly enjoyed the feminist take on Medea’s story, especially the first half of the novel set in Colchis. The narrative is shared from the first-person PoV of our protagonist. Medea’s willfulness, intellect and desire to learn, her enterprising nature and the risks she takes render her a compelling character. Those familiar with Medea’s story are aware that there are elements that are upsetting and needless to say some scenes might be difficult to read but the author manages to portray the “archetypal femme fatale, a mother, a sorcerer, a sister, a murderess” as a dutiful daughter, a loving mother and a faithful wife to a husband who does not appreciate all she has done for him. Her pain, her rage and her grief are palpable and despite everything we know about her, the reader would find it difficult to not feel a certain degree of sympathy for her and this is where the author succeeds in humanizing the scorned witch we read about is different versions of the myths. Having said that, I thought the author exercised considerable restraint in exploring the darker side of Medea’s story and I would have enjoyed the novel even more had Medea’s darkness been explored beyond necromancy in the second half of the novel. Given this is a feminist retelling and though she is mentioned once in the context of the Argonauts, I also would have appreciated Atalanta’s presence in the segments featuring the Argonauts, but I respect the author’s choice to have omitted the same and this point did not influence my rating.
Do read the Author's Note where she discusses her love for Greek mythology, her take on the characters from the myths and her inspiration for this novel.
Overall, I found Eilish Quin’s Medea to be a compelling read that I would not hesitate to recommend to fans of Greek mythology and/or feminist retellings/reimaginings of the same.
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
When it comes to Greek mythology and feminist retellings, I find it difficult to look away. I’ve been looking forward to reading a retelling of Medea, who I consider one of the most complex and fascinating characters in Greek mythology and I’m glad to say that debut author Eilish Quin’s retelling of Medea’s story does not disappoint!
Granddaughter of Helios, Titan god of the sun, Medea was born to the sorcerer King Aeetes of Colchis and Oceanid nymph Idyia. The novel follows Medea through her formative years, growing up in Colchis with her older sister Chalciope and younger brother Phaethon for whose care she assumes responsibility after their mother returns to the sea despite the prophetic visions and the sense of foreboding that had prompted Idyia to distance herself from her daughter. Her relationship with her father is complicated. Aeetes oscillates between complete disregard for his daughter and disdain for her wild ways unlike her more demure and lady-like sister, and begrudging acknowledgment when he realizes she possesses a gift for knowledge not unlike his own or his sister, the powerful sorceress Circe, which prompts him to agree to help her in the study of the art of Pharmakon- the power of herbs and flowers. But Medea goes a step further and hones her skills in private, fully aware that her father would never allow her to experiment as she does, leaning toward darker practices. We follow her through the years as she meets Jason and the Argonauts on their quest, a turning point in her life that brings with it an opportunity for freedom from her stifling life in Colchis, love, marriage, chaos, betrayal, grief and a shocking act of revenge that earns her the reputation of one of the most maligned and vilified characters in Greek mythology.
"'Heroes,' I explained bluntly. 'Those who seek only their own aggrandizement, and glory, who are more concerned with their legendary legacies than with the realities of those around them, who serve as unlucky collateral. In a thousand years, stories of your greatness may still abound, while the lives and aspirations of the less charismatic mortals who served and adored you utterly, drift away into obscurity, forgotten. What truth is there in that?'"
Medea by Eilish Quin is a captivating novel and an impressive debut. Beautifully written and vividly descriptive with a fluid narrative, I thoroughly enjoyed the feminist take on Medea’s story, especially the first half of the novel set in Colchis. The narrative is shared from the first-person PoV of our protagonist. Medea’s willfulness, intellect and desire to learn, her enterprising nature and the risks she takes render her a compelling character. Those familiar with Medea’s story are aware that there are elements that are upsetting and needless to say some scenes might be difficult to read but the author manages to portray the “archetypal femme fatale, a mother, a sorcerer, a sister, a murderess” as a dutiful daughter, a loving mother and a faithful wife to a husband who does not appreciate all she has done for him. Her pain, her rage and her grief are palpable and despite everything we know about her, the reader would find it difficult to not feel a certain degree of sympathy for her and this is where the author succeeds in humanizing the scorned witch we read about is different versions of the myths. Having said that, I thought the author exercised considerable restraint in exploring the darker side of Medea’s story and I would have enjoyed the novel even more had Medea’s darkness been explored beyond necromancy in the second half of the novel. Given this is a feminist retelling and though she is mentioned once in the context of the Argonauts, I also would have appreciated Atalanta’s presence in the segments featuring the Argonauts, but I respect the author’s choice to have omitted the same and this point did not influence my rating.
Do read the Author's Note where she discusses her love for Greek mythology, her take on the characters from the myths and her inspiration for this novel.
Overall, I found Eilish Quin’s Medea to be a compelling read that I would not hesitate to recommend to fans of Greek mythology and/or feminist retellings/reimaginings of the same.
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
February 21, 2024
This book had me going through a whirlwind of emotions. Knowing Madea's story starting off this book, I was surprised with the twist and the relatability that Eilish Quin gave this story. While you see the pressure and loneliness that responsibility creates in Madea's life you also see her relentless will to survive.
March 29, 2024
3.5 stars.
I love a mythological retelling that upends what we know of maligned female characters of the Classical world. Medea is just that... a witch, a murderess, a kin-slayer, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.
Yet, in Quin's rendition, Medea emerges as a tragic figure, a woman navigating a society dominated by men, where her choices are severely constrained. Despite this, she boldly embraces the power of her gifts, including her necromancy, and seeks to navigate the prophecies of the gods.
I would say, if you know the backstory of Medea, this would enrich your experience and be more revelatory as you get the inner workings of Medea's mind: the choices she makes, the actions she takes and the consequences she faces. Quin also unveils the complexities of her character, revealing her 'unnaturalness' and her unique understanding of love. She also cleverly parallels Medea's downfall with that of her male counterparts, underscoring the theme of hubris.
Quin brought depth and personality to Medea from a female perspective which I greatly admire. The writing was beautiful despite boarding on verbose with Medea having a hefty vocabulary at a young age. While I appreciated the alternative viewpoint, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to uncover, particularly regarding the prophecies delivered to her by the three female deities and her ultimate purpose on earth. Additionally, I found Quin's subversion of the Greek hero archetype intriguing, as she exposes the self-absorbed tyranny that may have lurked beneath the surface of these revered figures.
If you like Circe and are a fan of mythological retellings, this may be for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books & Eilish Quin for an advanced e-copy of this book. Coming to you Feb 13th 2024!
I love a mythological retelling that upends what we know of maligned female characters of the Classical world. Medea is just that... a witch, a murderess, a kin-slayer, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.
Yet, in Quin's rendition, Medea emerges as a tragic figure, a woman navigating a society dominated by men, where her choices are severely constrained. Despite this, she boldly embraces the power of her gifts, including her necromancy, and seeks to navigate the prophecies of the gods.
I would say, if you know the backstory of Medea, this would enrich your experience and be more revelatory as you get the inner workings of Medea's mind: the choices she makes, the actions she takes and the consequences she faces. Quin also unveils the complexities of her character, revealing her 'unnaturalness' and her unique understanding of love. She also cleverly parallels Medea's downfall with that of her male counterparts, underscoring the theme of hubris.
