Reviews with content warning for Rape - House of Odysseus

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House of Odysseus by Claire North

10 reviews

pedanther's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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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emmajonesgill's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

3.5 ⭐

This sequel to Ithaca was a pleasant read, albeit a bit slow and dragged at times.
I enjoyed Aphrodite narrating this tale, and the more proactive women of the island, but even the meagre development of some of the suitors didn't do enough to make me care for them (aside from Kenamon, he's alright).
If anyone has played Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, it was hard to imagine Menelaus as anyone other than the Monger because he was that unlikeable. Helen, I struggled to care about, her character was a bit too ditzy for my liking, even though it was necessary for the story.

I did enjoy my time with this book, and once I got into the groove of each reading sprint read about 30-60 pages at a time (the last two sprints roughly 100 pages). So it was easy to read, just a bit slow. I'll finish out the trilogy because I'm interested to see how they round out the Odyssey given the end of the this book.

Ultimately enjoyable whilst in it, but probably won't think about too much aside from it being the middle part of a trilogy. Still would recommend if you've read Ithaca to just give this one a go.

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mcshnick's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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? Yes

3.5

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concealed_journeys's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced

4.5

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explorachel's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

A great book for those who love Greek mythology retellings from a feminist perspective. By far the best part of the book is how the author perfectly describes and provides insights into the characters mind and motivations. The asides that build a brutally honest portrait of each character are truly the most fascinating parts of this book, how the author can perfectly lay a soul bare with a cutting sentence. The second best part is the strong current of sisterhood, women supporting other women in any overt or subliminal way possible.

The first half of this book relies on the above two best things about the book to keep readers interested. The second half is when the action actually begins once the reader is most familiar with the characters’ motivations.

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ayolikesbooks's review against another edition

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tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I loved North's Ithaca, the first novel in this series, but House of Odysseus didn't reach quite the same heights for me. Like it's predecessor, it feels like it takes quite a while for the action to get going, which I found more frustrating the second time around. I think I preferred having Hera, as opposed to Aphrodite, as a narrator and found some of the goddess's beats repetitive towards the end. However, on the whole, North's writing is evocative and builds the world in a way that's deeply absorbing.

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isabyrne's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

House of Odysseus is the second book in a trilogy retelling the Greek story of Persephone and her island, Ithaca, during the 18-year period that her husband Odysseus is off to war. In this book Persephone is reunited with characters old and new to face a new set of challenges.

It is:

A “behind the scenes” look at overlooked characters from this great myth
Light, lyrical, immersive, and sensuous
Includes a strong cast that feels like a soap opera
Demonstrates the strength of female companionship and cunning
Written so that if you don’t want to read Book 1, you can jump right into this one

I was given this book as an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley and Orbit. This is part 2/2 reviewing The Songs of Penelope trilogy..

SPOILER ALERT: This book is narrated by a different narrator than Book 1. In order to properly review the book, I will reveal who this narrator is.

Narration and Prose: The prose in this book is my favourite aspect. It is grounded, descriptive, engaging, and sensuous. It is evident here that imbuing the prose with her narrator’s characteristics is one of North’s great strengths — it really feels like it is voiced by Aphrodite. This choice of narrator also matches the plot perfectly. Typical of our understanding of the goddess, there is a strong emphasis on the sensuous: this book is ripe with sensory detail and floral prose. Her voice is compelling: rolling forward at reflective moments, then reeling out with quick cadence during fast-paced ones. It also is incredibly funny: I found myself laughing out loud at many points. Aphrodite feels even more present in this book than Hera did in book 1. You feel her limits and wonder at the truth of the mysteries this island offers alongside her.

Plot: This book is more quickly paced than the first one. The way that it is plotted from the very first chapter is gripping. There is a cliffhanger or development at the end of almost every chapter which makes you want to read forward. The plot is constantly thickening in a way that is incredibly enthralling: there are lots of criss-crossed mysteries. We get to see the repercussions from the first book, discover new difficulties, and engage in more romantic entanglements.

