Item: I, Medusa
Rating: 5
Author: Catherine

I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
Published by Random House
Publication date: November 18, 2025
Genres: Book Clubs, Debut, Fiction, Fantasy, Vacation Reading

Bookshop

Is there anything worse than being the ugly duckling in a family of gorgeous women? Yes. You could be mortal and they could be goddesses. That’s life for 17-year-old Meddy in I, Medusa by Ayana Gray, a refreshing retelling of the Greek myth about the monster Medusa.

Meddy is a tomboy who loves books and dreams of escaping their isolated island for Athens. Her only vanity is her hair with its long beautiful locs and even then it is her sisters who care for them. When a twist of fate allows her to train as a priestess to Athena she is ecstatic as it allows her to escape her family’s isolated island and go to Athens. She soon finds herself immersed in temple life with the other acolytes. But then, as is well-known, she is raped by Poseidon and cursed to become a Gorgon—a hideous creature with the face of a woman, but hair of snakes, and eyes that turn men to stone.

The tale of Medusa has been told repeatedly from the perspective of Perseus, the mortal who finally killed her, but I, Medusa is focused on her life not his supposed quest. Gray tracks her through a sheltered life to the excitement of Athens, being desired by a handsome young man, betrayal, and what’s left after every aspect of life as she knows it has been stripped from her. The myth of a cruel monster is expanded to reveal a breathing human being. A determined young woman whose sense of right and wrong often made her reckless, but who was cared for and supported by those who loved her, even when it meant they too would be cursed.

I, Medusa is still fantasy, but it’s grounded within a framework of ancient life that makes even Medusa’s hair seem plausible. There is darkness and violence, but mostly this is a story of relationships. How the bond between sisters outweighs even the rage of the gods and how the love of a friend can become something more. Gray doesn’t negate Meddy’s life as a fearsome monster, but frames it within the passion she feels to protect other young women. I’ve read enough retellings of Greek myths that some have gotten stale, but I, Medusa is fresh and fabulous.

I highly recommend listening to this as the narrators are marvelous.

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