I am always nervous when there is an origin story for a myth that I am a big fan of and Circe is certainly one of them but I think Costanza Casati did a wonderful job from the historically accurate atmosphere to the relationship with her sister I think the author did a great job in telling Circe‘s origin story and how she became the powerful heroin that she did. This is a book I definitely recommend and thoroughly enjoyed I receive this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I love a good mythology retelling, and Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati more than delivered! This is a beautifully written debut novel!

In Greek mythology, Clytemnestra is a Spartan Princess, Helen of Troy's sister, and Agamemnon's wife. Agamemnon has killed Clytemnestra's first husband and son and married her by force. He later manipulates Clytemnestra into sending their daughter to him under the guise of wanting to marry her off. Instead, he sacrifices their daughter to the gods for favorable winds as he sets sail for Troy and the 10-year Trojan War. Clytemnestra rules in Agamemnon's place for those ten years and plots her revenge and Agamemnon's death.

I was captivated by this atmospheric and vivid book as it looks deeper into the woman behind the notorious warrior-queen legend and tells the tale from her POV. It opens in Clytemnestra and Helen's youth just before they are married and shows how these women were raised to be warriors and how protective Clytemnestra is, which helps set the stage for understanding her later on. And Casati does a great job of letting us into Clytemnestra's grief, pain, and anger. She is depicted as an intelligent woman with motivations that make her feel human and is a character with nuance and depth. The world-building is fantastic and immersive, as is the depiction of these characters' complicated social and family ties. I cannot wait to read what Casati writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to review this ARC. I loved it!

3.5 stars rounded down to a 3. First, I'll start off with the fact that I admittedly haven't read any other Greek retellings like Achilles, Circe, Electra, etc., but I definitely want to now after this!
Overall, I felt that Costanza did a great job building up the anger, the frustration, the unjustness that Clytemnestra goes through as we are taken through different parts in her life. That remained constant from page one to the end because I really could relate to those emotions and thoughts from the get-go. Growing up, I was always kind of baffled by Clytemnestra's story, the little that we get, and also, of course, what she's remembered for. It's a tragedy through and through, and one that honestly irked me, so it was definitely… maybe fun’s not the right word but a bit cathartic to feel those emotions alongside Clytemnestra!

The foreshadowing at various parts was well-woven, and I loved the appearances and mentions of other popular characters, that all have their parts in the epics of Troy and Sparta, some with their own retellings! Again, it definitely got me in the mood to pick up more Greek retellings and look things up again too. The thing is, for me, felt like a lot of the first half was kind of just waiting for the second half. Parts of the buildup was good, but other parts felt a little off pacing-wise. We spent a lot of time in the beginning of Clytemnestra's life that it did feel like with each time skip, it would cut things a bit short in the period. Thus unfortunately, the climax did seem too short for my tastes as well. I was hoping for more chapters around <i>the moment</i> and a little more build-up with Aegisthus.

While I can appreciate where Costanza decided to end the book, and the way she phrased it, it still left me feeling like the story was incomplete, despite knowing how things go from there. Because it is. And that can be a disappointment to some, with the build-up leading to every other moment that we see in Clytemnestra's life, to be left bereft with so many questions. Yes, this is Clytemnestra's story, but obviously Costanza built up her children in this too, and it felt they were a little bit too much of side characters.

Still, I enjoyed this retelling and was glad that Costanza was able to rile me up while she took me on this journey. 😂 There were many things that Costanza did tackle, including <spoiler>Helen and the rest of her siblings, her different husbands, and her lovers, and her thoughts on her children, the politics while she was queen of Mycenae</spoiler> and I do think she did a good job framing Clytemnestra’s POV into it all. Some of it was a little too passive for my tastes (with more telling than showing in the conversations), but I still appreciated Costanza’s efforts and thought this was a great debut novel!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is a good retelling of the story of Clytemnestra. I love a good feminine rage story and this one embodies that whole heartedly. This story is also a sad one and following the journey she's go through is very entertaining and engaging.
This was a nice read ans I will be adding it to my growing list of Greek retellings.

📖Review
4.5🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
📖Book 53/100
📚Clytemnestra
💫Genre: Historical Fiction/Greek Mythology
✍️ Constanza Casati
🛡⚔️🛡⚔️🛡⚔️🛡
This was such an amazing debut novel that left me amazed! This is the story of Clytemnestra, know to many as a bad to the bone queen, a murderess, a treacherous traitor, and a mother! This book takes you through her youth, her first marriage, and then a life of hell with Agamemnon.
It did have so many characters and could have been a bit shorter but that honestly helped me understand the background knowledge and Clytemnestra even more so. A queen that was driven to be strong in order to avenge all the losses and pain she was dealt with. This was so well written that I felt her pain and sincerely understood her way of thinking and actions. I’m not one to read much on Greek Mythology, but I do love a strong heroine. Casati really did her research on this retelling and nailed it.
✨Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
📌Publication Date:
May 02, 2023
✨✨✨✨✨
#bookstagrammer #bookstagrammersunite #clytemnestra #historicalfiction
#bookreview #booktok #books #booksarelife #booksaremagical #bookrecommendations #bookrecommendation #booklovers #booklover #fiction #mythologicalbooks #netgalley #netgalleyreads #bookworms #bibliophile #greekmythology #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreview

✨Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati✨

Genre: Fiction/Greek Mythology
Pages: 448

📚 As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best…

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offence against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot.

