Reviews tagging 'War'

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

175 reviews

_vicreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such a beautiful and moving read. The haunting curse of the House of Atreus, and of Cassandra, weaves through the pages and the actions of these women. From Helen and Clytemnestra to Cassandra and Elektra, these mothers, sisters, daughters, both control the story and are helpless to watch as it unfolds. My heart broke for both Elektra and Clytemnestra in their grief but then worried as I watched them pursue vengeance above all else. Poor, unheard Cassandra, woven into this story by Agamemnon and his pride, to find peace in death at last. I found the scene between Clytemnestra and Cassandra so moving, as well as the epilogue as Elektra reflects on all that’s unfollowed. Jennifer Saint writes so beautifully!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Death of parent and War

Minor: Slavery and Rape

amanda_reads89's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

ccaz's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Child death, Violence, and War

lesemaus2303's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, War, Blood, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

perezzah's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

ecneils's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, War, Child death, and Violence

ccee's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Saint’s prose is readable in that she can compose a sentence, yet her imagery relies heavily on ancient turns of phrase that we’ve seen rehashed again and again throughout these retellings. Cassandra and Clytemnestra had depth, yet Elektra, a stunningly tragic figure, lay flat.

Her take on Pylades and Orestes as sworn brothers made me cringe a little, their relationship felt stiff and platonic, and Elektra’s instant attraction to Pylades felt so far out of the realm of the canon of the Tragedians that it blindsided me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Gore, War, Violence, and Ableism

Minor: Animal death and Abandonment

mrsjburgin's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Murder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Grief, Child abuse, Infidelity, Confinement, War, Rape, and Misogyny

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Abandonment, Slavery, and War

gabrielleclawson's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Child death, and Death of parent

Moderate: War