CLYTEMNESTRA'S BIND is the first in a series about the women whose lives are disrupted by the trojan war - and are vilified by the men writing it for defying their cruelty. This entry focuses on Clytemnestra, wife to Agamemnon after he murders her first husband and takes the throne from him.

There are many Greek mythology retellings out there, including ELEKTRA which also retells this story (though this stops earlier than that as I assume later books will continue the story.) I'm starting to get to the point of being pretty retelling'd-out, so I was looking for what made this entry different to the others.

I liked that Clytemnestra was angry and vengeful but then buried that for her children's sake. She tries to make a life in these new circumstances and protect them, to end the cycle of bloodshed. Knowing how the story must end, this makes it a tragedy (where continual vengeance wouldn't, because her attempt creates the possibility of it going alright, until her husband ruins everything.)

I liked seeing a woman in this current mythology wave try, to cling to the promise of security if she did as expected once the initial impulse for vengeance was gone from tiredness and failure. She does what is asked of her, all the unreasonable demands, to fit herself into this box, but it's never enough for her husband. But she keeps trying and trying, until his action break the last of her restraint. It's a way of breaking apart the lie of "conform and it will be ok" by showing what happens when you - the strain and the impossibility of it.

Electra (as she's known here) is a very irritating, stubborn, horrible child. I've never much liked her in the myths even when others are trying to tell me she's ok, so I did like seeing that reflected here.

I'm on the fence about this book. I really enjoyed it at first, but as the book went on, I wasn't sure what the author's intention is with the character of Clytemnestra. In terms of retellings, I really enjoyed reading this tragedy from the point of view of a character very directly affected by it. But I'm not sure I like Clytemnestra just as a character? That's always been the thing with this particular story. She's either a villian or an antihero. I don't need my female characters to be likeable, and given the trauma and cruelty that is inflicted on Clytemnestra, it's understandable for her to be angry and cruel to the people around her. Maybe Wilson wants us to draw our own conclusions about how we feel about Clytemnestra.

this was okay, but read a little juvenile and i didn't feel connected to the characters or what happens to them at all. i can see other reader enjoying this a lot tho!

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of Clytemnestra's bind. This was very good and I really enjoy historical fiction, especially the greek/spartans. I love these new emerging stories about Clytemnestra a ruthless woman trying to survive in a world dominated by hard men.

Thank you NetGalley and Flame Tress Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

TW: rape, child death, graphic violence, sexual assault, gore, incest

The fabled tale of the House of Atreus is explored in the book. Agamemnon, a competitor for the throne of Mycenae, raids the palace, kills her family, and then takes Clytemnestra as his new wife, shattering the world of Queen Clytemnestra. Clytemnestra, who is broken and tormented, wants to guarantee the future of the children she had with Agamemnon. Then, with an unfavourable wind impeding his aims, Agamemnon sets his gaze on the riches and capital of Troy and makes a significant sacrifice. The narrative moves quickly, and the author uses incisive, evocative prose to fully acquaint the reader with Clytemnestra's struggle and suffering.

#ClytemnestrasBind #NetGalley

This one will probably be a favorite for a lot of mythology fans. I however, just didn't vibe with the writing style. I think it was the voice that I didn't jive with? Regardless, I DNFed pretty early on because it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Neem Tree Press for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: rape, child death, graphic violence, sexual assault, gore, incest

Clytemnestra is one of my favourite Greek female characters so I was delighted to be approved for Susan C. Wilson's interpretation of the story "Clytemnestra's Bind". This book starts with Clytemnestra, a Spartan princess and the sister of the legendarily beautiful Helen, at the beginning of her marriage to the Prince of Mycenae Tantalus. Their son is seven days old and they're delighted to consider the life ahead of them, especially because Tantalus has plans for their lands once he becomes King However, his family's line is cursed by a terrible event in the past by his ancestors, and now his cousins- the sons of Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaus- have come to claim back their birth right. After her son and husband are massacred at the hands of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra is claimed by him and made into his wife as the Queen of Mycenae. Clytemnestra is determined to not allow any of their children suffer as her first husband and son had and so does her best to resist him, as only a woman in an ancient Greek court can. Over time, they have three children- Iphigenia, Electra and Orestes- but it is her eldest daughter that Clytemnestra seeks her strength from in order to survive life as Agamemnon's wife. Her husband's cousin, Aegisthus, is her only support as her children grow to adore and venerate their largely absent father, particularly Electra.

