a solid 3.75/5

It's a retelling of the classical Clytemnestra/Agamemnon story, though it begins before their forced marriage. This was a perspective or timeline of it that I've never seen before, which I really enjoyed about it. It begins with her marriage to Tantalus and discusses their life/son, which provided really important context for the rest of it. I've never read one that really precedes much before the Trojan War, but this one barely gets into that. Again, appreciated.

I think if you like Greek myths, it's a good one to pick up! I really enjoyed her characterization, I think it was much more sympathetic than a lot of the ones I've read. They tend to depict her as cruel or unfeeling or a bad mother, without ever going into how deeply she has been scorned and hurt. This one did not do that, and it did it very well. I did feel that the kid's characters were a bit more one-dimensional, particularly with Electra (though I'm always biased against her, a fatal flaw). Overall though, felt for the characters.

For me, the dialogue fell flat at first, it was a little tedious to get through. But I think it improved or I got accustomed to the style after a while, and by part 3 I was fully invested.

I usually love Greek myth retellings, and this story was no different. I loved the first line and it definitely had me hooked from the beginning. This was the story of the events leading to the Trojan war from the queen Clytemnestra. This story was original in the way that she was portrayed as a mother who placed her children’s needs before her own and was a character I felt sympathetic towards.
In short, I really liked this story. It gave a new perspective of the treatment of women in Ancient Greece. Highly recommend!

I am a big fan of retellings of Greek Myths, particularly when told from the female perspective, and my goodness I really enjoyed this book. This story of Clytemnestra is so tragic, fierce and compelling. The characters were very well drawn, the pace was great, and I literally could not put the book down. This book definitely has a worthy place in the pantheon of excellent Greek stories currently available. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

4 stars

Very beautifully written, and engaging. A story that I’m just becoming familiar with. Wilson, did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life, and making me, as the reader, really connect with them and the story.
I hope to see more from Wilson in the future:

Susan C Wilson does a great job in creating a great Greek mythology book about Clytemnestra. I'm glad I got to read this book and thought it worked well overall. I enjoyed how good it was written and glad it was such a good read. I enjoyed how good the characters were written and it kept the same spirit as the original story.

"Harmonia instructed me to lie on the bed. Two maids lifted my legs to hold the child in place, while a third raised my skirts and tried to soothe my contractions with an oil-drenched cloth pressed to my belly. My ladies sat in a circle on the floor, legs and fingers crossed, murmuring prayers to divine Eleuthia to delay the birth until Eritha came. I sobbed in fear and frustration. I willed my body to be still, but it betrayed me with every new, tearing spasm. My ladies’ voices resonated in my ears, chanting powerful female magic. I knew their efforts were in vain."

Clytemnestra's Bind is a retelling of the events that lead up to the Trojan War and its subsequent carnage from the perspective of Queen Clytemnestra, sister of Helen and wife of Agamemnon. At first, I found myself a bit thrown off, as it didn’t follow the version of events I was most familiar with in the beginning, but to be honest, this made me even more intrigued and eager to find out what was going to happen next. It is testament to good writing that a mythological retelling can be so captivating, when often, the reader already knows how it will end.
While I am familiar enough with the characters of Greek Mythology, I would recommend those who are not, read through the list of characters at the back first. A lot of names are quite similar sounding and it would likely help them keep events and characters clear.
I enjoyed reading this novel and found that the story flowed well and it had detailed description without bogging the reader down in unnecessary detail. For or the most part, Clytemnestra was a sympathetic protagonist, which made the knowledge of what was to come for her all the more tragic. She is depicted as an apt leader, a dedicated mother (which is often not the case in other depictions) and often puts aside her own desires in order to further the cause of her children. I did find some of the parts that involved Clytemnestra disciplining Electra a bit uncomfortable. I think it was the 21st Century mother in me feeling confronted by such different methods of raising children. So as much as I felt a bit uncomfortable, I understand it was placed in the novel for maintaining historical accuracy.
I both did and didn’t like the ending, I liked it because it gave an open sense of hope and victory. But, at the same time, I knew there was an unhappy end to the story and it felt, truncated.
Overall, I really liked reading this novel. It has been able to stand independently and memorably amongst the influx of Greek Mythology retellings from a feminine perspective that have flooded the market in recent years. Clytemnestra’s Bind was able to provide fresh voice to the injustices the women of this time experienced and it was able to paint a vilified figure in Clytemnestra in a much more sympathetic light.
Thank you to NetGalley and NeemTree Press for providing me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.