Elektra: A Novel of the House of Atreus
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- Create Date：2022-04-24 09:52:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jennifer Saint
- ISBN：1472273923
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Summary
The House of Atreus is cursed。 A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance。 This is the story of three women， their fates inextricably tied to this curse， and the fickle nature of men and gods。
Clytemnestra
The sister of Helen， wife of Agamemnon - her hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris。 Her husband raises a great army against them， and determines to win， whatever the cost。
Cassandra
Princess of Troy， and cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it。 She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall。
Elektra
The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon， Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin。 But， can she escape the curse， or is her own destiny also bound by violence？
Praise for Jennifer Saint and ARIADNE:
'A lyrical， insightful re-telling' Daily Mail
'Relevant and revelatory' Stylist
'Energetic and compelling' Times
'An illuminating read' Woman & Home
'A story that's impossible to forget' Culturefly
Clytemnestra
The sister of Helen， wife of Agamemnon - her hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris。 Her husband raises a great army against them， and determines to win， whatever the cost。
Cassandra
Princess of Troy， and cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it。 She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall。
Elektra
The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon， Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin。 But， can she escape the curse， or is her own destiny also bound by violence？
Praise for Jennifer Saint and ARIADNE:
'A lyrical， insightful re-telling' Daily Mail
'Relevant and revelatory' Stylist
'Energetic and compelling' Times
'An illuminating read' Woman & Home
'A story that's impossible to forget' Culturefly
Reviews
Crystal Palmisano-dillard
，
The story of Troy from the perspective of the women in the tale。 Honestly if I hadn’t just read A Thousand Ships I might have enjoyed this more。 It wasn’t bad just very similar， maybe a bit less emotional/gruesome。 If you haven’t already read mythology focused on the ladies this is a good one。Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy！
dovesnook
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3。5/5 stars RTC
Lou | haus + hearth
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Another fantastic retelling of Greek mythology from Jennifer Saint！ I loved Ariadne and enjoyed Elektra just as much， any future retellings by Saint are definite auto-reads for me。 I love that the stories/perspectives she chooses to tell are ones that are not as well known so it feels like something new， not just a rehash of the stories we’ve heard many times/ways…and she does such a fantastic job of really fleshing the characters out and bringing the stories fully to brilliant， and often brutal Another fantastic retelling of Greek mythology from Jennifer Saint！ I loved Ariadne and enjoyed Elektra just as much， any future retellings by Saint are definite auto-reads for me。 I love that the stories/perspectives she chooses to tell are ones that are not as well known so it feels like something new， not just a rehash of the stories we’ve heard many times/ways…and she does such a fantastic job of really fleshing the characters out and bringing the stories fully to brilliant， and often brutal， life。The story moves through the different perspectives of Elektra， Cassandra， and Clytemnestra at different points in their lives but most of the story happens through the arc of the Trojan War。 For Elektra being the title character， she has the least ‘screen time’ of the three which is honestly ok cause she’s kind of the worst， so I think Saint made a good choice in not giving her more focus than she did。 It’s just enough to get to know and understand her， but not so much that her immature and kind of spoiled personality could veer into grating instead of ‘love to hate’…I kept waiting for her to redeem herself and become “better” some how， mature and grow up， something…because that’s what we’re so used to in stories， right？ So I actually loved that she never did， because that’s reality…people don’t always magically become better people who make better choices。 And all of that’s not to say that you don’t also feel bad for her and understand how she ended up like that， because it’s written so well that you are able to sympathize with and dislike her simultaneously。 Same goes for Clytemnestra who I felt was more dynamic overall。 She does terrible things but with the depth and perspective we’re given， you can still feel for and understand her at the same time。 Cassandra’s perspective probably tore my heart out the most of the three， I would have happily read an entire book just of her story。I really enjoyed that the audiobook was narrated by three different women （whose performances were great - especially Clytemnestra， she was excellent！） and I found their voices distinctive enough from each other that I didn’t have any trouble telling which character was currently narrating and it helped keep the story flowing without having to break for any other kind of signifiers。Fingers crossed for more retellings being in the works because I love these and absolutely want to read more！ Thank you to Macmillan for providing me with an eARC！ 。。。more
Kaila|Overbooked。Momma
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Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook for a honest review。 I really did enjoy this book and I haven’t read anything that had dealt with Elektra。 The narrators did a great job telling the story。 However， in the beginning of the book （the first couple of chapters） they specified who were the characters and then you were on your own trying to figure who was who。 This made it slightly confusing for me。 I also wanted to see more from Elektra。 We didn’t get that until the end of Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook for a honest review。 I really did enjoy this book and I haven’t read anything that had dealt with Elektra。 The narrators did a great job telling the story。 However， in the beginning of the book （the first couple of chapters） they specified who were the characters and then you were on your own trying to figure who was who。 This made it slightly confusing for me。 I also wanted to see more from Elektra。 We didn’t get that until the end of the book。 This book went into great depth and detail about the ladies point of view during the war。 I think Jennifer Saint’s writing is great。 。。。more
