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, Historical Fiction

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.

[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.

[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

[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!

[✧ kelsxfour ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐
I picked up The Witch and the Huntress because I love Greek mythology retellings, and there was a lot of potential here. I enjoyed seeing Medea and Atalanta take center stage and getting a different perspective on a story that's usually focused on the men.
For me, though, the story felt a little emotionally distant. I liked the characters, but I never fully connected with them, and I wanted more development between Medea and Atalanta. Their relationship had some sweet moments, but I was hoping for a stronger emotional payoff.
That being said, the writing was beautiful, and I could tell a lot of care went into the mythology and retelling aspects of the story. There were some really interesting ideas, and I appreciated the fresh take on these well-known characters.
Overall, I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. A solid 3-star read that I enjoyed, even if it didn't completely win me over.

[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!!

[Sophie smith]

sometimes fanfiction should stay fanfiction

[Meishuu]

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

[Desirae · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some books that feel as though they were written specifically for readers like me—people who have been hopelessly obsessed with Greek mythology since childhood and who will never, ever pass up a retelling of an ancient legend. The Witch and the Huntress by Luna McNamara is one of those books.

From the very first page, I knew I was in safe hands. McNamara takes one of the most infamous women in Greek mythology—Medea—and peels back the layers of centuries of storytelling to reveal a far more complex, sympathetic, and deeply human figure than the villainous sorceress many of us first encountered in classical texts. Even better, she does so through a feminist and sapphic lens that feels both fresh and entirely fitting for a story about women struggling against the constraints of a patriarchal world.

For anyone unfamiliar with the original myth, Medea is best known as the powerful witch who helped Jason obtain the Golden Fleece before later becoming one of mythology's most notorious women. In many ancient versions of the story, she is reduced to a cautionary tale: a dangerous foreign woman whose passion leads to destruction. Yet, much like modern retellings have transformed our understanding of Medusa from monster to victim, The Witch and the Huntress invites readers to reconsider everything they thought they knew about Medea.

The novel follows Medea as she becomes entangled with the legendary quest of Jason and the Argonauts. Jason, the would-be hero, is tasked with recovering the Golden Fleece to reclaim his rightful throne. To do so, he assembles the Argonauts, a collection of Greece's greatest heroes. This crew included some truly remarkable figures from mythology, such as Orpheus, whose music could charm nature itself; Castor and Pollux, the famous twins associated with the constellation Gemini; and Atalanta, one of the greatest female hunters in Greek myth, though her inclusion among the Argonauts varies depending on the source.

Historically, the quest for the Golden Fleece predates even the adventures of Odysseus and is often considered one of the earliest great heroic journeys in Greek mythology. In many ways, Jason was the prototype hero before Heracles and Odysseus came to dominate popular imagination. Yet McNamara cleverly highlights something often overlooked in the ancient stories: Jason succeeds not because of his own brilliance but because Medea repeatedly saves him.

The plot unfolds against a backdrop of prophecy, divine interference, political ambition, and forbidden love. While I won't spoil every twist, the novel brilliantly balances epic adventure with intimate character development. The action sequences are exciting, but what truly captivated me was the emotional depth beneath them. McNamara understands that mythology endures not because of monsters or magic but because of the complicated human emotions at its core.

Medea is unquestionably the heart of the novel. Rather than presenting her as a one-dimensional enchantress, McNamara portrays her as intelligent, conflicted, compassionate, and fiercely determined. Her magical abilities are impressive, but they never define her completely. Instead, the story explores what it means to be a woman with power in a world that fears powerful women. It examines how history often demonizes women who refuse to remain obedient and how myths can become tools that reinforce those narratives.

The sapphic elements of the story add another fascinating layer. Rather than feeling forced or modernized for the sake of trends, these relationships feel entirely organic. Greek mythology itself contains countless examples of fluid sexuality and complex relationships, making this interpretation feel surprisingly authentic. The romance is tender, emotional, and beautifully woven into the larger narrative.

One of the aspects I appreciated most was how McNamara engages with the idea of perspective. Ancient myths were largely recorded and preserved by male writers. As a result, women like Medea were often depicted through a lens that reflected male fears and anxieties. The Witch and the Huntress asks readers to consider what Medea's story might look like if she were finally allowed to tell it herself.

This is where the comparison to Medusa feels particularly apt. Modern readers have increasingly embraced retellings that reclaim female figures once branded as monsters. Medusa, once remembered only as the Gorgon with snakes for hair, is now frequently understood as a victim of divine cruelty and male violence. Similarly, McNamara's Medea emerges not as a monster but as a woman caught within impossible circumstances, forced to navigate betrayal, destiny, and survival.

The mythology itself is richly researched without ever becoming overwhelming. Longtime mythology enthusiasts will appreciate the numerous references and connections woven throughout the narrative, while newcomers will find the story accessible and engaging. McNamara clearly has a deep love for the source material but isn't afraid to challenge traditional interpretations.

I also loved how the novel explores the role of the gods. Greek deities are rarely benevolent figures. They are powerful, capricious, and often frighteningly indifferent to human suffering. This divine unpredictability hangs over the story like a storm cloud, reinforcing one of mythology's enduring themes: mortals often suffer for the whims of immortals.

