My Evil Eye

Furies

by A.L. Hawke

Don’t look at me. Just don’t.

My name’s Gorgiana. For decades, I’ve lived a happy, simple life, shelving books at Sunland University’s library in Florida. But my peace ended when I witnessed an assault, bringing back horrors from my past. Or course, I took care of him. His body’s no longer whole. But that revealed my location.

I asked for help from my best friend, Cora, the goddess Persephone, and everything turned out just peachy. More than peachy. I met this real hot guy named Ash that same night. Later he took me out to a nightclub by the beach—next, a movie. All was well, until some thug stuck a gun in my boyfriend’s back. But I took care of him. He’s in pieces now too. But it all puts Medusa in a heap of trouble.

See, my name’s Medusa. Yeah, I’m that monster with the snakes in my hair. I warned you not to look.

Genres: Fantasy

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2022

About the author

A.L. Hawke is the author of the bestselling Hawthorne University Witch series. The author lives in Southern California torching the midnight candle over lovers against a backdrop of machines, nymphs, magic, spice and mayhem. A.L. Hawke writes fantasy and romance spanning four thousand years, from pre-civilization to contemporary and beyond.

Reviews

[Mariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Evil Eye
by A.L. Hawke

I received a complimentary copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.

At first glance, anyone would think she was just a pretty girl, shy, a tad quirky perhaps, but she hides a secret. Hidden beneath her granny jumper and mortal shell, she is Medusa, reigning her serpentine coils in a tight bun. Medusa or Gorgiana, it doesn't matter the name. She is a mythical beast, wielding power over men, pulling each one under her spell and into a trance. Before she rips them apart, of course.
"I mean, I could scare the shit out of Frankenstein."

Hiding in plain sight, while working as a librarian on a college campus, disguised in dowdy clothes and thick glasses, who would suspect?
But she is a voracious reader and an avid book lover. The quiet life suits her. Until someone annoys her and then you better watch out!
When a guy is over-amorous with a girl, it triggers Gorgiana's protective side to take over; her wreaking vengeance is a little messy, thus revealing her location. Gorgiana has been hiding from the Goddess Athene who transformed her into the beast and is now hunting her.
Will she join with Hades and eke out revenge against Athene?

My Evil Eye is a riveting read that grabs you from the start. It brilliantly combines romance, mystery and thriller genres with the ever-present tale of mythology. We have all read about Medusa, but the author has brought her to life in a unique story. Her emotions and thoughts are embedded in her mind that she is a monster when all she really wants is to live in peace. And Ash sees who she really is which is just beautiful and very intimate. A.L. Hawke's writing style shines through the pages; I found the words became more personal as I read. Gorgiana or Medusa, describing the story as it develops, is written as though the reader is present and watching. It is unique, and the story became that much more confidential.

I would say it is an adult read because of certain graphic scenes; I recommend it to lovers of romance and mythology.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

We get to know Gorgiana/Medusa the librarian and discover she’s just a monster that wants to be loved.

When a young man Ash, decides to pursue her, Gorgiana is torn between pushing him away and wanting to see if he truly likes her for her and not the fact that she can enthrall men. Pretty much like us mortals.

There are those in the god realm that want to have her stripped of her powers and buried deep underground. She has at least one really cool goddess friend Cora/Persephone that is there for her.

Unfortunately, she seems to be locked in the sights of another more powerful goddess that is trying to end her and those she cares about.

Gorgiana prefers to not inflict pain on others but if a male is trying to force himself on a woman then all bets are off and so are the body parts. There is a trigger warning attempted assault.

So while she does spend a lot of time lamenting that she is a monster, she is actually a created monster that was used and abused and was turned into a monster, her personality is that more of a maudlin teenager that is looking for love and approval.

I received an ARC and I am leaving an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a free copy of this book and I decided to give it an honest review.
The story itself was pretty good, it flowed well. I liked many of the supporting characters, especially Hades. I was amused by the way Gorgiana would talk to the reader (though at points I think Gorgiana wasn't breaking the fourth wall but talking to someone else, which is intriguing). I never warmed up to Gorgiana. I found her immature. For a millennium old person, she seemed to make a lot of rookie mistakes. I found it annoying how she would constantly describe herself as a monster when she really was just a cursed, traumatized woman with abilities she could barely control. A woman who, the majority of the time, would go out of her way to not hurt people.

