The Children of Jocasta follows the infamous Greek myth of Jocasta and Oedipus, as well as the children based on Sophocles' plays Oedipus Tyrannus and Antigone. It's a dual POV that follows Jocasta and her life as well as her youngest daughter, Ismene. 

Thebes has suffered a horrible plague that has decimated their population. In the aftermath of them rebuilding, Jocasta is a noble's daughter that is forced to marry the King of Thebes when she is a pre-teen. She becomes Queen, but suffers the horrible loss of her first child and in the decades that follows she becomes withdrawn from the kingdom and her husband. After his death, she becomes the sole ruler of Thebes and meets a handsome stranger Oedipus. In the future from Ismene's point of view, her parents are dead and her brothers are joint rules of Thebes. There is contention in her brother's rule that leads to sibling rivalries and tensions between her family.

This is a relatively loose retelling, and for me being unfamiliar with the plays I think this was beneficial. Obviously Oedipus is known for killing his dad and marrying his mother, but this book doesn't focus on *that* aspect of the myth as much. Haynes is a master at making these retellings focus on the women and the woman's perspectives. Jocasta is seen as the consequence of Oedipus' journey, but in this book, her decisions are front and center. She is intelligent, as is able to be even tempered when Oedipus is not. Ismene is the youngest and forgotten daughter in these stories, and this shows her own journey and agency. 

As expected from Haynes, the writing and prose is absolutely beautiful. Despite it being a looser retelling, the historical aspects are well researched and it is noticeable. If you are interested in greek mythology, this is definitely a lesser known retelling that should be picked up!