Quin brought depth and personality to Medea from a female perspective which I greatly admire. The writing was beautiful despite boarding on verbose with Medea having a hefty vocabulary at a young age. While I appreciated the alternative viewpoint, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to uncover, particularly regarding the prophecies delivered to her by the three female deities and her ultimate purpose on earth. Additionally, I found Quin's subversion of the Greek hero archetype intriguing, as she exposes the self-absorbed tyranny that may have lurked beneath the surface of these revered figures.
If you like Circe and are a fan of mythological retellings, this may be for you.
Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books & Eilish Quin for an advanced e-copy of this book. Coming to you Feb 13th 2024!
February 17, 2024
Sorceress Μήδεια leaves you at the brink of destruction just to resurrect you in the end. 🧹
March 23, 2024
the story part was okay but the characters felt flat (medea just felt like an emotionless narrator and i also didn't like how there were no [zero!!] female side characters) and it was so slow and boring.
December 19, 2024
Okay, so. Off the top of my head, with no Google or research or glance at a sourcebook, here are Greek women who did bad things but are complex figures and should be treated as such and can be forgiven for what they did:
-Hera
-Aphrodite
-Clytemnestra
-Arachne
-Atalanta
-Megara
-Lysistrata
-Elektra
-Antigone
-Helen
-Demeter
-Persephone
-Artemis
-Athena
-Circe
-Ariadne
There are others, but I did say I wasn't going to google, so I didn't.
Women whose actions cannot be defended:
-Medea
Medea is a fascinating figure in Greek mythos because there is nothing good about her. She is tragic, yes. Her tragedy, though, comes from how much of a monster she is. She's one of the Greek beasts in a human body. Is there a critique of womanhood in there? Yes, probably. Could we make a feminist argument about this? Of course. But it's important to note that the monstrosity of her character differs from her monstrous sisters because it depends upon her actions, not her appearance.
Medea is just a woman. She doesn't have tentacles or extra heads or anything else like that. But she kills so many people, remorselessly, horribly. Yes, we know Jason is also a monster, and the two of them are both evil. But this book sought to pretend that Jason was the monster, that Aeetes was the only monster, that Medea was merely victimized into becoming what she was. I don't think that's a clear reading of the Argonautica or Euripedes' play. Medea is a monster because not only does she choose that--she has no remorse. She is proud of herself. Her murders are not done out of love but out of pure selfishness.
My overall thought is that this book should have felt like a psychological thriller. It should have felt, I think, like one of those recent seasons of YOU, where the serial killer ends up in a relationship with another serial killer and has to kill her before she kills him (don't sue me if that's not the plot of YOU; I have not seen the show and don't plan to). Medea and Jason are equally monsters. We are not meant to perceive either of them as a hero. We are meant to perceive them both as the creatures heroes destroy.
Also, this book wanted to be Circe by Madeline Miller SO BADLY. Whenever Circe showed up, it just confirmed that. I DNFed Circe out of boredom, and I only finished this one to see how the infanticide would play out. (I was deeply disappointed).
One further note: I cannot believe this book ignored the fact that Atalanta sailed on the Argonaut. Not only was Medea not the only woman, she wasn't the only semi-divine woman. I'm glad we got some glimpses of Orpheus and Telamon, but i think it would have helped the feminist themes to have some Positive Female Interaction and not just Medea and her sister catfighting constantly.
Anyway: I did not enjoy this. As a huge lover of the Euripedes play and a feminist reader of Greek mythology (who also did my undergrad thesis in these issues), it was a no from me.
-Hera
-Aphrodite
-Clytemnestra
-Arachne
-Atalanta
-Megara
-Lysistrata
-Elektra
-Antigone
-Helen
-Demeter
-Persephone
-Artemis
-Athena
-Circe
-Ariadne
There are others, but I did say I wasn't going to google, so I didn't.
Women whose actions cannot be defended:
-Medea
Medea is a fascinating figure in Greek mythos because there is nothing good about her. She is tragic, yes. Her tragedy, though, comes from how much of a monster she is. She's one of the Greek beasts in a human body. Is there a critique of womanhood in there? Yes, probably. Could we make a feminist argument about this? Of course. But it's important to note that the monstrosity of her character differs from her monstrous sisters because it depends upon her actions, not her appearance.
Medea is just a woman. She doesn't have tentacles or extra heads or anything else like that. But she kills so many people, remorselessly, horribly. Yes, we know Jason is also a monster, and the two of them are both evil. But this book sought to pretend that Jason was the monster, that Aeetes was the only monster, that Medea was merely victimized into becoming what she was. I don't think that's a clear reading of the Argonautica or Euripedes' play. Medea is a monster because not only does she choose that--she has no remorse. She is proud of herself. Her murders are not done out of love but out of pure selfishness.
My overall thought is that this book should have felt like a psychological thriller. It should have felt, I think, like one of those recent seasons of YOU, where the serial killer ends up in a relationship with another serial killer and has to kill her before she kills him (don't sue me if that's not the plot of YOU; I have not seen the show and don't plan to). Medea and Jason are equally monsters. We are not meant to perceive either of them as a hero. We are meant to perceive them both as the creatures heroes destroy.
Also, this book wanted to be Circe by Madeline Miller SO BADLY. Whenever Circe showed up, it just confirmed that. I DNFed Circe out of boredom, and I only finished this one to see how the infanticide would play out. (I was deeply disappointed).
One further note: I cannot believe this book ignored the fact that Atalanta sailed on the Argonaut. Not only was Medea not the only woman, she wasn't the only semi-divine woman. I'm glad we got some glimpses of Orpheus and Telamon, but i think it would have helped the feminist themes to have some Positive Female Interaction and not just Medea and her sister catfighting constantly.
Anyway: I did not enjoy this. As a huge lover of the Euripedes play and a feminist reader of Greek mythology (who also did my undergrad thesis in these issues), it was a no from me.
February 12, 2024
3.5 stars.
I've been waiting for someone to come along and add Medea to the list of Greek mythology retellings. She's always been a twisted, vilified character, and it's no small feat to try to come up with a reason why any mother would murder her own children, and I applaud Ms. Quin for creating a vivid backstory for Medea.
I loved the first half of this novel and would happily have read Medea's coming-of-age story for the whole 300 pages. However, when Medea becomes a woman and meets Jason, she became less accessible to me as a reader. I had no idea how she was feeling. Other characters noted that she was closed off, but I felt closed off from her, too. Because of this disconnect, I had a hard time sympathizing with her when she made more than a few ludicrous choices.
Though not my favorite of retellings, I still liked the first half well enough to recommend it to those who enjoy Natalie Haynes, Jennifer Saint, and Madeline Miller.
I've been waiting for someone to come along and add Medea to the list of Greek mythology retellings. She's always been a twisted, vilified character, and it's no small feat to try to come up with a reason why any mother would murder her own children, and I applaud Ms. Quin for creating a vivid backstory for Medea.
I loved the first half of this novel and would happily have read Medea's coming-of-age story for the whole 300 pages. However, when Medea becomes a woman and meets Jason, she became less accessible to me as a reader. I had no idea how she was feeling. Other characters noted that she was closed off, but I felt closed off from her, too. Because of this disconnect, I had a hard time sympathizing with her when she made more than a few ludicrous choices.