[Kindlelover 1220 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgiana has been living happily in Florida and works in a library. Her world turns upside down when she witness an attack. This attack causes some memories to come rushing back at her. She takes care of the attacker, but by doing this, she reveals her true self and her hidden location. She asks her friend Cora, who just happens to be the goddess Persephone for help. She meets a man named Ash and they go on a date. On this date they are attacked and her true identity is revealed. She is Medusa. A sensational retelling of a myth with an enchanting plot and characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like a good twist on Greek mythology this book is for you. I loved how the characters came to life. Gorgianna was well thought out and quite believable. I do feel Ash was just a bit too easy going and found his reactions a bit off. The names all being changed to a more modern one was both confusing and slightly annoying as the author continuously reminds who is who. While I find that helps, it does break the flow of the story. Over all it was a good solid read, and worth checking out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[VIBE REVIEWS · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH, I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I was sad that Medusa had to live without love thanks to Athena changing her as Medusa's beauty was more than hers and she was jealous so she convince her relative to rape the little priestess. Medusa had followed Athena and she was no longer a virgin and she ran away from the temple to Florida to become a librarian in a small college town to hide away. I loved that Ash fell in love with her on first sight and convinced to go on a date to the movies. That was the end of her happiness as she was surrounded by Athena's goons.

- LINDA B.

[Jvles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid fantasy story inspired by Greek mysteries. We follow the main character, Medusa, as she helps her friend, a Greek goddess, is chased and used by powers she can't control, struggles with her own dark past and finds someone to love - all that has potential to form a great story. Although the book is fairly long to me it had the feel of a short story though. The build-up in tension was not part of the book and it felt a little like stepping into the last half of the final battle when you want to know something about a war. I liked the characters the author invented and the writing style was not bad as well. From a quick online search I saw that there are other books about this world. I assume it would enhance the enjoyment of this particular story when it is read in order with the other books written about these characters.
I received an author's copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sharon Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't give up on this book early.
Gorgiana/Medusa works as a librarian in a Florida college campus. She works only at night to disguise the snakes in her hair. She also wears fake glasses to shield people from her eyes.
At the library she meets Ash, who she becomes very close to. Several things happen to Gorgiana which draws the attention of Apollo and Athena, who wish to imprison her underground for life due to a longstanding feud between them. Hades will come to her rescue and Gorgiana and Ash will be together again.
This book was read in one night--it was that interesting.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most painful, darkest yet most hopeful retelling of Greek mythology that I have read. It is as if the author took Michele Amitrani's "Soul of Stone" and infused it with the emotional angst of Byrd Nash's "A Spell of Rowans". This novel is not for someone looking for a light read, but someone who like myth retellings will find this one worth savouring.

I received an ARC from Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Blanche Maze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer : I DNFed it at 37%

-I would still like to thank Hidden Gems Books for the eARC-

It's a very personnal opinion but I was really uncomfortable while reading the book. The main character made me cringe and uncomfortable, I didn't like the way she thought. I found some thingss borderline red flag and yeah, it just wasn't for me.
The story didn't grip me enough to go through the whole book anyway so I decided to DNF.

[Kaitlyn Raasveld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what i needed. I love me some Medusa books. I hate that most paint her in such a terrible light, because she wasn’t that way by choice. I like that she only does stuff when she has to. I liked the love aspects of it too, and i like that you get to see she’s not really a monster like everyone thinks. It was a good read.

[tburbr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
I found this book to be entertaining. The character work and story line were well written and kept my attention. I had a hard time connecting to the main character.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good read with gods and goddesses living among mortals. The storyline has abuse, attempted attack, chemistry, and emotion. I liked the book. I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my honest review.

[vicki carnicle · Rating 3 out of 5]

My evil eye

This is story about the fighting gods trying to kill each other and win and madusa is trying to save her friends

[LINDA BASS · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH, I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I was sad that Medusa had to live without love thanks to Athena changing her as Medusa's beauty was more than hers and she was jealous so she convince her relative to rape the little priestess. Medusa had followed Athena and she was no longer a virgin and she ran away from the temple to Florida to become a librarian in a small college town to hide away. I loved that Ash fell in love with her on first sight and convinced to go on a date to the movies. That was the end of her happiness as she was surrounded by Athena's goons.

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥️💚🐍 Very original.

In the library of her university, Gorgi arranges books while observing the students.

A couple catches her eye. The boy seems to bother the girl.

The boy looks directly at Gorgi. But Gorgi can't stand being looked into her eyes, because her gaze is definitely deadly...

--------------

Here is a very original fantasy novel that highlights the character of the Gorgon / Medusa.

It's full of action and the unexpected, with a character bursting with energy. Plus, the romance adds a welcome bit of sentimentality to the book's plot.

To discover.

PS: the cover of the book is splendid.