Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

31 reviews

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

megang519's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Perhaps not a perfect 5 star read but this was a beautiful book. Gorgeous, lyrical prose with complicated characters. I love a good Trojan War retelling and this didn’t fall short of my expectations!

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and Rape

steffi_23's review against another edition

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

4.5

This book really brought back my Greek mythology obsession, I love a good tragedy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: War, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape

ebancroft's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Pregnancy and War

Minor: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Rape

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

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

dark 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

Clytemnestra’s story is one which has always intrigued me; therefore, I was beyond excited to read another retelling of it. What I had expected to be a portrayal of feminine rage quickly transformed into a moving work on motherhood and loss, relevant today while staying true to its historic orgins.
Elektra follows the titular character Elektra as well as her mother Clytemnestra and the Trojan priestess Casandra as their lives intersect in unimaginable ways.
Saint humanizes these characters in a unique yet tasteful manner, resulting in a a complex narrative. The continuous metaphor of a curse/circular pattern connects all three women deeper than surface level. 
One aspect to know prior to reading is that Elektra is not the sole narrator, and many times is given less of a speaking role than the other women. It is particularly short read (though pretty dense) and I would have loved to read a bit more in certain areas.
Overall, I would recommend to any fans of Greek Mythology from a feminist perspective, though definitely check trigger warnings before reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Gore, Slavery, Rape, War, Incest, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Suicide

erin_forgie's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

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

4.75

Wow, will write a review after I’ve processed my thoughts

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Blood

odyssia's review against another edition

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

This novel is an improvement on Saint's previous Greek mythology novel - Ariadne, in my opinion, partly as it's a more compelling story in the first place. The choice of perspectives - three narrators - was a good one as it shows the differing interpretations and motivation of key characters, which also provides some depth and fodder for discussion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, War, and Suicidal thoughts

hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Self harm, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Slavery, Trafficking, War, and Kidnapping