Characters: The cast of this book is abundant without being overwhelming. There are several new characters I greatly enjoyed, while the characters previously seen are also pushed into new and interesting directions. Penelope’s character in particular is much stronger in this book. Likewise, as in the first book, the goddesses all have strong and unique personalities, and feel evolved. Seeing them interact with one another and react to the action is once again a huge part of my enjoyment.

I found the male characters to be quite strong in this book as well. Menelaus and Laertes both occupy exaggerated roles in this book, and I laughed at many occasions at their dialogue. They are both funny to read and good reflections on the tropes given the themes of the book. Kenamon (the Egyptian suitor) has also had interesting developments since book 1. I found it smart the way he is used as a plot device: the reader learns about the world through the eyes of a foreigner.

Ending & Setup for Book 3: The ending of this book sets up well for the finale of the trilogy, especially if you have an idea of what happens in the original myth. While there is a decent cliffhanger, it still feels very satisfying and ties up most of the mysteries. I can’t wait to keep reading to see how Claire North will take on and twist the rest of the myth, and to see who the new narrator will be (if she follows her form of changing with each new book).

Overall, I found this to be a formidable and engaging book. It is well plotted and a delight to read. All of the things that were missing for me in Book 1 were not only addressed but became central features of what I enjoyed in this one. I enjoyed this book so much that I purchased the hard copy after having read the ARC, and will definitely be reading on to the last book in the trilogy.

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lord_lut's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This series is an absolute masterpiece

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jo_cbooks's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

House of Odysseus is the second book in Claire North’s The Songs of Penelope trilogy. It continues to follow Penelope’s struggles with managing Ithaca in Odysseus’ absence, and without stepping over the line of what society views her place as a woman and queen should be. Told from Aphrodite’s point of view, the book kicks off with Elektra returning to Ithaca with a seemingly insane Orestes. When King Menelaus tracks his nephew to the island under the guise of concern, Penelope’s role becomes much more complicated.

If you love mythology that gives a glimpse into what the women went through and showcases their strength and intelligence, this trilogy is perfect. Each character is so distinct. Penelope is perfectly written, walking the fine line between meek and mastermind; Menelaus is repulsive and boorish; Laertes is witty and entertaining; and the misogyny that oozes out of the male characters is perfectly counteracted by the sly and strategic females they continually underestimate.

Though I typical do not like modern language in my historical fiction, in this series I found it amusing without detracting from the story, if anything it adds just the right amount of zest! I also loved watching Penelope blossom into her queenliness and just being an overall bad a**.

As with the first book, it took a little bit for me to get into. However, unlike the first book, there was a lot more action and plotting that drew me into the story sooner. I do think I preferred Hera’s narration over Aphrodite’s (I found it more humourous, as well sometimes finding Aphrodite’s sexual descriptions a bit to explicit for my taste), but each of them offer different perspectives and it is such a creative way to write a story! I am not sure if the change to the story of Paris and the goddesses was intentional and a nod towards the differing versions of Greek mythology or if it was a missed error, so that was a bit confusing to me.

Overall, this is a great book for anyone who is enjoying the resurge of mythology retellings, especially ones from a female voice.

*thank you Redhook Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

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libraryofaphrodite's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

Narrated by Aphrodite, House of Odysseus follows the story of the women of Greek epic and tragedy.

Penelope is besieged by suitors, her husband Odysseus still some time from returning and her son, Telemachus, searching for news of him.

When Elektra and her brother, Orestes, arrive seeking help with his illness, Penelope and her band of women set about ensuring that Menelaus of Sparta doesn't take Orestes' throne.

This was a wonderfully lyrical reimagining of myth - the prose excellently suited to the original source material. At times there were some more modern turns of phrase and Aphrodite's character makes her domain very clear. There was some lovely vocabulary used throughout, again very fitting for something inspired by epic.

I hadn't read Ithaca before this and could easily dive straight in - the dramatis personae was helpful in filling in a few blanks. I will, however, be adding Ithaca to my TBR so that I can continue the story.

I really appreciated the female focus of the story, as well as the interaction between the mortal and divine. This too, has a female lense.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys myth retellings and wants to hear more from the female characters of the these stories.

Please do check the content warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC in return for an honest opinion.

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