A review by hmatt
Elektra by Jennifer Saint

dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • 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

I really like the way this author writes women's voices, and I think it particularly suits this sub-genre of Greek myth retellings. I hope they continue to write in this genre and I will happily pick up whatever comes next.

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.
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