Release Date: April 28th 2022
Publisher: Headline
Pages: 400
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Synopsis
The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods.
Clytemnestra
The sister of Helen, wife of Agamemnon – her hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris. Her husband raises a great army against them, and determines to win, whatever the cost.
Cassandra
Princess of Troy, and cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it. She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall.
Elektra
The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin. But, can she escape the curse, or is her own destiny also bound by violence?
Review
Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne is back with an all new Greek myth retelling that focuses on Clytemnestra – wife of Agamemnon, Cassandra – princess of Troy and Elektra – Clytermenstra’s youngest daughter. Saint weaves a spellbinding tale of these three women and the horrors they face.
I read Ariadne last year and really enjoyed it, so I was very intrigued to pick this one up. The story sounded so intriguing and combined with that absolutely stunning cover, I knew I couldn’t resist. Just like Ariadne this story is so beautifully written and captivated me right from the very beginning. I honestly did not want to put this book down. The story is exquisitely crafted and was at times quite harrowing. I must admit I do not know a lot about the Greek myths so there were a few moments that I did not expect.
The story revolves around three particular women and I felt that Saint did a brilliant job of creating these well fleshed out characters. Each one had such a vivid voice in the story. It was fascinating to see the way Saint portrayed them and I was particularly interested in the Clytemnestra and Elektra’s relationship and the way this develops over the course of the story. I really enjoyed the way Saint gave a voice to such well known characters.
Elektra is a beautiful and moving tale, one that I enjoyed immensely. If you’ve read Ariadne or looking for a Greek myth retelling with gorgeous, vivid writing, this is definitely one to pick up. Elektra was a really fantastic read and I can’t wait to see what Jennifer Saint does next.
Ariadne first caught my eye because of that absolutely stunning cover. When I hear this was a retelling of the minotaur myth from the perspective of Ariadne I was incredibly excited to pick it up. The story follows Ariadne, daughter of King Minos. Ariadne lives with the sound of hoofbeats beneath the palace, as the minotaur roams the labyrinth below. When Theseus, Prince of Athens is brought to Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him and decides to help him destroy the minotaur. But doing so will betray her family and her country.
The Bibliophile Chronicles 