Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Electra by Jennifer Saint

26 reviews

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

dark 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

Clytemnestra’s story is one which has always intrigued me; therefore, I was beyond excited to read another retelling of it. What I had expected to be a portrayal of feminine rage quickly transformed into a moving work on motherhood and loss, relevant today while staying true to its historic orgins.
Elektra follows the titular character Elektra as well as her mother Clytemnestra and the Trojan priestess Casandra as their lives intersect in unimaginable ways.
Saint humanizes these characters in a unique yet tasteful manner, resulting in a a complex narrative. The continuous metaphor of a curse/circular pattern connects all three women deeper than surface level. 
One aspect to know prior to reading is that Elektra is not the sole narrator, and many times is given less of a speaking role than the other women. It is particularly short read (though pretty dense) and I would have loved to read a bit more in certain areas.
Overall, I would recommend to any fans of Greek Mythology from a feminist perspective, though definitely check trigger warnings before reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

booksandteatime's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and War

irishbelle10's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I agree with reviews saying that Clytemnestra was the most intriguing character of the book, as well as ones saying that it should have focused on only Clytemnestra/Elektra or only Clytemnestra/Cassandra. There could have been a lot more character development if there had only been two to focus on. At times, Clytemnestra and Elektra’s perspectives and characterizations felt too similar.

And in the epilogue, I felt myself wishing for a moment of Elektra grieving her mother more strongly, based on the “seeing her as she used to be” moment before Clytemnestra died.

I understand the desire to include Cassandra because she’s a fascinating character, but her perspective on the war felt underutilized, which is why it could have been very compelling to have a focus on only Cassandra/Clytemnestra, to get more of Cassandra’s story in Troy compared with Clytemnestra’s in Mycenae. Overall the book was good and I love Saint’s writing style. Looking forward to reading more of what she writes in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Animal death

astitchnastory's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Death, Rape, and Slavery

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

redheadorganist's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Rape and Torture

thereadinglemon's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I’m in a lot of pain right now. This book oh my gosh. It was so intricately written, each character woven into the story so carefully, the emotions written so well i felt them too. I’m still internally sobbing. A page turner that i could hardly bear to put down.  

Each perspective shown in the chapters flowed into one another with such ease and at the same time it was easily distinguishable from the language and tone, which woman was speaking. There were many complex themes surrounding the characters in the book and i liked how they were explored instead of glossed over. 

It was beautiful to hear from the viewpoints of both sides of the war, and an important reminder that there is always destruction on both sides. Almost every line was filled with so much feeling and wisdom. Immediately a five star read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Trafficking