The Witch and the Huntress

by Luna McNamara

Two of Greek mythology’s most complex and powerful women—Medea and Atalanta—join forces on Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece in this suspenseful, sapphic reimagining from the acclaimed author of Psyche and Eros.

Medea possesses both witchcraft and cunning, yet she endures a lonely and constrained life under the rule of her wicked father, Aeetes. When the hero Jason arrives, they strike a deal: If Medea helps him win her father’s Golden Fleece, Jason will marry her and take her with him back to Greece. But as the journey unfolds, Medea is forced to choose between the life she expected and the love she secretly desires—and the cost may be greater than she ever imagined.

Atalanta, raised by bears, is a capable warrior caught between the wilderness and the human world but never fully part of either. After the sudden disappearance of the woman she loves, Atalanta joins Jason’s Argonauts in an attempt to find her. But when Medea becomes part of the crew, the sorceress awakens something in Atalanta that she cannot ignore.

Jason, a skilled diplomat but a reluctant warrior, depends on his heroic companions to help him claim the Golden Fleece and retake the stolen throne of his father. Medea and Atalanta are among his most useful allies, but Jason soon finds that success may demand more than he can give.

Bursting with mythological references and cameos, Luna McNamara’s The Witch and the Huntress is a daring, enchanting story about two singular women in search of love, power, and redemption, set against a backdrop of epic quests and meddling gods.

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Lesbian, Retellings, Queer, Greek Mythology, Adult

432 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2026

Reviews

[Kate LaMont]

i literally said in the last medea retelling i read that i wanted her and atlanta to be lesbians together... like i manifested this book...

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited about a sapphic Greek myth retelling focused on Atalanta and Medea, full of yearning and forbidden love, but this one just didn't work for me.

To start with, the author changed the mythology to make Hekate into Medea's mother, when she could have had double divinity through her original nymph mother, and that threw off the rest of the story for me. You change key facets of the myth but not others so that it becomes not a romance, but rather a tragic gay love story where they can only be together in old age and death, okay. The yearning also fell short to me. I was not expecting tragic gay love from the synopsis, though bloodthirsty cruelty and tragedy is certainly part of the myths.

Atalanta also I thought was a prime character for a feminist retelling, because she was fierce and aggressive in the mythology, and you did not have to give her traits that her original character didn't have. I did love her character in this and thought that was true to the stories.

Medea, I thought, was so deliberately cruel at every turn that I found her a difficult character to understand and sympathize with. The real Medea isn't very likable, but I had hoped to see a more complex side of her.

But both Atalanta and Medea spent most of the book loving other people. Yet another sapphic cheating romance where one of the women spends most of the book with a man. Medea is promised to Jason for most of the book and spends most of it yearning for his love instead of Atalanta's, only realizing too late that women could love other women in that way too and the author tells us she has yearned for Atalanta too. And Jason was a hapless boor.

Atalanta, as well, spends the first half of the book in love with another huntress who left her for her husband, and then she ends up with a nonbinary spouse who gives her a child after Medea chooses Jason yet again. She was forced to by her kingly father, but she still loved them.

I'm okay with having more than one love in your life but at least show me the yearning.

There was also a lot of infodumping about the stories behind the myths that got in the way of this being a truly character driven story. I felt the characters were flat as is, and the mythology felt like the author read one book on Greek myths and made the rest up as she went along. I don't even consider myself an expert on Greek mythology and history, just a childhood enthusiasm that has continued into adulthood. And the inconsistencies still bugged me.

I didn't read the first book by this author but I don't think this author is for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Answers the question "What if Chappell Roan penned a Greek myth retelling?"

With munchable prose and intriguingly complicated characters, McNamara phenomenally weaves together a number of related but distinct existing fragments of myth into one cohesive, expansive storyline following the story of the hunt for the Golden Fleece (and its bloody aftermath), with a delightfully sapphic bent.

Contains within:
~ Gaslight gatestorm grudgewife
~ Murders murders murders
~ Bear Mom
~ a cool boat
~ "wow the gods are pretty shitty, huh"
~ Chaotic bisexual historically done dirty by Big Corinthian™️
~ Tall hot lady who lives in a cave
~ nonbinary cutie with an apple
~ Mommy AND Daddy Issues
~ a Nice Guy™️ (derogatory)

Atalanta, girl, CALL ME.

[Aila Krisse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m beginning to rethink my policy on never dnfing ARCs. 2.5 / 5 stars.

Well, this was underwhelming. I didn’t really go into this with any expectations beyond “I want to read a sapphic twist on the myths of Medea and Atalanta”, yet I was still somehow left disappointed. The blurb calls this book a “suspenseful, sapphic reimagining”, but to me it ended up feeling like an odious retelling of the Argonautica that adds many words, but very little substance.

While this does qualify as a retelling, it also feels too similar to the source material to actually be an interesting re-telling. It just regurgitates the plot of the Argonautica plus the myths that continue and conclude the stories of Medea and Atalanta, without really changing all that much. And the way it regurgitates these stories made the whole adventure feel real tedious.

