A review by askoda
Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

5.0

If anything, this novel is about strength. Heywood elevates the voices of Helen and Klytemnestra- two Greek women who have been historically cast into the shadows of the men who betrothed them.

Heywood not only shows how powerful these women were, she reminds readers that strength is more that brute power. Strength is finding the will to push forward. It’s finding your place in foreign worlds. Heywood fills in the blanks historians normally willingly leave with moments of resilience and stamina.

In addition to this, I felt like I learned a lot about what it was like to be a Greek woman. The double standards and the expectations of servitude rippled throughout her words. Yet… each time, the women find that they do hold power; whether or not they want it.