Thank you to Pan Macmillan for providing this free advanced reader. The opinions expressed are my own.

Natalie Haynes „No Friend to this House“ is a greek mythology retelling of the story of Jason and Medea. This retelling is about sacrifice, love, abandoment and pride.

Official Blurb:

This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .
Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.
Medea—priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king—has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?
Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one—not even those closest to them—will be safe.

Haynes‘ skill to write various POVs in one book and still make it comprehendable/not too dense/easy to follow, is something I don’t usually see in other stories with that many POVs and no time frames given. Especially talking birds. I loved the talking bird.

This story begins with the journey of Jason and the Argonauts. We read about their quest, their influences and the gods, that helped them. I must confess that I didn’t really read much about the Argonauts – I knew of their existence in mythology but I never picked up a book about them. I am honestly always a little sceptical about greek mythology retelling as I don’t really know how much knowledge I have to have in order to understand the story. I was always proven wrong as I never encountered a problem reading a retelling even though I knew little about the mythology itself. NEVERTHELESS „No Friend to this House“ felt easy. Haynes writing is intruiging and she is really good at writing such complex characters like Jason – a man with such pride and love for adventure, but also cunning and sly.

Also Medea – Medea, oh my Medea. She is such a tragic character. Haynes captures her softness – the love for her children, the /not freely given/ love for Jason, the love for her family – and her unforgiving hardness – her hate towards Jason, murder. Haynes didn’t dissapoint writing Medea. Haynes portrayed her in a way that justifies her journey as a woman in a society and relationship that doesn’t treat her right. I know it’s a mythology but it felt relatable – except for murder, maybe.

I live for Haynes‘ Essay at the end of the book, so don’t skip it. I love that we get to read about her research, the process and her own opinions through the essay.  I would love to visit a seminar about greek mythology if Haynes does it.

This was a solid 4.5/5 for me.