Melissa Billingslea
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 First of all， it was a story told very well。 But to be honest？ The entire book I was curious as to why it was called Elektra。 Sure， she was most of the drive at the end， but it took until the book was mostly finished before that was the case。 I would say this book is only 60% in her POV。 I almost wish it had been called by its subtitle， Women of the House of Atreus。 At least then I would have expected less of Elektra。 Although…。 I’m glad the entire book wasn’t in her POV。 She became a bit boring First of all， it was a story told very well。 But to be honest？ The entire book I was curious as to why it was called Elektra。 Sure， she was most of the drive at the end， but it took until the book was mostly finished before that was the case。 I would say this book is only 60% in her POV。 I almost wish it had been called by its subtitle， Women of the House of Atreus。 At least then I would have expected less of Elektra。 Although…。 I’m glad the entire book wasn’t in her POV。 She became a bit boring by the end。 And predictably obsessed with her father。 Almost like the author was playing more on the Freudian term than on the actual story。 Did I like it？ Yes。 Will I read it again？ Debatable。 。。。more
Allyson K
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This was AMAZING！ I read it in under 24 hours。 The multiple POVs made the story fly by。 I know very little about Greek mythology beyond the big guns， but I could tell this was going to all intertwine at the end and I couldn't wait to watch the story unfold。 I feel like women are often forgotten in the stories of the ancient Greeks， okay and throughout history， so it was so refreshing to read about three important Greek women。 I was a little surprised that it wasn't more focused on Elektra， which This was AMAZING！ I read it in under 24 hours。 The multiple POVs made the story fly by。 I know very little about Greek mythology beyond the big guns， but I could tell this was going to all intertwine at the end and I couldn't wait to watch the story unfold。 I feel like women are often forgotten in the stories of the ancient Greeks， okay and throughout history， so it was so refreshing to read about three important Greek women。 I was a little surprised that it wasn't more focused on Elektra， which I assumed would be mostly about her based on the title。 But I really did enjoy learning about all three women。 The stories told here are beautifully written， lyrically even。 I really liked that the story of the Trojan war itself was in the background giving room for the focus to be on these women。 The stories of these women deserve to be told and remembered just like the stories of the Gods。 I will absolutely be buying and reading anything that Saint puts out。 Three very different women were all brought together by one event， the Trojan war。 Clytemnestra， the wife of Agamemnon， and her daughter Elektra on one side of the war and Cassandra， princess of Troy， on the other。 Their lives changed drastically when Helen of Sparta， the most beautiful woman in the world， was taken to Troy sparking an all-out war that would span more than 10 years。 A story full of tragedy after tragedy， Saint weaves together the tales and history of three very different women at the heart of Ancient Greece。 Thank you to Flatiron for early access to this one！！ 。。。more
Carolina- Timber Oaks LFL
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I was so excited to read Elektra by Jennifer Saint。 I had not read any books that retold Elektra's point of view- although I have read an absurd amount of Greek myth retellings （and I love them）。I have mixed feelings about Elektra by Jennifer Saint。 I enjoyed the novel， but I don't think it delivers what it promises。 Based on the title， I expected the story to center Elektra。 Yet， she doesn't become relevant until the last fourth of the book。 Even then， her character is flat and- for me- not com I was so excited to read Elektra by Jennifer Saint。 I had not read any books that retold Elektra's point of view- although I have read an absurd amount of Greek myth retellings （and I love them）。I have mixed feelings about Elektra by Jennifer Saint。 I enjoyed the novel， but I don't think it delivers what it promises。 Based on the title， I expected the story to center Elektra。 Yet， she doesn't become relevant until the last fourth of the book。 Even then， her character is flat and- for me- not compelling at all。 I think Saint really missed the opportunity to develop the character and give us a real glimpse into her relationships and mindset。 All the details that could have given Elektra some weight are vague and brief （probably because 75% of the novel is spent in Troy unnecessarily）。 Elektra's mother， Clytemnestra， is given much more attention。 I enjoyed her character， and certainly saw more depth there。Cassandra， daughter of King Priam， is also part of the novel。 Although I probably enjoyed her parts the best， I do not think she should have been given her own POV in this novel。 For me， she made the novel convoluted。 Cassandra's storyline takes you away from Mycenea， where Clytemnestra and especially the title character Elektra could have used more attention。 I wish we would have known Cassandra only from Clytemnestra's perspective and their interaction。 。。。more
Abdul Rauf
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Elektra: A Novel of the House of Atreus Elektra: A Novel of the House of Atreus 。。。more
Ashley
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I received this as an ARC from Netgalley。com。First line: Mycenae is silent， but I can’t sleep tonight。Summary: Told through three female voices of the Trojan War， the reader is transported into the world of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous wars of all time。 Clytemnestra is the sister of Helen and wife of Agamemnon。 Her sister is taken by the Prince of Troy， Paris。 As her husband prepares for war at any cost Clytemnestra is shattered by his choices。Cassandra is a princess of Troy but cur I received this as an ARC from Netgalley。com。First line: Mycenae is silent， but I can’t sleep tonight。Summary: Told through three female voices of the Trojan War， the reader is transported into the world of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous wars of all time。 Clytemnestra is the sister of Helen and wife of Agamemnon。 Her sister is taken by the Prince of Troy， Paris。 As her husband prepares for war at any cost Clytemnestra is shattered by his choices。Cassandra is a princess of Troy but cursed by the god Apollo with visions of the future。 However， with this power comes the disbelief of everyone around her。 