The book does the reframing of female characters that are protrayed as evil in ancient myth as not actually evil but victims of patriarchy that is kind of par for the course in myth retellings nowadays. And that is a trope I like very much, but this book just doesn’t do this reframing very well. It feels shallow and slap-dash, which ultimately also makes it feel insincere.

Additionally, for a book described as a ‘sapphic retelling’ in the blurb, it sure takes a loong time to get to the sapphic part. Granted, Atalanta is shown to be attracted to women early on, but the romantic relationship between Atalanta and Medea that is supposed to be the centerpiece of this story doesn’t even get hinted at until around 40% into the novel. And even after this point it still takes a fairly long time to move beyond occasional mentions.

There were parts I liked, like the stylistic choice to have Medea’s and Atalanta’s chapters written in first person, but Jason’s in third person. I also actually cared about Medea and Atalanta by the last like 15%, unfortunately I really did not much care about them before this point. I also liked a lot of the reframing of Medea the book did, I just wish it had been done more. So, unfortunately the few things I did like were vastly outnumbered by the things I did not like.


Tropes and such:
- Greek mythology but sapphic
- a bit of female rage
- a bit of sapphic yearning
- a queer warrior woman
- an immortal dog (minor character tho)
----
Do the queer characters get a happy ending? umm... yes but also no? the lesbians die but are reunited in death
----
Thank you to William Morrow for the ARC

[Sarah Seltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this sapphic reimagining of the stories of Medea, Jason, and Atalanta, the author brings us a beautiful tale of adventure, love, loss, and survival by any means necessary. Most stories of Medea and Jason tell a tale of a woman scorned who murders her own children in an effort to make the man who wronged her suffer. In this telling, Medea is a lonely princess seeking to do whatever she can to take her fate into her own hands. This story dives deeper into the lives of women who only want to be in charge of their own destinies and the men who think the right to decide is theirs alone.

McNamara has done a beautiful job weaving this tale from 3 different angles, those of our 3 heroes. Greek mythology is full of tragedy, but this retelling also brings about the hope for a brighter future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[rachel x]

"Two of Greek mythology’s most complex and powerful women—Medea and Atalanta—join forces on Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece in this suspenseful, sapphic reimagining"

say less, i'm sold

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay let's start with the good
• the decision to say Qulha to Colchis is actually really cool because it is not the greek name but the actual name
• i actually really enjoyed Jasons depiction and liked that he struggled more and was allowed to be more gentle (though really what he did and how atalanta saw him was SO FAR away that atalanta seemed to just hate him for NO reason and she just seemed to not empathize at all which got annoying and frustrating because it made her seem bitter)

Now why the book only got one star:
• The decision to make Hekate a mortal woman that turns into a god and also turned Circe into a god (who was also a mortal woman before) is so weird because Hekate is a powerful goddess. I don't mind Medea being Hekates daughter. I mind Hekate being married, getting killed by some king and only then become a goddess because this disregards everything Hekate is.
• Medeas father being comically evil and Medea not just killing her with the magic SHE GOT GIFTED made no sense (normally she could not do that because she had to grow her magic painfully. in here she really had no excuse not to do it)
• Depicting the trick with the apples that forced Atalanta into a marriage as something Atalanta agreed to and wanted and was a joint effort quite frankly was disgusting but at that point I was already so fed up that I could not get angry about that
• The love story was incredibly lackluster. They barely were in love and the scenes where it was shown, were over really fast. Both spend more time being in love with someone else and their love story did not feel central at all
• The writing style was weirdly rushed. The emotions could not be build up. Every conflict or potential argument was over so fast and everyone was convinced of another opinion so fast that I got whiplash
• THE GOLDEN FLEECE BEING NOT MAGICAL?? why would you even want that? what was the whole point of the Argonauts? everyone was so obsessed with this fleece, that was not even magic??

NOW TO THE BIGGEST GRIPE I HAVE; MEDEA:
What happenend to her was pure character assasination and it makes me so furious. The fact that she got GIFTED her magic took away all agency of her working for it, making it for herself. The audacity to say that her magic was never HERS. It was always hers. That's why people were scared of her. That's why they didn't trust her. Because she wielded magic. She made NO decision for herself. NOT EVEN KILLING HER CHILDREN. Every decision was made for her. She had no agency in this book. None at all. And yes I am mad that she did not kill her children. I am also mad that she regretted who she killed. Atalanta saying to Medea "you were always cunning but you were never intentionally cruel" describes the gripe I have perfectly. MEDEA ALWAYS WAS INTENTIONALLY CRUEL. she is a complex woman that was scared and wanted to be loved so badly that she did so much wrong. But at the end she was intentionally cruel. That was always the point. She wanted to hurt Jason. She wanted to cause pain. And she chose the worst thing she could imagine That's why killing her children was as much revenge as it was sacrifice. She was kind sometimes and cruel other times. She exists in multitutes. Always has. Let woman be evil. It is not feministic to have woman not be allowed to be evil and cruel. Let her be unhinged and vengeful and cruel. Stripping that away from her is not feminism. I am genuinely so mad about it. ESCPECIALLY BECAUSE SHE WAS CRUEL AND THE GODS APPROVED OF HER BEING CRUEL AND VENGEFUL. It was pure character assasination what happenend to her.

