Page count: 304
Publisher: Dutton
Published on: February 21, 2023
Genres: adult historical fiction, mythology, retelling
Format: eARC via NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 ✨
CW: violence, rape, murder, sexual assault, death, kidnapping, confinement, sexism, sexual violence, grief, abandonment, child abuse, animal death, emotional abuse, physical abuse, domestic abuse, misogyny, slavery, blood, pregnancy
^^ Please consider that these elements are found throughout Greek history and mythology. These will always be found in books that retell the epics and Greek mythos and folklore. 'Twas a violent time to be alive.
S Y N O P S I S :
Nationally bestselling author of Daughters of Sparta Claire Heywood returns with an imaginative and female-centered reinterpretation of the myth of the great hero Perseus, told through the voices of three women who are sidelined in the traditional version—his mother, Danae; his trophy, Medusa; and his wife, Andromeda—but whose viewpoints reveal a man who is not, in fact, a hero at all.
Danae: Banished from her homeland thanks to a prophecy foretelling that her unborn child will one day cause the death of her father, the king of Argos, Danae finds herself stranded, pregnant, and alone in a remote fishing village. It’s a harsh new world for a young woman who grew up as a coddled princess, and forging a new life for herself and for her young son Perseus will be the hardest thing she’s ever done.
Medusa: As a member of a reclusive band of women who live deep in the woods, known as the Gorgons, Medusa has eschewed all contact with the outside world. That is, until the day she finds an injured boy named Perseus in the forest.
Andromeda: When a harsh sandstorm threatens to destroy her nomadic desert tribe’s way of life, Andromeda knows that a sacrifice will be required to appease the gods and end the storm. But when a forceful young Perseus interferes, Andromeda’s life is set on an entirely new path.
As Perseus becomes increasingly obsessed with the promise of his own destiny, his heroic journey casts a shadow of violence and destruction across all three women’s lives. But even as he tries to silence them, the women may find that reclaiming their voices is their only hope for lifting themselves into a better future.
R E V I E W :
I really loved reading The Shadow of Perseus. Heywood has taken every fantasy element from the Greek stories and has constructed the myths that surround the hero, Perseus, and reestablished it as a story from history.
I've always been a sucker for feminist retellings. So often, women are just plain overlooked or overshadowed by their male counterparts. When they said "history is written by the victors," they weren't kidding.
This book follows the three main women from Perseus's origin story: Danae, his mother; Andromeda, his wife; and Medusa, the "monster" he slayed.
Each woman is incredibly well developed. Their voices and stories were so addicting and I just flew through this book. I also really loved the commentary throughout as they grappled with the terrible actions and decisions that were being made around them and affecting how their lives would turn out. When Heywood took out the fantasy elements that come with Greek mythology, it really just amplified how horribly women were treated in the ancient times. This book was incredible to read -- a really quick-paced novel with gripping narrators and focuses -- but it was in no way an easy book to read.
The one thing I had wished for was more page time with Perseus. The shifting perspective between the women was really enlightening to how each of them took in his behavior, his personality, etc., but I genuinely would have like to know, in his own words or thoughts, what he thought of himself. Obviously, it's pretty evident that he really thought highly of himself -- or that he wanted to be perceived to be so big and wonderful -- but I don't know. I think it would be really interesting to be inside his head as he slowly succumbs to his toxic masculinity.
I was really curious how Heywood would grapple with Perseus's paternity, but from the get-go, she subverts the truth of his birth. It really adds to the tension (and the irony) that surrounds his every action. Even early on, since he truly believed he was the son of Zeus, he had an air about him. But from the perspective of his mother, we see how delusional an fragile he is. He's incredibly traumatized -- which is really sad -- but also even if his mother were to reveal that he wasn't of godly birth; he doesn't respect her enough to actually believe her. It's incredibly wild to me to see his gradual downfall as he consistently treats everyone he meets like a lesser person -- especially the women of his life. He's just a demanding, irritable, delusional young man who refuses to take accountability. That is evident as well in his consistent lies and boastful stories he tells of his horrible escapades.
I really wish I could adequately share how much I loved Andromeda's parts of the book. Her defiance and resilience were not only inspiring, but also incredibly depressing. Because why do women have to be the one who have to endure? It makes me so angry.
I genuinely wish Medusa's portion of the book had been longer, but only because I needed more of Heywood's version of the Gorgons. I also wish her budding adoration for Perseus was better developed. I really didn't understand her almost instant interest in him. I understand that she was longing for a relationship she could never have, but she was blatantly ignoring the red flags she had pointed out herself.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved how she utilized ancient geography and expanded upon a more realistic version of what traveling and trading would mean to the Greeks. As ancient conqueror's it makes so much sense to see them venturing toward more areas of the world around them. I also love how human every single character was. The book was incredibly well done and I'm just thrilled that I could read it early.
Happy reading, friends!
Olivia
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