After a visit from a Trojan prince to Mycenae, Clytemnestra is horrified to discover that her sister, Helen, has abandoned her marriage and child to join Paris in Troy. It is then decided that the Greeks will get her back by any means necessary. Agamemnon is delighted at the prospect and musters a great army on the coast of Aulis alongside his brother, Menelaus, who is also Helen's husband. However, when it becomes clear that the gods are stopping the Greek army from sailing, Agamemnon makes a drastic and terrible decision, one which destroys Clytemnestra forever. Waiting for him to return from war, and trying to protect Electra and Orestes from the reality of their father, she joins with Aegisthus in a plot to end Agamemnon's life, once and for all.

This interpretation of the story of Clytemnestra and the House of Atreus is excellently written, I loved the gradual build up of her feelings towards the actions of Agamemnon and the way she chafed against the role of a woman in Ancient Greece. "Clytemnestra's Bind" gives a lot of focus to Clytemnestra's relationship with her children, such as the blind devotion she feels for Iphigenia, the frustration she feels towards Electra and the terror she feels for Orestes, which helped to make the events that came next all the more real, particularly her reasons for wanting revenge. I also enjoyed the backstory given to Aegisthus, who is often not depicted with a lot of detail in retellings, despite playing an important role. I hope there's more in this series, if only to see how Susan C. Wilson will handle the further events of the story and how the tragedy of Clytemnestra and the House of Atreus will develop.

A very strong beginning for the saga! The book is very enticing and keeps you hanging on to every page.
From what I looked up, it's very accurate to the myth but it also is written in a way where you can follow it if you don't have a general sense of how the story will go (no need for prior knowledge). And the dynamics between characters are very well written, you can really feel the tensions between them, the war brewing,
This is not a feel-good story, quite the contrary, but you can't stop rooting for the main character.
Can't wait to read the second one!

“My husband is waging war overseas. How natural it feels to rule in his place, instead of listening from the shadows while he decides our destinies. When he returns, I’ll arrange a celebration feast. He will not attend it.”

My thanks to Neem Tree Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Clytemnestra's Bind’ by Susan C. Wilson.

This is the Book 1 in Wilson’s The House of Atreus Trilogy and is a retelling of the story of Queen Clytemnestra of Mycenae.

Rather than focusing upon later events, Wilson goes back to Clytemnestra's early life as she is forced into marriage with Agamemnon, the murderer of her first husband, Tantalus, and their infant son, Iphitus. Agamemnon then becomes ruler of Mycenae and Clytemnestra bears him three children: two daughters, Iphigenia and Electra, and a son, Orestes. Subsequently Clytemnestra seeks to protect her children from their volatile father.

Clytemnestra is the novel’s narrator. The story covers a number of years as her children grow. During this time Helen, Clytemnestra's sister, marries Agamemnon’s brother, Menelaus, and later runs off with Paris, the Prince of Troy. This triggers the Trojan War though it is clear that there were other factors involved including the desire to conquer Troy for its riches.

The story is told in retrospect by Clytemnestra, who as the quote above indicates, is planning to continue to rule Mycenae when Agamemnon returns and more importantly to avenge the death of Iphigenia. She undertakes this with Aegisthus, Agamemnon’s foster-brother, who has his own issues with the House of Atreus.

I found ‘Clytemnestra's Bind’ a brilliant novel that not only brought its Bronze Age mythical characters vividly to life but conveyed a side of Clytemnestra that I have not encountered in other reimagining of the Trojan War. I certainly have never reviled her for her actions even though she has often been cast as a villain.

This novel not only gives her a voice but provides context for her later acts and portrays her primarily as a mother and queen. As she proudly proclaims: “I need no coronation. I have always been queen, whether I had influence or not.”

It is clear that her bond with Iphigenia is very deep and that her relationships with her younger children were more problematic. The narrative throws light on both Electra’s and Orestes’ childhoods and provides context for their later actions following Agamemnon’s return.

I also found that Susan C. Wilson’s depiction of the religious practices of the period respectfully underlined the bonds between the mortal characters and the divinities. I feel that it takes considerable skill for an author to convey this sense of reverence to a modern day reader.

