e-Audio, 14:05:14
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Release Date: February 27, 2024
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Read from: January 23-26, 2024
Stand-alone (?)
Source: Netgalley App
TW: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Cannibalism, Bullying, Sexual violence, Abortion, War, Mention of arachnids (on page but not descripted on page)
For Readers Interested In: Fantasy, Romance, Mythology, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, YACirce goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology, a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.
All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine.
Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters—she’s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King’s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom’s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe—but you would be wrong.
Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King’s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life.
When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom’s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he’ll consider granting his freedom.
Except Manisha doesn’t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn’t know it, but the “monster” he’s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.
Alternating between Manisha’s and Pratyush’s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question “What does it truly mean to be a monster?”
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was so much fun! As someone who LOVES mythology and also anything that has some type of diversity to it, this was so good. I don’t think I ever imagined there would be a retelling of a Greek myth but told through the lens of a different culture? I guess that’s the best way to put it. And man, this was crazy to get through, but so so good.
I say good, because the things I knew about the myth (like the monsters and the way her hair became snakes were completely different in this. But I have to say, I think I like this story better. To be honest, I think it was more interesting. I cried at the beginning when that thing happened to her. I was screaming at him for leaving her and not coming back to say good bye one more time. I knew it wasn’t his fault, but I also knew I wasn’t being rational at the time. Which was then when I realized how much I actually liked this book.
The main characters were amazing. I LOVED seeing the world through Manisha’s eyes. She was just trying to keep herself safe. Not saying anyone deserved to die, but when someone leaves you for death, I have to say, I wasn’t sad when she did what she did. She was looking out for herself and I think she was allowed to do that. And I have to say, I think I like this version better. At least in this one she wasn’t punished for what happened to her. As if this was her fault. This DID happen in the story, but she was still given the last laugh. I also liked looking through the eyes of Pratyush. I do wish we had more times looking through his eyes when he was in the process of getting another monster, but it was still cool. That Bee one seemed freaky enough, but I still wanted more. Why? Idk lol
The ONLY thing I would have changed was the romance. Lordt it was insta-lovey. He loved her because he kept seeing her? Like, whet? And you say you loved her, but you kept doing all the things that could get her in trouble. You did all these things that would make you happy with no thought on what that would mean for anyone else. You didn’t love her, you lusted for her. There was a difference and I would have preferred for it to be been portrayed that way instead. I think it would have been better for the ending too. Mainly because it could have been a better conflict than the dude coming back, however I DID love that he got his in the end. Because he deserved it.
I don’t think I need to say anything about the performance of Soneela Nankani. She always slam dunks her work every time. She is truly one of the reasons I love books that have not only Own Voices authors, but also own voices narrators. Everything is always authentic, and this is exactly what her performance was in this one as well.
Make no mistake about this, this book is dark at some points, so please read with caution. But it wasn’t “for the sake of violence toward women.” The actual myth of Medusa has these same concepts. Do me a favor and go look up why some women have a Medusa tattoo. But I digress. Read this book if you want a story re-told in a way that will make you rage just as much as the original.
Overall, I give this