She sees the future of Troy but cannot do anything to stop it。And Elektra is the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra。 The war has taken everything from her。 She knows that her family is cursed but is she destined to break it or follow in her ancestors footsteps？My Thoughts: When I saw that Jennifer Saint was doing another Greek retelling I was beyond excited。 I loved Ariadne！ It was a story I was unfamiliar with and it reignited my interest in the Ancient Greeks。 Similar to Ariadne is the story of Elektra。 I had never heard of Elektra or Clytemnestra since I have not read The Illiad by Homer。 I think now I will have to pick it up。 I remember reading and enjoying The Odyssey in high school。I liked Cassandra’s storyline the most。 She was an instrument of the gods who is mistreated by her family even as she continues to try and save them and her city。 But the other two characters， Clytemnestra and Elektra， drove me crazy。 Both were driven by revenge and hatred。 I know that this was their roles in the myth but it was just so much that I really despised both of them。 Saint did a good job of making them unlikeable but I could also understand their anger to a point。 They had both been hurt by someone they loved。I hope that Jennifer Saint continues with these retellings because I will be there for all of them！FYI: Lots of murder and blood！ 。。。more
Charlie Morris （Read， Watch & Drink Coffee）
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Compelling， captivating， and completely absorbing， Elektra is brought to life with Saint's beautifully poetic prose。 Any time that she described the weather or the sea， I felt the setting wash over me， as her three powerful leading women take the stage to share their experiences of the consequences of men。Each character is written with such dedication and the perspective of their story is absolutely fascinating。 I've heard of Helen and Agamemnon before， of course， and already knew the reasons fo Compelling， captivating， and completely absorbing， Elektra is brought to life with Saint's beautifully poetic prose。 Any time that she described the weather or the sea， I felt the setting wash over me， as her three powerful leading women take the stage to share their experiences of the consequences of men。Each character is written with such dedication and the perspective of their story is absolutely fascinating。 I've heard of Helen and Agamemnon before， of course， and already knew the reasons for the battle of Troy， but Saint focuses on the characters who are left behind by the men who go off to fight in honour of their own egos--the ones who were actually most affected by it。While Elektra gives this book its title， she only really becomes prominent in the final part of the book， as the story is more about the situations going on around her which mould her into the woman she becomes。 I didn't find her particularly likeable as she's a hard character to sympathise with， but I also found the arc of her story so interesting。 And as far Cassandra and Clytemnestra， they were both so engrossing， and it is their perspective that gives this story such a unique spin。Although the book is only 352 pages long， it did feel a little long in places which is the only thing that has prevented me from giving it a full five stars。 I usually read more than one book at once， but I was completely consumed by this book and couldn't concentrate on anything else。 And the story does span over ten years so Saint does a fantastic job of fitting so much into so few pages。 But it still took me three days to make my way through， so the pace did drag out for me， which really is my only criticism。For fans of Greek mythology， Elektra is set around the time of the Trojan war so it does cover some familiar ground， but it also adds so much more to the story。 For readers who haven't read a lot of Greek mythology before， I'm sure you will still enjoy this retelling but I would recommend reading a few others books first。 Stephen Fry's Mythos is an easy and enjoyable way to get used to many of the character names， while Madeline Miller's The Song Of Achilles gives a lot of insight into those at the centre of the Trojan war which will add a lot of context to this story。I also still have Jennifer Saint's Ariadne waiting for me。 And after this， it's definitely high on my priorities！ 。。。more
Leah M
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Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review。CONTENT WARNING: murder， cannibalism， blood， rapeWhile this is titled Elektra， it actually focuses on three women—Clytemnestra， Elektra， and Cassandra， and the story easily flows over decades。 While some of the story is familiar to me， we get more than the typical Trojan War rehash in this book。 It starts well in advance， with Clytemnestra looking on as many suitors vie for her sister， Hel Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review。CONTENT WARNING: murder， cannibalism， blood， rapeWhile this is titled Elektra， it actually focuses on three women—Clytemnestra， Elektra， and Cassandra， and the story easily flows over decades。 While some of the story is familiar to me， we get more than the typical Trojan War rehash in this book。 It starts well in advance， with Clytemnestra looking on as many suitors vie for her sister， Helen’s hand in marriage。 We get to see the world through the eyes of these three very different women， and I was absolutely hooked from very early on。 It presents a ton of information， but never felt overwhelming or as though it lagged。Clytemnestra was probably my favorite perspective。 We get a first-hand account of her life， including growing up as Helen’s twin in Sparta， marrying Agamemnon， bearing children， grieving unimaginable loss at the hands of her husband on the eve of the Trojan War， and sitting for a full decade and plotting her revenge。I also liked seeing the world through Cassandra’s eyes—as she focused on becoming a devout priestess of Apollo， blessed with the gift of prophecy and simultaneously cursed with the fact that no one would believe the accurate visions she had， through the siege of Troy， and then briefly on her enslavement as a war prize of Agamemnon。 Often， she was portrayed as mad rather than cursed by the gods， but in this book she’s lucid and sees reason more than any of the other characters。The perspective I struggled with the most was that of Elektra。 I could understand the nature of her rage， but I found that she was often single-minded， refusing to see even a hint of any other side to any situation， and focusing her entire life to revenge， regardless of who got hurt in the meantime。These women are all so different， but strong and wily。 