Though not my favorite of retellings, I still liked the first half well enough to recommend it to those who enjoy Natalie Haynes, Jennifer Saint, and Madeline Miller.
February 22, 2024
“If he wanted to call me his wife, he could, so long as he knew that I was no more his than the sea owns the sky.”
Medea is Eilish Quin's debut novel, a feminist retelling of Euripides's myth, in the style of Circe. Medea is the granddaughter of the titan Helios, the niece of the witch Circe, and the wife of Jason of the Argonauts. After her mother, a nymph, disappears into the sea with the devestating prophecy that Medea's brother, Phaethon, will be hacked to death, Medea dedicates her childhood and adolescence to witchcraft and necromancy. Her story is full of death and horror, in the way any classic Greek tragedy is. I went into this not knowing much about Medea or Jason, and I enjoyed this book immensely. Heavy, sad, and engrossing.
✅ Greek Tragedy
✅ Feminist Retelling
✅ Witchcraft & Necromancy
📅 Medea is available now!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 4 stars
Thanks so much to Eilish Quin and Atria Books for this E-ARC through NetGalley.
Medea is Eilish Quin's debut novel, a feminist retelling of Euripides's myth, in the style of Circe. Medea is the granddaughter of the titan Helios, the niece of the witch Circe, and the wife of Jason of the Argonauts. After her mother, a nymph, disappears into the sea with the devestating prophecy that Medea's brother, Phaethon, will be hacked to death, Medea dedicates her childhood and adolescence to witchcraft and necromancy. Her story is full of death and horror, in the way any classic Greek tragedy is. I went into this not knowing much about Medea or Jason, and I enjoyed this book immensely. Heavy, sad, and engrossing.
✅ Greek Tragedy
✅ Feminist Retelling
✅ Witchcraft & Necromancy
📅 Medea is available now!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 4 stars
Thanks so much to Eilish Quin and Atria Books for this E-ARC through NetGalley.
January 1, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with a digital ARC!
This book was just okay.
What started as what felt like a very interesting and compelling read quickly dwindled into disinterest and some feelings of apathy. A Greek mythology retelling? Depicting a feminist perspective on one of the most disliked women in these myths? With witches and sailors and a criticism on sexism? It sounded like something I'd really enjoy. However, many elements of this fell flat for me.
Right off the bat, the prose and method of storytelling reminded me a bit too much of Circe. It felt like the author was trying to write like Madeline Miller, and it was coming across as a bit... bland and messy. I found myself growing bored and feeling like this book was too long, which is concerning for something that's less than 300 pages. While I understand that this is a retelling of Medea's life, there were too many lulls or description on dull events and less impact delivered on the more emotional or developmental story beats.
Too many times, I think, was Phaethon and Chalciope described as "golden", "shining," or something that attributed them to the sun. Medea compared herself to her siblings entirely too much, which is perhaps linking to the development of her character, but just describing that once or twice would be enough to deliver that. The climax at the end was almost too rushed, with not a lot of buildup toward it - I found myself confused, and her relationship with Jason was not very clear by the end and I had no idea what the hell was going on.
It is far easier to focus on the negative rather than positive aspects of the book. I want to reiterate - I did not hate this book. Perhaps I am not familiar enough with the story of Medea to appreciate it enough - but I also was unfamiliar with the story of Circe or Achilles and Patroclus, and I adored those stories. The depictions of sexism and misogyny were done rather well, and I, as always, found myself getting angry at the patriarchy - which is easy to do.
3.5 stars. This book comes out February 13, 2024. Perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.
This book was just okay.
What started as what felt like a very interesting and compelling read quickly dwindled into disinterest and some feelings of apathy. A Greek mythology retelling? Depicting a feminist perspective on one of the most disliked women in these myths? With witches and sailors and a criticism on sexism? It sounded like something I'd really enjoy. However, many elements of this fell flat for me.
Right off the bat, the prose and method of storytelling reminded me a bit too much of Circe. It felt like the author was trying to write like Madeline Miller, and it was coming across as a bit... bland and messy. I found myself growing bored and feeling like this book was too long, which is concerning for something that's less than 300 pages. While I understand that this is a retelling of Medea's life, there were too many lulls or description on dull events and less impact delivered on the more emotional or developmental story beats.
Too many times, I think, was Phaethon and Chalciope described as "golden", "shining," or something that attributed them to the sun. Medea compared herself to her siblings entirely too much, which is perhaps linking to the development of her character, but just describing that once or twice would be enough to deliver that. The climax at the end was almost too rushed, with not a lot of buildup toward it - I found myself confused, and her relationship with Jason was not very clear by the end and I had no idea what the hell was going on.
It is far easier to focus on the negative rather than positive aspects of the book. I want to reiterate - I did not hate this book. Perhaps I am not familiar enough with the story of Medea to appreciate it enough - but I also was unfamiliar with the story of Circe or Achilles and Patroclus, and I adored those stories. The depictions of sexism and misogyny were done rather well, and I, as always, found myself getting angry at the patriarchy - which is easy to do.
3.5 stars. This book comes out February 13, 2024. Perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.
August 13, 2024
2.5 stars.
“I forgive you as an act of grace, against my own will. There is no alternative, because we only have each other. Forgiveness is like love—it is not something that can be controlled or rationed out. It exists or it does not.”
Medea for me is a very compelling character.
I always perceived her as this badass female that was such a powerful figure in greek mythology and who is not the best person but that still attracts you,sadly I did not get this from the book(I wanted female rage and I did not get that).
Medea in this was a depressed women who felt sad for her lot in life all the time(it gets rather tiring when she goes on and on and on about how unfair life is to her).
She had all this power at her disposition and yet every time she used it it just made her weaker and weaker and that,I think,is not what the author wanted us to get from her.
I did like how the author approached her relationship with Jason,it was done rather well so for that I give it 2 stars.
The only compelling relationship that really pulled a little at my heart was with her brother,they had such a love for each other that you can't explain or begin to understand if you have not experience it(for this I give it half a star).
I so want for authors to stop shying away from writing women who were "villains" in history,we do not always have to make them be good people for us to like them,we strip them of their complexity by make it them be good people who did mistakes,their morality can be grey and they can still be intrigued characters that pulls all of our attention to them .
“I forgive you as an act of grace, against my own will. There is no alternative, because we only have each other. Forgiveness is like love—it is not something that can be controlled or rationed out. It exists or it does not.”
Medea for me is a very compelling character.
I always perceived her as this badass female that was such a powerful figure in greek mythology and who is not the best person but that still attracts you,sadly I did not get this from the book(I wanted female rage and I did not get that).
Medea in this was a depressed women who felt sad for her lot in life all the time(it gets rather tiring when she goes on and on and on about how unfair life is to her).
She had all this power at her disposition and yet every time she used it it just made her weaker and weaker and that,I think,is not what the author wanted us to get from her.
I did like how the author approached her relationship with Jason,it was done rather well so for that I give it 2 stars.
The only compelling relationship that really pulled a little at my heart was with her brother,they had such a love for each other that you can't explain or begin to understand if you have not experience it(for this I give it half a star).
I so want for authors to stop shying away from writing women who were "villains" in history,we do not always have to make them be good people for us to like them,we strip them of their complexity by make it them be good people who did mistakes,their morality can be grey and they can still be intrigued characters that pulls all of our attention to them .
