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Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

"So often [Medusa’s] robbed of agency, turned into a monster, and used as a stepping stone for heroes. The myth of Medusa is a tale of objectification and toxic masculinity, and the meaning of consent. Given the continuing revelations about men like Weinstein and (US president Donald) Trump, and others we have each encountered on our way through life, Medusa's myth is ripe for the retelling."

Medusa's story is one that has long captivated me and I implicitly trusted Jessie Burton to deliver her story with the sensitivity and depth of emotion her character deserved, and with an empowering spin and full female autonomy that all women deserve. This is exactly what occurred.

The entire story was just so tragically beautiful. Medusa was painted as the victim in her own story and not the vengeful killer or the objective to be slain, that she has often been made out to be. She was, instead, viewed here an ordinary girl wishing to live a quiet and solitary existence and with no desires for the power from or notice of the gods.

Olivia Lomenech Gill's artwork was the perfect match for the subtleness of emotion exhibited throughout the tale and also the melancholy that exuded from it at the end. A muted colour palette consisting of mostly earthy tones was used for each of the gorgeous images and I would happily display every single one of them on my walls. They were harrowing yet alluring, exactly like the story surrounding them.

In the synopsis it is stated that Burton's aim with was to "reclaim Medusa's story" and that is exactly what she did! None who read this can relate to owning sentient hair but many can relate to being punished by society, paying for the mistakes of powerful others, being subjected to the whims of those in authority, and being viewed as one of few accepted binaries. Burton allows us to see and to believe that we contain multitudes, and that we can be the hero of our own story.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Jessie Burton, the illustrator, Olivia Lomenech Gill, and the publisher, Bloomsbury YA, for this opportunity.