I adored Ariadne so was very excited to dive into another Greek mythology story by Jennifer Saint. Before starting my Bookstagram account I had read little to no Greek mythology books but it has become one of my favourite genres, especially the stories that spotlight these long forgotten heroines. I particularly like Saint's reimaginings in her stories, it is something fresh and that stands out from the now very saturated genre within the book market.

One thing that struck me immediately reading this book was how many Greek mythology stories centre around the battle of Troy. I don't blame them, it is one of the greats and most epic and wellknown Greek stories but I find it really interesting that there are now so many different takes, perspectives and spin offs. What makes Elektra stand out is that it gives us insight into the aftermath of the battle, most stories and retellings focus on the build up and the battle itself but we hear very little about what happens or could have happened afterwards. It is kind of like with fairytales, they all finish with 'They lived happily ever after' and we have no idea what happens after that; are they happy, did they have children, what happene?!

Ok back to the book; Elektra doesn't just focus on Elektra (she actually appears very little in the first 20% or so of the book), it also tells the story of Clytemnestra and Cassandra, names many of us are familiar with from the battle of Troy. How Saint portrays the individual voices of Elektra, Clytemestra and Cassandra is really well done. What I like about these heroine Greek stories is how they boldly exclaim that women pay the price for the follies of men. These women are bearing the brunt of a war created by men and gods, as seems to be the common theme in Greek mythology (but potentially throughout history also). This is summed up really well here; “Can’t you see that it just goes on, over and over? The gods demand their justice, but we suffer for it, every time.”

Overall, this was a great read, whether you are already a fan of this genre or are brand new to it. I did prefer Saint's first book, Ariadne as I was less familiar with that story so there was more discovery and novelty. But I would definitely not hesitate to pick up Saint's next book! A big thanks to Net Galley for letting me read this before its publication.

Jennifer Saint's "Elektra" offers a powerful retelling of the Trojan War myth. While familiar with the overarching narrative, Saint's focus on Elektra, Agamemnon's sacrificed daughter, provided a fresh and compelling perspective.

Elektra is far from the one-dimensional figure of traditional myth. Saint portrays her as a strong, resolute young woman, fiercely devoted to her father (perhaps to a fault). The novel delves into the events leading up to the infamous sacrifice, exposing a tapestry of family discord, forbidden love, and simmering resentment.

Saint's evocative prose transports the reader to the heart of the ancient Greek world. However, be forewarned: this is not a lighthearted read. The narrative ventures into dark territory, exploring the depths of human emotion and the devastating consequences of war.

If you're seeking a nuanced exploration of a classic myth with a complex and unforgettable heroine, then "Elektra" is highly recommended.

I love this series of books by Jennifer!! This one is a retelling about the women in the Trojan war who are typically glossed over in traditional retellings from this period.

This book is so beautiful. I loved the authors writing. The characterisation is done so well. It is compelling and captivating

I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

For readers who are familiar with the Classics and/or enjoy the plethora of retellings revolving around the Trojan War, it should not surprise you that there is not much about the Trojan War itself in the retellings that will strike you as completely new. But the beauty of Jennifer Saint’s Elektra lies in how the author chooses to highlight the perspectives of the women from these stories as told from their different vantage points. In Elektra, the author focuses on the “tainted” bloodline of the cursed House of Atreus and three women whose “fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods”. Our narrators are not on the battlefield and they don’t share the same loyalties or motivations - but Cassandra, Clytemnestra and Elektra are three women whose lives and destinies are irrevocably impacted by the events preceding, during and after the fall of Troy.

Another Greek myth being explored from the female points of view and I'm here for it. Really enjoyed this one and have Ariadne waiting to be read. More please!

There is a curse on the House of Atreus - a long history of violence and deceit against fellow family members.
Clytemnestra is married to Agamemnon of House Atreus. Her sister, Helen, ruins Clytemnestra's hopes of ending the curse when Helen is taken to Troy by Paris and Agamemnon leads an army to retrieve her.
Cassandra is a princess of Troy who is cursed by Apollo to never be believed when she tells others of her prophecies. Cassandra suffers constantly, knowing how her home will fall and being unable to do anything about it.
Elektra is the youngest daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and idolises her father. She devoutly waits for father to return home and cannot understand her mother's anger and thirst for vengeance.