November 22, 2024
4.5 stars
February 12, 2024
why are we so afraid of irredeemable women?
medea is more goddess than woman. she has the power, and the wrath, of the divine. i’ve always seen her story as being about embracing her godhood in full, and in doing so destroying any humanity remaining in her.
i would have loved for this book to have been about medea, the anti-hero. if this book had embraced her rough edges without trying to make her actions seem forgivable, i think it would have been significantly more compelling, and would have set it apart from the myriad greek retellings about wronged women.
that being said, i have to give the author props for taking on a character this complex and divisive. this book has guts, for certain — just not quite enough teeth.
medea is more goddess than woman. she has the power, and the wrath, of the divine. i’ve always seen her story as being about embracing her godhood in full, and in doing so destroying any humanity remaining in her.
i would have loved for this book to have been about medea, the anti-hero. if this book had embraced her rough edges without trying to make her actions seem forgivable, i think it would have been significantly more compelling, and would have set it apart from the myriad greek retellings about wronged women.
that being said, i have to give the author props for taking on a character this complex and divisive. this book has guts, for certain — just not quite enough teeth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2024
Ohhh this was SO good! So so good!
September 4, 2023
4.5/5 stars, rounded up. For those that enjoy Greek mythology retellings, especially from a feminist perspective, this is one to add to the list.
"Medea" is told from the perspective of the eponymous character, starting from her childhood as the second child of King Aeetes of Colchis and Idyia, a sea nymph. Growing up, she's made aware of her lineage with Helios as her grandfather and Circe as her exiled aunt, all while shadowed by a mercurial, never-pleased father and a mother who eventually abandons them after giving birth to her third child and Chalciope's and Medea's only brother, Phaethon. In the patriarchal time, Medea is assumed to be a docile princess, one that will obey her father and enter into a future marriage to benefit the kingdom, but her own desires are far more complex. Her father initially teaches her Pharmakon, the study of medicines and poisons, and she grows her own knowledge of herbs and tinctures, traversing into the dark arts of necromancy and sorcery. Meanwhile, her own thoughts on love and marriage are tainted by the failure of her parent's relationship as well as being forced to craft her own sister's marriage to Phrixsus, a prince from Boeotia who lands on Colchis.
Medea's life is changed when she meets Jason after he arrives on Colchis with his Argonauts to claim the Golden Fleece, and it's with this event that she hatches a plan to escape her controlling father, even with the risk of losing her brother. Despite her success, Medea comes to realize that the future to hoped for - with a loving husband and children, a safe place to call home - is much farther from her grasp and is again forced to make an irrecoverable choice, one that she cannot come back from.
For a debut work, Eilish Quin has crafted a beautiful and complex story about an oft-forgotten and scorned woman in Greek mythology. For many, Medea is only seen as a heartless and brutal sorceress who killed her own flesh and blood and betrayed her own family. In this retelling, however, Quin presents a woman forced into a life she never asked for, trying to piece together a life and love that was never hers to begin with. Despite the surface level of hardness she's forced to maintain, we see the affection and care she has for her siblings, her attempts to support Jason and keep him by her side, and the love she grows for her own children. She's a complex, multi-layered individual that changes over the course of the story - and while I couldn't agree with all of her actions and decisions, I did empathize with her.
The writing is descriptive and immersive, the plot flows smoothly, and Quin is a master at unraveling the events that follow. I finished this novel within a day and can only hope for the chance to read more of Quin's future writing. Very much a recommended read for when Medea is published in February 2024!
"Medea" is told from the perspective of the eponymous character, starting from her childhood as the second child of King Aeetes of Colchis and Idyia, a sea nymph. Growing up, she's made aware of her lineage with Helios as her grandfather and Circe as her exiled aunt, all while shadowed by a mercurial, never-pleased father and a mother who eventually abandons them after giving birth to her third child and Chalciope's and Medea's only brother, Phaethon. In the patriarchal time, Medea is assumed to be a docile princess, one that will obey her father and enter into a future marriage to benefit the kingdom, but her own desires are far more complex. Her father initially teaches her Pharmakon, the study of medicines and poisons, and she grows her own knowledge of herbs and tinctures, traversing into the dark arts of necromancy and sorcery. Meanwhile, her own thoughts on love and marriage are tainted by the failure of her parent's relationship as well as being forced to craft her own sister's marriage to Phrixsus, a prince from Boeotia who lands on Colchis.
Medea's life is changed when she meets Jason after he arrives on Colchis with his Argonauts to claim the Golden Fleece, and it's with this event that she hatches a plan to escape her controlling father, even with the risk of losing her brother. Despite her success, Medea comes to realize that the future to hoped for - with a loving husband and children, a safe place to call home - is much farther from her grasp and is again forced to make an irrecoverable choice, one that she cannot come back from.
For a debut work, Eilish Quin has crafted a beautiful and complex story about an oft-forgotten and scorned woman in Greek mythology. For many, Medea is only seen as a heartless and brutal sorceress who killed her own flesh and blood and betrayed her own family. In this retelling, however, Quin presents a woman forced into a life she never asked for, trying to piece together a life and love that was never hers to begin with. Despite the surface level of hardness she's forced to maintain, we see the affection and care she has for her siblings, her attempts to support Jason and keep him by her side, and the love she grows for her own children. She's a complex, multi-layered individual that changes over the course of the story - and while I couldn't agree with all of her actions and decisions, I did empathize with her.
The writing is descriptive and immersive, the plot flows smoothly, and Quin is a master at unraveling the events that follow. I finished this novel within a day and can only hope for the chance to read more of Quin's future writing. Very much a recommended read for when Medea is published in February 2024!
January 31, 2024
ARC copy provided by NetGalley.
What to say about Medea.
I am allergic to Greek myth retellings. They give me hives. Something about them feels wrong. There is almost always a thrust-on politic that is donned with the idea that the source material's politic must be modernized. Look at these barbarous ancient Greeks! How like them we can sound.
Medea suffers from this, and suffers heavily. Eilish Quin's writing is bracing, riveting one to the page, and she clearly loves Medea, as the reader may come to as well. The problem is that she cannot seem to love Medea the monster the way she loves Medea the avenging angel.
This preoccupation with the idea there must be a single, identifiable root cause for someone's otherwise unthinkable behavior seemed lacking to me (to the point of arguably making up a pedophile that is not contained in any source text...). Greek myths are often about embracing the monstrous, loving it even as it kills you. It is also just not realistic. People who fracture and shatter like this - of which there are many, every day - do so because of a million small horrors, moreso than they do because of one event, long ago. A catalyst, sure, but not the sole cause, or they would likely have snapped then and there. Medea does not need a made-up pedophile to hate men; Aeetes is right there if the reader longs for a "reason."
This version of Medea...it felt like she lacked teeth. Especially while reading Euripides' Medea alongside, Quin's Medea felt like she had everything to prove, up until the very last word. Euripides' Medea is shrewd, cautious, alive, and yes, monstrous. It is this mix of traits that draws the reader into her; she assures us we are in good hands. Quin landed on shrewd and cautious and then seemingly stopped short of making her human - which is to say, monstrous.
