Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes is a fantasy novel based on Greek mythology (4/5 stars)

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes is a fantasy novel based on Greek mythology. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at eight and a half hours and is narrated by the author. Point-of-view shifts between a large number of characters.

This book tells the story of Medusa, the only mortal in a family of gods, and how her threads of fate were woven into so many other myths and stories. Her hair wasn’t always snakes, and her gaze did not always turn people to stone. After being taken advantage of by a powerful man, a powerful woman blames and punishes her for the assault.

This book came out this past February, but I never got around to reading it around its publication date due to the Harper Collins strike. I finally picked it up, thanks to my library having an audio copy, and I’m glad I did. I also definitely need to read this author’s back catalogue.

My minor in college was Classical Mythology, and my focus was on Greek and Roman mythologies. Haynes did a great job grabbing from various sources to weave a linear story that touched on a lot of different myths. She also does an amazing job injecting humor into stories that were often mostly tragic.

Though there are a good number of point-of-view characters, that does not muddy the story. The author provides a helpful list of characters at the beginning of the book that is a great reference. The gods here feel like they’re just people and not infallible beings. The book does a great job showcasing how the gods would one-up each other, often using mortals as pawns in order to achieve their goals.

If you’re a fan of Lore Olympus, you may like this book. I’d also recommend this book to people who enjoyed Maria Dahvana Headley’s recent translation of Beowulf.

CW: sexual assault, rape, violence, death, murder, cheating

I received a copy of this book to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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