Wilson supplements the text with an opening family tree of the characters that appear in the Trilogy and following the main text provides a useful character list of mortals and divinities.

I shall be looking forward to the publication of the two novels that will continue the story: ‘Helen’s Judgement’ and ‘Electra’s Fury’.

Highly recommended.

Reading this book was very much like being sold something I actually didn't much want.

Retelling such well-known stories is a risk, particularly because there are already so many variations of them and you can't predict which version a reader will be familiar with or prefer.

This is probably the most bland retelling of the Trojan war I've ever come across. As a character, Clytemnestra is non-existent, despite being both the protagonist and the narrator. She lacks all agency, depth, and personality, ultimately serving as little more than an observer giving an account of events she's not actually witnessing and complaining about how gross her husband/captor is.

That sounds harsh, but Wilson skirted the actual harshness of what happened to Clytemnestra which made her ordeal - and Clytemnestra's response to it - petty and superficial. Even the sacrifice of her favourite daughter seems to have little affect on her.

Clytemnestra's story is one of deep, raw emotions and torment. Not only did she suffer immensely at the hands of the family she would soon be absorbed into, but she had to witness the suffering that same family inflicted on the ones she loved most. I'd hoped to read Clytemnestra's experience, but instead it was the vague and slightly petulant monologue of an adolescent, not a powerful queen.

Clytemnestra is an interesting figure to pin down, and by extension, a fascinating one to read about. I’ve read many books where she is a minor character, but it’s about time her story was told!

I will start by saying that this isn’t necessarily one for the mythology novice. I consider myself familiar with the Iliad and the surrounding mythology, but it did take me a little while to keep track of who was who. Once I had that figured out though, I was completely absorbed in the book.

Often in books about figures such as Clytemnestra, the main character rarely has much agency of her own. While that may be true in Clytemnestra’s original tale – at least at the start – I loved how the author found ways to make her determination still shine through, without compromising the original myth.

This book has clearly been very thoroughly researched, especially in details of day-to-day life such as fashion. It helped to create a very immersive read, as well as reminding us that the things we assume to be true about the past aren’t always the case, which was a nice theme to run parallel to the story.

Clytemnestra’s Bind is a welcome addition to the ever-growing collection of mythological re-tellings out there. While it may not be the easiest introduction to the genre, I would really recommend it to those more familiar with the original tales.

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Susan C. Wilson brings mythology to life with a punching first line - “sometimes I hear murdered children in the corridors of the palace.”

With a fitting title, Clytemnestra’s Bind follows a woman whose choices are limited by circumstance. As brothers war and fathers murder, the house of Atreus is tangled by deaths that require vengeance. But atoning for the murder of her husband and infant son will only bring more calamity once Clytemnestra is forced to marry Agamemnon.

The first person narration of the novel highlights Clytemnestra’s grief. Her determination to do right by her murdered family is juxtaposed by her duty to look after her living children. She wants to stop the cycle of murder and retribution, but as Agamemnon’s cruelty grows she must decide whether protecting the living outweighs her responsibility to the dead.

Clytemnestra’s bond with Aegisthus is complex but organic, as they are both outcasts and each have their own reasons for wanting revenge against Agamemnon. I was invested in their relationship, and appreciated how they supported each other through numerous tragedies.

This novel offers the perspective of Clytemnestra being the victim of Agamemnon’s betrayal first, revealing his cruelty and violence as her husband. In Homer’s The Odyssey, we only get Agamemnon’s version of his murder at the hands of his wife. Agamemnon’s telling of his murder by treacherous Clytemnestra is my favorite part of the original epic. I’ve always admired Clytemnestra‘a willful dealing of her own justice and been sympathetic toward her plight.

This book shows Clytemnestra as a resilient woman, vulnerable and flawed but willing to sacrifice whatever she must in order to avenge her murdered loved ones. Susan C. Wilson does a fantastic job of exploring the moral conundrum of murdering to make right a murder. The characters in this novel are flesh and blood, with hopes and fears that live and breathe. Clytemnestra’s Bind is a book that every mythology lover needs to read.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and this is definitely in my top 10 favourite greek myth retellings!

I really loved how the author focused more on the time period before the Trojan war unlike other retellings where Clytemnestra’s story starts with her daughter’s sacrifice. I enjoyed seeing how she changed throughout the different phases in her life and how she dealt with the situation she was put in. I also loved how the story itself focused a lot on her relationship with each of kids as opposed to other retellings where it was solely focused on revenge.

