I, Medusa A novel

In this stirring fantasy, bestseller Gray (Beasts of War) reimagines Medusa as a fierce heroine given to righteous anger, with a strong drive for justice and a deep desire for acceptance, all of which puts her squarely at odds with the capricious gods. Meddy, a dark-skinned 17-year-old, is a mortal among immortals, the exception in a family of primordial sea gods, but she's still subject to the same pressures as her sisters: uphold her family's honor and marry to strengthen their standing within the Sea Court. Restless, stubborn, and book smart, but painfully naive, Meddy attracts the goddess Athena's attention and is invited to serve at her temple in Athens. Becoming a priestess is no easy feat as Meddy faces tests from the goddess and racist and xenophobic aggression from her fellow acolytes, who don't know her divine origins and believe she is from Africa. Her life takes a dramatic turn when the sea god Poseidon sexually assaults her. Outraged by this violation of Meddy's oaths, Athena transforms her into a snake-haired monster who can petrify with a glance. Caught between anger and grief, Meddy must find a new purpose. In focusing on the young Medusa's coming-of-age in a toxic environment and the assault that redefines her life, Gray emphasizes the tragic aspects of the original myth and the pervasiveness of rape culture. Both empowering and infuriating, it's a strong take on the classic character. (Nov.)

The Medusa myth, reimagined as an Afrocentric, feminist tale with the Gorgon recast as avenging hero. In mythological Greece, where gods still have a hand in the lives of humans, 17-year-old Medusa lives on an island with her parents, old sea gods who were overthrown at the rise of the Olympians, and her sisters, Euryale and Stheno. The elder sisters dote on Medusa and bond over the care of her "locs...my dearest physical possession." Their idyll is broken when Euryale is engaged to be married to a cruel demi-god. Medusa intervenes, and a chain of events leads her to a meeting with the goddess Athena, who sees in her intelligence, curiosity, and a useful bit of rage. Athena chooses Medusa for training in Athens to become a priestess at the Parthenon. She joins the other acolytes, a group of teenage girls who bond, bicker, and compete in various challenges for their place at the temple. As an outsider, Medusa is bullied (even in ancient Athens white girls rudely grab a Black girl's hair) and finds a best friend in Apollonia. She also meets a nameless boy who always seems to be there whenever she is in need; this turns out to be Poseidon, who is grooming the inexplicably naïve Medusa. When he rapes her, Athena finds out and punishes Medusa and her sisters by transforming their locs into snakes. The sisters become Gorgons, and when colonizing men try to claim their island, the killing begins. Telling a story of Black female power through the lens of ancient myth is conceptually appealing, but this novel published as adult fiction reads as though intended for a younger audience. An engaging, imaginative narrative hampered by its lack of subtlety. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.