In a world that offers women little power or agency， each of these have grasped the reins of their life to the best of their ability。 Unfortunately， I know how Greek tragedies work， and was aware that none of these stories had a happy ending。 My heart broke for these women， and the way that factors outside of their control had so much influence on the course of their lives， but also how their own objectives often set the wheels of destruction in motion， without them seeing their part in it until it was too late。This reminded me somewhat of The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker， although these women have far more freedom than the women captured and enslaved by the Greek army on their way to Troy。 It really made me think about generational trauma， and how deeply this runs， quite like a curse， with everyone going around in circles as a result。 Often， violence begets violence， hate leads to more hate， and then there isn’t any foreseeable way to end the cycle。 I fell in love with the writing style as well。 Saint manages to cram decades worth of experiences into a book that is just over 300 pages， and preventing the writing from dragging。 This can’t be easy， especially as she covers the decade spent waiting for the war to end。 It seems to be very well researched， covering all the bases of the original stories of The Iliad， The Odyssey， and Elektra， plus more that I’m sure I’m not even aware of。 I’m so grateful that I got the chance to read this before it was released， and it just reinforced my love of classical Greek mythology， especially those with a feminist twist to them。 。。。more
Pipa
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I fell in love with Saint’s writing after her first Greek retelling， Ariadne。 I was therefore so excited to have been offered an E-ARC of Elektra - thank you to the publisher and NetGalley！I sometimes think that there must be a lot of pressure on an author when they produce a beautiful debut。 How can their second novel ever live up to the glory of their first？ In this case， I certainly wasn’t disappointed。 The story is so rich and intricately woven， with the stories of three women in particular I fell in love with Saint’s writing after her first Greek retelling， Ariadne。 I was therefore so excited to have been offered an E-ARC of Elektra - thank you to the publisher and NetGalley！I sometimes think that there must be a lot of pressure on an author when they produce a beautiful debut。 How can their second novel ever live up to the glory of their first？ In this case， I certainly wasn’t disappointed。 The story is so rich and intricately woven， with the stories of three women in particular coming to life （Elektra， Clytemnestra， Cassandra） when traditionally they were considered to be secondary characters。 The settings were so vivid and the emotions raw。 Amazing。What I particularly loved was the change in tone。 Elektra is arguably much more gritty than Ariadne， with a strong focus on hate and vengefulness。 I really enjoyed the underlying exploration of its futility。 Overall， I absolutely adore this and can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy （which is just as stunning as Ariadne）。 This has been one of my favourites of 2022 so far！ 。。。more
Neila
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The writing is highly compelling and Jennifer Saint manages to give life to female characters from centuries ago。 Female characters are often overlooked in mythology and only seen as pawns to marry off， so it's refreshing to see the story from their POV， through their decisions and thoughts。 This book would be ideal for those who have little to no grasp on Greek mythology as it explains very well and in details all the events。 I think that even for those who know already the stories in depth， th The writing is highly compelling and Jennifer Saint manages to give life to female characters from centuries ago。 Female characters are often overlooked in mythology and only seen as pawns to marry off， so it's refreshing to see the story from their POV， through their decisions and thoughts。 This book would be ideal for those who have little to no grasp on Greek mythology as it explains very well and in details all the events。 I think that even for those who know already the stories in depth， this can still bring a different insight and might be a pleasant way of refreshing your memory on these events。My biggest qualm is that for a book called Elektra， we have surprisingly little of her life and she seems a bit too much on the sidelines in comparison to the two other POVs we follow （Clytemnestra and Cassandra）。 To me， she was the least fleshed out and nuanced， out of the three and the least interesting to follow with her very linear thinking。 I understand why she is there and that she ends the story， but honestly the link between all these events was Agamemnon or maybe Clytemnestra if we want a female POV， not Elektra。 I think that as a title Elektra is definitely more compelling， but to set the record straight it's not as focused on her as I expected it to be （which might be for the best as I did not particularly care about her）。40% of this book occurs during the Trojan war， which in my opinion has been overdone and is not really the most interesting event to follow in the Greek mythology。 For those who are not fed up yet with this particular event in mythology， I am sure this can be an easy 5 stars book as all the rest is amazing， but to me， I have little interest to re-read about Achilles and his heel issues， so it had me deducting one star from my rating。Overall， the writing is amazing， the characters are layered and the events are presented faithfully to the mythology， while still feeling like a breeze of fresh air through the female POV。 Greatly recommend， and will definitely pick up any future books by the author！ （Also picking up Ariadne next week！）Thank you NetGalley， for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Becca Mee
