Elektra (ARC): a review

Dec 25, 20215 min read

D E T A I L S

- Title- Elektra

- Author(s)- Jennifer Saint

- Genre(s)- historical

- Age rating- 16+

- Publication date- 28/04/2022

- Publisher- Wildfire

P R E M I S E

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?

[GOODREADS] [STORYGRAPH]

R E V I E W

// Content Warning: death / kidnapping / misogyny / murder / violence //

ELEKTRA is essentially THE SONG OF ACHILLES except it's told from the women's perspective. We witness significant events such as the birth of Paris who brought Troy to its knees, the moment when Cassandra (if you don't know her story, I'll get to it in a minute) got cursed, and Helen's kidnapping. The book is narrated by three women: Cassandra, the cursed hippie princess, Clytemnestra, the sister of the infamous Helen of Troy and Elektra, the daughter of Clytemnestra who just wants a nap.

Seeing that you waited for quite a while, let's get right into Cassandra's story. We are all familiar with Apollo (not to be confused with my cat) and his godly powers and stuff like that blah blah blah. Our Mr. Sunshine boy here decided to curse Cassandra because his fragile masculinity was dismantled and thrown into the ocean (also he was very bored). The good news is she can see many many years ahead however the bad news is that no one will believe her. Ever. So obviously when she comes in bearing the news that her shit-faced sister is about to give birth to a murderer who annihilates the city because a beautiful woman refused his hand in marriage (honestly who wouldn't; he's a dick) and also because a gay guy decided it would be hilarious if he pulled off a couple of pranks (Achilles I'm looking at you).

The events (assuming you've read THE SONG OF ACHILLES) progress as usual: death, more death, ooh giant horsie, oh no he's dead no, and more death (you get the point). At some point however the war was called off because the men grew too bored of all the murder and wanted a bubble bath instead*

The writing was initially what drew me into Jennifer Saint's works. Her other book ARIADNE had a promising premise but fell flat a few chapters in. I think she had done a wonderful job patching up her flaws while also maintaining the dreamy and prosaic tone. This book also showcased better character developments and more fleshed out women in dominant / powerful positions.

* If you studied history, please don't listen to me. Use your textbook, child.

5/5 stars

S I M I L A R B O O K S

- A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.

A woman’s epic, powerfully imbued with new life, A Thousand Ships puts the women, girls and goddesses at the center of the Western world’s great tale ever told.

[GOODREADS] [STORYGRAPH]

- Women of Troy series by Pat Barker

1. Silence of Girls

The ancient city of Troy has withstood a decade under siege of the powerful Greek army, which continues to wage bloody war over a stolen woman—Helen. In the Greek camp, another woman—Briseis—watches and waits for the war's outcome. She was queen of one of Troy's neighboring kingdoms, until Achilles, Greece's greatest warrior, sacked her city and murdered her husband and brothers. Briseis becomes Achilles's concubine, a prize of battle, and must adjust quickly in order to survive a radically different life, as one of the many conquered women who serve the Greek army.

When Agamemnon, the brutal political leader of the Greek forces, demands Briseis for himself, she finds herself caught between the two most powerful of the Greeks. Achilles refuses to fight in protest, and the Greeks begin to lose ground to their Trojan opponents. Keenly observant and coolly unflinching about the daily horrors of war, Briseis finds herself in an unprecedented position, able to observe the two men driving the Greek army in what will become their final confrontation, deciding the fate not only of Briseis's people but also of the ancient world at large.

Briseis is just one among thousands of women living behind the scenes in this war—the slaves and prostitutes, the nurses, the women who lay out the dead—all of them erased by history.

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2. The Women of Troy

Troy has fallen. The Greeks have won their bitter war. They can return home as victors - all they need is a good wind to lift their sails. But the wind has vanished, the seas becalmed by vengeful gods, and so the warriors remain in limbo - camped in the shadow of the city they destroyed, kept company by the women they stole from it.

The women of Troy.

Helen - poor Helen. All that beauty, all that grace - and she was just a mouldy old bone for feral dogs to fight over.

Cassandra, who has learned not to be too attached to her own prophecies. They have only ever been believed when she can get a man to deliver them.

Stubborn Amina, with her gaze still fixed on the ruined towers of Troy, determined to avenge the slaughter of her king.

Hecuba, howling and clawing her cheeks on the silent shore, as if she could make her cries heard in the gloomy halls of Hades. As if she could wake the dead.

And Briseis, carrying her future in her womb: the unborn child of the dead hero Achilles. Once again caught up in the disputes of violent men. Once again faced with the chance to shape history.

[GOODREADS] [STORYGRAPH]