‐--------‐--------------------------------------

I was looking forward to this book so much because it is such a good idea. Atalanta and Medea as sapphic lovers is such a good concept. I even would have been okay if it was not a happy ending because Atalanta would be appaled by what Medea did (I like to imagine she would not. But it's fair if you can't imagine not being appaled by Medeas actions and still loving her. That makes sense). But this missed the mark so incredibly much. Atalanta just was kind of bland honestly and Medea was just pure character assasination and their love story basically did not exist. I am deeply dissapointed and genuinely angry. Maybe in some days my view will change but I just finished it and I am so mad honestly but I am glad it's over.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 35%. With this billed as a "sapphic reimagining" of a myth, I didn't expect this to be a triple POV with Jason as the third perspective on his Golden Fleece quest. I just don't care about him or his quest, and the pacing is way too slow. I think they didn't even all meet until the 25% mark. I just don't care that much about these people so I'm following my policy of dropping a book if I'm not having a good time.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by publisher:

I’m always up for a good Greek retelling, and this one is well done. The worldbuilding and character work were strong and clearly well researched. I’d assumed the story would focus on the Argo and the quest for the Golden Fleece, but the final third expanded into a full life span epilogue. It eventually paid off, but I do think the book tried to take on too much. Greek mythology is so rich that you really have to pick and choose what to include.

The narrative structure felt a little unexpected. Most of the book is told in a first-person, past-tense frame from both of the protagonists, which worked well and grounded the mythic tone. However, it occasionally shifted to third-person, present-tense scenes with Jason. His POV (and in a different tense) didn’t feel strictly necessary, and the difference in tense made them stand out in a distracting way.

The retelling itself was memorable and unique. If you like mythic epics this one’s worth picking up.

[Lauren Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witch and the Huntress retells both the Argo's epic journey and its complicated legacy, begging the essential question: what happens to heroes once the thrill of adventure has ebbed and only scars -- and yearning -- remain? With her distinctively inclusive voice, Luna Macnamara reimagines the lives of Medea and Atalanta, both in parallel and in bold, consequential intersection, in a romance that will stay with its reader long after the final word is read.

[b · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who grew up stowing away the sole book on greek mythology in my library under the shelf so no one would check it out in between my library visits, I am very particular about my mythology retellings. Yet, I am a simple enough reader that I saw sapphic, I requested the ARC.

First, the positives. This book reimagined mythology yet stayed true to the original myths, expanding on the relationship of Atalanta and Medea as they navigate their way onto the Argo and beyond. It did so with respect for both women and their existing stories, yet was able to operate as it's own narrative within the bounds of existing mythology. For the most part it avoided falling into the trap of some retellings, where modern morals are projected into antiquity, though it was not perfect in that regard.

I think the perspective, while the switches in point of view could be jarring, served to further the story as we follow Medea, Atalanta, and Jason. It ultimately humanized the three and took them off the pedestal of time, and the world was clearly thought through.

Melanion stood out in a cast of otherwise 'meh' side characters, and I wish others were given the same vibrancy in the limited page time as they are the first side character to truly feel like a character rather than a prop designed to go through the motions. Atalanta is said to love Meleager and her son yet it rarely came across and both seemed rather discarded once they served their narrative purpose.

Overall, I felt as if their were a divide between what the book wanted me to feel and what I actually felt, as if the raw emotion had been filed off. It is technically good, but is not gut-wrenching in it's tragedy and I assume it will be ultimately forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

The Witch and the Huntress is a sapphic retelling of The Argonautika and Medea, specifically following Jason, Medea, and Atalanta.

As a sapphic lover of history and scholar of The Argonautika (I wrote my undergrad capstone and a few essays on Apollonios' version of the epic), I was particularly excited for this book, even though I haven't read many retellings of this story that I've enjoyed. But this one worked very well, especially in how it made Medea firmly her own person with her own desires, while still tying her very closely to Jason at the start, like she is in the original tale. I also have to say this is the best version of Jason I've ever seen in a retelling as it keeps his boyish insecurity and his reluctant, but persistent leadership of the Argonauts while balancing his desire for what's right and what he thinks he deserves. His shift in the second half also is wonderfully done, mirroring Medea's own growth as they finally take their destinies in their own hands, to much different effect.

I did find the writing style a bit strangely formal and as much as I loved this version of Jason, I wasn’t sure how his perspective was important to the plot. But I loved the story and how compelling Medea and Atalanta's relationship was, which made it easy to over look any issues I had.

Thank you again to William Morrow and NetGalley for the chance to read this early.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars.