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Okay， so this isn't a negative review of the book itself or Saint's writing， but of the audiobook itself。 I fervently believe that I would have enjoyed ELEKTRA a lot more if not for the choices made in the production of the audiobook itself， so I'll start off with my big beef with it:We have a multi-POV book focusing on Cassandra， Clymenstra and Elektra before， during， and after the Battle of Troy。 For the narration， there are 3 different narrators， but those narrators sound very similar in the Okay， so this isn't a negative review of the book itself or Saint's writing， but of the audiobook itself。 I fervently believe that I would have enjoyed ELEKTRA a lot more if not for the choices made in the production of the audiobook itself， so I'll start off with my big beef with it:We have a multi-POV book focusing on Cassandra， Clymenstra and Elektra before， during， and after the Battle of Troy。 For the narration， there are 3 different narrators， but those narrators sound very similar in the way they speak。 None of this was EXPLICITLY bad。 But when you have a multi-POV book， there's usually an indication at the beginning of each chapter where the POV shifts of which character is speaking。 Even in audiobooks that have a male and female narrator this is a thing， but not in Elektra。 You get that for the first 3 chapters and then you are on your own。 If you haven't memorized which narrator belongs to which character yet， you are out of luck。 This was a horrible choice and ruined this book for me。 I was so confused and half the time I had no idea who was speaking or what was going on。 You can't just make these assumptions， especially for those of us who are hearing impaired and have a hard time with depth perception。 Because I was completely disconnected from the story in this way， I couldn't rate it any higher， even though the moments that did suck me in （which because of the narration issue， didn't happen often） were well-written， and I found some of the characters to be compelling。 I also loved the fierce feminist rage that laces these pages and how Saint has brought about the agency， involvement and loss women faced in these stories。 But yeah。 I am being generous because I like Saint and her writings， but the choices made in this audiobook are a disservice for readers like me。 。。。more
3 Things About This Book
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I don’t think I’ll ever be bored of reading retellings of stories of Ancient Greek women， mythology， or Trojan War。 There is something about them that is so familiar - not because I shared the land with them， but I found that value placed on women and size of men’s ego haven’t changed since then。 Women were treated as a commodity and all they thought of were their children。 It’s still the case today。 Yet men only thought of their name and so called honour and it’s still the case today。Elektra wa I don’t think I’ll ever be bored of reading retellings of stories of Ancient Greek women， mythology， or Trojan War。 There is something about them that is so familiar - not because I shared the land with them， but I found that value placed on women and size of men’s ego haven’t changed since then。 Women were treated as a commodity and all they thought of were their children。 It’s still the case today。 Yet men only thought of their name and so called honour and it’s still the case today。Elektra was her father’s daughter。 She loved him so much。 His faults， his ego， his guilt， his misgivings did not mean anything to her。 Agamemnon was only a father， a king to her。 Not a murderer， not vile enough to murder his own daughter for nothing。 Clytemnestra was a princess but second grade one compared to her famous twin， Helen。 She married Agamemnon to have a comfortable life， to be a mother to children that she would cherish all her life。 Yet Helen messed things up for her again。 She died with her daughter forgetting she had three more children。 Cassandra was across the sea from these two， behind solid walls of Troy。 But she was as invisible as those two were。 No one took a minute to listen to any of them。While they were on the opposite sides of the war， all these women were the same in spirit。 They deserved more， they deserved to be understood， they deserved to mourn and be mourned， they deserved to have an opinion。 But somehow they were pitted against each other。 While men played war and celebrated after like nothing happened， women continued to carry the burden and trauma of men’s little games。 If you are into Greek mythology and retellings， this is highly recommended。 。。。more
India （IndiaReadsALot）
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DNF @ 25%I really wanted to like this。 I enjoyed Ariadne a lot and I was looking forward to reading more of Saint's work。 Especially as this is an element of greek mythology I don't know that well。 Unfortunately， I was just bored。 I think this was down to the writing style as I did not find it engaging at all。 DNF @ 25%I really wanted to like this。 I enjoyed Ariadne a lot and I was looking forward to reading more of Saint's work。 Especially as this is an element of greek mythology I don't know that well。 Unfortunately， I was just bored。 I think this was down to the writing style as I did not find it engaging at all。 。。。more
Nic
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I was offered this book as an ARC via NetGalley。 It is a retelling of the fall of Troy but from numerous female perspectives。 Whilst， some may complain that this means that you miss out on a lot of the 'action' as many of these characters hear of the 'heroic deeds' second hand， I found it interesting to have an easy and enjoyable read that rounded out the events。 I particularly enjoyed the fact that the book does not end with the fall of Troy so you learn a little more about the broader events。 I was offered this book as an ARC via NetGalley。 It is a retelling of the fall of Troy but from numerous female perspectives。 Whilst， some may complain that this means that you miss out on a lot of the 'action' as many of these characters hear of the 'heroic deeds' second hand， I found it interesting to have an easy and enjoyable read that rounded out the events。 I particularly enjoyed the fact that the book does not end with the fall of Troy so you learn a little more about the broader events。 Personally， I have read/watched enough versions of the story from the point of Helen and Paris so enjoyed this different take。 。。。more
Becca
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Ah I really enjoyed Jennifer Saint's second novel Elektra， a follow up to last years Ariadne （which I also loved）。 It follows Elektra and her mother， plus Cassandra， through the Trojan War and before and after it。 I knew nothing of these characters before so it was really gripping not knowing where it was going to go！There's some really strong themes in here， particularly around motherhood and family， revenge and power。 It was interesting to see a take on the myth where Helen or Achilles weren't Ah I really enjoyed Jennifer Saint's second novel Elektra， a follow up to last years Ariadne （which I also loved）。 It follows Elektra and her mother， plus Cassandra， through the Trojan War and before and after it。 I knew nothing of these characters before so it was really gripping not knowing where it was going to go！There's some really strong themes in here， particularly around motherhood and family， revenge and power。 It was interesting to see a take on the myth where Helen or Achilles weren't the protagonist， though they do feature prominently。 Overall another heartbreaking retelling。 Something about these feminist retellings really appeals to me。 The writing in this one is gorgeous。 。。。more
