Three women of the Trojan War era, Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra, deal with the chaos that Helen of Troy has foisted onto their families as they come face-to-face with the patterns of betrayal and revenge that cycle through their lives.
In continuing my quest to read all of Jennifer Saint’s books before the release of Hera in May of 2024, I read Elektra immediately after finishing Ariadne in audiobook format while completing a puzzle. Elektra alternate POVS between three characters: Clytemnestra as she agonizes over the death of her daughter, Iphigenia, and seeks revenge, Cassandra as she becomes more and more frustrated that those she trusts and loves most won’t listen to her predictions and visions, and the titular Elektra as she loyally defends a father that has left to fight in Troy. Rage, anger, frustration, and despair seem to be throughlines for all three plots in this book, showing the commonalities that all three ladies share in not controlling their own lives. However, the aspect of the book that hooked me the most was when each of the ladies makes a choice that then impacts how the other two respond. Saint was able to create masterful tension in this respect. Clytemnestra is Elektra’s mother, and the two have very different opinions of Agamemnon (husband/father). Elektra and Cassandra are both younger and growing up a time of war, fighting to find their own place in their family and in society while all the attention is focused there. Cassandra is a Trojan, while Clytemnestra and Elektra are Greeks, enemies in this bitter, multi-year war. Sprinkle in the anger of the gods, children in hiding, marriages of convenience, and heaps of hubris, and it makes for a wonderfully twisting-and-turning read.
I liked Elektra more than I liked Ariadne, but mostly because I enjoyed Cassandra’s story line the best. She begins learning that innocence and devotion, while great qualities to have, may not serve her best in a time of war. I also enjoyed Clytemnestra’s story line, as she cycles through so many stages of grief before arriving at a way to break out of it—through the self-centered pleasure found in revenge. Both characters change and evolve, make choices that lead towards their goals, and fend off the impacts of wartime for as long as they can. The scene between these two, with its depth and poignant understanding, was my favorite of the book. I found Elektra’s story line annoying at times. She seemed childish and prone to temper tantrums for most of her life. I empathized much more with the side characters that had to deal with her than with her own motivations, which was not ideal.
This book was a solid 3.5/5 for me. I think Jennifer Saint figured out how to pace things better in this book, and I am excited to read her next one.
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