A review by readsbyfatima
Elektra by Jennifer Saint

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

2.75

I expected more out of this book than just a faithful retelling. I found it to be incredibly bleak and quite frustrating at times. It was written beautifully and was incredibly engaging. I could totally understand what drove each character, but it was a real shame to not be able to witness any growth in the characters. They all got wrapped up in their own revenge fantasies (except for Cassandra - whom I love) and seem to perpetuate the cycle of violence that the House of Atreus has been cursed with. I guess it makes sense that things played out the way they did due to this curse, but I just wish there could have been some form of realisation or regret of following the vengeance path. It was particularly hard to read Elektra’s POV because of her blind loyalty to her terrible father. I got really irritated by her hatred of her mother and easy dismissal of her sister’s murder. I related more to Cassandra and Clytemnestra because their POVs made more sense to me. Clytemnestra ended up perpetuating the curse rather than breaking it by enacting revenge, which I thought was fascinating. I just wish Elektra could have had some of her self-awareness…All in all it was a fascinating read, but a tad disappointing in terms of it not meeting my full expectations on character growth and the overall message of the story. 
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