Book Review: Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J. A. Bear

A look into how Stheno and Euryale, immortal sisters to the (in)famous Medusa, lived and loved while Medusa was alive and after her death.

I am an avid fan of Greek myth retellings, especially when they are reimagined to include plot-crucial story points related to gender roles, LGBTQ+ representation, and racial diversity.  Lauren J. A. Bear does just that with her 2023 debut novel, Medusa’s Sisters. 

Before being turned into the Gorgons of mythology, Medusa and her sisters explore the world of humans, making friends with royalty, staying with artists and musicians, and attempting to find their place in the mortal and immortal worlds.  The book alternates between Stheno and Euryale’s POVs, and both limited narrators are deeply, deeply flawed.  At times you will root for each sister, and at times you will throw your hands up in frustration over the choices they make.  The whole book is full of this, in fact—lovable characters make horrible choices, and horrible characters make moral choices.  If you thought the Greek gods and goddesses were morally sketchy before, this novel will blow your previous notions out of the water.  It is a grisly read, so look into the trigger warnings beforehand, but I did enjoy watching these two sisters evolve as individuals and as part of the trio.  My only wish would have been for Medusa herself to have more character development, but, as the title states, this book is purposefully focused on her sisters.  This narrative device also allows for us as the audience to follow the sisters after Medusa’s death (ancient spoiler warning?) as they grapple with their physical, bodily changes when turned into Gorgons and the emotional isolation of living on a remote island with only regrets to keep them company. 

If you are looking for a story of sisterly love—through the good, the bad, and the truly ugly—this is a read for you!  If you are a fan of Madeline Miller's Circe or The Song of Achilles, you would enjoy this book. I would give it a solid 4/5, if only because some of the trigger-warning-worthy rough parts were VERY rough to get through at times.  However, Bear is scheduled to release a book in 2024 (according to her website).  Her second novel focuses on Rhea Silvia, the mother of Romulus and Remus, aka the founders of Rome, and if the writing quality of this book is like the quality of her debut, I will be first in line to purchase a copy.