Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

22 reviews

nicnevin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Good story but I feel like the titular character honestly didn't have much to do with her own story, especially since the more interesting aspects were with Cassandra and Clydemnestra.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Drug use, War, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexism, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Xenophobia, Violence, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Gore, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Blood, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Classism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

remuslibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Child death, Death, Grief, Sexism, War, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Rape

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

i really enjoyed this. Clytemnestra's storyline and perspective was by far the best in my opinion. Elektra's storyline, while connecting the characters and giving us a new perspective, was a little lackluster at times. if not for that i would have enjoyed this even more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Blood, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, War, Grief, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, and Violence

pleaseimgonnavomit's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, and Child death

Moderate: Death of parent and Classism

Minor: Rape and Pregnancy

tortoasa's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Sexism

Moderate: Murder, War, and Sexual violence

Minor: Rape

maaikereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.25

Many thanks to Headline Audio and Jennifer Saint for the advanced audio copy of Elektra via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel. 

Disclaimer: the negative slant on the audio perspective is largely due to my misophonia. I have an intense dislike for ‘mouth noises’. Audible swallowing, smacking noises, general un-edited auditory mouth *stuff* really gets to me and put me off this audiobook. 

Elektra follows an interesting retelling of the Trojan war, from some of the key women’s point of view. Jennifer Saint has woven in figures of myth and legend along with those of flesh and blood with a matter-of-fact-ness, which isn’t seen as often in this type of retellings. Often in this type of story there is a veil of supernatural syrup, a ‘playing with the gods’ tale. But this story felt much more solid. This is told in a more ‘this is real life’ sort of way. And real life just happened to have the occasional god, or demi god, walking around in it. As you do. 

I suspect that ‘Elektra’ was not Saint’s original title of choice, as she was not the protagonist of the book. But as Clytemnestra was already taken this season, it would have to do. Perhaps a different title may have suited the story better, however. 

The narrators suited the individual characters well. However, I found it extremely difficult to get into the story as, after the first three chapters, they did not announce the character at the beginning of the chapter, instead expecting the listener to have already memorised the narrator’s voice. Unfortunately I’m not that good and I was confused, and annoyed. And as my misophonia had me well and truly distracter, I almost stopped listening at this point. Eventually I got the hang of who was who, and got into the story. It definitely took me a while, though. 

Overall, the story was interesting. It was perhaps a bit over-long for my taste. I hope there is a final edit to smooth out the ‘mouth noises’ for future listeners’ enjoyment! 

Spice: 1/5 

Trigger warnings: Animal death, Blood/Gore, Cheating, Death, Death of a family member, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical or mental abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self Harm, Sexism, Sexual abuse/assault/harassment, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, War 

Rating 

Story: 3.5/5 

Audio: 3/5 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Slavery, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment, Physical abuse, War, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Blood, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Gore, Animal death, Sexism, Death of parent, and Self harm

anapthine's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Thank you Net Galley and Headline Audio for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Elektra, the daughter of Agamemnon, who greatly looks up to her father. When he leaves for Troy she is heartbroken and for years longs to be near him. Along with her mother Clytemnestra and the sister of Paris (the Trojan Prince who fell in love with Helen) called Princess Cassandra, this incredibly clever novel tells the story of Troy from many different points of view.

Because I love Song of Achilles with all my heart, I was worried this book would just be another tale about Troy, not really adding anything - but how wrong I was. Elektra adds so much to the story of the Trojan War, with how Princess Cassandra feels watching the war unfold beneath her.

Princess Casandra got the gift of prophecy from Apollo, but no one believes her when she speaks of the dangers.

My favourite point of view was Clytemnestra’s, as it was full of humility, grief, revenge, anger and sorrow.

The audiobook itself was incredibly well done, showcasing the emotions of the characters beautifully.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Kidnapping, Blood, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Slavery, Trafficking, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Abandonment, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

hmatt's review

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I really like the way this author writes women's voices, and I think it particularly suits this sub-genre of Greek myth retellings. I hope they continue to write in this genre and I will happily pick up whatever comes next.

That said, I didn't find this retelling quite as compelling as I've found others. Cassandra is the only one of the three POV characters who is arguably likeable at all, which is definitely intentional, but also it did impact my reading. It was a struggle for me to empathize at all, really, with the other two. I also wasn't quite convinced by the choice to just narrate from these three specific characters. Elektra and Clytemnestra make sense but, again, Cassandra is a bit of a random pick/stretch for me. It felt like it was a choice made deliberately so that this book wasn't too similar to A Thousand Ships - which, honestly, read that before you read this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, War, Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Confinement, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Genocide

Minor: Animal death

tmickey's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Abandonment, Blood, War, Child death, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Slavery, and Confinement

amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

A retelling of the greek myth of the Trojan War focusing on Cassandra (seer and daughter of the king of Troy), Clytemnestra (Queen of Sparta, wife of Agamemmnon), and Elektra (daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemmnon). However the characters voices were all very similar which made it confusing between chapters.

Yet again I'm unimpressed with these retellings. I love greek mythology so much that I will read anything involving it but these retellings are really lacking for me. It's something with how the author depicts women.

It was a feminist retelling, highlighting the struggles the women had to endure and the unfairness of society but it also seemed like a dated feminist view. The women were powerless and trapped in their gender roles but it seemed like the author was content with that. I think a gender essay could definitely be written about the representation in this story which at least highlights the women's stories who were often overlooked but it really fell flat for me. There also could have been a lot more queer representation, especially since ancient Rome and Greece were known for having lots of queer relationships.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Rape, Pregnancy, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Grief, Violence, Sexism, Medical trauma, Suicide, Sexual assault, Death, and Child death