The Passions of Medea is a propulsive, beautifully written debut in the vein of Circe, The Song of Achilles, Ariadne, and The Witch’s Heart. But this time, it’s all about Medea, the witch in Greek mythology—and Circe’s niece—who killed her children as retaliation against her deceitful husband, Jason.

Having committed such a horrific crime, Medea isn’t a character that readers would naturally pity. But we do. In The Passions of Medea, we follow her early years on the lonely island of Kolchis, where her abusive father, her mysterious and absent mother, and her growing expertise in the art of sorcery shape her destiny. As Medea comes into her own as a woman and a witch, she meets the hero, Jason, preordained by the gods to be not only her husband, but also her lifeline to escape her isolated existence. Medea travels the treacherous seas with the Argonauts, battles demons she had never conceived of, and falls in love with the man who may ultimately be her downfall.

Katie Elconin-Donoho is a queer, agender writer and visual artist based in Los Angeles. They received their BA from the University of California Berkeley, and their work has previously been published in The Maine Review, The Offing, Autostraddle, The Belladonna, and Hooligan Magazine, among others.

Fans of mythical retellings through a feminist lens: Circe by Madeline Miller, Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel, A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair, Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

As Morgan had mentioned, readers cannot stop talking about Circe and other mythical retellings on TikTok. Readers are hungry for more, and I can see this novel doing well with the libraries and indies. In addition to the usual trades, marketing and publicity will target readers of the above titles.