Release date: September 15 2022
Publisher: Mantle
Pages: 371
Find it: Goodreads Amazon
Source: I received an E-ARC via Netgalley and I bought a physical copy from Waterstones
Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis

‘There is one question that devours me still. Why didn’t I close my eyes?’

Medusa is the only mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her sisters, she quickly realizes that she is the only one who gets older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When desire pushes a God to commit the unforgivable, Medusa’s mortal life is changed forever. Her punishment is to be turned into a Gorgon: sharp teeth, snakes for hair, and a gaze that will turn any living creature to stone. Appalled by her own reflection, Medusa can no longer look upon anything she loves without destroying it. She condemns herself to a life of solitude in the shadows to limit her murderous range.

That is, until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

This is the story of how a young woman became a monster. And how she was never really a monster at all.

Review

Stone Blind tells the Greek myth of Medusa, a young woman whose life is changed forever by the Gods. When Medusa finds herself transformed into a Gorgon her life will never be the same again. Medusa shies away from her sisters, living a life of solitude until one day Perseus arrives on a quest to retrieve the head of a Gorgon.

Natalie Haynes is an author I’ve always wanted to try and this is my first time reading a book from her. I really enjoyed her writing style and the story was really easy to get into. I ended up reading this really quickly and I thought Haynes had a very accessible writing style. As this is a Greek myth retelling there are quite a lot of characters and I felt Haynes did a great job of making each character have a distinct narrative voice. I enjoyed the way Haynes portrayed the Gods, with all their scheming and bickering to get what they want.

My one disappointment about this story was I felt it didn’t really bring anything new to the table. I’ve read a number of other Medusa retellings in the past so perhaps that’s why this didn’t click for me in the same way as it has for other people. I also felt given the book was focused on Medusa, she wasn’t actually in the story an awful lot. I would have loved to see more character depth and a greater focus on Medusa herself. Overall Stone Blind is an engaging Greek myth retelling and while I didn’t completely fall in love with it, I would definitely be keen to try more from Natalie Haynes in the future.