I, Medusa by. Ayana Gray | Book Review – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️

Title: I, Medusa

Author: Ayana Gray

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 11/18/25

Categories: Historical Fiction, Greek Mythology, Retelling, Fantasy, LGBT+

From New York Times bestselling author Ayana Gray comes a new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.

Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else’s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents—both gods, albeit minor ones—she dreams of leaving her family’s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home.

In Athens’ colorful market streets and the clandestine chambers of the temple, Meddy flourishes in her role as Athena’s favored acolyte, getting her first tastes of purpose and power. But when she is noticed by another Olympian, Poseidon, a drunken night between girl and god ends in violence, and the course of Meddy’s promising future is suddenly and irrevocably altered.

Her locs transformed into snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit, Medusa must embrace a new identity—not as a victim, but as a vigilante—and with it, the chance to write her own story as mortal, martyr, and myth.

Exploding with rage, heartbreak, and love, I, Medusa portrays a young woman caught in the cross currents between her heart’s deepest desires and the cruel, careless games the Olympian gods play

Content Warning: violence, death, rape, domestic abuse, physical abuse, sexual assault, grooming

+ I have always loved the story of Medusa without really knowing much about her or how she came to be cursed. I think I was always drawn to her because of her power but this story definitely gave me the background about her that I needed to know!

+~ The story focuses on Medusa/Meddy when she is young. She is a mortal young lady born to a god and goddess. Her sisters are immortal so already Medusa is at a slight disadvantage in life where the gods rule. Home life is scary when her parents tempers flare, there is physical abuse, but on the other side of the coin, home is where she is surrounded by her sisters who she loves very much and Theo, her best friend. When she tries to save her sister from a marriage to another man who is abusive, Athena, the goddess steps in and offers to make Medusa an acolyte at her temple in Athens. The part of the story where she is training as an acolyte moves a little slower but it does pick up.

+ Meddy is someone who does something when she sees something wrong. I love that about her even when society has rules about what a woman can and can’t do, she breaks the rules. The story shows also the power dynamics between the gods and goddesses and everyone else – how they can make or break a person’s life on a whim, due to their judgment alone. So many times Meddy felt helpless and I felt for her. She also experiences racism in Athens at the temple. Meddy is also preyed on by a god – she’s only 17 and naive about the world, and hasn’t been taught a lot about it, and he takes advantage of that.

+ I love Meddy’s relationship with her sisters. The female rage Meddy and her sister feel after they are curse, is warranted and this book is even timely with what’s going on in the world today. I felt rage with them!

~ I loved that the story told me about Meddy’s younger life, up until she is cursed. But I would have loved to have how she dies play out also. I felt like that was rushed and maybe that part doesn’t really matter but I wanted to see it play out.

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK:

“That’s the curious thing about monsters,” she whispers. “The worst ones don’t bother hiding in the dark.” – I, Medusa by. Ayana Gray

Final Thoughts:

This is a beautifully told story about Medusa’s life as a young woman. We get to see her upbringing and the power of men and the gods and goddesses. I felt helpless with Medusa but also proud of her for helping others who were in trouble. The female rage that Medusa and her sisters feel at the end is relevant to how women are feeling today, so this story is very timely. I do wish we got to see how her life played out until the very end, but other than that I loved this book.