adrienneb18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Violence, War, Murder, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Pregnancy, Incest, Cannibalism, and Suicidal thoughts
nicnevin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Drug use, War, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexism, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Xenophobia, Violence, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Gore, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Blood, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Classism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
remuslibrary's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Child death, Death, Grief, Sexism, War, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Rape
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Blood, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, War, Grief, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, and Violence
aseel_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Murder, Animal cruelty, Child death, Violence, War, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Rape
kaitlyng's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, War, Blood, Grief, Death, Violence, and Infidelity
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Child death, Animal death, and Cannibalism
Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
anapthine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Kidnapping, Blood, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Trafficking, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Abandonment, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Pregnancy
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
deliriah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, War, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Blood, Slavery, Rape, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
hmatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
That said, I didn't find this retelling quite as compelling as I've found others. Cassandra is the only one of the three POV characters who is arguably likeable at all, which is definitely intentional, but also it did impact my reading. It was a struggle for me to empathize at all, really, with the other two. I also wasn't quite convinced by the choice to just narrate from these three specific characters. Elektra and Clytemnestra make sense but, again, Cassandra is a bit of a random pick/stretch for me. It felt like it was a choice made deliberately so that this book wasn't too similar to A Thousand Ships - which, honestly, read that before you read this.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, War, Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Confinement, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Genocide
Minor: Animal death
persephonefoxx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
But of all the things I enjoyed about this book, the titular character was not one of them. I ate through this book and delighted upon Saint’s prose and writing, but whenever I saw Elektra’s name heading a chapter I knew I was in for frustration. And I know, I know, not all characters need to be likeable. But I had a hard time finding much redeemable about our dear Elektra. I couldn’t even attribute her (irksome) unwaving loyalty to her father with a silver lining.
But I gave this book four stars?! Yes, I did. Because two other characters share the POV spotlight in this retelling and I found them much more enjoyable. Although, it wasn’t that hard.
As Clytemnestra’s story evolved I found her more and more intriguing, looking forward to her voice. Some of, no, all of my favourite quotes in this book came from her chapters. The parts I had to stop to read out loud to my wife always in her voice. I began to love the savagery that lie in wait beneath the motherly archetype.
But even Clytemnestra wasn’t the highlight of this book for me. Cassandra. Desperate, tragic, Cassandra. I loved the far too few chapters from Cassandra’s POV. Truly my favourite parts of the story, probably because I am a sucker for tragedy and pain. Where Elektra dared to drag my rating of this novel down, Cassandra pulled it back up. There isn’t much more I can say, other than she was truly the highlight of this novel for me.
If you are happy to go into a book titled Elektra and not like Elektra at all, enjoyed Ariadne, love this surge of feminist Greek retellings, or are just a fan of Greek Mythology who doesn’t get too caught up on factual consistencies, you’ll likely like this book as much as me.
Anyway, I have to go listen to Cassandra by Florence + The Machine for the hundredth time since finishing this novel.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: War, Slavery, and Rape
Minor: Fire/Fire injury