Review - Elektra by Jennifer Saint

 

 Title: Elektra

Author: Jennifer Saint

Pages: 328

Publisher: Wildfire

Release Date: 26th April 2022

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 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?

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My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Headline and NetGalley*

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.