First of all, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-ARC of Medusa of the Roses in exchange for an honest review. 

 

Zal and Anjir were best friends as kids who are now in love as adults. The only issue is that they must undergo surgical transition to pass for cis straight individuals because they reside in Iran, where it is illegal to be openly gay, and the government appears to accept transgender people. Anjir, who has always identified with the mythical gender-changing Tiresias, becomes even more determined to carry out their long-standing plan for the future: Anjir will become a woman, and they will move to a new town for a fresh start as husband and wife. This plan is further strengthened when Zal is brutally attacked after being seen with another man in public, despite the betrayal. 

 

Subsequently, Zal disappears, leaving a mysterious message that prompts Anjir to search for the other man in the hopes that he will lead to Zal. Anjir discovers that someone is following him as he follows and steals his way through Tehran's streets, clubs, library stacks, hotel rooms, and museum halls. There, he meets his troubled mother, his addict brother, and the vibrant Leyli, a new friend going through a transition of her own. Anjir's gender identity and morals are tested as she pursues love, peace, and self-determination, and it soon becomes evident that using more violence would be the quickest path to liberation. 

 

I honestly thought there would be huge Greek mythology influences, and there were, just not in the way I expected them to. It’s so unique and clever. However, I didn’t really connect to the writing style, so I didn’t really enjoy this as much. If it was at least 50 pages longer, I would have believed that the novel would be better, and I would have rated this book higher. It’s not that the book was bad, it was just not for me. Would still recommend it though.