Melissa
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"I don’t know what my destiny might be， but I know that I was not born to do nothing。"Jennifer Saint’s writing style is thought-provoking and rich。 She brings so much depth to the inner thoughts， hopes， dreams， and desires of the lesser-known female characters of Greek mythology， who are often portrayed as flat and one-dimensional in the traditional stories。 Her ability to infuse heart and soul into ancient Greek characters is unparalleled！I enjoyed reading Ariadneand was similarly captivated by "I don’t know what my destiny might be， but I know that I was not born to do nothing。"Jennifer Saint’s writing style is thought-provoking and rich。 She brings so much depth to the inner thoughts， hopes， dreams， and desires of the lesser-known female characters of Greek mythology， who are often portrayed as flat and one-dimensional in the traditional stories。 Her ability to infuse heart and soul into ancient Greek characters is unparalleled！I enjoyed reading Ariadneand was similarly captivated by Elektra - I especially enjoyed the introduction of characters like Cassandra and Clytemnestra， with whom I was less familiar than I was with those in Saint's previous book。 Learning their stories for the first time from a more feminist perspective was so interesting。 I would highly recommend this book to any fan of Greek mythology！——A huge thank you to Jennifer Saint， Flatiron Books， and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Kate Brown
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When I saw the audio of this available on NetGalley I figured I would give it this one a try。 I haven’t read anything else from this author but I’ve heard good things about Ariadne so I hoped I would be safe。 I liked her writing and I thought the flow of the story worked well。 There were a few parts where I found myself unsure which persons perspective I was in but I was mostly able to track it。 All 3 women have their own narrator so that was really helpful。 I would maybe recommend reading this When I saw the audio of this available on NetGalley I figured I would give it this one a try。 I haven’t read anything else from this author but I’ve heard good things about Ariadne so I hoped I would be safe。 I liked her writing and I thought the flow of the story worked well。 There were a few parts where I found myself unsure which persons perspective I was in but I was mostly able to track it。 All 3 women have their own narrator so that was really helpful。 I would maybe recommend reading this one with your eyes instead of your ears if that’s an option for you。 The audiobook is good I just caught myself needing to back up a few times because I missed something。 Mostly a me thing but figured I would share my experience。 If you like Greek mythology retellings you will like this。 Check it out if that’s your thing。 Thank you to NetGalley， Flatiron Books， and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook。 Release date is 5/3！ 。。。more
Sacha
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4 stars Saint's second mythological retelling with a more modern， fem-friendly perspective， is even more successful than her last。 If you're interested in the topic and/or have the slightest inkling of who the titular character is （and you don't need to be a buff because Saint is going to paint enough of a picture for even those with the most basic understanding to succeed here）， queue this。 I've been teaching Great Myths and Legends at the college level for nearly two decades now， and I'm a dev 4 stars Saint's second mythological retelling with a more modern， fem-friendly perspective， is even more successful than her last。 If you're interested in the topic and/or have the slightest inkling of who the titular character is （and you don't need to be a buff because Saint is going to paint enough of a picture for even those with the most basic understanding to succeed here）， queue this。 I've been teaching Great Myths and Legends at the college level for nearly two decades now， and I'm a devoted Miller fan （and constant teacher of her works）。 So， I found myself somewhat expectedly underwhelmed by Saint's first effort， _Ariadne_， because I couldn't quite separate that outrageous character development I'm used to from more of the explication that appears in Saint's work。 I enjoyed but did not love the first one。 But， I found myself much more engaged in the stories and perspectives of these women。 Folks who have the opportunity to pick up the audio version should。 The narration is fantastic。 Clytemnestra comes across as - well - completely reasonable， and that is due to a mix of stellar writing and performing。 The person who narrates Elektra captures the secretive， questioning， vulnerable qualities mixed expertly with Elektra's passion for vengeance。 Perhaps the best modern moment she needed but did not get is learning to "Let It Go" with Elsa， but wow。 Saint and the narrator really highlight the complexity behind what seems like Elektra's immature and somewhat basic desire to avenge her father （and really herself。。。that life she *should* have been living）。 I came into Saint's work a pleasantly surprised skeptic last year， but with this most recent installment， I'm finding myself a legitimate fan。 Of course， I'll be sharing a strong recommendation that my students and all interested parties pick up this one （especially the audio version where available）。 *Special thanks to NetGalley， Macmillan Audio， and Macmillan Audio's arc approver， who moves faster than Helios at daybreak to get these books in our eager ears。 I received the audio arc in exchange for an honest review， and the opinions expressed here are my own。 。。。more
Éimhear （A Little Haze）