Ultimately, The Witch and the Huntress is exactly the kind of mythology retelling I want more of. It honors the original legends while daring to question them. It gives voice to a woman history condemned and asks readers to reconsider whether she deserved that condemnation in the first place. The feminist themes are powerful without feeling preachy, the sapphic romance is heartfelt and compelling, and the mythological world-building is utterly immersive.

As someone who has spent a lifetime devouring stories about Greek gods, heroes, monsters, and witches, I absolutely loved this novel. Luna McNamara has crafted a retelling that feels both ancient and modern, epic and intimate. More importantly, she reminds us that mythology is never static. Every generation returns to these stories and finds something new hidden within them. In Medea's case, what we find here is not a monster but a woman—and that makes all the difference.

[Pencils&Rabbits · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry but a man’s POV has absolutely no business being in a sapphic retelling. I understand it’s part Jason’s story but it’s a RETELLING it is allowed to be loose to source material and sad to say this book did not do that. If I wanted to read about Jason and the argonauts again I would. What I wanted was chemistry between the two main characters Atalanta and Medea There was hardly any chemistry. They met halfway through the book. The characters bored me and I was so excited for this book since November 2025. It was just not what it was marketed as and I was left very disappointed. The writing was fine I have no complaints. The concept was amazing. The execution was just in my opinion poorly done. This type of story is usually my favorite and so I was shocked by how much I was not into it. Thank you NetGalley for the advance reading copy and I’m sorry to have to leave such a low rating.

[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.

[Kristen Cote · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose I liked it. I definitely liked parts of it. The best part hands down is the poetic prose though out, the lyrical style of the writing and some of philosophical themes feminism, choice, love and relationships.

The actual execution was more middling for me. The novel is divided into parts, and ends up chronicling a whole life (Medea's, although both Atalanta (underused), and more bafflingly Jason (just strangely used) get occasional points of view) and so feels epic in scope but the quality of the parts are not equal. The beginning set up was good, the second part, which is McNamara's version of the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece is definitely the best, and then things start to feel dragged out and slow for the two concluding parts, and it took me days longer to finish this then I probably had too, just because it was difficult to muster up the same excitement to continue.

The novel is a feminist retelling with real feminist themes and character choices/consequences to choices which I enjoyed. It is, obviously, queer which I also liked, although perhaps I liked the idea of the novel (Medea and Atalanta were both on Argo, what if there relationship was deeper then the myths say?) better then I liked the overall execution of that relationship. At times their dynamic felt both rushed and slow, somehow both a yearning and pining crush and a deep tragic soulmate like love that results in us not really actually getting to see lot of the two of them in a relationship on page.

I liked a lot of the myth stuff, especially the cameos of other heroes on the Argo (Orpheus was probably my favourite character overall).

I struggled with Medea's characterization. The choices McNamara made to make her different then the vicious woman of the stories, and the choices she made that make her that villain resulted instead of a strong witch, in Medea coming off more wishy washy. It doesn't help, that in spite of committing to Medea committing most of her cannon atrocities, McNamara makes the bizarre choice to have most of them happen off screen, or be narrated in asides, and so there is a feeling of lack of commitment and kind of chickening out on the author's part as to how evil we are supposed to believe Medea really is. If you are going to make her do some of those evil acts...then have the guts to commit to showing her do it.

Atalanta has the opposite problem. This is definitely Medea's book, and Atlanta is a supporting character/love interest despite being in the title and getting her own POV. I liked her, but also felt she was too simple. Compared to all Medea's flaws Atalanta doesn't seem to have any: despite being raised in the wood by bears and anti-social hunters she's well spoken, she has all the Right Modern Feminist opinions, she never seems to actually do anything flawed or wrong. Which. Just doesn't make her very interesting I guess. It's hinted at that she's prideful, but if that was meant to be some kind of Fatal Flaw in the Greek Myth sense we should have seen it come into play in a way that mattered.

And lastly Jason...I don't know why he had his own POV to be honest. He could have been interesting but McNamara doesn't seem interested in making that happen. He's got complexity in the first two parts, and then is abruptly made more villainous in the last two, complexity dropped. Reading her authors note I can see McNamara is attempting the reconcile the Real Life Myths about Jason: how he went from the good kind man in the journey with the Argonauts, to the man who abandons Medea in later myths. The problem is...McNamara doesn't seem to have put any effort into creating a narrative that supports actually answering that question....which is her job. Jason just becomes a jerk with the complex goodness he had in the earlier parts gone. Because the original myths said so.

I think this largely is the biggest problem with the text, reading the authors note contextualizes a lot of the choices McNamara makes in the novel, 'this source said this and I wanted to incorporate that' which is a great starting point! But McNamara ultimately failed in weaving these interesting strands of myth and sources into an actual satisfying single narrative of her own that feels cohesive with organic characterizations. In other words: sometimes things just happened because the source of the original myths said they do, not because it made for good character writing and logical world/plot building.

I wanted to love it more then I did, and yet not a Bad book really. Perhaps frustrating because it gets close being something Really Good it just can't clinch it.

[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.