As a fan of Greek mythology, I was excited to read this book, especially as I didn't know anything about Elektra.
Of the three protagonists, I found Cassandra and Clytemnestra's chapters and perspectives more interesting than Elektra's as I empathised with them more given what they went through.
The plot was interesting and held my attention, but I did think the pacing was a little off and I did begin to lose interest towards the end. However, the mythology was interesting and I thought the author did a good job of weaving the three characters' stories together.
The writing style was easy to follow, and I would recommend the author.
I am a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but it was a solid read overall.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

I love anything Greek Mythology related and this did not disappoint.
I think I loved this even more that Ariadne.
This story was told so beautifully, I was already aware of the myth but you could definitely go in to this either knowing nothing or as someone that has read the myth and get so much more depth.
The fact that this was from an all female pov was perfect for this particular story.
My favourite was definitely Cassandra, her tale is just so harrowing.
Elektra herself I really disliked, I know that she loved her father but to have her constantly defending his actions was very frustrating.
Overall this book was fast paced, beautifully written and had me feeling all of the feelings so it did very well in my opinion.

I might get tired of mythological retellings where the focus is all on the women overlooked by the myths.
But boy today is not the day!
Another one that I absolutely adored.

I love reading greek mythology retellings and devoured too many to count at this point. This book was so adddictive that I finished it sooner than I thought I would. The way the prose flew I can only blame myself for not finishing it sooner. I read Stone Blind After this and it is such an enriching experience.

I love Greek mythology and had read Jessie Burton’s Medusa just before I started this book. It was interesting to learn of the story behind Helen of Troy and the war that was started around her.

We follow the views of three different women all brought together by the same war. Clytemnestra, the twin sister of Helen, married to the man who brought all of the Greek armies together to rescue Helen from Troy, Agamemnon spends the ten years he is at war plotting his death after he uses one of their daughters as a sacrifice. Cassandra, Princess of Troy and priestess of Apollo’s temple, who is given the “gift” of visions from the God himself, only after he has bestowed this on her after her wishing for years for it, does she realise it is not a gift at all but a curse. Finally, we follow Elektra, youngest daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who watches her mother plotting against her father and is powerless to do anything about it.

These three women are tormented in their own ways, and Jennifer Saint portrays this perfectly with her writing. Each chapter is from one of the women’s views and we get an insight into what they want their next steps to be and their plots. A lot of the book focuses around revenge mainly from Clytemnestra and Elektra, possibly from the curse on their house - The House of Atreus. Although it was said to only be placed upon the males in the line, it seems that the curse may also be working through these two females with Clytemnestra plotting to kill her husband for sacrificing their daughter and Elektra planning the death of her mother, but using her brother to do so, for murdering her father.

I have learned so much more about Greek mythology from this wonderful book, and I will definitely be looking at reading Ariadne in the future.

This book was so compelling and addictive from start that we find ourselves emerge into these characters lives. The characters are very well written and emotionally connected. All the women stands up with their strong characters and it gives a good glimpse of the Greek Mythology.

Even though this is not my forte read, I enjoyed the story telling and the pace of the book although sometimes around the middle it went a bit drag but nevertheless the ending was good. Elektra’s character is more predominant in the second half of the book and I liked how she turns from a simple girl to a strong woman.

Overall a must read if you like reading mythological books.

Obviously in the same vain as Circe, which I loved, Elektra is a retelling of the Trojan War. I liked it a lot, and I really like this trend of feminist retellings of classic tales.

Elektra is a brilliant retelling of Troy and the House of Atreus. It's my first Greek retelling so I'm unsure of how unique it is, but it had me captivated. I flew through it.

Elektra is set in Ancient Greece as per the myth, and I could really picture it. Jennifer Saint is phenomenal at describing the scenes, as well as the emotions.

The story is told from the perspective of three women: Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra. I wouldn't say I found any of them particularly likeable, but they were memorable, and Cassandra was my favourite. I really grew to care about what happened to them, and their story did make me cry. They were well-rounded characters too, with great aspects to their personalities as well as not-so-great ones.

In a way, the story was predictable - who doesn't know the basics of the story of Troy - but I wasn't aware of the details or the aftermath. It was such a bitter ending that left me gobsmacked. I also found Elektra a fast-paced read - helped along by short chapters, easy-to-follow writing and action. The story is split into 4 parts and I found part 3 to be the real climax. It was the quickest to read and so action-packed, but part 4 did round the story off nicely.

I found all the characters acted logically for their motives - even if I did not agree with their choices. Everything made sense and nothing was unclear. All choices fit the story and characters perfectly. There were a few twists along the way and they kept me hooked.

I really loved Elektra and enjoyed everything about the book, even if I didn't particularly like the characters. I'd definitely recommend this to those wanting to learn more about Greek myths.

jennifer saint can do no wrong. now bring me atlanta!! i love these reimagineings so much.

- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC.

I really enjoyed Elektra, and following on from all the perspectives of 3 of the women during the Trojan war, and how they all interlinked with eachother.

Thanks to the publisher for granting me a copy of an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret by now that I enjoy retellings, especially ones of myths and legends and those focusing on female characters, and with the current burst in Greek myth retellings, I'm certainly spoilt for choice! I had enjoyed Jennifer Saint's previous book, Ariadne, even if I had some issues with it so I was quite curious to see how she would approach a retelling of Elektra's story, one which I thought offered even more potential than Ariadne's.

I saw Aeschylus' original play performed in theatre all the way back when I was in high school and I read Colm Tóibín's House of Names a few years ago, so I knew there would hardly be any surprises in the plot, but I was looking forward to a more feminist take on the story, giving these women more of a voice. This time, the author chose to tell the story through three POVs, giving a voice to Cassandra, princess of Troy; Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon; and the titular Elektra, her daughter. If you're familiar with the original story, you'll know that all three women had the potential for being very complex characters as they slowly move through life to fulfil their tragic destinies. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite bring that out for me.

I did like the idea to have multiple POVs and particularly enjoyed following Cassandra's and Clytemnestra's perspectives. They took up most of the narrative, leaving Elektra's to actually be the least developed point of view, both from a narrative perspective and from a character development one. There was really very little insight into Elektra as a character, with her coming across mostly as a whiny, angry, spoiled child who acts exclusively on the basis of her hatred for her mother and the idolisation of her father. It felt as though she did very little beyond sulking and trying to find ways to hurt her mother.

Clytemnestra and Cassandra were slightly more developed and appeared more complex, which is probably what made their sections more enjoyable than Elektra's. Clytemnestra's grief, in particular, hit hard, as did Cassandra's frustration with her situation. In both cases, the ways in which their being women limited their options were nicely drawn out, but still did little to make this feel more than a more modern way to tell the exact same story. It didn't really feel like a feminist retelling, only like a retelling from a female character's point of view.

I did appreciate the way the author re-wrote Helen's character though! One thing that often annoys me in Trojan war retellings is the constant woman-on-woman hate when it comes to Helen, so I was happy to see that for once she was not described as a mean girl and there were multiple displays of solidarity between women.

I listened to the audiobook for part of this, alternating it with the e-arc, and it definitely improved the experience as all three narrators did an absolutely wonderful job of bringing the characters to life! Despite my issues with the characters in Elektra, I still really enjoyed the author's writing so I'll be curious to check out her future work to see if this was just a second-book problem.

Thank you to net galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I very much enjoyed this book and its deep history. As a massive Greek mythology fan I love reading some of the lesser known tales.

Jennifer’s writing is stunning and captures the reader right from the start. She creates such a vivid story that you feel you are part of it too. You feel the highs and the lows along with each characters.

I look forward to reading her next novel and any others to follow

Elektra by Jennifer Saint is a work of historical fiction that tells the story of the house of Atreus from the Trojan War to its aftermath through the perspectives of three women: Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra.

Saint draws on classical sources from Homer, Aeschylus and Euripides to pull together a single story that combines the individual works by these authors. As an introduction to this story for people beginning to be interested in Greek mythology, it works; for fans, it utterly falls flat.

Part of why I was excited to read this is that Aeschylus and Euripides are famous for their portrayals of powerful women in the Oresteia and Elektra - feminist for their time. The source material had incredible potential.

However, in Saint's Elektra, the characters all have the same voice and are passive watchers - they have no agency and do nothing, not even in the conversations and are all breathlessly waiting in a whisper. It is not a feminist retelling; the only acts of agency Saint permits her characters are the ones that men gave them thousands of years ago in the original texts. It feels like Saint cannot imagine these characters in any way outside of how men have written them and written about them for years - though even Aeschylus's Clytemnestra has more verve and dynamism than Saint's. I found her the least convincing character. Saint's classical schooling hinders her writing, rather than nurtures it from the knowledge and research she has.

Elektra merely repeats the source material in a less effective way, without adding anything to the story: a telling, not a retelling, and definitely not feminist.

This is not to complain that all modern interpretations cannot live up to the original texts, but rather that the potential that source material offered was so strong. This novel is lukewarm by comparison. Plenty of other modern novels based on Greek myths have done a wonderful job at giving a fresh voice and a new take on old myths. It is a shame that Saint's Elektra does not sit among them.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.