Medusa’s Sisters Review

I was granted a review copy of Medusa’s Sisters, written by Lauren J.A. Bear. Though Medusa herself is a part of the narrative the story is told from the perspectives of her sisters. Everyone has heard the story of Medusa, at least part of it, but she was simply a third of a trio of gorgons that are all forgotten about. Bear takes a refreshing and intriguing angle to her mythological novel, and I simply couldn’t put it down.

Medusa’s Sisters Review

The pacing of the book is absolutely beautiful. It felt like I was wandering through these women’s experiences with them. I started reading, I blinked, and all of a sudden it had been 100 pages. The language firmly fits the style and time period of the piece, however, it is still a very easy read. The narrative is also so wonderfully written and descriptive that I was able to watch this story unfold as I read it. A lot of us readers see images in our heads as we read, but if the story is bad or the writing is poorly executed, then it can be hard to fully immerse yourself. Bear did not have that problem at all. 

Something that I have always loved about Jane Austen, the Bronte’s, and Louise May Alcott, the most incredible women writers of all time, is that they all tell the whole of women’s experiences. They do a wonderful job of representing different aspects of being a woman through different characters. The dreamer, the lover, the tomboy, the traditionalist are all valid ways to live your life. Lauren J.A. Bear does the same with her trio of sisters. 

Our Three Sisters

Medusa, being part human, is the lover and the dreamer. She yearns to learn and experience all that she can. She feels more deeply than her sisters because she is not immortal. And because she comes from the Gods but is afflicted with mortality, the rest of the world is fascinated with her. She is the sister everyone is fascinated with. Writing her like that is brilliant. As far as mythology goes, we only ever hear about Medusa. She is the sister that everyone is fascinated with.

Euryale is the harshest sister. She loves her immortality and thinks her mortal sister’s frivolity is bothersome. Euryale clearly loves her sisters, but she longs to be out on her own. Travel without being a part of a trio. She craves individuality. With her, we get to see a different side of how a woman handles being a woman. She has a crush on Poseidon and wants to remain pure for him. Her longing seems to be her main motivator. 

Our third sister, Stheno, is the protective sister. She fears for Medusa’s life as she is mortal and just wants closeness with Euryale. She wants the three of them to travel together, forever, never being apart. 

Overall Thoughts

The best part of reading this book is that it feels like the reader is experiencing the sisters’ adventures with them. The narrative is so clear that it’s like watching these events play out directly in front of you, as immersive as a film. 

We get to experience these young women before they were mythological monsters and hear the tale of how they became snake-headed women. The story we all know of Medusa is still told within these pages but in a way that clearly depicts men’s shortcomings. 

The novel Medusa’s Sisters is a phenomenal read. Emotional, tightly paced, and deeply imaginative. The refreshing point of view of the gorgons reminds us that rumor is not truth, and perception is reality. 

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Alexandrea Callaghan

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