More of a petty gripe, but she was constantly comparing herself to other women in the novel - and while I understand that insecurities exist, the barrage of "they were so pale and beautiful" felt gratuitous, tonally inconsistent, irrelevant to what Medea herself actually cared about, and it was unsuccessfully hand-waved away by a short, single sentence implying Medea experienced attraction to women. It felt lazy. Why bring something like that up with no intention of exploring it? (The answer being that it was narratively billed as part of Medea's monstrosity, which - not to belabor the whole point of this review - Eilish does not seem interesting in addressing in any real way.)
Overall, a fine book, but definitely reaffirmed my suspicions that these popular myth retellings are not for me, and no amount of beautiful writing (of which there was a significant amount!) can make them so.
What to say about Medea.
I am allergic to Greek myth retellings. They give me hives. Something about them feels wrong. There is almost always a thrust-on politic that is donned with the idea that the source material's politic must be modernized. Look at these barbarous ancient Greeks! How like them we can sound.
Medea suffers from this, and suffers heavily. Eilish Quin's writing is bracing, riveting one to the page, and she clearly loves Medea, as the reader may come to as well. The problem is that she cannot seem to love Medea the monster the way she loves Medea the avenging angel.
This preoccupation with the idea there must be a single, identifiable root cause for someone's otherwise unthinkable behavior seemed lacking to me (to the point of arguably making up a pedophile that is not contained in any source text...). Greek myths are often about embracing the monstrous, loving it even as it kills you. It is also just not realistic. People who fracture and shatter like this - of which there are many, every day - do so because of a million small horrors, moreso than they do because of one event, long ago. A catalyst, sure, but not the sole cause, or they would likely have snapped then and there. Medea does not need a made-up pedophile to hate men; Aeetes is right there if the reader longs for a "reason."
This version of Medea...it felt like she lacked teeth. Especially while reading Euripides' Medea alongside, Quin's Medea felt like she had everything to prove, up until the very last word. Euripides' Medea is shrewd, cautious, alive, and yes, monstrous. It is this mix of traits that draws the reader into her; she assures us we are in good hands. Quin landed on shrewd and cautious and then seemingly stopped short of making her human - which is to say, monstrous.
More of a petty gripe, but she was constantly comparing herself to other women in the novel - and while I understand that insecurities exist, the barrage of "they were so pale and beautiful" felt gratuitous, tonally inconsistent, irrelevant to what Medea herself actually cared about, and it was unsuccessfully hand-waved away by a short, single sentence implying Medea experienced attraction to women. It felt lazy. Why bring something like that up with no intention of exploring it? (The answer being that it was narratively billed as part of Medea's monstrosity, which - not to belabor the whole point of this review - Eilish does not seem interesting in addressing in any real way.)
Overall, a fine book, but definitely reaffirmed my suspicions that these popular myth retellings are not for me, and no amount of beautiful writing (of which there was a significant amount!) can make them so.
May 21, 2025
An Expanded Medea
A review of the Simon & Schuster audiobook (February 13, 2024) narrated by Gail Shalan and released simultaneously with the Atria Books hardcover/eBook.
Illustration of Medea from the Art of Narrative.
My 5-star is admittedly a biased rating as this expansion of the Medea mythology as usually presented in the play by Euripides gave us an almost full biography from childhood through to the post-play events. I'm not going to get spoilerish, but Quin does make a case that will cause you to at least have some sympathy and understanding of the witch whom is usually condemned as a murderess and child-killer only. According to some, that part of the myth may have even been invented by Euripides.
The expanded story incorporates the various tales of Jason and the Argonauts, the Golden Fleece, the sorceress Circe, the Sirens, the Scylla monster and the giant Talos of Crete. The stories of Medea's family were lesser known to me and that background gave much further insight. One aspect differed markedly from the standard mythology as Medea's brother Pantheon becomes her companion in escapes throughout. I think that was a device so that the siblings could verbalize and debate and argue their plans. Otherwise much of that would have to be an internal monologue by Medea alone. I thought it worked well.
The narration by Gail Shalan in all voices was excellent, giving different vocal personalities to the various female, male and child characters.
Trivia and Links
I did a Medea binge last year and read 4 different translations / adaptations of the Euripides play and reviewed them as A Basic Medea, Machemer and Collier's Medea, Thoroughly Modern Medea and A Fierce Modern Medea, with a Scots Inflection.
There seemed to be a 2024 Medea zeitgeist in the air and two different novelizations and a graphic novel also appeared in quick succession. I've finally caught up with one of those now and only Rosie Hewlett's novel Medea and the English translation of Blandine Le Callet's graphic novel Medea remain for my 2024 binge extension into 2025.
A review of the Simon & Schuster audiobook (February 13, 2024) narrated by Gail Shalan and released simultaneously with the Atria Books hardcover/eBook.
Illustration of Medea from the Art of Narrative.
My 5-star is admittedly a biased rating as this expansion of the Medea mythology as usually presented in the play by Euripides gave us an almost full biography from childhood through to the post-play events. I'm not going to get spoilerish, but Quin does make a case that will cause you to at least have some sympathy and understanding of the witch whom is usually condemned as a murderess and child-killer only. According to some, that part of the myth may have even been invented by Euripides.
The expanded story incorporates the various tales of Jason and the Argonauts, the Golden Fleece, the sorceress Circe, the Sirens, the Scylla monster and the giant Talos of Crete. The stories of Medea's family were lesser known to me and that background gave much further insight. One aspect differed markedly from the standard mythology as Medea's brother Pantheon becomes her companion in escapes throughout. I think that was a device so that the siblings could verbalize and debate and argue their plans. Otherwise much of that would have to be an internal monologue by Medea alone. I thought it worked well.
The narration by Gail Shalan in all voices was excellent, giving different vocal personalities to the various female, male and child characters.
Trivia and Links
I did a Medea binge last year and read 4 different translations / adaptations of the Euripides play and reviewed them as A Basic Medea, Machemer and Collier's Medea, Thoroughly Modern Medea and A Fierce Modern Medea, with a Scots Inflection.
There seemed to be a 2024 Medea zeitgeist in the air and two different novelizations and a graphic novel also appeared in quick succession. I've finally caught up with one of those now and only Rosie Hewlett's novel Medea and the English translation of Blandine Le Callet's graphic novel Medea remain for my 2024 binge extension into 2025.
February 29, 2024
I wanted to love Medea the way I do Circe and Clytemnestra but I'm so sad to say I did not in this retelling. There is experiments on animals so I did have to skip over portions of the story. The story itself is ok. Its entertaining and engaging. Jason is awful as to be expected. It was just harder than i wanted it to be to like and connect to Medea.
April 9, 2024
‘The days passed with agonizing slowness’
so did this book
so did this book
March 9, 2024
I really enjoyed this author's writing style. I will watch for her next book. I didn't love the character of Medea,she's a little bit tough to love when we already know the end of the story. Even though I was prepared for it, it was still heartbreaking, which, in my eyes, is one of the marks of a good author.