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One of the hallmarks of a great book is that you can’t bear to put it down。 Conversely finding any excuse to be distracted and leave it for days on end can’t be a good thing。 Sadly， it was very much the latter for me with Elektra。 I was so incredibly bored by it all… which is a similar issue I had with the author’s first book Ariadne however I did enjoy that more than this。 So I was quite willing to read Elektra to see if this would be a new five star favourite for me as I absolutely adore all t One of the hallmarks of a great book is that you can’t bear to put it down。 Conversely finding any excuse to be distracted and leave it for days on end can’t be a good thing。 Sadly， it was very much the latter for me with Elektra。 I was so incredibly bored by it all… which is a similar issue I had with the author’s first book Ariadne however I did enjoy that more than this。 So I was quite willing to read Elektra to see if this would be a new five star favourite for me as I absolutely adore all things Greek mythology but this book， this story？ It felt overdone。 There was nothing new added to the retelling of these characters’ lives I felt。 There are only so many times one can read the same old depictions of Troy unless there’s a fresh new angle to explore。 Same goes for the Oresteia cycle。 The novel gives us the story from the point of view of three separate characters: Elektra， Clytemnestra， and Cassandra。 Which to me was a bit disconcerting considering the title of the book is ‘Elektra’。 I would have preferred a more all encompassing title rather than fixating on one of the leads。Elektra honestly baffles me as a character in this retelling。 She feels more like a caricature rather than a living， breathing soul with personality and emotion。 Her purpose in the novel feels more akin to a convenient plot device ie to have an opposing view to that of Clytemnestra instead of a person who genuinely feels the way she feels， and believes all the things she does。 At times she’s like a petulant child throwing her toys out of the pram， or possibly a pantomime villain。 There was a point in the story where she was defending the right of her father Agamemnon to claim Briseis as a spoil of war and I’m there sitting like really？ She devalues other women that much？ I know I’m reading from the biased viewpoint of modern times where hopefully women are thought of as more than commodities （although there’s a strong case to be argued that things are still as archaically patriarchal） but reading these viewpoints seemed illogical because her storyline and character motivations were woefully underdeveloped。 Therefore it just makes for a whole lot of frustrating reading。 Cassandra as a character just feels entirely superfluous to events。 Her point of view is only ever used as pure exposition rather than giving us a character that truly comes alive on the page。 Clytemnestra’s chapters made her my my favourite of the three featured main characters。 At least we were given some meatiness to her story and to the complexities of emotions she felt regarding all of her children。 But even an engaging depiction of Clytemnestra wasn’t enough to save this book for me。 It felt tedious to read and ultimately this was a disappointing read for me as it never made me feel all the emotions I was hoping for。 *An e-copy was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley for honest review* Publication Date: 28th April 2022Publisher: Headline For in depth book reviews check out my blog 。。。more
Sabrina Burton
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Publication Date: 28th April 2022Firstly， thank you to Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review of this new book。 Unfortunately this book is not going to be added to my list of favourite Greek Myth retellings。 This book is a fantastic story about Clytemnestra and Cassandra， I am very confused about why its called Elektra as it has very little to do with her and up until 75% she has no effect on the story。 I loved the characterisation of both Clytemnestra and Cassandra bo Publication Date: 28th April 2022Firstly， thank you to Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review of this new book。 Unfortunately this book is not going to be added to my list of favourite Greek Myth retellings。 This book is a fantastic story about Clytemnestra and Cassandra， I am very confused about why its called Elektra as it has very little to do with her and up until 75% she has no effect on the story。 I loved the characterisation of both Clytemnestra and Cassandra both interesting and complicated， Clytemnestra's need for revenge propelling the story forward。 Having read and loved The Oresteian Trilogy I was expecting to love this book。 The writing is beautiful and the intertwined stories were amazingly done。 Unfortunately there were also the paragraphs from Elektra's perspective which I found dull and the character both unlikeable and extremely boring， she was one dimensional and her mind was not interesting to explore unlike the other 2 characters。 Without Elektra this would have been 5 stars but unfortunately those paragraphs bring the book down to 3 stars and was almost a dnf。 I highly recommend reading The Oresteian Trilogy and this book is enjoyable as it gives Clytemnestra and Cassandra voices but I could have done without Elektra as a character。 。。。more
Laura （laurareads_）
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3。5⭐️ Ironically， it would have been better with less Elektra
Etta （Chonky Books Review）
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After reading and greatly enjoying the author’s debut novel， Ariadne， I was excited to get my hands on her newest release， Elektra。 While the tales themselves may be different， I liked how the author’s writing style flowed between the two novels。 I love Greek mythology and Jennifer Saint brings some familiar characters to life by telling their own tales。 Elektra follows three women of the Trojan Wars， Clytemnestra， Agamemmnon’s wife， and sister of Helen， her youngest daughter， Elektra， and Cassa After reading and greatly enjoying the author’s debut novel， Ariadne， I was excited to get my hands on her newest release， Elektra。 While the tales themselves may be different， I liked how the author’s writing style flowed between the two novels。 I love Greek mythology and Jennifer Saint brings some familiar characters to life by telling their own tales。 Elektra follows three women of the Trojan Wars， Clytemnestra， Agamemmnon’s wife， and sister of Helen， her youngest daughter， Elektra， and Cassandra， the Princess of Troy with the gift of foresight and cursed by Apollo。 While I have learned a little about these three characters in other works， I am not an expert and have not memorized all the details of their stories。 As this is a retelling of well-known stories， there are not a lot of surprises as the reader knows many elements before the beginning， but I love how Saint weaved them together to make them her own。Agamemmnon was an interesting character as he was explored as the husband of Clytemnestra and the father of Elektra。 With the sacrifice of Elektra’s sister， Iphigenia， in exchange for a favorable wind to take the army to the Troy battlefront， the reader sees Clytemnestra and Elektra on opposing sides。 