maeenads's reviews
209 reviews

I have always admired and loved Medea my whole life, so obviously I had to dive into this. There were parts that I liked and disliked in this retelling;
As for what I liked; I preferred the ending, the way she was portrayed in the latter half of the book, her transformation from a lost child who’s innocence was slowly stripped away by what she calls family and friends, only raised to be a weapon. I was fond of the narrative that didn’t redeem her only as a monster, but showed what caused her to be one. It was well written for the most of it, and this quote stuck with me: 
“All that death, destruction, betrayal … It felt a worthy sacrifice when it was for love. But if there is no love left, then how can I rationalize it? How can I justify all the horrific things I have done if they were for nothing? How can I live with them?” 
There was only one thing I disliked and it’s a personal preference— When it comes to Greek mythology retellings I always expect a certain level of poetry and prose laced within the writing, I believe it sets this magical ambience that transports you back in time. Even though there were certain parts that did felt enchanting to read, most of the dialogue from the first 1/3 of the book felt sort of modern? The way some sentences were structured felt as if I’m reading a conversation from a typical ya novel. I preferred the latter part of the book for the most of it. However, this is only a personal preference as I expected the writing to be more poetic for most parts, and I do not believe this is anything major.
If you love retellings then please, do give this book a chance, you will see Medea in a new light.