Athena's Child: A spellbinding retelling of one of Greek mythology's most important tales

The world finally gets to hear from Medusa, and though she is transformed into a monster, Hannah Lynn makes us sympathize with her and hope for her deliverance. The Graeae were hilarious, and I could totally see them vying for their one eye to see what was happening. 'Athena’s Child' is a quick read, and I couldn’t put it down.

I enjoyed this one, it was an interesting take in medusas story. It really showed how there are two sides to every story. A great read, a different world to escape to.

A decent retelling / reimagining of the myth. Good if you like mythology, or used to like it but have forgotten most of it since high school.

I recently learned the “real” story of Medusa and have loved her since. She represents so much for survivors of SA. I read this on the heels of The Song of Achilles, so the combination of that incredible adaptation + my emotional attachment to the story of Medusa meant that I had very high hopes for this.Unfortunately, it didn’t really live up to my expectations.There’s nothing actually wrong with it. It’s just very, very boring. I don’t know how it’s possible to make this story boring but Hannah Lynn found a way lol.The good news is, it’s quick! Super quick. It also reads smoothly. The writing is good - the story is just lacking. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The book was wonderful, but I think the author should have written a bit more after the major climax at the end. It ends very abruptly.

In Athena's Child, Hannah Lynn depicts a beautiful young Medusa serving in Athena’s temple. Poseidon forces himself upon her. Athena, rather than blame Poseidon for raping her acolyte, blames Medusa and curses her, making her into the monster of mythology. Lynn’s Medusa, feeling forsaken by her goddess, tries to live in peace on her island, but her seclusion is interrupted time and again by wannabe heroes, hoping to kill her. This depiction of Medusa shows the persistence of the male hierarchy and how women, even other women, blame the victim for her own rape rather than blaming the perpetrator.Lynn also writes from Perseus’s point of view and shows his desire to decapitate Medusa. He wants to save his mother from marrying King Polydectes. Perseus plans to weaponize Medusa’s head and use it to kill the king.The prose in Athena’s Child is a bit simplistic and far less poetic that that in Madeline Miller's Circe or Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls. Lynn does ask us to listen to the stories of women that the patriarchy sees as villains and to reevaluate their lives in view of the #MeToo movement. However, so much of the book is in Perseus’s point of view that the momentum for feminism is diluted. This might be a good middle grade reader for a child who won’t be triggered by the rape and killing.

I highly enjoyed this book. I finished it quickly and wish there was more. I thought the language was beautiful, said a lot with little. I enjoyed the perspectives of the book, both of Medusa and Perseus. I recommend this book to any greek mythology lover and any fan of Medusa.

Hannah Lynn brought to life for me this ancient story. She humanized the the gods, half gods and the myth of Medusa. so that I felt compassion and a whole new sense of what this story could be about. The most important aspect for me was that of moving beyond the ways of the masculine stories into the heart and soul of what might actually have been experienced by this misunderstood and damaged woman. We need more rewrites like this

This is a refreshing look at a widely-circulated Greek myth. Myth it may be, but it sheds light on our own societal tendencies to favour one over another, in this case, male over female. I strongly recommend it.

Found this book a great read without the “oh gosh, now who was that god” sceanario of mixing up which god represents what. For something light & not heady..it’s a good read

Really enjoyed the fleshing out of Medusa's story. Looking forward to more tales of other goddesses, gods. heroines and heroes. Well-written and imaginatively portrayed.

Such an original and creative storyline, I really enjoyed this book and the sympathetic view of each person's character and motives. Wonderfully proof- read, I only found 3 mistakes, and that makes such a refreshing change too. And, as an Australian, it was a real treat to be reading quality British English.

I enjoyed every moment of this haunting, beautifully written book. I loved the way she evoked the humanity of the encounter between Medusa and Perseus and the compassion with which it is written.