February 17, 2024
Medea (ARC)
Eilish Quin
4⭐️
Pub Date: 2/13/2024
From the beginning, it showed how Medea's different from the rest of her siblings. She had her own perspective on things especially love. The book started off generally with introductions/lineage and just setting the scene. There's pretty detailed pharma stuff throughout which are all fascinating but skimmable. The plot picks up and gets better at about 30% of the book when there were more events happening. The writing style is good and didn't really feel like dragging at all. But it is a man's and god's world! Medea's life, even as a princess, was just tragic. She could've been so much more, and could've become a really good witch but her situation just didn't allow her to be one. It puts the hero Jason and the other men in a different light. One that exudes tyranny and betrayal through and through.
Quin didn't change much of Medea's original tale but the she definitely enhanced the story. It gives insight into the inner workings of Medea's mind. It showed how the villains that we typically know of in the myths to have been abused by gods and men, and given limited choices ultimately affecting their actions.
Thank you netgalley and Atria Books for an e-ARC of this book!
Eilish Quin
4⭐️
Pub Date: 2/13/2024
From the beginning, it showed how Medea's different from the rest of her siblings. She had her own perspective on things especially love. The book started off generally with introductions/lineage and just setting the scene. There's pretty detailed pharma stuff throughout which are all fascinating but skimmable. The plot picks up and gets better at about 30% of the book when there were more events happening. The writing style is good and didn't really feel like dragging at all. But it is a man's and god's world! Medea's life, even as a princess, was just tragic. She could've been so much more, and could've become a really good witch but her situation just didn't allow her to be one. It puts the hero Jason and the other men in a different light. One that exudes tyranny and betrayal through and through.
Quin didn't change much of Medea's original tale but the she definitely enhanced the story. It gives insight into the inner workings of Medea's mind. It showed how the villains that we typically know of in the myths to have been abused by gods and men, and given limited choices ultimately affecting their actions.
Thank you netgalley and Atria Books for an e-ARC of this book!
March 22, 2024
What a beautifully written tale! I was immediately engrossed in the story. The pace varies a lot, but I did not mind apart from the end which seemed rushed.
Absolutely magnificent.
Absolutely magnificent.
June 7, 2024
For fans of Greek mythology, the witch Medea is evil and hateful, known for slaughtering her own children to seek revenge on her husband, Jason. Author Eilish Quin’s new novel, “Medea” tells the story from the witch’s perspective, introducing a previously unknown side of the Greek demigod.
Medea is the granddaughter of a Titan, and the daughter of a sea nymph and a human. Not quite God-like, but not quite mortal either, Medea struggles to find her place. Encouraged by her earlier teachings from her harsh father, Medea’s power to manipulate herbs and potions continue to thrive as she grows, although, as a woman, these skills earn her the defaming title of “witch”. When the hero Jason arrives on Medea’s shores, she is aware that he is pre-destined to be her husband, so she quickly makes it so and she joins him on his journey through the harsh seas with his crew, The Argonauts. Medea does not get the life she expected, however, and soon starts to fear that the man she married may quickly be her downfall.
Fans of Madeline Miller’s “Circe” will love Quin’s mythological retelling. The villain-turned-hero storyline is creative, altering the readers view of the once-monstrous Medea. Told from the perspective of the witch herself, we learn of Medea’s (fabricated) upbringing, the abandonment by her mother and abuse from her father, which adds a layer of complexity to the character of Medea and also contributes to the decisions she makes along the way.
I am not as familiar with this particular Greek myth as I am with other ones, but Quin captures the essence of Medea beautifully, and I was able to understand the motivations that led to Medea’s seemingly despicable decisions, which aligned me with the protagonist in ways I did not expect.
Quin’s short, flowing chapters make this novel easy to read and, although the Medea myth is known so there are very few surprises in this origin story, I was addicted from the beginning. For a debut, Quin certainly knows what she’s doing and although the Greek mythology origin stories have become more popular in recent years, props should still be given for Quin’s choice of Goddess and the deep emotional connection that she makes between her readers and the Greek witch.
Beautifully written, “Medea” humanizes the reviled Greek witch to such a degree that readers cannot help but empathize. Quin’s debut is heartbreaking, emotional and stirring, and I truly hope she continues to bring more Greek myths to life.
Medea is the granddaughter of a Titan, and the daughter of a sea nymph and a human. Not quite God-like, but not quite mortal either, Medea struggles to find her place. Encouraged by her earlier teachings from her harsh father, Medea’s power to manipulate herbs and potions continue to thrive as she grows, although, as a woman, these skills earn her the defaming title of “witch”. When the hero Jason arrives on Medea’s shores, she is aware that he is pre-destined to be her husband, so she quickly makes it so and she joins him on his journey through the harsh seas with his crew, The Argonauts. Medea does not get the life she expected, however, and soon starts to fear that the man she married may quickly be her downfall.
Fans of Madeline Miller’s “Circe” will love Quin’s mythological retelling. The villain-turned-hero storyline is creative, altering the readers view of the once-monstrous Medea. Told from the perspective of the witch herself, we learn of Medea’s (fabricated) upbringing, the abandonment by her mother and abuse from her father, which adds a layer of complexity to the character of Medea and also contributes to the decisions she makes along the way.
I am not as familiar with this particular Greek myth as I am with other ones, but Quin captures the essence of Medea beautifully, and I was able to understand the motivations that led to Medea’s seemingly despicable decisions, which aligned me with the protagonist in ways I did not expect.
Quin’s short, flowing chapters make this novel easy to read and, although the Medea myth is known so there are very few surprises in this origin story, I was addicted from the beginning. For a debut, Quin certainly knows what she’s doing and although the Greek mythology origin stories have become more popular in recent years, props should still be given for Quin’s choice of Goddess and the deep emotional connection that she makes between her readers and the Greek witch.
Beautifully written, “Medea” humanizes the reviled Greek witch to such a degree that readers cannot help but empathize. Quin’s debut is heartbreaking, emotional and stirring, and I truly hope she continues to bring more Greek myths to life.
January 18, 2024
As a die-hard fan of Greek mythology retellings, I am over the moon having just read Eilish Quin's Medea. Thi is my first Medea retelling and I fell head over heels in love with this woman who has had such a difficult life. First as a child living in the shadow of her pretty sister and having no such luck of being raised by loving parents. I fell for this woman who kept diminishing herself because she has never been surrounded by people who ever lifted her up. I so enjoyed witnessing the development of her relationship with her brother; unconditional love really exists, and Phaethon was the first character I recall defining it with word is such a poetic manner.
Jason's character seemed like a depiction of men in general. I hated him and I might have taken vengeance on him the way Medea did.
The episode of Medea taking her children's life was very difficult to read. But the author's words were an effective conduit to make me understand the way Medea had felt, or at least what pushed her to do it. I am not going to say that I understand why she did it, but I can see how women can be at time pushed beyond their limit by men. Men don't care because seldom do they suffer the consequences of their acts, unlike women.
I can't praise this book enough, and I can't wait to read it again and again!
Jason's character seemed like a depiction of men in general. I hated him and I might have taken vengeance on him the way Medea did.
The episode of Medea taking her children's life was very difficult to read. But the author's words were an effective conduit to make me understand the way Medea had felt, or at least what pushed her to do it. I am not going to say that I understand why she did it, but I can see how women can be at time pushed beyond their limit by men. Men don't care because seldom do they suffer the consequences of their acts, unlike women.
I can't praise this book enough, and I can't wait to read it again and again!
October 15, 2023
"𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐩𝐞, 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤."
