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4.5/5
“I had not dreamed I would bring my children into a world that could drain their blood in the light of dawn before they’d had a chance to live at all.”
Elektra follows the scorned title character, the ‘mad prophetess’ Cassandra and the bold and brilliant Clytemnestra in a tale of heartbreak, revenge and a loss of power. Set over the period of a decade, the Greek myth inspired novel is recounted by three unpredictable but relatable narrators who will have you gasping at every page.
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Elektra is as brutal as it is beautiful and if you are looking for contrasting complicated characters with a gut-wrenching story to tell, look no further. Naturally, Saint headers in each chapter with names but she needn’t have bothered; the voices of all three are gloriously different with the fury of Elektra, the devastation of Cassandra and the vengeance of Clytemnestra, you know within seconds whose story you are reliving.
But as much as Elektra is an epic tale brimming with murder, deceit and sorrow it’s not without it’s tenderness and love too, whether it’s unrelenting sibling loyalty or the ache of a mother in anguish, the vulnerability pours through the pages.
The language used helps to build on the poetry of an already imaginative tale and how Saint relays the fable through the eyes of a confused child compared to the thoughts of a maltreated prophet is truly something to admire.
Saint also thrives at creating a sense of sympathy for all three women, and at times a level of empathy too, although it’s a story from thousands of years ago, the feelings are familiar and it’s a devastating reality of an unjust society.
At the end of the day Elektra, Cassandra and Clytemnestra are women whose lives have been catapulted into a nightmare by the horror of men, whether they want to admit it or not.
💀For fans of Medusa and Lore💀
Emily xo
Emily Vierke 