Reviews with content warning for Violence - House of Odysseus

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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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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silvernfire's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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3arth2kaye's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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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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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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