As a teacher of the genre and someone who has loved mythology since childhood, the recent influx of re-tellings have been giving me life. 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒂 may just take the award for a recent favorite.
Vilified in classical Greek mythology as a sorceress, a witch, the bitter wife of the hero Jason, and the slayer of her twins, this re-telling softens her edges and gives her the spotlight to tell her side of the story.
The granddaughter of the Titan Helios, Medea was born to King Aeetes and Idyia, a sea nymph. Her childhood was littered with stories of the gods and the awareness of her own powerful lineage, including mentions of the sorceress Circe as her aunt exiled to the island of Aeaea. Her father is a moody, unkind man prone to violent outbursts, and her mother seems repelled by her daughter and eventually abandons her three children after giving birth to Chalciope's and Medea's only brother, Phaethon.
Medea knows that she is expected to be docile and marry for the benefit of the kingdom, so she is surprised when her father teaches her 𝑷𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒐𝒏, the study of medicines and poisons. When the hero Jason arrives to capture the Golden Fleece, it becomes clear that perhaps it was always Medea's destiny to travel into the dark world of sorcery and necromancy. She devises a plan to escape her controlling father, even if that means losing her beloved brother.
Soon Medea realizes that the happiness she thought she would find is still elusive, and when she receives Jason's letter that he is marrying another, hatred burns within her. Because of her initial success with bringing Phaethon back from the dead, she makes a rash and shocking choice that she won't be able to recover from.
I've always despised Jason and never thought of him as a hero, so to see him painted in such an unflattering light was highly satisfying. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒅𝒚𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒚 is my favorite mythological work of all time, and I adore the character of Circe, so seeing her brief appearance in this book was magical. Most of all, I love the vulnerability and strength the author gave Medea and her rebellion at what was expected from her versus what she wanted for herself.
I can't believe this was a debut, and I'll be anxiously waiting for news on this author's next project. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for this stunning early copy. MEDEA will publish February 13, 2024.
As a teacher of the genre and someone who has loved mythology since childhood, the recent influx of re-tellings have been giving me life. 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒂 may just take the award for a recent favorite.
Vilified in classical Greek mythology as a sorceress, a witch, the bitter wife of the hero Jason, and the slayer of her twins, this re-telling softens her edges and gives her the spotlight to tell her side of the story.
The granddaughter of the Titan Helios, Medea was born to King Aeetes and Idyia, a sea nymph. Her childhood was littered with stories of the gods and the awareness of her own powerful lineage, including mentions of the sorceress Circe as her aunt exiled to the island of Aeaea. Her father is a moody, unkind man prone to violent outbursts, and her mother seems repelled by her daughter and eventually abandons her three children after giving birth to Chalciope's and Medea's only brother, Phaethon.
Medea knows that she is expected to be docile and marry for the benefit of the kingdom, so she is surprised when her father teaches her 𝑷𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒐𝒏, the study of medicines and poisons. When the hero Jason arrives to capture the Golden Fleece, it becomes clear that perhaps it was always Medea's destiny to travel into the dark world of sorcery and necromancy. She devises a plan to escape her controlling father, even if that means losing her beloved brother.
Soon Medea realizes that the happiness she thought she would find is still elusive, and when she receives Jason's letter that he is marrying another, hatred burns within her. Because of her initial success with bringing Phaethon back from the dead, she makes a rash and shocking choice that she won't be able to recover from.
I've always despised Jason and never thought of him as a hero, so to see him painted in such an unflattering light was highly satisfying. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒅𝒚𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒚 is my favorite mythological work of all time, and I adore the character of Circe, so seeing her brief appearance in this book was magical. Most of all, I love the vulnerability and strength the author gave Medea and her rebellion at what was expected from her versus what she wanted for herself.
I can't believe this was a debut, and I'll be anxiously waiting for news on this author's next project. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for this stunning early copy. MEDEA will publish February 13, 2024.
January 13, 2024
***Entering my Greek Mythology Obsessed Era***
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Medea… who is that, you ask? Well, she is one of the characters in Greek Mythology – so buckle up for a wild ride of a life story. Medea was born of King Aeetes (brother to Circe) and Idyia (a goddess of the sea) and grew up on the island of Kolchis (some spell Colchis). Medea grows up to become a powerful necromantic witch and uses her abilities to keep herself safe after a traumatic childhood. In traditional Greek Mythology, she helps Jason steel the golden fleece from her father and escapes with him, in love (all while her new lover kills her brother). This is not how it happens in this novel… A long and perilous adventures awaits Medea as she sets sail, in this story, as she searches for a life of peace and freedom.
I can see a lot of people having beef with this novel… saying it rides on the back of Madeline Miller’s “Circe” and “The Song of Achilles” (only because they happened to be published before this novel. However, Greek Mythology has many varied stories for each character, and, I felt, this novel paid great Homage to Medea’s story.
This story was incredibly well done – and it is a debut novel! I was immediately enamored by Medea’s tale and didn’t want to put the book down. This novel does fore Medea, what Miller’s Circe did for… well, Circe! It gave a humanistic story to why Medea did what she did (with a bit of a spin ). It was heart-wrenching and hopeful as I read through Medea’s journey to find peace and I loved how Quin revealed how heroes do many things to achieve their aspirations (some not so kind).
My only qualms are with a couple of plot line issues – some parts of the story did not line up (ex. When Aegeus was present in Kolchis, he must have seen the events that occurred – but then seemed unaware of them). It is possible I missed something, but it felt off.
Content Warning: Death, dismemberment, attempted sexual assault, descriptions of sex, witchcraft, death of children, emotionally abusive and manipulative behavior, child abandonment.
Would I Recommend: Yes! Anyone who loves Circe, Greek Mythology, etc.
4 Stars
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Medea… who is that, you ask? Well, she is one of the characters in Greek Mythology – so buckle up for a wild ride of a life story. Medea was born of King Aeetes (brother to Circe) and Idyia (a goddess of the sea) and grew up on the island of Kolchis (some spell Colchis). Medea grows up to become a powerful necromantic witch and uses her abilities to keep herself safe after a traumatic childhood. In traditional Greek Mythology, she helps Jason steel the golden fleece from her father and escapes with him, in love (all while her new lover kills her brother). This is not how it happens in this novel… A long and perilous adventures awaits Medea as she sets sail, in this story, as she searches for a life of peace and freedom.
I can see a lot of people having beef with this novel… saying it rides on the back of Madeline Miller’s “Circe” and “The Song of Achilles” (only because they happened to be published before this novel. However, Greek Mythology has many varied stories for each character, and, I felt, this novel paid great Homage to Medea’s story.
This story was incredibly well done – and it is a debut novel! I was immediately enamored by Medea’s tale and didn’t want to put the book down. This novel does fore Medea, what Miller’s Circe did for… well, Circe! It gave a humanistic story to why Medea did what she did (with a bit of a spin ). It was heart-wrenching and hopeful as I read through Medea’s journey to find peace and I loved how Quin revealed how heroes do many things to achieve their aspirations (some not so kind).
My only qualms are with a couple of plot line issues – some parts of the story did not line up (ex. When Aegeus was present in Kolchis, he must have seen the events that occurred – but then seemed unaware of them). It is possible I missed something, but it felt off.