[Emily Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

The Witch and the Huntress is a retelling of the Argonautica told from the points of view of Atalanta, Medea, and Jason. I appreciated how the story extended into their lives after the quest for the Golden Fleece, a part of Greek mythology I didn’t know as much about. I also liked how the story explains both the good and bad aspects of the characters’ actions and motivations. McNamara’s choice of how to portray Medea’s story was particularly interesting. I found myself still rooting for her even though she made some terrible decisions.

There were a couple reasons this book was a like, not a love for me. I found it a bit jarring that Jason’s point of view is in first person while the other two perspectives are in third person. The pacing was also challenging at times with some sections feeling like they came to a quick resolution. And with this book being marketed as a sapphic retelling, I would like to have seen more of a growing relationship between Atalanta and Medea. The overall story held my interest enough to make up for these drawbacks.

If you enjoy retellings of Greek mythology with more of an emphasis on the women characters’ stories, this is a book to check out!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Lisa readandrepeet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medea and Atalanta, two complex and powerful women from Greek mythology, join Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece. This retelling of the Argonautica focuses on their stories. Starting from their very different backgrounds, they come together aboard the Argo seeking agency in a world full of patriarchal constraints and meddling gods.

Thoughts:

Though the beginning was a bit slow for me, Luna McNamara does a fantastic job of weaving together the stories of Jason, Medea, and Atalanta. I think because it’s told in a voice that feels like an ancient myth, it took me a good chunk of the book to feel emotionally attached to the characters. The action carries you through though, and by the end I was pretty smitten. I think if you are looking for a feminist retelling of a Greek legend, it’s a good read. I fear it may need to find a pretty specific audience.

In these pages you will find: love, redemption, desire, a deliberately unheroic Jason, and two powerful but lonely women.

My rating: 4 ⭐️
Out now!

Thank you NetGalley & William Morrow for the ARC, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 💙 All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.5 stars

This is a retelling of the Legend of the Golden Fleece, with a focus on Medea — witch, princess, mother, and wife — and Atalanta, the only woman Argonaut. While you don’t need to be familiar with Greek mythology to enjoy the book, it will help, as many of the events in this book are drawn from those stories. And, as in many myths, there are deaths in this book, two of them being the deaths of young children and the murder of a 14-year-old girl.

The very distant way in which events are recited, the way I’m told characters feel without actually seeing it — and how quickly they get over those feelings when the page is turned — really didn’t work for me. I appreciate the research that went into the world and the world building that made it feel real and lived in.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[melissa]

DNF @ 34%

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc of this book!

I'm really upset that this ended up being a DNF for me. I was drawn in by the synopsis and it being a sapphic retelling of Medea's story, since I remember Medea being one of my favorite figures of Greek Mythology when we read a handful of Greek plays in high school. But this book just didn't click. I'm not sure if it was the pacing or if, honestly, retellings aren't my thing. I think if you DO enjoy retellings (especially if they're made queer), you should definitely check this book out. I'm also not a fan of mid-chapter POV switches (which is completely a me thing) and the fact that Jason's point of view is in first person and present tense, and both Medea's and Atalanta's point of views are in third person and past tense, threw me a bit when the mid-chapter POV switches happened between Jason and one of the female leads.

[Shasta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sapphic reimagining of Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece!! This features Medea and Atalanta.

If you tell me you have a retelling or a reimagining I am going to say when, where, and sign me UP!

One of my FAVORITE parts about this books is it is told from Jason, Medea, and Atlanta's points of view. I love when a story ties all of the characters together and we can see how the characters are in depth! This also helped with the world building and amazing character growth the author did. We get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of all these characters!

In this version Atlanta travels with Jason to find her long lost lover, she also finds herself. Jason is attempting to retake his father's throne. Medea's mother passed, and he father has arranged her marriage. All three of their lives come together when Medea begs Jason to help escape her father.

Overall not a bad reimagining!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look not to brag (100% bragging) but I got to read an early draft of this novel and it was bomb as fuck. I kept asking myself, "gaaaaay?" about two of the characters and then when I was proved right I kept chanting "Gay! Gay! Gay! Gay!" in my head so I love that in its final form it's officially a sapphic retelling.

I deeply enjoyed the earlier draft and I’m doubly excited to read the upcoming published version. Reading a beloved book for the first time, twice is such a treat. Luna brings these characters to life in such a tangible way that despite their ancient settings, they feel real and relatable even as they experience things the likes of which we can only dream (or nightmare) about.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witch and the Huntress is a sapphic retelling of Medea and Atalanta and their quest with the warrior Jason to help uncover Golden Fleece. I will say I have always been very intrigued by the retelling of mythology tales so I pride myself in getting out there and reading more of these stories. I will say I enjoyed this story very much the characters were timeless and the plot was very engaging. I will say as someone who doesn't know much information about the orginal tale it did give me opportunity to look up some of the orginal story. That is a learning experience that is always a great opportunity.

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second 5 star review for Luna McNamara. I’m officially a fan!

[Lynn McE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queer Classics at its peak. Love Atalanta and Medea!!

