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reka111's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Sometimes we must be led by duty, and sometimes by what is right....The trick is to know when these things are the same, and when they are not
Okay, now how do i put into words a whole life feeling? I mean, really. I liked this book incredibly, oh my goodness, every minute of it.
I loved the characters, but especially Clytemnestra's passionate and well-developed soul, she is my favorite for sure. Helen, though likable, had actions i couldn't agree with, and what surprised me the most was that Menelaus was quite lovable on my part.
The plot was okay, it covered quite well what was supposed to happen but with minor changes. The time jumps were not distracting and the pace was adequate. The ending got a nice closure, I have no reason to complain about it. Overall, it brought the level I expected.
I recommend it to those who love warrior women who raise their voices and attack back. For those who love Greek mythology and are able to read anything to get closer to these legends.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Child death
Moderate: Murder and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Death of parent
hayleemarie's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Suicide
abhss's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Pregnancy, Infidelity, War, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent and Rape
withlivjones's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, War, Genocide, and Grief
Period-typical attitudes towards womenmothman19's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Violence, War, and Blood
Moderate: Pedophilia, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement, Abortion, Abandonment, Body shaming, Medical trauma, and Infertility
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
- 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
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:)
Graphic: Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death, Misogyny, Slavery, Grief, Murder, War, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Rape
Minor: Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
abfabulous17's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Death of parent, War, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Suicide, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Slavery
annasbookreviews's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Animal death, Blood, and Sexism
grisgrisgris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Pedophilia
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, and Cannibalism
therealslimkatie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War