Reviews with content warning for Gore - Elektra

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

35 reviews

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.

Content Warnings

nofy's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

Content Warnings

maxineee's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Read this for Laufey’s book club. And finished it the night before the ‘meeting’. For sure not something I would have picked up on my own and it was challenging given I never paid attention to Greek units in middle/high school English classes and spoiled myself for SoA. I got into it maybe halfway through when I started crying and had to take frequent breaks. All I have to say is two things: I will never learn to pronounce the names in this book and Clytemnestra (Clementine for reasons previously stated) did nothing wrong.

Content Warnings

indigo5545's review

Go to review page

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

beautifully written, and i love the different perspective Saint was able to shed light on

i always thought clytemnestra killed cassandra out of jealousy,, but this version aghh makes it so much better bc it’s out of kindness yusss

yayyy feminism
#internationalwomansday

Content Warnings

velsbooknook's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad tense

4.5

This book follows the POV of three women during the Trojan War. There is Clythemnestra, wife of Agamemnon who is building a great army against Troy. Her daughter Elektra and the princess of Troy Cassandra, who got cursed by Apollo and therefor sees her city fall.
It was my second Greek mythology book and it did not disappoint. I loved Saint's writing style. I felt empathy for all three women.
I found the chapters of Clythemnestra and Cassandra the most compelling. The ones of Elektra fell a little flat for me. The pace of the middle of the book was a little to slow for my liking sometimes.
This re-telling was much darker than Circe, which was my first book of the genre, but I really enjoyed it!
The ending was very beautiful in my opinion and it felt very rewarding after everything the house Atreus had to go through.

Content Warnings

maaikereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Content Warnings

anapthine's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

vixenreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

If you love Greek Mythology, especially about the Trojan War, you will love this one. However, you may be lost if you have not heard of the Trojan War or the Orestia.

Content Warnings

ebancroft's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Content Warnings

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

More...