[Meishuu]

Inject into my veins all the sapphic reimaginings (keyword reimaginings, this is not looking to be accurate, obviously)

[Alexandra Morales · Rating 1 out of 5]

****Many thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced eArc in exchange for my honest opinion****

This was just not it for me. Luna has SO many family lines, myth's and lore to seek and create a complex and beautiful world and this was not it.

My first question is why swap characters around like you do? I get that it is fiction and really you can do whatever you want but Greek mythology is already so complex I feel this adds unnecessary confusion to those who may just be starting out on reading Greek retellings. She did this in Pysche & Eros as well. Nothing new came into light by doing this... I imagine Luna was just like welp I can do whatever I want in MY book. Rubs me the wrong way.

Lore tells us the mother of Medea is Idya an Oceanid nymph. Why stray from that? It literally takes away EVERYTHING Medea is. Medea of lore had to bust. her. ass. to learn witchcraft. To experiment, to experience things going wrong so she can learn and get stronger. This half ass Medea's mother is LOW AND BEHOLD Hekate.... do we get any chapters about Medea going through the learning curve of magic/witchcraft? NOPE. Because her "mother" just automatically gifts it to her. Medea didn't pray for this knowledge, she was just experiencing life as any normal Greek princess. Yeah.. we get it... your father sucks. Tell me a Greek princess who's father did NOT suck. She was gifted this knowledge in a random dream and told to go "live your one human life". It was also brought up that King Aeetes wife "Hekate" died. So why is it later on the book she is brought up as an "ex wife" when in reality King Aeetes would have still been married and called a widower..

When I tell the amount of RESEARCH I did with this book just trying to understand all these religions, cultures, gods etc that Luna just pulled out of the air is ASTONISHING.

When bringing up Helios, that is the Greek name for that Titan but then why do I need to know the other names for Helios? Ra, Tabiti etc. The way it is brought up just does not fit the narrative of the story. That Colchis or Qulha is a mixing pot of different cultures that have settled in this land. Okay so just pick one name to give me. Same issue with burial techniques, why do I NEED TO KNOW how the Egyptian's buried their dead if this a story about Colchis (Qulha) and Greece. Author is bringing in information that is not pertinent to the storyline and is clogging up the main point she is trying to convey.

Are we going to talk about how Medea discovered this information in the first place, how with a overbearing and super strict father would he have allowed anything more than a bare minimum education and I doubt learning the cultures of other countries would have been approved. How she knew Helios's other name Tabitit which after I googled I discovered was worshipped by Scythian's who resided on the other side of the Black Sea which area would modern day would be Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Russia. The threads are NOT weaving together. Sure tell me I'm taking this way to far Alex, that it's just a "nice fluffy Greek retelling". BUT WHEN YOU ARE OBSESSED WITH ANYTHING GREEK HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF AND READ THIS CLUSTER FUCK of a BOOK without constantly seeking any and ALL clarifying information you can find.

If we are going to bring other stories into this story I do NOT want to read about it with a line going "I recalled the story of it's origin"... I'm sorry come again? That's the best you've got? That is the LAZIEST way to introduce something new to the story. That is Medea going "okay girl let me catch you up on the tea".

Another thing I truly do not understand is why the Golden Fleece wouldn't be magical. That is the thing that brings together all these Greek demigods. You truly want me to believe that all those men were like "yeah cool, lets go fetch this sparkling, non magical fleece to regain your throne Jason.." That THE Golden Fleece was a normal fleece and the reason King Aeetes had a bloody dragon guarding it because it was something of sentiment from Helios? PUHLEASE.

The way Atalanta brings up the killing of the Dolienes to Medea even though when reading that chapter it was a dark and stormy night and the Argonauts didn't know those were the people they were fighting against struck me as odd.

Let's talk Jason. I did not understand his POV in this book whatsoever. I learned that his mother walked all over him. That witchcraft scared him, that he was a talker not a warrior. That's it. I would have thought bringing his POV would have given him some depth to the how he felt witnessing those feats of magic from Medea, maybe his dulling emotions but NOPE. He is as 2D as it gets, I am pretty sure the speed of my typing of this review would have blown him over.

As for the two main characters Atalanta and Medea they were also 2D. They encountered many sorrows and I felt nothing. The "blossoming love" felt forced, I definitely saw them more as sisters. I felt like it was spelled out to me like Atalanta =love of forest's hunting and Medea = love of magic. I would have loved to have gotten more of a background of Atalanta, how she felt at home hearing the breezes through the tree's, feeling the comfort of being herself while being alone or with fellow creatures of the forest, the strength of running down hills and lofting spears with ease. I would have loved to have more depth with Medea and Circe. Learning the depth of magic, how experimenting makes you stronger because you learn from your mistakes. I wanted to know about Medea and motherhood instead of being fed the line diapers, dishes and darkness. Motherhood is SO much more than that and I felt like like the both of them being mothers was entirely glossed over by the want that supposedly Atalanta and Medea had for one another.

I hated what Luna did to Melanion, talk about force feeding an opinion I don't really care about.

Jennifer Saint's Atalanta and Rosie Hewletts Medea are so much better.