I also really enjoyed how there wasn’t much focus on the Trojan War and the book ends as the war is beginning. There’s been so many retellings recently focusing on the Trojan war that it’s been nice to see a retelling of someone from that era without all the focus being on the war.

The book itself was such an easy read. The author didn’t over complicate it or add too much unnecessary information, which made the story flow so well.

Overall, really enjoyed this and it’s definitely up there with my top favourite greek myth retelling books!

A 5⭐️/5 read.

I love mythology and ancient history but I must confess I had forgotten about Clytemnestra and Agamemnon and how much Clytemnestra’s (and Iphigenia) story is a hard one to swallow.

This novel was mind blowing, brutal, truly well written, with solid characters (especially the protagonist) and extremely candid in its harsh portrayal of tragedy, hopelessness, rage, the female condition in ancient times and in making the best you can out of a truly terrible situation, which, most likely is the rest of your life. It was at times rather hard to read.

How do you go on on living when everybody and everything you ever loved has been ripped away from you by the very person who then marries you against you will to beget children? How much are you willing to endure to survive? How far will you go to protect your new progeny despite most of them being so much like their hated father? What if you fail? When do you snap? What will you do then?

This is the crux of Clytemnestra so eloquently and painfully illustrated in this shocking and brilliant novel, which I highly recommend.

An all round well written greek mythology retelling.

Clytemnestra really is dealt blow after blow by the men fighting for control of Mycean and I truly felt for her plight.

Having this told in first person really added to the emotional impact and I really respected clytemnestra’s found strength and resolve.

A fantastic read for Greek retelling fans.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tragedy Level: 😭😭😭

*Before we get into this review, here are some trigger warnings to keep in mind before reading this novel: Brutal Murders of Children (especially in the first few chapters), Violence and Rape.*

Clytemnestra’s Bind by Susan C. Wilson is a *Greek Tragedy* in every sense of the phrase. The novel centres on Queen Clytemnestra of Mycenae. In the Greek myths, she is Helen of Troy’s twin sister and is known for killing her husband Agamemnon upon his return from the Trojan War. This was after he had sacrificed their eldest daughter, Iphigenia to the Gods. The novel details her life long before Iphigenia’s death.

The book is split into three parts. Part 1 starts with the invasion of her kingdom and having her first husband and child brutally taken from her. Part 2 covers her subsequent marriage to Agamemnon, her relationship with her three eldest children; Iphigenia, Electra, Orestes. Part 3 covers the crux of Clytemnestra’s notoriety in the Greek myths as she plots Agamemnon’s demise after Iphigenia is sacrificed.

Susan paints a beautifully tragic portrait of Clytemnestra and her life. I kept thinking how much can one woman take before she completely snaps. Susan fully understands the genre she is working with and completely delivers. I could feel our heroine’s pain at every single turn. I had to put the book down several times to sit with it and let the devastation wash over me. Yet I appreciate how the author had done it. It was unflinching and tragic without being too gratuitous. The novel provides an excellent example of female rage that showcases how Clytemnestra gets to the point of murdering Agamemnon.

I also adored how well developed Clytemnestra is and the insights we get from her point of view. So much of her life happens to her rather than her being the driving force of it. It is admirable to see how she still pushes through and tries her best to do right by her children after having lost her first family. Her relationships with everyone from her husband to his brothers, Menelaus and Aegisthus, her sister Helen to her children are all so unique and well written. The way she interacts with everyone is just so interesting to read and was a brilliant exploration into her character.

On its own, the novel is a tragic tale of a Queen who had gone through the most unimaginable horrors one can go through, losing most of the people she had loved and having her agency taken away from her. That is what makes her taking control of her life towards the end so satisfying.

As a reiteration of an old myth, Susan C. Wilson does an excellent job of building upon the lore. The hints and foreshadowing strategically placed all throughout the story as we know what is to come was exhilarating to read with a sense of dread knowing the tragedy looming amongst the characters.

