Elektra: No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller from the Author of ARIADNE

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She didn’t hide away from the more graphic or morally difficult parts of the stories and instead contextualises them and creates what is overall, a beautifully told, gripping and devastating novel, perfect for both readers familiar with the story and those who are not. Her predictions have branded her a Madwoman, and she is a Trojan pariah, even amongst her own royal family. She can't understand that the God's are cruel, that maybe her father was wrong for all he did, and clouded by grief over his loss, her life becomes tainted with ending her mother's.

Cassandra is a princess of Troy and priestess to Apollo, cursed to see the future and never be believed.This could have been stronger had it been a more in depth story focusing solely on Clytemnestra or Cassandra but the three POV’s made the story weaker and more surface level.

The author is brilliant in her portrayal of the strong emotions and complexities in these women- Clytemnestra’s rage and agony, Cassandra’s innocence, despair and frustration and Elektra’s loyalty, anger and desire for revenge.The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin. The criticism I do have however, is that I missed the Greek tragedy and there was plenty of incidents, events, deaths, and curses to create the prefect atmosphere and build new drama, but the author did not quite get it right with the atmosphere, drama and sense of theatre we get from the writing.

Finally, one day I will be tired of Trojan War's retellings but not today and definitely not with this book! However, I loved the portrayal and depth of Agamemnon’s character in the book – not likeable but it was great to see more depth and colour to this very powerful character in Greek mythology. The tone and content is decidedly feminine, reflecting the ruminations and intrigues of the female mind. The complicated mother-daughter relationship between Clytemnestra and Elektra, each obsessed with their respective quest for revenge, was brilliantly penned.A major part of the narrative is shared between Elektra, Cassandra and Clytemnestra- each of whom gives us a brief picture of the significant events that impact their lives before, during and after the fall of Troy. In Elektra, the author weaves the stories of Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra together, allowing us to witness events during the Trojan War from their perspective. Clytemnestra is best known as the murderer of her husband, the leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, as depicted in Aeschylus’s play Agamemnon, which is admittedly where I first encountered and fell in love with her. The interest was also mainly in the second half of the book, and completely absorbed me at the end with a more than satisfying ending as the characters wrestle with their moral dilemma and thirst for revenge because that was what tradition dictated.

I have always wanted to grow up to be the woman he thought I would become, the woman I could have been, if only he had been able to stay.

They plan and seethe and clash emotionally, but for most of the novel they just sit around because no action can take place with the menfolk absent.