Both of these women are strong and deserve to have their own story written, for they without a doubt possess Storge love towards one another. Protective, loyal and unconditional.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m really surprised by how much I didn’t like this book.... I love Medea and I loved this author’s Psyche and Eros book but this just didn’t do it for me. I'm usually a fast reader but it was a chore to finish it... like I legitimately put it on my 'to do' list because i refused to DNF it...

That doesn’t mean it’s a *bad* book but you just need to know what you signed up for…

Characters : For me, it came honestly came down to Medea. I’ve read maybe 4 or 5 retellings of Medea’s story now (Rosie Hewlett and Natalie Haynes being my favorites) and I never once imagined her as flat, dull, whiney and helpless as she is here. What makes her story to me in these other books is how Medea goes through the cycle of discovering her power as a kid and finally learns to unleash them when she meets Jason … who tries to manipulate her like she’s his personal weapon whenever it suits his “interests” (whatever those are), forgetting that she’s a weapon that can also fire in his direction. Anyways, she has to be so masterfully developed as a character to justify her actions toward the end of her story and this book didn’t even make the effort. She just kind of shrugs it off. I imagine it’s hard writing story that everyone knows the end to but this book took a few too many liberties for me…

Romance/Spiciness : None. There is no sexual chemistry between any characters in this book. Absolutely nothing between Jason and Medea - which I understand is important given the sapphic retelling angle - but who spends 20 years just existing together? The connection between Medea and Atalanta never had the spark it needed to carry the story. I just finished reading Rosie Hewlett’s Bittersweet Song — which is an invented love story between Penelope and one of her handmaids — and I honestly found it more believable. I think the problem in this relationship was that you see inside Atalanta and Medea’s head so you’re never surprised by what they’re thinking. In Hewlett, you never fully get to *reach* Penelope, just like in Madeline Miller’s SOA, you never get to *reach* Achilles and the love story is better for it.

Bummed because 1) I love this author's writing and 2) I really felt like this story had potential, especially when the author set up the Jason and Medea dynamic in a way that they both wanted the same thing. He wants to be powerful / great / legendary (bc he’s a Man in a Greek Myth)…. She wants to be worthy of immortality / greatness (to please her “mother” Heckate (interesting…). And then nothing happened. It just completely fizzled.

Anyways, I’m being lazy so here are all the other notes I randomly wrote down throughout the course of reading this:
Jason sucks. Oh no a woman saved you :(
She is more of a man than him
What does Dionysus have to do with this
Why is peleus there
Why is every myth happening at once
No chemistry
Can you plagiarize Euripides

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

“The Witch and the Huntress” gave me yearning, tears, and moments where I could not stop kicking my feet. More importantly (to me), it gave me much more than a love story.

In this sapphic retelling of the quest for the Golden Fleece, we follow Medea, along with Atalanta and Jason, in their transformative journeys that reach far before and after their time in the Argo ship.

There are many things I loved about this book. Firstly, Greek mythology really shines in this story. Everyone that knows the myths will enjoy the specificity in this book, while also getting surprised by a few changes that, rather than opposing the canon, reshape it in an intelligent way that aligns with McNamara’s characters and story without it seeming convenient for the plot.

Another part that shines is the characters. They are deep and realistic, and the way in which they develop can be easily traced through the story and also surprise the reader the moment certain things get revealed. I did not like certain characters, but that never pushed me away from the story because of how well-written they were. Disliking those characters actually felt like the appropriate feeling to have according to what I picked up from the way in which they were written. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the three perspectives that we got and the different narrative devices to tell each one.

On the other hand, there were certain parts of the story that felt somewhat episodic. I believe this is due to what is known about Greek mythology—one can only explore a myth so far without knowing the events surrounding it. But it did make it hard for me to keep reading at certain points because whenever I felt I was starting to follow along, there would be a time jump and I would have to start figuring out where we were all over again. Admittedly, these parts of the book were not at all the majority of the story, and they did not interfere with my enjoyment, just with my connection to the story. My first example of this is the prologue. I don’t really understand why there was a prologue. I liked that we got to meet both main characters in it, but it seemed detached from their thoughts and feelings, especially compared to how deep they appear in the rest of the book. This prologue did not feel like a different tone than the first chapter either, and it just did not add anything to my understanding of the plot or characters, since the moment narrated in it is much more profoundly explored in the actual story later on.

Overall, though, “The Witch and the Huntress” by Luna McNamara was a great read, and I recommend it to anyone who loves sapphics and Greek mythology.

Thank you to Luna McNamara, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before its release.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE WITCH AND THE HUNTRESS is an intriguing retelling of Greek mythology. The story follows Jason, Atalanta, and Medea with points-of-view from each scattered in the story. Jason has set sail on the Argo with Atalanta on his crew. He intends to obtain the golden fleece from Medea's father and as they journey to do so, they encounter issues along the way that will test his mettle and character. Likewise, on the way back, with Medea now on board, they will find other challenges and problems.

