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syd1995's review
adventurous
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Rape
danireyes98's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I was really excited for Elektra, since I’m a massive fan of Greek mythology and modern retellings. However, I was left underwhelmed and displeased by this book. While it was very well written, I feel that unlike other retellings, like The Song of Achilles, that made me fall in love with the characters and care about their story, this novel felt like I was reading pure mythology, unattached to the characters and being like “oh, how tragic” without truly caring for them.
Moreover, the characters straight up annoyed me, expect for Cassandra whom I just felt bad for. I get that they sowed the seeds of their own tragedies, but Clytemnestra and Elektra felt underdeveloped and very one note. I felt that if they had just talked their antagonism would have been resolved, and I hated that, because it would have been better if they fought with each other, tried to make the other see sense and still failed to fix the relationship. They were both driven by single minded revenge, which is fine, but I wished they had been more complex, and struggled in a deeper way instead of falling flat.
However, I loved the build up and the scene of Iphigenia’s sacrifice. It was incredibly well written and made me truly feel for the characters, I wish the author had been able to convey such emotions throughout the book.
In general, I enjoyed certain parts of the book, and I always love learning some new mythology along the way, but this was a disappointing retelling with a bland ending.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Murder
clarissarh's review
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Grief
Minor: Rape and Kidnapping
bellsdixon's review
adventurous
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
wytherwytch's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
3.75
I found this book a bit of a trudge. It was good in parts - the chapter where Iphigeneia is sacrificed is absolutely brilliant but otherwise it feels like a trudge to these parts. It's written from the point of view of three women so it jumps around quite a bit and I didnt love that but I stuck it out. I didn't really like any of the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Blood, and Alcohol
hevlav's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book does a great job of presenting the same facts to different characters, and showing the different reactions/feelings on each of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
louiseelizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Rape
clazbog's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Incest and Sexual violence
lilybarna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You feel for every woman even when their plights and dreams directly go against what another needs. You feel mostly for Cassandra and Clytemnestra, whereas Elektra elicits less sympathy. Seems in line with the other depictions of her I’ve encountered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
porridgegobbler's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
3.75 stars
An easily digestible read of a well-known story from a perspective we don't normally hear from.
Definitely a book to get you out of a reading slump and bolster your knowledge and understanding of Greek Mythology, particularly the Trojan War. I really enjoyed the three perspectives and how their stories intertwined with one another.
Definitely better than Jennifer Saint's third book Atalanta, however that may just be my personal bias due to my interest in the Trojan War. But also it read better and the characters were more distinct. However at times it does suffer the same issue of heavy handed exposition of mythology, which is impressive in terms of Saint's knowledge, But not always fitting for prose in my opinion.
An easily digestible read of a well-known story from a perspective we don't normally hear from.
Definitely a book to get you out of a reading slump and bolster your knowledge and understanding of Greek Mythology, particularly the Trojan War. I really enjoyed the three perspectives and how their stories intertwined with one another.
Definitely better than Jennifer Saint's third book Atalanta, however that may just be my personal bias due to my interest in the Trojan War. But also it read better and the characters were more distinct. However at times it does suffer the same issue of heavy handed exposition of mythology, which is impressive in terms of Saint's knowledge, But not always fitting for prose in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Grief, and War