Kayla Reviews ELEKTRA

• Genre: Fantasy
• Type: Audiobook
• Length: 10hrs 38min
• Buy: Amazon

Summary:

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?

My Take:

Thank you to #netgalley and Flatiron books for an early listen in exchange for a honest review.

For an audiobook to be good, it takes a great narrator. This audiobook has three good narrators. Without those three brilliantly cast, perfectly distinct voices, I would not have been able to finish this book, despite the good story telling.

As I listened, I couldn’t help but compare this novel to Saint’s debut, Ariadne. I loved that retelling—particularly the way in which Saint turned a tragedy into a coming-of-age story with a bittersweet, but hopeful ending.

Saint took on three myths for this daring retelling, and her writing style admittedly kept me listening. I honestly believe that she was the only author who could tell both Elekra and Clytemnestra‘s stories in a way that makes both characters relatable. I’ve always had a particularly seeing Electra as a hero, and this certainly helped.

The only issue I took with it was Cassandra. Her story, in my opinion, was a bit out of place here. Did we need to see the story of Troy? Probably. Could it have been told from the much more interesting perspective of Helen? I think so. That, however, is just my personal opinion.

If you’re a fan of Greek retellings, this is hands-down the best I’ve read.