Reviews with content warning for Death - Daughters of Sparta

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

35 reviews

amobrien's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

4.25

I'm a sucker for mythological retellings — though I will say that Daughters of Sparta is light on the magic that I normally expect from mythology and sticks more to realism. I found this to be really effective for this story as it delves into the Trojan War and its horrors, and I think it allows readers to connect with the characters as people more than as mythological figures. I really enjoyed the way the story focused on the two sisters Helen and Klytemnestra. Though separated by their responsibilities and geography, I loved seeing the ways in which the sisters were similar as well as how they were different, and how both of their choices affected each other and their communities. Though this book is heavy at times, I found it to be a rather quick read. If you love Greek mythology, I definitely think this is worth adding to your list!

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adequateanja's review against another edition

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reflective 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

3.75

Another really good retelling of Greek mythology. I gobble those up like there‘s no tomorrow ngl
I really appreciate the trend on focusing on a female perspective. Also you know a book is good, when you know the story but are still curious how this author is gonna tell it. I still liked A thousand ships better, it hit me harder emotionally.

Fun story: even as a kid I didn’t understand what Elektras problem was and thought that Agamemnon had it comin‘… can you tell that I was raised by a single mother lol

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indyjg's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

Follows the life of Klytemnesta and Helen, key figures from Greek mythology. However, in this retelling it highlights the struggles of women in a heavily patriarchal society, there is no such thing as winning or fulfilment for women, they are supposed to exist to serve men. This expectation is subverted especially by the ending. I was hesitant about another retelling but enjoyed this one more than I thought, despite some pacing issues! I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition between Klytemnesta as a 'dutiful daughter' and Helen who rebels against what is expected of her.

The ultimate contrast ending with Agamemnon's death at Klytemnestra's hand and Helen returning to Menelaus, fulfilling her duty.

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad 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

3.75

This is a fantastic retelling of the stories of two of the most vilified women in Greek mythology. This book focuses heavily on Helen and Klytemnestra’s childhood experiences and how the small differences in them result in drastic differences to their behaviour as adults. The author provides us with a level of depth to their characters that isn’t provided in the source material, making them so much more sympathetic than many other interpretations have. Of course they have their flaws and make their mistakes, but since we clearly understand their motivations we have no choice but to root for them regardless. The prose is excellently written and gives a clear voice to both women’s feelings. And the men? We love to hate most of them, as it should be.

My one gripe with this book is that the pacing is rather inconsistent. The start is somewhat slow, and I am grateful for the time skips to ensure that the narrative doesn’t get boring. However, Helen’s “abduction” occurs over halfway through the book and the actual war doesn’t start until three quarters of the way through. From there, the pacing is almost breakneck as the author attempts to fit the nine-year Trojan war, as well as its aftermath, into under one hundred pages. I appreciate that retellings of the Trojan War, especially the events covered in the Iliad, have been done to death in other adaptations, but I feel that Helen’s perspective of more parts of the war, or even Klytemnestra’s reception of the news of certain events, could have enhanced the story. I was half expecting Kalchas to somehow make a return, either during the plague (which isn’t mentioned) or when the Trojan Horse arrives (which is alluded to in a single sentence), since he plays a significant role in the first half of the novel and then completely disappears after Iphigenia’s death. The book barely touches on the events of the Iliad and the Agamemnon and doesn’t even cover the Libation Bearers (leaving both Klytemnestra’s and Elektra’s arcs feeling somewhat unfinished), and I think that the author really could have taken advantage of the opportunity to discuss the motivations of Helen and Klytemnestra in these stories where their actions are so significant.

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lanid's review against another edition

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

3.25

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mothman19's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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icarusandthesun's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced

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

3.5

a greatly informative book with freshly interesting new perspectives. i really enjoyed reading about helen and klytemnestra, especially their childhoods, and the life at court for a woman and (house)wife as well.
still, i thought the characters were pretty... vanilla? like especially the men. you hear stories about the men's rage and bitterness, about the sexism and misogyny, but the men in this book were kind of ... alright i guess?
they were abusive sometimes and assholes of course, but when it came down to it, all they did was scream, mostly. and menelaos was like a puppy idk
i also thought the book was too slow and long in the wrong places. helen's and klytemnestra's childhoods were interesting, but you could keep it shorter. for the first half of the book not a lot really happened. i had wished for more infos and stories beyond the trojan war, explore the lives after, but it just cut off there, after the war had ended.

really addictive writing tho, would still definitely recommend. an informative, lyrical gem—with flaws:)

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