But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice.

Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So, you bide your time and force the gods' hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did.

If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

📝Clytemnestra was a character that blended into the background of Greek Mythology. She was Agamemnon’s wife and ultimately, his murderer. In our modern pop culture, she is the symbol of a bad wife, but this story offers a new take. Clytemnestra is a woman wronged by Agamemnon and cunningly plots her revenge.

I enjoyed the writing and the refreshed approach to the story. I found myself in Clytemnestra’s corner, sympathizing with her her plight.

💫Thank you @bookmarked and @netgalley for my ARC💫

There seems to be a trend toward taking little-known women from history, and developing stories around the bits of information available. Clytemnestra is one. She was a Spartan, trained from a very young age, and toughened up as she went on. Women of that time period were pawns and property of men who held all the power. Forced to marry Agamemnon, she plots her revenge. Clytemnestra's place in history is upstaged by her sister, Helen, who is well-known as Helen of Troy, and the Trojan War has a place in history. Clytemnestra is forced to watch as her beloved daughter is betrayed by Agamemnon, and used as a sacrifice in part of the Trojan War.

The story seemed to move very slowly at times and there were gaps in the time frame that were somewhat confusing. Bottom line - it's all about ongoing betrayal by everyone she knew, power or the lack thereof, and ultimately, revenge. Clytemnestra knew that her place in history would be of little importance over the years, but, ultimately she had her revenge.

I enjoyed Clytemnestra, I just wish I had a better background in mythology. Therefore, I purchased Mythology by Edith Hamilton.because this novel spurred such an interest in me to learn more about myths. Clytemnestra is well written, fast paced and devious. I look forward to more novels by Costanza Casati.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Mythology

Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon, mother of the child used as a sacrifice to a God to grant them wind to launch the Greek ships and initiate the Trojan War. I have never read a retelling of her story so brilliant, so moving and so complex. This is hands down one of the best Greek mythology retellings I’ve read in modern history.

The story spans from Clymenstra’s upbring in Sparta along with her sister Helen (yes that Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships) throughout her marriage to Agamemnon, his choices and their consequences. It’s a story of how one woman’s life was filled with remarkable challenges and tragedy and how she chose to survive. It’s also a story depicting life and expectations of women throughout Ancient Greece and provides interesting comparisons of the many cultures that comprised Ancient Greece.

I was hooked from the very many pages and as much as I found some of the content challenging to read (check the trigger warnings!). The story was written in such a way that I just kept wanting to turn the pages to find a win for Clytemnestra despite already knowing how her story unfolds.

I certainly hope this is not the author’s last foray into Greek mythology retellings (and hopefully the next book’s stockpile doesn’t catch fire resulting in a publication day!)

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an advanced reading copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a very detailed life of Clytemnestra. Clytemnestra and her sisters were brought up fighting, hunting, and always believing that the strongest would never die.

This book is broken into 5 parts. First is her upbringing, getting to know her family, and her falling in love and getting married. This is where her family hear from the priestess that Leda's daughters will twice and thrice wed.

This book was overall pretty good, but there were some parts that were really slow to me. I feel like part 2 was boring right up until the end. This story will make you feel all types of feelings for Clytemnestra. If you like taking a deep dive into mythology without gods and hearing her story this book is definitely for you. The author did a great job portraying Clytemnestra's life.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati is a greek mythology retelling. I am not very familiar with anyone from Greek mythology but I did not find myself overly confused while reading this which I appreciated. I loved reading about strong women who love dishing out revenge for those who deserve it. This book is on the longer side at around 450 pages but it read really quick. I was also pleasantly surprised with how well written this was. If you are interested in reading Greek mythology retellings then I would not skip this one! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Overall, I thought this was good and I’m glad I read it. I would specifically recommend this is as a book that you plan on taking your time reading, like something you read a little before bed and take several months to get through. Trying to sit down and get through it more quickly was, at least for me, a bit of a struggle. It’s quite long for the amount of story that it tells, so I do think it could have been tightened up without really losing anything because there’s a lot of reiteration that doesn’t add anything. I think the biggest thing that made it hard to read was that the perspective it was written in made it feel so…detached. Despite heavy, emotional topics and circumstances in the story, you never get the raw, emotional depth and connection that really pulls you in and makes you feel those things. So, though I was interested throughout, I also wasn’t super invested. But overall, it’s a worthwhile read and addition to the growing collection of Greek myth retellings, and an in depth examination of the entire arc of Clytemnestra’s story.

