Found the primary character’s story to be less interesting than the secondary characters. Did enjoy the back story to the Trojan war and this is a tale that any interested in that history will enjoy.

Everyone has heard stories that the House of Atreus is cursed. How a long time ago, one of its members insulted the Gods, and now their wrath has poisoned each generation. But no one knows of its curse better than Clytemnestra. As the wife of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra is expected to sit back and go along with whatever her husband says. But when Clytemnestra's sister, Helen, is taken to Troy and Agamemnon sacrifices their eldest daughter to aid in his war efforts, Clytemnestra decides enough is enough.

Cassandra is a princess of Troy who was cursed by Apollo to see the future, but for no one to believe anything that comes out of her mouth. Cassandra can see the fall of her great city, can see the harm that one woman will bring upon them, but she's powerless to stop it. When her city finally falls after years of fighting, she's brought back as a trophy by Agamemnon. Cassandra thought the war was over until she glimpses the future waiting for Agamemnon on his return. Elektra is the daughter of Agamemnon and has waited years to finally see her father again, but is robbed of that chance due to her bloodthirsty mother. Will Elektra be able to stop the curse that plagues her family before it destroys her too?

I was familiar with the story of Clytemnestra and Elektra, so I was intrigued to see how Saint was going to put her spin on it. I thought she did a fantastic job. I read Ariadne and fell in love with the mesmerizing way Saint has of retelling these myths, and this was no exception. Her writing is so vivid and lush that it feels as if everything is playing out in front of you. I loved following all three women on this journey. They're all so different, but have each been affected by this war in such traumatic ways. You feel for each one, and your heart breaks for them. The only issues I had were that I would've liked to have seen a little more from Cassandra's point of view and that there were times the pacing felt a bit slow, but neither lessened my enjoyment any. I thought this was a beautifully dark story of family and revenge and would recommend checking it out if you love Greek mythology retellings.

Elektra is the stunning story of three women – Clytemnestra, Elektra and Cassandra. Saint takes the stories and myths about these women and brings them to life. She gives them agency in a way that the myths never did. They become real to the imagination, and you can feel for them. It is an intense book in many ways.

If you’re familiar with Greek mythology you know about the Trojan War, and you know about Agamemnon. You know what happens to all the characters in the book. Still, reading it from a different perspective, of what was happening while the men were away was amazing.

Saint infused her characters with so much life and personality they come off the page. In the Greek stories they often depict the women as one of two ways: traitorous or the perfect woman. There is no inbetween. And more often than not, even if the woman is perfect there is still some issue; that she is betrayed by the men.

Notably, both Helen (who is in this book) and Clytemnestra who are sisters are perceived as betrayers in Greek myth. Which is interesting when you compare it to what Agamemnon and Menelaus did.

This book had so much heart in it. There is one part that absolutely shredded me; I had to go get a tissue and take a deep breath before I continued reading the book. It was impactful in a way I think it wasn’t in the original myth.

Just for some background in this book Elektra is devoted to her father. Clytemnestra hates Agamemnon for what he did. Had started hating him even before. And Cassandra is just doing her own thing. The relationship between Clytemnestra and Elektra is fascinating. I felt that Elektra was supposed to stand for how people were supposed to perceive Agamemnon, and Clytemnestra was supposed to be how he really was. Cassandra is seeing the war firsthand, and we get her perspective, a woman's perspective on the war.

Saint’s writing is amazing. I was lulled into this story, and it reads with such a cadence. There is no wasted part of the story. I felt every piece included was intentional. Saint deftly weaves in the relationships and family relationships with the myths they come from. She manages to explain how Helen and Clytemnestra are related to Penelope, Odysseus’ wife. She does this with other characters throughout the book.

Placed together, it is visually stunning to read. It is feminist, as it takes myths written and retold by men and gives women their agency and their strength back. It gives them their own stories beyond just being the “betrayer” or the “woman waiting”. This book was about family, about grief and about love.

I absolutely loved this book, even if it tore my heart out.

Two and a half stars.

This book is hard for me to pinpoint. For me, its a disappointing followup to Ariadne, because that book was so good, the story so powerful. Elektra, in contrast, felt disjointed.

It does, however, have its strengths. Elektra is strongest in its latter half, when Clytemnestra is soon to be able to exact her revenge, when the Trojan war is in its final throes, and when Elektra... well, unfortunately I can't really find much positive when it comes to the Elektra POVs. What Saint does <i>well</i> is portray the grief of Clytemnestra in the aftermath of her daughter's murder. She draws out her grief and rage and need for revenge like a slow acting poison, but that is one of the strengths of this book. I felt most connected to the story when Clytemnestra was unraveling through her grief, making alliances that might not have been smart or wise, but would serve her long-awaited for purpose of revenge. Her motivations as a mother bereft by the deepest of griefs was understandable and powerful.

