Herstory

Ancient Greek myths have been told and retold for centuries; reshaped and rewritten in ways that may seem impractical, or more practical, depending on your point of view. Rick Riordan shook up the literary world with his series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Margaret Atwood gave Penelope a voice in The Penelopiad. Add to this list of retellings, Medusa by Rosie Hewlett, the story of how Medusa came to be a monster whose infamy lasted for thousands of years.

But who was really the monster in this one?

Abandoned by her mother, Medusa was raised in the Temple of Athena by a lonely priestess, and as she grew older, she dedicated her life to the goddess of war and wisdom. As a young woman, news of her beauty spread far and wide, even to the ears of the gods. Enter Poseidon, god of the sea, embarrassed when the people chose Athena over himself, and set on getting revenge.

Medusa is an interesting take on an infamous tale, and was so interesting that I read it in one sitting. The story was so beautifully written, with one surprising twist, it is definitely a 5 star novel. I am looking forward to reading more from Rosie Hewlett!

If you have any thoughts, questions or review requests, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

Comments

The House of the Spirits

A good friend of mine once told me, "if a book has a rating of 4 or more stars on Goodreads, it is probably a safe bet that you will like it." This is why I almost always choose my books by their Goodreads rating, a strategy I am currently rethinking after reading The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. With an average rating of 4.23/5 on Goodreads, I thought I was going to love this book, and for the first four chapters, I did. However, as the story progressed I started to struggle, which has led me to believe that when choosing books I might need to employ tactics that do not solely rely on Goodreads ratings. The Patriarch Isabel Allende's novel takes place in early to mid twentieth century Chile, and tells the story of landowner Esteban Trueba, a man who went from rags to riches using nothing but his mother's honourable last name. Esteban is a classic example of an upperclass patriarch; he believed that by going back to the land of his mother's fami...

Abensa Egralve Uffubensu

"And so, with laughter and love, we lived happily ever after" (232). Do you have a book that you turn to when you're sad? My happy book is Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, and I found comfort in Ella's journey once again while I was dealing with a small heartache. I always thought it was a wonderful interpretation of Cinderella, and I love how all the characters have a rich backstory, from the evil stepsisters, to Prince Charmont, Mandy the Cook/Fairy Godmother and Ella's best friend Areida. Everyone has a story, rounding out the plot of the novel. When she was a child, Ella was given a gift (or a curse, depending on how you look at it), by the fairy Lucinda, and since then she has always had to obey any command anyone gives her. Her mother forbids her from telling anyone about the curse (not that she would), but when her mother passes away, there is no one who can help Ella defeat the curse. Her father eventually remarries, bringing Ella two stepsisters, H...

The Will. The Words. The Way.

I started 2020 by reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, and although this past year has been hard for so many, for me, it was also one of adventure. I was accepted to my dream university, but prohibited from pursuing that particular adventure by events that we are all well aware of. I briefly lost my job, but became closer with my coworkers because of it. And I was hurt deeply by someone I trusted, but eventually moved on. I cannot say that Harrow's magical words from her debut novel were the reason behind all of these adventures, but I must admit that I was inspired by January to become more resilient, so I find it fitting that I start 2021 with Harrow's second novel, The Once and Future Witches. The Once and Future Witches Juniper, Agnes and Bella are three sisters that were separated, but somehow found each other again in the city of New Salem, a place where women who rally for the right to vote are accused of witching. "But witching is nothing ...

The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

Search This Blog