Reviews tagging 'War'

Electra by Jennifer Saint

134 reviews

kenzieburns's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Honestly didn't wow me. The prose was beautiful, much like "Ariadne," but the story felt flat. Maybe it was because I've read 2 other books on the same myth previously ("A Thousand Ships" by Natalie Haynes and "Clytemnestra" by Costanza Castasi), but I didn't feel like this book brought anything new to the table. Also, I was expecting to have only Electra's POV, and I think that having the 2 other POVs was interesting but just really made me hate Elektra more. Like I really didn't like Elektra. She was so so focused on hatred for her mom over a man she basically never met. Also I just hate Agamemnon in general so her weird devotion to him just made me dislike her even more. Honestly this novel overall wasn't great after having already read 2 others on the subject, but if it hand been my first on the subject I might have enjoyed it more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, War, and Death

vnfhcxksiw's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Slavery, Toxic relationship, War, Toxic friendship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Genocide, Infidelity, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture

coyotes_tiptoe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Murder, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Blood

emmastrange's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed 2/3rds of this book. I found Elektra’s chapters really difficult to relate to and sympathize with, which is disappointing considering she’s the “title character.” The writing, themes, and imagery was all so good throughout and I read through it quickly. However, for a book that relies so heavily on characters, I’d expect more nuance and development for both Elektra and Cassandra. Loved Clytemnestra

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: War

Minor: Rape

lindsayflor_95's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, and Death

Moderate: War and Violence

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

saintsunflower's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, War, Death of parent, Death, and Child death

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've recently been loving Greek novels led by women, and I've already read two others about the Siege of Troy. But I still enjoyed reading about it again. Clytemnestra and Cassandra have both come up in other novels but Elektra's perspective was new, and also adds a level of moral complexity to Clytemnestra's story.

There were definitely some sections that felt repetitive after A Thousand Ships and The Silence of the Girls. But that was entirely down to my experience and no reflection on the writing, which is fantastic.

As Agamemnon returns to Mycenae we entered newer territory, particularly in Elektra and Orestes' stories, and I found myself much more engaged. But like with Ariadne, there is no happy ending or redemption in these stories. There is a sense of futility to the vengeance Clytemnestra and Elektra crave, and an inevitability to their stories.

I'm excited to read Atalanta, which is a completely new story to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Rape

faythfarrar's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Rape, Child death, and War

Minor: Abandonment, Classism, Infidelity, and Kidnapping

sirenricobooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Death, Sexism, Child death, Grief, Death of parent, Trafficking, War, Classism, Gore, Violence, Child abuse, Misogyny, Murder, and Slavery

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Incest, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Kidnapping, Rape, Confinement, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

lavendermoons's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Murder and Blood

Minor: Rape and Emotional abuse