Review - Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

 

 

Title: Stone Blind

Author: Natalie Haynes

Pages: 379

Publisher: Mantle

 Release Date: 15th September 2022

Blurb from Goodreads:

 

 ** Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 **

In Stone Blind, the instant Sunday Times bestseller, Natalie Haynes brings the infamous Medusa to life as you have never seen her before.

'Witty, gripping, ruthless' - Margaret Atwood via Twitter
'Beautiful and moving' - Neil Gaiman via Twitter

'So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters.’

Medusa is the sole mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her Gorgon sisters, she begins to realize that she is the only one who experiences change, the only one who can be hurt. And her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When the sea god Poseidon commits an unforgivable act in the temple of Athene, the goddess takes her revenge where she can – and Medusa is changed forever. Writhing snakes replace her hair, and her gaze now turns any living creature to stone. The power cannot be Medusa can look at nothing without destroying it. She is condemned to a life of shadows and darkness.

Until Perseus embarks upon a quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

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My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley*

Unlike her Gorgon sisters, Medusa is mortal. However, because of her wings, Medusa stays away from the other mortals.

When Medusa catches the eye of Poseidon, the sea god, his actions lead to Medusa being cursed by the goddess Athene - where Medusa's hair once was is now a mass of snakes, and any living creature that meets Medusa's gaze is instantly turned to stone.

Medusa stays at her home with her sisters, safe until a young man named Perseus comes searching for the Gorgons.

As a fan of Greek mythology and having enjoyed several of the author's previous works, I was looking forward to reading this.

While Medusa is a main characters in this book, the story has several main characters whose lives entwine quite cleverly - alongside Medusa, there are chapters on Athene, Poseidon, Perseus, Andromeda, and several others.

The chapters about Medusa and her sisters were interesting and I really liked their close relationship.

Perseus was a character I disliked immensely, and the chapters on Athene made me see her in a new light.

The volatile relationships between the different gods were interesting to read, especially when they were trying to one-up each other or get revenge.

I thought the author did a really good job of weaving several story-lines together, and it was done in a very engaging way.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.