Lets talk Medea by Rosie Hewlett

*I was gifted an advanced reading copy by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review* 

Hey lovelies, welcome back!

I haven't read a Greek myth retelling since finishing my dissertation 2 years ago, I was too Greek myth-ed out and worried I'd still read them through an analytical lens. Rosie Hewlett is my favourite author of Greek myth retellings and so when Penguin kindly sent me an arc of her second novel, Medea, I knew she'd be the one to bring me back. 

All her life, Medea has been shunned, separated and tormented because of her witchcraft. But, when a dashing young hero by the name of Jason arrives to claim the coveted Golden Fleece, she seizes her chance at freedom and aids him, setting in motion a journey of strength, magic, loyalty and love. 

When faced with the ultimate betrayal, Medea is driven to an act of desperation so brutal it rips apart the lives of everyone involved... 

I didn't love this as much as her debut, I felt it was missing the power, rage and unfiltered essence that made Medusa such a stand out retelling for me. However I liked the depth and attention to detail the longer narrative provided to Medea's character and for that, this was a brilliant retelling. 

Although I loved the perspective the hindsight in Medusa provided, I enjoyed watching the narrative unfold in time with Medea and my emotions build and match hers. I fell in love with Hewlett's Medusa for her sass and bluntness, but admire and respect her Medea for her complexity, loyalty and self-worth. Hewlett's characters really do embody women.

Hewlett takes an alternative approach in this retelling and focuses on Medea's emotional abuse, first in her childhood and then in her relationship with the gaslighting prick, Jason, to portray her vulnerability and humanity - the qualities history has erased from her character. That is something Hewlett does extremely well, rewrites the characters to provide a whole other persona and perspective - exactly what retellings are supposed to do. 

It's been amazing watching Rosie's career grow and to champion her books from the very beginning, I'm so glad that everyone will know her name... and I can't wait to see who she writes about next.

Until next time, lovelies