Clytemnestra

"Uhhh I’m not sure about this one 😳 After reading a short synopsis- it had a dark start but a powerful and strong lead female character which I naturally loved. I got game of thrones vibes cough Goffrey…"

"So many excellent quotes and takeaways. 💕 I absolutely LOVED the strength and fierceness of so many of the female characters! 🥰 This book will definitely stay with me for a long time. "

"I love books about feminine rage! This was so hard to put down. Phenomenal! "

"Iliad and odyssey told from feminine perspective and done very well"

"Really put me through the ringer"

"As far as “retellings of Greeks myths” go, it’s solid. "

"Loved! I was a fan of Circe and Song of Achilles and hadn’t been “back” to ancient Greece since then. I really enjoyed learning more about this side of the story. We love a powerful queen! I appreciate the inclusion of the family tree and other Greek terminology notes in the printed book. I found myself referencing it often."

"Clytemnestra joins the (IMO totally amazing) barrage of re-envisioned mythology novels. In the vein of Madeline Miller's incredibly popular novels Circe and Song of Achilles, Clytemnestra follows the eponymous Spartan through her life of incredible strength and horrifying pain. I found this story to be at turns extremely emotionally uncomfortable and a rollicking adventure, but it was always satisfying. Clytemnestra is portrayed as the girl next door, not as classically beautiful as her sister Helen (yes, THAT Helen!), but possessing an uncommonly strong character, mind, and body-for a woman of these times, at least. This doesn't particularly bother her, but it is something she thinks about a lot. She marries for love and has a child but loses them early and is remarried against her will. Though 30% of the novel builds up to this point, here is where the story really takes off and where Greek mythology fans will begin to recognize the story. Helen leaves voluntarily with Paris to Troy in this version, and Agamemnon and Menelaus plot the war to get her back, while Clytemnestra is left behind to rule Mycenae. Plenty of familiar faces make an appearance, but I enjoyed seeing it from this warrior queen's point of view. Clytemnestra has an acute sense of fairness and justice. She believes that revenge is best served cold, and several offenders receive their icy comeuppance long after they've forgotten the offense. She is introspective about her childhood and upbringing, and she understands that this history guides her perspective and decision making. She learns to lead her city as a feared but respected ruler and raises her children with little assistance. Basically, Clytemnestra is the quintessential boss bitch. I love how her strength and her pain are equally addressed, how her inner turmoil comes out in fantastic ways around other characters. I was surprised at how much I identified with this woman who "lived" so many centuries ago. This novel exhibits excel"

"Amazing historical fiction of a strong Queen and all her struggles with men who do not respect her. Also brings in the Trojan war and many other Greek hero’s, princesses and villains! Loved it!"

"An intense story of a broken but strong woman. I didn't want to put it down."