Another RARE find last year, this is the second of Hannah Lynn's Greek mythology retellings I've read. Telling the story of Clytemnestra, this is a heartfelt and emotive version of the tale, bringing the female experience to us through the gaze of a mother who just wants what's best for her children.

While she's still got strength of will rolling off her in spades, this version of Clytemnestra is far more 'domestic' than other iterations I've read. Involving herself completely in the raising of her children, including teaching her daughters how to defend themselves, playing games with them and even sleeping on the floor outside their bedroom at night to protect them from threats, I found her much easier to understand and sympathise with. Her horror at her eldest daughter's fate is universal, but I loved the fact that her first thought here was to ensure the same couldn't happen to her other children, rather than jumping straight to 'ten years later - revenge'. 

I also enjoyed the fact that her partnership with Aegisthus builds slowly over time from genuine affection, rather than the portrayal of a scorned wife choosing her husband's sworn enemy as a bedfellow out of necessity, or to increase the level of vengeance. He's a beautifully drawn character, and gives some context to the idea that Orestes is a gentle soul, raised by this man to be compassionate rather than by his true father, who would probably have destroyed him. Likewise, the fact that he's not actively plotting the death of Agamemnon is very refreshing!

The flow of the writing is gorgeous, allowing each relationship to build naturally - nothing feels forced or rushed. The characters that need to be jagged are; Agamemnon and Electra both crash through the 'gentle' storytelling like wrecking balls, but rather than being jarring it just cements them in the reader's mind as the outliers and the ones to watch out for. Conversely, when we are introduced to Pylades you very quickly wish he'd been in the story all along; seriously, I'd put this depiction his relationship with Orestes on a par with the beauty of Madeline Miller's depiction of Achilles and Patroclus. It is of more an innocent sort of love but, oh, did it pull at my heartstrings!

I also like the fact that the story continues beyond Clytemnestra. I have heard that bit of the myth before too, but never in as great a detail and so it was really interesting to see the author's take on it. And again, really beautifully done. 

I wouldn't say this is a particularly dramatic retelling; there are moments of drama where you'd expect them to be, but it's not overblown. Again, the focus is very much on the character and their feelings and motivations rather than providing every gory detail. It just has a whole ton of heart. And I loved it.