I, Medusa: A Novel

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Ayana Gray for the ARC.

I, Medusa is a powerful reimagining of the iconic Greek myth, recast through the lens of a woman of color. Ayana Gray breathes new life into the legend by centering Medusa’s humanity and origin story. Her relationships with her sisters, the intimacy of caring for each other’s locs and the sacredness of braiding as craft, and the immigrant experience are particular standouts.

Medusa has long been vilified in traditional texts, painted as a monster rather than a survivor. Gray joins the chorus of contemporary storytellers reclaiming her narrative—not as a cautionary tale, but as a portrait of resistance, rage, and resilience in the face of violation and injustice. The novel does not shy away from the trauma inherent in Medusa’s myth. It treats it with honesty and weight, especially in her fraught entanglements with Poseidon (trigger warning for those unfamiliar with the Greek myths: sexual assault) and Athena. These dynamics are navigated with nuance, revealing the layered complexities of positions of power and the expectations of women in society.

I highly recommend reading through the end notes to learn more about Black representation in mythology and in antiquity in general. She has a long list of impressive beta readers and collaborative authors. This was my first novel from her, but I look forward to reading more from Ayana Gray. I, Medusa is a searing, necessary addition to the mythological canon and a triumph of voice, perspective, and storytelling.

This book was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review.

“You are not a monster,” I murmur. I don’t know if the words are for the lion or for me. “You are only what they made you.” I liked this book. The setup of Medusa's character and her struggles with being a mortal while her sisters were not, her attempts to please her parents, and her pull toward justice set the stage nicely for the rage that would eventually be her undoing. However, I would have liked to dive deeper into that rage. The last part of the story, after Medusa and her sisters are transformed into monsters, felt a bit rushed and skimmed over. Perhaps this was meant simply as an origin story and another tome will come that leans harder into the darkness and the details of who Medusa really was. Fingers crossed.

An interesting account of a young woman looking for and eventually owning her purpose(s).