While readers familiar with these 1000ish-year-old tales know these elements， it was interesting to read about Saint’s take on each character。 While both women are set in their goals， it is difficult to fully align with one or the other。 Both have sympathetic moments， and both have moments where it seems the reader will disagree with them。 Originally， I was wondering how Cassandra’s perspective would add anything to the story considering that the mother-daughter dynamic seemed the most important; however， I enjoyed her struggle with her curse。 Agamemmnon may have been the connector between the three characters， but I enjoyed how each of their stories stood on their own。Through reading， it is apparent that the author has done her research as there are many poems and tales incorporated in this retelling。 The writing itself may not be simple in nature with its prose， but it is engaging and has a great flow。 There is a lot of emotion expressed in the writing where there is anger， and despair， with some brief moments of happiness。 It follows along with the Greek tragedy theme that most takes have while not going too far into making it peril after peril where the reader loses interest。 All three women had amazing stories and I loved how Saint weaved them together。 Each was distinctive yet they all flowed well together。 The Trojan War played out within the story without being at the immediate forefront， which I liked as it helped this novel stand out even more with the focus remaining on the three characters。 Overall， I loved this novel。 It was engaging throughout with excellent prose and well-written characters。 After enjoying both Ariadne and Elektra， I am very excited to see what story Jennifer Saint comes up with next！ [4。5 rounded to 5]**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher， Flatiron Books， for a review copy of this entertaining and enjoyable novel。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。** 。。。more
Katie
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4。75/5 ！！！WOW！！ this book blew me away， I need to sit and write an actual review but for now just know this is one of the best retellings i’ve read。 she dug into each characters emotions and really laid them out in a short span of time。 I hate Elektra so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book， but it brought a lot of conflicting emotions as thoughts which I really enjoyed！ definitely check it out when it releases MAY 3rd！full review to come
Madeline
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At first I gave this three stars because I received an ARC that not only had one woman on the cover but also had completely different flap copy。 So I assumed this book was going to be very different and felt mislead。 Not that I’ve taken some time to think and read the accurate description it’s definitely more of a 4 star read to me。 Great writing and interesting approach at retelling。 But some things just didn’t work for me。
Jasmine
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My heart and my soul 😭🫠♥️❤️🩹 One of my favorite favorite things about the book universe are retellings such as this， hell！ Who’s heard of Elektra before？ I’ve literally heard her MENTIONED in someone else’s story。 So in the same respect， I love reading the stories of unrecognized characters of legend！ I’ve followed Greek mythology along with several other mythologies and legends， like for example: we all know Clytemnestra’s reign leading up to and of being a villainess。 But was she really？ This My heart and my soul 😭🫠♥️❤️🩹 One of my favorite favorite things about the book universe are retellings such as this， hell！ Who’s heard of Elektra before？ I’ve literally heard her MENTIONED in someone else’s story。 So in the same respect， I love reading the stories of unrecognized characters of legend！ I’ve followed Greek mythology along with several other mythologies and legends， like for example: we all know Clytemnestra’s reign leading up to and of being a villainess。 But was she really？ This story allowed me to be with her and feel with her。 And I love that for Clytemnestra。Cassandra is the epitome of the gods age and of the modern age。 She had beauty and awkwardness; courage and compassion。 She was all of these things but was always overshadowed by her sisters。 Cassandra was bold enough to refuse the mighty Apollo and was cursed for it。 Mmm， cliche yes， but REAL。 STRONG， BRILLIANT， OVERLOOKED。 This novel graces the strength， courage， sacrifice， candor， brutality endured by woman in the age of men。Women have fought for centuries for the rights we have today。 Women were loud and bold for as long as forever。 This novel grants the women the respect they deserve。 And allows us readers to take an adventure with them。 Into grief。 Despair。 Longing。 Compassion。 Fury。 Oppression。 Don’t take my word for it。 Read it 🥹Disclosure: I was gifted an Advanced Readers Copy of this book by @flatironbooks。 The review are in my own words and are wholeheartedly my honest opinion。 。。。more
Rachel
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2。5⭐️This was the biggest slog & took me way longer than necessary to read because I never wanted to pick it up。 I was excited for this but ultimately was a huge let down。 I was not impressed by the writing and as another reviewer put it， it was “a mile wide and two feet deep”。 It attempted to cover so much ground but none of it contained depth or was written in a way that made me feel for any of the characters （ok a tiny bit for Clytemnestra）。 & While covering so much ground it still felt 50 pa 2。5⭐️This was the biggest slog & took me way longer than necessary to read because I never wanted to pick it up。 I was excited for this but ultimately was a huge let down。 I was not impressed by the writing and as another reviewer put it， it was “a mile wide and two feet deep”。 It attempted to cover so much ground but none of it contained depth or was written in a way that made me feel for any of the characters （ok a tiny bit for Clytemnestra）。 & While covering so much ground it still felt 50 pages too long and so repetitive。 I only need to be told once or twice that when the Greeks return from war their mothers will be older and their children grown & that Clytemnestra has waited 10 years to seek her revenge & that Elektra has waited another 10 for the same but it’s repeated over and over。 This could have been stronger had it been a more in depth story focusing solely on Clytemnestra or Cassandra but the three POV’s made the story weaker and more surface level。 & Elektra is insufferable！ This isn’t a feminist retelling & I don’t feel this brings any new insight to this well known story。 :/ 。。。more
kindleandkettle
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