The Witch of Colchis - Rosie Hewlett - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Rosie Hewlett

NARRATOR: Kristin Atherton

GENRE: Greek Myth Retelling

PUBLICATION DATE: September 10, 2024

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A retelling of the story of Medea from Greek mythology. Excellent character development and plot structuring. You don’t need to know the original myth, though you will certainly appreciate the book better if you do. Much recommended to fans of the genre.

Plot Preview:

Seventeen-year-old Medea, the princess of the island of Colchis, has always been reviled by her family for her natural tendency towards witchery. Her only support is from her younger sister Chalciope and her aunt Circe, but both of these too soon wander away from Medea’s life. So when the dashing hero Jason arrives with his band of argonauts to claim the magical Golden Fleece that is protected on the island, Medea decides to help him in his challenge, in return for his aid in escaping. This decision becomes a life-changing one for our young lead, taking her on a path that she hadn’t foreseen, and one that isn’t easier than what she left behind.

The story comes to us in Medea’s first-person perspective.

I had read this author’s self-published debut novel, ‘Medusa’, in 2021 and was blown away by her writing. It makes me glad to see that her second book has come through trad publishing, thereby potentially reaching a wider audience. She deserves every bit of success.

This book, published in the UK as ‘Medea’ and in the USA as ‘The Witch of Colchis’, contains all the positives from her first work, and pushes the bar even higher. At 464 pages, this book is more than double the length of Medusa (which was 204 pages long.) I was worried that this might indicate a dragged story, but the pacing of this narrative is perfect for the genre.

With enough background provided for every single character and situation, you don’t need to be familiar with Medea or Jason in order to enjoy this novel better. In fact, if you are unaware of these characters in the original Greek mythology, you will be more thrilled by the twists and turns coming your way. That said, if you do know her story, you will be able to appreciate the author’s angle much better. So there are pros and cons to each side.

The novel is divided in three parts, each coming from a distinct phase of Medea’s life. The first part lasts for about 70% of the book. This was easily my favourite in terms of plotline, as it offered everything that Greek mythology is known for: passion, foolishness, bravery, challenges, revenge, cheating, magic! The second part starts off somewhat boring, as there is a sudden shift in time and circumstances, leading to repetitive events and many inner monologues filled with uncertainty and self-pity. After the fast-paced first section, this sudden dip in pace made me wonder if my rating would plummet. But this situation soon resolves itself and the story takes a strong upwards turn that sustains till the end.

The first-person narrative is put to brilliant use in this book. I love how the author doesn’t dilute Medea’s negative tendencies. Rather, through every decision, we see the human underneath those cruel actions, making us wonder if Medea is a villain or a victim. Perhaps, both.

Though we get to hear only from Medea for most of the book, we still get enough of an insight into other characters such that we can gauge their personality traits as well. Many of the characters are annoying or self-obsessed or pompous or cruel… basically, unlikeable, but all these are trademarks of Greek myth characters and can’t be held against the book. Medea herself is not a picture-perfect angelic girl, and this complexity lends great depth to the plot, makes her a deserving eponymous lead.

The narration does get self-obsessed and rambling at times. Moreover, Medea tends to fixate on the superior anatomical attributes of men quite often, which can get irksome. But it helps to remember that Medea is just seventeen for a major part of the story. And just like most seventeen-year-olds, she is impulsive, allowing her passions rather than her brain to guide her. In fact, throughout the book, Medea ALWAYS acts her age; a brilliant indicator of how carefully the author has crafted her personality. You actually feel Medea's frustration as well as feel frustrated with her.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at 15 hours 24 minutes, is narrated by Kristin Atherton. She is BRILLIANT! She voices every single character and emotion to perfection. I simply loved her performance. The audiobook is definitely an excellent way of reading this long novel. The timeline is straightforward enough to keep track of, so it ought to work for audio newbies as well.

All in all, I mostly had a great time reading this novel. Medea’s obsession with her lover’s physical appeal did get on my nerves, but that issue is more due to personal reading preferences than a flaw of the book.

With two consecutive winners, Rosie Hewlett enters the list of authors whose books I will grab without bothering to read the synopsis.

Much recommended to all those who enjoy Greek mythology retellings. This is the dark story of a complex but flawed female character whose moral compass is skewed to listen to her heart than her head. As such, it also ought to work well with readers seeking a dramatic story of a woman who allows herself to be blinded by love.

My thanks to Recorded Books for providing the ALC of “The Witch of Colchis” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.