I overall really enjoyed this take on these characters. Jason, a well-known hero, takes a bit of a backseat in the story. While we get his perspective, he does not have the constitution that one might expect in a great leader and hero. Much of his success is driven by those around him and by the gods. He is coming to grips with his own issues, and he does not have enough space to consider others more deeply.

Atalanta was the most interesting character in my perspective. She was raised by bears and then hunters, and she does not understand why the world views her differently due to her gender. She struggles with stupidity and the failings of mortal men. She had fallen in love with a woman named Procris, who disappeared and left behind a note she could not read. She hoped that she might be able to find her if she set sail on the Argo. Seeing that Medea is a witch, she shifts her plan to have Medea help her find Procris, but as they spend time together, things begin to change.

Medea could be challenging to like at times. She was shaped by the destiny her mother laid before her but also the cruelty of her father. She feared the fate and marriage that awaited her, to her younger half-brother. She made her own fate ultimately, but she finds herself destroyed by her choices and unsure how to find safety amidst the turmoil.

The story felt very slow with a lot of time spent early and not as much focus on the romance as expected. It also felt star-crossed in a way, though we learn that from the start of the book. Because of that, it felt even slower of a burn, revisiting childhoods and building each of the characters slowly. While there was a lot happening, the book stays focused on the internal elements of the characters, which also contributed to slow pace feeling.

While it was a bit of a slow burn, I found the story compelling enough to be curious how things would all play out. This may appeal to some more than others, and may vary with how much Greek mythology you know (if you are already very familiar with these characters, this may feel even slower).

Overall, THE WITCH AND THE HUNTRESS was an intriguing, slow-burn, character-driven read that brings a new twist to Greek mythology. Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Siavahda · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

In fairness to this book, I should never have picked it up – I mixed up the authors and thought this was by someone else, an author whose writing I really like. If I’d realised it was not by that author I wouldn’t have requested it on Netgalley.

The premise is marvellous – Medea and Atalanta! But immediately, McNamara starts beating the reader around the head with telling-telling-telling, info-dumping absolutely everything. And what there is to tell is just not that interesting: here, Medea is the daughter of Hekate, which had me super interested until the reveal a few seconds later that in this verse, Hekate…started out mortal. (Or was a mortal who ‘joined with something greater’. Because timey-wimey hand-wavey nonsense.) I deeply dislike this, for aesthetic and worldbuilding reasons. Way worse, however, is that Hekate comes to Medea in a dream to say that if Medea ‘lives a life worth immortalizing’ Hekate will make her a goddess too. This transforms Medea into a desperate, flaily creature who is frantic for her mother’s approval, but with no idea what Hekate will consider a life worth immortalizing. Turn one of the most powerful, badass, competent women in mythology into a crybaby with mommy issues? Thanks, I hate it.

Remember I said it was info-dumpy? It’s almost funny, because McNamara info-dumps in-story too: Medea learns witchcraft by…Hekate just dumping all witchcraft-knowledge into her head. In one go. I had to put the book down and just stare at the ceiling for a little bit, because wow. Really??? That’s taking info-dumping to a whole new level. I can’t even.

The writing is super rushed, what’s being written is super boring, and the writing rhythm is a mess, jerky and discordant. The worldbuilding is a fishing net, more hole than structure. There’s so much hand-waving. I didn’t even last until Atalanta appeared, the book was so obviously a waste of time long before that.

Not least because – as I’ve said before and will no doubt say again! – I am so sick and tired of people picking up these scary, complicated, villainous or semi-villainous women from mythology, and completely declawing them. Why do you even want to engage with someone like Medea if you don’t want her to be monstrous? At that point, make up your own OC, nothing’s stopping you! But if you’re going to write about Medea, then give me Medea, not your woobie fanfic version of her.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: The Witch and the Huntress

✍🏾 Author: Luna McNamara-I read Psyche and Eros gave 4⭐

📅Publication date: 4/21/26| Read: 4/18/26

📃 Format: e-Book 432 pgs.

Genre:
*Historical Fic
*Fantasy
*Suspense
*Adult Fic

Tropes:
*Greek mythology retelling
*sapphic romance/LGBTQIA+ rep
*a quest
*meddling gods

👆🏾POV: 1st person multiple

⚠️TW: murder, sexual harassment, toxic parent, grief, death of a parent, virgin h/H

🌎 Setting: Colchis to Iolcus

Summary: Medea grieves her sister's departure after marrying leaving her with a controlling father. Her deceased mother turned goddess Hekate teaches her witchcraft in hopes to become a goddess herself. When her father arranges for her and her brother to marry, she plots her escape. Jason and his mother have been exiled after his father's murder, and a goddess gifts him with a ship to confront his father's killer and get a coveted Golden Fleece. Atalanta has been raised by bears but lost her lover and joins Jason to find her. All three lives collide when Jason and Atalanta arrive in Colchis and Medea bargains with Jason to escape her father's dominating rule.


👩🏾 Heroine: Atalanta-raised by bears, a warrior in the wilderness and human world. She travels w/ Jason to find her lost lover and gain a sense of belonging.