All in all, I would recommend this book for anyone looking to read a well written tragedy that covers grief in a meaningful manner and illustrates the female rage in all its glory. For Greek mythology lovers, especially those who appreciate a good Greek Tragedy, this one was definitely made for us. Picking up on the foreshadowing felt like a fun session of ‘Connect the Dots’. That being said, once again I warn everyone to tread carefully as the book has depictions of rape, violence and brutal murders. Read safely and enjoy this book everyone!

Thank you to Neem Tree Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Spartan princess Clytemnestra marries young Tantalus, heir to the Mycenaean throne, and together they have a baby son called Iphitus. But the house of Atreus is known for blood feuds and when her husband and child are taken from her, she has to marry their murderer Agamemnon.

How many books can you devote to one woman? I haven't yet had time to read Casati's recent novel about Clytemnestra, but she was one of the main characters in Saint's Elektra, in Toibin's House of names and in Heywood's Daughters of Sparta. She's also one of many characters in Barker's The silence of the girls and Haynes' A thousand ships. Even in Ithaca, which is about her cousin Penelope, she's an important character who steals the stage. Clytemnestra is hot, so can Wilson's debut novel really bring something new to her character?

As it turns out, the answer to that question is yes. For instance, there's no focus on her family and Helen, rather the book opens with her first marriage to Tantalus, a cousin of Agamemnon and Menelaus. A great personal drama occurs and Clytemnestra's character is so shaped by it that you get an insight into her feelings throughout the book. And it isn't easy to do that with this character. This is one of the first few times that we get to see a vulnerable woman in her, that we don't see a queen who's born for that task. You see her becoming that queen because of everything that happens to her.

Wilson not only provides a different interpretation of this woman, but also about the entire house of Atreus, the role of Aegistus and the children of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. But still based on the well-known myth. She adds a few extra things to the story. I found the characterization of the children perhaps the biggest weakness: Iphigenia is so perfect and Elektra her total opposite that as a reader you are pushed in a certain direction.

But Wilson writes smoothly and makes you long for more. 'Clytemnestra's bind' stops suddenly, but you don't need to worry about that. This is the first part in a series about the House of Atreus. I'm already looking forward to the next part. And so another new author sets her foot next to those big names I've mentioned before.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

An engaging, compelling and eye opening take on one of the Greek Myths that we are all most familiar with - but this is not like any story you think you know. A fantastic perspective that will show you so much more about this story, but please check trigger warnings before you read it

I'll start by saying that if you are sensitive to the subject of rape, maybe skip this book. It's a common theme in Greek mythology so it isn't unexpected but the way it is written it could be triggering for many.

I did go into this book knowing that it was the first in a series so I knew it wasn't going to be the complete story of Clytemnestra. I do think it ended in a good spot where if one doesn't want to or doesn't know her story, you could only read the first book and still have a great story. However, if you're like me and know her story and want to finish it all the way to the end, you'll be impatiently waiting the next book. I do wonder how long of a series it can be stretched out into though... I personally feel like one more book would complete it if it stays following Clytemnestra but if the author decides to use another character to follow while telling the story, who knows. Doing it as a series though, allows the author to really add in in depth details and make the story as heart wrenching and intense as possible, more so than other books. A collection of Greek myths will only give you the basic overview leaving you to fill in details on your own or interpret the feelings of the characters on their own. A single book can go into more detail, but still only allows a certain amount of the details/feelings to be described. This book, by contrast, can spend a lot of time on Clytemnestra's grieving process after losing her first husband and son and really allows the reader to feel for her and her predicament, where other books may only give a surface idea of her suffering.

I enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to the next installment. I would recommend for anyone who loves mythology retellings and is not triggered by talk of rape and rape scenes.

Seeing a new Greek mythology retelling on NetGalley made me put in a request instantly. I don't think I've even read the blub all that much. I'd heard of Clytemnestra in the sense that I knew she was Helen's sister (whose capture was the instigation of the Trojan War) and her daughter was sacrificed, but other than that not so much.

It was a captivating read, with a lot of the usual drama and misery I was hoping for. Giving Clytemnestra extra backstory with the exploration of her marriage before Agamemnon (what she is most known for), and the youth and upbringing of her children with Agamemnon, Clytemnestra's actions (which will be told in the sequel I assume) are given much more context and makes the tale altogether much more a tragedy.

Though I did not love Clytemnestra per se, I loved the story as a whole and the retelling of Susan C. Wilson. Will definitely keep my eye out for the next installment of the series!