3.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Clytemnestra is the latest of the crop of feminist Greek mythology retellings, this one centering Clytemnestra. And while I previously read a book or two that featured her, I like that she does take center stage this time, even with the other, more prominent characters around her. Her relationship with her sister, Helen, and their respective unhappy marriages to brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus are a key part of the early part of the novel that intrigued and moved me. Agamemnon is a brutal, even abusive personality, which is true to the original, and I truly feel for Clytemnestra, admiring her quiet strength in the face of that. Her ultimate dark fate, to murder her husband, truly is a culmination of all she experienced, and I like how Casati provided more nuances to that.
But while the setup was great, as was the payoff, the “getting there” was a bit of a slog. The book covers a long period of time, going from Clytemnestra’s upbringing, all the way to Agamemnon’s murder, and while there are moments of true gold, like those interpersonal moments between Clytemnestra and Helen, or with one of her children, it failed to make the epic nature of the original story that engaging in retelling.
I do like Casati’s approach, and I think she’s a unique voice in what is becoming a somewhat saturated subgenre that I would try again. If you’re looking for more Greek mythology retellings, I recommend trying this one.

"You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offense against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot."


My Review
Just as every female-led psychological thriller published in the last 11 years has been compared to Gone Girl, every retelling of a Greek myth in the last 5 years has been compared to Circe. I just roll my eyes because they NEVER measure up and I don't even expect them to anymore.

Until Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra!
In a word...*wow*
In three words *I loved it*

Pacts and prophecies deal constant blows to "the most notorious villainess of the ancient world" but she is no wilting flower. Clytemnestra becomes "an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her." I remember studying all the challenges and victories of Agamemnon, Jason, and Odysseus but Casati made me consider how repulsive these men would have been to regularly be around--the epitome of toxic masculinity.

An absolutely amazing debut novel. Five stars all the way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Interesting note about 1st US print run:
In February all copies of this novel were destroyed in a truck fire on their way to the warehouse, postponing the original publication date from March 7 to May 2. Yes, this book is literally so hot it burnt up before it even reached shelves. 🔥🔥🔥

Personal reading note:
Despite my general knowledge of Greek myths, I was thankful that this novel included an ancient Greek glossary, family trees, and a cast of characters. I also found the search option on my Kindle to be very useful for looking up secondary characters and locations.

I love Greek retellings and this book is no exception. I loved learning about Clytemnestra in a setting other than a history book.

Casati brings Clytemnestra to life in this historical novel on her life and families with its admixture of gods, goddesses, and historical personalities. They come to life in vivid conversations penned with particular insouciance as they face what must seem insurmountable challenges as they move through their lifetimes. It is written in such straightforward language that the book is entirely appropriate for young adult readers which is remarkable given the seriousness of topics which include rape and murder. Those Greeks did not move quietly through their lives in this violent era of warring cities and competitive royalty and the ostensible offspring of gods.

Clytemnestra is a Greek mythology retelling. The sister of the well known Helen, I was fascinated by Clytemnestra and her life. She is a strong and determined woman, whose life is filled with tragedy and struggles. The author has brought her to life for me and the detailed story seamlessly pulled together many other stories and characters from mythology. This book is beautifully executed and I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted copy.

This book brought a wonderful, mythological woman to life. Your heart breaks along with hers, as she is faced with a true trauma time and time again. You root for her ruthlessness and her ways of surviving. This was a great read that shows not all women who live on in history, had an easy story to begin with.

“There is no peace for a woman with ambition.”

Thank you Costanza Casati, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen. As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best... You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offence against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot. But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice. Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So, you bide your time and force the gods' hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did. If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel, because it was beautifully written! It reminds me a lot of Circe by Madeleine Miller, which I really enjoyed. This was a feminist retelling about the life of Clytemnestra and I loved it. It didn’t feel repetitive to story we already know. It truly felt like we were seeing things from her perspective. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Book Rating: 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: May 2, 2023

4+ stars. I really enjoyed this take on Clytemnestra's life. There was a lot of focus early on of her life growing up in Sparta and how strong it made her; I have never heard of her early life much or been given that view of it. It was also interesting to see another view of her life from another Greek myth retelling of her life that I read last year. It is interesting to think about how different beginnings can come to the same conclusion.

The writing style did take me a little bit to get into (though not too long) but once it did I thought it worked really well with the story.