👩🏾 Heroine: Medea-princess of Colchis. Her father Aeetes arranged a marriage to her younger brother Absyrtos. Her mother Hekate died in childbirth, but appears as a goddess to teach her witchcraft

👨🏾 Hero: Jason-prince of Iolcus and a skilled diplomat who was gifted the ship Argo by Hera to go in quest of the Golden Fleece and retake his father Aeson's throne.

🎭 Other Characters:
* Aeetes-King of Colchis, Medea's father
* Chalciope -Medea's sister married off in exchange for the Golden Fleece
* Meleager-Atalanta's 1st friend on the Argo
* Procris-Atalanta's lover and hunting partner who goes missing
*Pelias-murdered Jason's father, will give Jason throne of Iolcus if he gets Golden Fleece from Aeetes
*Alcimede-Jason's mother
*Xanthippus-Medea's snake turned dragon that her father forces to guard the Golden Fleece
*Melanion-tells Atalanta about her father, wants to marry her

Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level: 3/5🌶️

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Luna McNamara for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

[Sterling Sapphic Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, babes, I am going to be completely upfront with you about this one because that is what we do here — and this review comes with a very important disclaimer: I am an exclusively sapphic reader, and this book was not written for me. And that is okay. But you deserve to know that going in,
let me start with what this book genuinely is — a beautifully constructed Greek mythology retelling bringing together two of mythology's most complex and powerful women, Medea and Atalanta, on Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. If epic mythology with female rage and warrior women and meddling gods is your thing, there is a lot to love here.
The problem — for me specifically — is the framing.
This book is described as a sapphic retelling. And I want to talk about that because I think it matters for readers like me who pick this up with specific expectations. Atalanta's attraction to women is established early, and I appreciated that. But the romantic relationship between Atalanta and Medea — which is supposed to be the centerpiece of this story — does not even get hinted at until around 40% into the book. and even after that point, it takes a very long time to develop beyond occasional mentions.
Because here is the thing — both Atalanta and Medea spend most of this book loving other people. Medea is promised to Jason for the majority of the novel and spends much of it yearning for his love rather than Atalanta's. The sapphic relationship that was promised in the marketing arrives late and feels secondary to a story that is largely centered on Jason and heterosexual dynamics. And for an exclusively sapphic reader who doesn't want men-centred in her sapphic romances — that is a hard ask.

I DNF'd this one and looked up the spoilers because I was honestly too frustrated to continue — and the ending confirmed that this was not the book for me. The lesbians are reunited, but in death. which is a choice. and not one that landed well for me personally.
The narrators — Harrie Dobby, Ashley Tucker, and Oscar Brudenall-Jones — do a genuinely good job with the material, and the multi-narrator format suits the multiple POV structure well. No complaints there at all.

If you are a mythology lover who enjoys sapphic elements woven into a broader epic quest story and you don't mind men being central to the narrative, you may absolutely love this. Luna McNamara is a talented author, and this book has a real audience. I am just not it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ALC of this audiobook.

[Niniane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dear publishers: stop advertising as "sapphic" books that have little to no sapphic content at all.

Sigh. I know, I should stop reading these books. But the blurb was hard to resist: a story focusing on both Atalanta and Medea? With a romance between them? Yes, please! But the actual execution makes me furious.

Atalanta and Medea had no romantic chemistry, meet halfway through the book then part ways through huge chunks of the story only to reunite off-screen. To add insult and injury, Medea's storyline revolves completely around Jason, Atalanta marries a man too...So, I'm asking again: where is the sapphism? Especially when so much of the book is devoted to relationships with men!

The characterization wasn't the author's strong suit either. Her portrayal of Medea had nothing to do with the woman of the myths. Her Medea was whiny, lacked agency and was incredibly naive (the thing with the dragon...How did she think her father wasn't going to take advantage of it?). The way she gets her powers basically amounts to a deus ex machina.

The beginning of her story follows the trend of "woe me" established by such retellings. Absyrtos is depicted as an abuser who wants to marry Medea. This is of course an invention of the author, probably to exonerate Medea from later killing and dismembering Absyrtos. Except that he was going to die anyway...So Medea is punished and later briefly loses her magic for having killed her abuser, who was about to die, all that to save the Argonauts. So feminist.

Judging from her author's note, she struggled with Medea's complexity. Yes, a woman can heal and rescue people and also be merciless to her enemies. Women are people. In this version, Medea doesn't kill her children, which is fine because it was indeed the case in some variants of the original story.

One thing remains: the most interesting depictions of Medea come from ancient authors who, even though they were men of their time, wrote a complex and powerful woman. It's sad that we can't do it today.

Another flaw was the author's strict adherence to the original story. You would have expected a retelling to take more liberties. Besides, there are already plenty of works of fiction about the Argonauts. The execution lacked the sense of wonder and adventure that you would expect.

Atalanta was the only positive thing, notably the fact that she was raised without sexism and literally proposed to Medea. That was cool. But it couldn't save the book.