Content Warning: Death, dismemberment, attempted sexual assault, descriptions of sex, witchcraft, death of children, emotionally abusive and manipulative behavior, child abandonment.
Would I Recommend: Yes! Anyone who loves Circe, Greek Mythology, etc.
4 Stars
January 23, 2024
I’m so drawn to Greek mythology re-tellings that I rarely can parse the average from the extraordinary. This one was extraordinary.
It is not for the faint of heart certainly, as the tales of Medea are full of blood shed and heartache.
The author captures Medea so well that you feel you are her! I’m so glad it was written with a single POV. The author’s notes at the end of the book were a treat unto itself. I cannot believe that this is a debut author. 👏👏.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this e-book ahead of the publish date.
It is not for the faint of heart certainly, as the tales of Medea are full of blood shed and heartache.
The author captures Medea so well that you feel you are her! I’m so glad it was written with a single POV. The author’s notes at the end of the book were a treat unto itself. I cannot believe that this is a debut author. 👏👏.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this e-book ahead of the publish date.
January 28, 2024
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
Medea is the second child to King Aeetes of Colchis and the sea nymph Idyia. Granddaughter to Helios and niece to Circe, Medea has a natural inclination to sorcery. As a child, she lives in the shadow of her older sister and is neglected by her parents. Aeetes is hateful and never pleased, and Idyia abandons her children for the sea. Medea finds true companionship in her younger brother Phaethon, and will do anything for him. When the hero Jason arrives on the island of Colchis in search of the golden fleece, he enlists Medea’s help to complete his quest. Medea will do anything to get Phaethon away from their abusive father and find peace. But even she cannot escape fate.
The tone of the narration is very similar to Circe by Madeline Miller. I enjoyed it since it occurs in the same time period and has overlapping events. I appreciate how this retelling doesn’t attempt to make Medea a hero, but fully encompasses the complexity of her character. The story of Medea is a tragedy, and the author does an impressive job of portraying this. Her slow descent to madness is disheartening to read, as she will do anything for those she loves. “I do what no one else is willing to do.”
From the beginning we see foreshadowing that alludes to her eventual downfall. Idyia has the power of prophecy, and therefore knows what will befall her daughter. Her mother treated her with revulsion even though she was a child, causing her to feel unloved and unnatural. When Idyia eventually shares the prophecy of Phaethon with Medea, it starts her down the path of necromancy. Medea is consistently let down by the men in her life starting with Aeetes and ending with Jason. There is only so much someone can take before they snap. All in all this was a riveting read. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance reader copy!
Medea is the second child to King Aeetes of Colchis and the sea nymph Idyia. Granddaughter to Helios and niece to Circe, Medea has a natural inclination to sorcery. As a child, she lives in the shadow of her older sister and is neglected by her parents. Aeetes is hateful and never pleased, and Idyia abandons her children for the sea. Medea finds true companionship in her younger brother Phaethon, and will do anything for him. When the hero Jason arrives on the island of Colchis in search of the golden fleece, he enlists Medea’s help to complete his quest. Medea will do anything to get Phaethon away from their abusive father and find peace. But even she cannot escape fate.
The tone of the narration is very similar to Circe by Madeline Miller. I enjoyed it since it occurs in the same time period and has overlapping events. I appreciate how this retelling doesn’t attempt to make Medea a hero, but fully encompasses the complexity of her character. The story of Medea is a tragedy, and the author does an impressive job of portraying this. Her slow descent to madness is disheartening to read, as she will do anything for those she loves. “I do what no one else is willing to do.”
From the beginning we see foreshadowing that alludes to her eventual downfall. Idyia has the power of prophecy, and therefore knows what will befall her daughter. Her mother treated her with revulsion even though she was a child, causing her to feel unloved and unnatural. When Idyia eventually shares the prophecy of Phaethon with Medea, it starts her down the path of necromancy. Medea is consistently let down by the men in her life starting with Aeetes and ending with Jason. There is only so much someone can take before they snap. All in all this was a riveting read. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance reader copy!
April 27, 2024
Skimming this in the bookstore formed high hopes, but the book quickly devolved. There's unfortunately a lot to criticize here--the one-dimensional characters, the constant telling in lieu of showing. (For some reason Medea and Telamon are besties?) My biggest complaint would be that the author appears to have done very little basic research on the Mycenaean Age when writing this.
For example, she seems to possess a poor grasp of how Greek sailing worked, implying Greek sailors would spend days at sea without sighting land ("land had been spotted at last," "the children had spent their babyhood upon the deck of a ship...unused to the steadiness of the ground"). In reality Greek ships rarely strayed far from land, and in the evening their crews would anchor/beach at safe points along their journey.
More egregiously, she apparently has an even worse grasp of basic Greek geography. At one point a character states it is impossible to avoid passing Crete in order to get from Colchis/the Black Sea to Iolcus/Thessaly. Later Medea flees Corinth for Athens...delaying on the way at Thebes? Google a map of Greece, and you'll see neither of these make sense.
I get that retellings (particularly feminist retellings) of Greek myths have become vogue the past decade, but we really do need to hold authors, agents, and publishers to higher standards.
For example, she seems to possess a poor grasp of how Greek sailing worked, implying Greek sailors would spend days at sea without sighting land ("land had been spotted at last," "the children had spent their babyhood upon the deck of a ship...unused to the steadiness of the ground"). In reality Greek ships rarely strayed far from land, and in the evening their crews would anchor/beach at safe points along their journey.
More egregiously, she apparently has an even worse grasp of basic Greek geography. At one point a character states it is impossible to avoid passing Crete in order to get from Colchis/the Black Sea to Iolcus/Thessaly. Later Medea flees Corinth for Athens...delaying on the way at Thebes? Google a map of Greece, and you'll see neither of these make sense.
I get that retellings (particularly feminist retellings) of Greek myths have become vogue the past decade, but we really do need to hold authors, agents, and publishers to higher standards.
March 31, 2025
Just because something is told through a woman's POV does not mean it is, by any means, feminist.
This Medea is a contradiction in numerous ways, but they're not intentional or interesting flaws. It just muddles the overall message.
Other gripes:
1. Jason used to have a personality, but I don't know where the author placed it here.
2. "Aphrodite's arrow"? Oh HELL no, we are not doing this. I have enough hills I've promised to die on.
3. Cold and or aloof woman =/= strong, nor is it intriguing development. Just means all these aloof women are less in touch with their emotions than the men around them, and yet all they do it talk about these same men.
4. Sorry, the minute Orpheus reveals Medea's "condition" like he knows more about the matter than her...sorry guys, I'm so out.
This Medea is a contradiction in numerous ways, but they're not intentional or interesting flaws. It just muddles the overall message.
Other gripes:
1. Jason used to have a personality, but I don't know where the author placed it here.
2. "Aphrodite's arrow"? Oh HELL no, we are not doing this. I have enough hills I've promised to die on.
3. Cold and or aloof woman =/= strong, nor is it intriguing development. Just means all these aloof women are less in touch with their emotions than the men around them, and yet all they do it talk about these same men.
4. Sorry, the minute Orpheus reveals Medea's "condition" like he knows more about the matter than her...sorry guys, I'm so out.
February 27, 2024
Another much-maligned Greek heroine that I always sympathized with and defended in my college Greek tragedy class, Medea finally gets her feminist dues here.
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