Similarly, when the POV focuses on Cassandra and her torment, and truly in the aftermath of the Trojan War (i'm including the appearance of the horse here) the book really sings. She knows what is going to happen, she sees it, and she can do nothing to prevent it because she is gifted with the power of foresight but cursed to never be believed. Its heartbreaking, not only to know the history, but to see it through her eyes. So, too, is the fates of the women of Troy powerful and heartbreaking. I still dwell on Hecabe's derisive words, that Helen would go home to Sparta and see justice. She knew, and after ten years of watching her own family be torn apart because of Helen, she was disgusted by the truth of men.

Where this book is weaker, is its timeline and in the Elektra POV. Much of the book centers on the years of the Trojan War, which equates to a lot of waiting, on the part of Clytemnestra and Elektra, and a lot of rehashing of details that are well known to many who know the mythology and the history, on the part of Cassandra. Where a book say (and this is likely an unfair comparison) The Song of Achilles, brings new life to the exploits of the Greeks during the war, this book does not. The POVs centering on Elektra are, for me, painful. I did not like Elektra and found her whiny and childish throughout. I can see the reasoning behind the girl she has grown from, I can see her love for her father and how she pines and waits for him, but none of that can truly hide the fact that she is just, for me, downright unlikeable.

This is a good story, one that, once again, re-centers the mythology on the women who lived and experienced these things. However, it could have been so much stronger had it focused more on Clytemnestra OR Cassandra and not all three. It could have been stronger had it focused more on Cassandra's visions and curse, and not the events of the Trojan War. It could have been stronger had it been focused solely on Clytemnestra and her revenge against Agamemnon. As it is, its simply not as strong as it could be, and, as I said, a disappointing followup to a book I truly enjoyed.

I enjoyed Elektra, until about the halfway mark. Things started to feel a bit dragged on, and I remain somewhat confused by the title character being Elektra. She plays a small role in the majority of the book, until about the halfway mark onwards. Instead, her mother plays a larger role. And the third oracle perspective felt unnecessary at best.

This was, by no means, an unenjoyable book. It was simply a historical book that leaned too heavily on political setup than anything else. Ariadne pulled me in emotionally, whereas Elektra made me feel indifferent to its characters. I still enjoyed learning about these characters and their stories, and the turn of events was interesting, but not enough to make this a five-star review for me.

I have loved the surge the various myths being retold, and Jennifer Saint is certainly securing her corner of this sub-genre. Well worth the read and checking out!

As always with Greek mythology - there is no happy ending in sight in Elektra's story. It's about a third of the way through before we really meet the titular character and start to understand the burdens of her existence. The beginning of the story sets the scene for the Trojan war, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Helen star. We see their backstories and how Meneleus thirsts for vengeance when Paris takes Helen. As Agamemnon departs for war we see a touching moment between he and Elektra setting the scene for a life of pining for her beloved father. She burns with vengeance as her mother returns with disregard and hatred for Agamemnon following the sacrifice of Elektra's sister. Every move her mother makes makes her ache with the need to save her father from a fate only she and Cassandra the prophetess can see. When fate has its way with them there's nothing you can do but cringe with pity and sorrow.

This is another great retelling of classic myths with a modern feminist view. Each woman is brimming with motive and intention. She has much more impact than the classists portrayed and understanding their hearts and minds is a refreshing bent on this genre.

Thanks to Flatiron Books for the gifted copy. All opinions above are my own.

Unfortunately, this book was disappointing for me. It's being marketed as a feminist Greek retelling, but I didn't get many "feminist" vibes from it. I loved Saint's debut, Ariadne, but Elektra fell flat as a sophomore novel. Having three perspectives gave it a very scattered feel, which made it very difficult to finish.

Fellow reviewers have pointed out that Elektra was almost too much like the original story, and I have to agree with them. Though the ancient story is being told from new perspectives, it rarely deviated from the original story, making it a bit repetitive. I prefer retellings to be "reimaginings", rather than the same story told from a different perspective.

Overall, I did not enjoy Elektra nearly as much as I was expecting too. While Saint's writing is lyrically satisfying, the story itself turned me away from any form of enjoyment

A page-turner! This is a somewhat-feminist retelling of Greek mythology. The story follows three female protagonists: Elektra, Clytemnestra, and Kassandra- as they navigate the Trojan War and their familial relationships. I’d wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who loves Greek mythology. I have not read any other Jennifer Saint novels, but I’m looking forward to reading others.

Thanks to Net Galley and Flatiron Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't really have anything nice to say about this. I guess I do not like how Saint does her retellings and this was especially terrible for me. Elektra is an insufferable title character I have no empathy for and Cassandra is as useless to the plot as her curse makes her to those around her. Clytemnestra always deserved better and I don't understand why you would write an entire retelling and do it the exact same as the source material, but call it "feminist" because it's from a woman's POV.

There is no satisfaction here in this story, and I started getting so bored that I was sure I would DNF it. We have progressed past the need for retellings of the Trojan War/Illiad with no twists. It's been done. We can move on now.

I'm not sure if it was the multiple points of view, or the author's writing style, but I had a hard time getting into the story of the book. So, I ended up not finishing the book. Which is fine, since I know that not every book by the same author is going to capture/hold my attention.

If it's about Greek mythology, I automatically add it to my to-read list, but Jennifer Saint is one of my favorite writers re-telling these stories. She breathes life into the women of Ancient Greece and gives readers a whole new perspective on these well known stories! I highly recommend!!

Another great retelling from Jennifer Saint!! I fell in love with Ariadne last year and was very excited to read Elektra. Jennifer Saint focuses on the women of the House of Atreus during the Trojan war, Clytemnestra and Elektra, and Cassandra of Troy.

I love the feminist spin to these retellings and found myself unable to help being pulled into the magic of the world. Once again, Saint shows she can really freaking write with beautiful lines and imagery and emotion. There were a couple passages in here from Clytemnestra’s chapters about motherhood that really stood out to me.

I will say that the portion of the book taking place during the war dragged for me a bit and I couldn’t help being frustrated with Elektra throughout. But Cassandra and Clytemnestra’s characters were fantastic. Especially Clytemnestra — she was so well done.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have always loved the writing style of Jennifer Saint. Mythology is also very near and dear to me as subject of interest, and I love the way that Saint gives life to each and every one of her characters. In particular, I love the way she writes such string women. Highly recommend this!

I ended up really enjoying this. I enjoyed the concept absolutely more then I was expecting too. While I wasn’t expecting to get attached to the characters the way I did I can happily say I had the absolute time of my life. I cannot wait to see what Saint has in store for the future to come! What a joyous journey from start to finish!

This is my fourth or fifth book based on the Trojan War and I think I have had enough. When the war begins Elektra is a child and knows nothing of the ferocity of war nor the blood lust of her family heritage. She longs for her father Agamemnon to return, but her mother has other ideas about his return. I think the alternating narrators adds so much more dimension to a novel. With this book, though I am through with the Trojan War. I did enjoy Elektra, but that's if for me.

Elektra follows three different women through the Trojan War. First are Clytemnestra and Elektra herself, a mother-daughter duo that demonstrates the tragic interconnection between their fates. Cassandra, the “mad” daughter of King Priam and his wife, Hecuba, is cursed by Apollo to be able to predict the future yet have no one believe her. Clytemnestra, after Agamemnon kills their daughter Iphigenia to obtain a good wind to sail to Troy, begins to hate her husband. Later, this hatred is cemented when she learns that Agamemnon has taken Cassandra, a female prisoner from Troy, to serve as his concubine. Clytemnestra determines to kill her husband for revenge. Elektra, a “daddy’s girl,” has waited impatiently for the war to end to show her father that she’s grown into the daughter he envisioned and hates her mother for killing Agamemnon. Cassandra has predicted the Trojan War and its devastating end—to no avail.

Saint weaves the stories of these three women together effortlessly. The relationships between the three women are complex, particularly the twisted relationship between Clytemnestra and Elektra. But Saint’s prose doesn’t quite rise to the majesty of Madeline Miller’s in Circe and The Song of Achilles.

Ariadne was my favorite book of 2021, and this may already be my favorite book of 2022. Jennifer saint beautifully interconnects the lives of Cassandra, Clytemnestra, and Elektra. She brings the mythology into a new era with her stunning writing and weaves in the history seamlessly. I will be recommending this book to everyone!

Jennifer Saint did it again!! I love her writing and I love retellings so this was just the perfect book!

Elektra tells the story of the Trojan War and aftermath from the perspective of 3 key women: Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra, all of whom are related to the House of Atreus.

Clytemnestra– Agamemnon’s wife and Helen’s sister. Before reading Elektra I had only heard of Clytemnestra in relation to these other characters. Jennifer Saint gave Clytemnestra so much depth, that I was very invested in her development; I was heartbroken at her pain after Iphegenia’s death, and rooting for her revenge plot throughout the rest of the novel. Her chapters ended up being my favorites to read!

Cassandra—Princess of Troy and sister of Paris. Cassandra was cursed by Apollo with the ability to see the future, but no one would believe her. This curse alienates her from her family and society. She is eventually taken by Agamemnon as a war prize after the fall of Troy.

Elektra—youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. She grows up hearing about the immense violence in her family’s history, and even lives through it when her sister dies at the hands of their father. Still, her loyalty to her father never waivers, causing years of strife between the living members of her family.

Despite knowing the story already, the fresh perspective of these women made this an extremely entertaining read. The writing was both lyrical and easy to follow. Overall, this book was beautifully written and highly emotional. Notably: part 1, chapter 9 was probably one of the most powerful passages I’ve ever read. I was in tears less than 30% into this book! This was my first Jennifer Saint book and now I can’t wait to read Ariadne. I would highly recommend Elektra.

Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Elektra in exchange for an honest review.