Greek mythology retellings are definitely flooding the bookstores right now, and perhaps soon that market will become over saturated and over done but today is not that day and Clytemnestra is not that book!

Clytemnestra is a retelling of the daughter of the King and Queen of Sparta, sister of Helen of Sparta (more well known as Helen of Troy)., wife of Agamemnon, and one of the most notorious women in in Greek mythology. Casati tells Clytemnestra's story through her eyes, one of revenge, love, loss, power, and pain. And it is magnificent.

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

I absolutely love a Greek mythology retelling (or any retelling, really) and, consequently, I have very high expectations for them - Clytemnestra did not disappoint. It is beautifully told, captivating, and full of fire. I admittedly didn't know that much about Clytemnestra herself before reading this book, other than the basics, and it was an absolute dream learning her story as told by Casati. She not only does the source material justice, she expands on it, adding depth and narrative to the entire story and all it's characters that transforms it into something new. She fully fleshes out Clytemnestra's character, not showing her as a one dimensional villain, victim, or hero but as a complex person - weaving her together her story as the woman, the daughter, the sister, the princess, the queen, the mother, the wife, the lover, the tyrant, the murderess.

The structure of the novel is really well done. It's split into sections, each centred around major events in her life. There are some big time jumps between some of the sections but they don't feel like lazy ways to drive the plot forward as time jumps often can, each era is told fully and you never feel like you've missed anything after a time jump. Casati very much shows, rather than tells.

The development of Clytemnestra's character and her arc was beautifully done, and thoroughly absorbing. What I loved most is how Clytemnestra is shown as a strong, determined warrior that still felt and displayed genuine, strong emotions, and who loved deeply and completely. Often, strong women characters are portrayed as cold and emotionless, as if emotion is a weakness. Instead, Casati shows how Clytemnestra's strength goes beyond just the physical, with a raw and honest portrayal of how love and hate can both strengthen you and be your downfall.

There were a lot of characters that played a part in this retelling, most of whom you've seen before if you've been consumed any Greek mythology before. Despite the long cast list, you really feel connected to all of them and none feel underdeveloped (except, perhaps, Aegisthos but I'll get to that in a minute). The characters' stories are woven together expertly, building a story which is ultimately about family, love, and the loyalty. Each character has their own unique arc that doesn't contradict the central narrative, but even though their stories are told through Clytemnestra they don't bend to her biases. Helen's story and character was particularly fascinating, she was portrayed in a way I've not seen before. She's not reduced to an callous, vain, duplicitous beauty, but a complex and sympathetic character. Helen's story told alongside Clytemnestra's was really interesting, it showed her struggles with her sense of self and worth, that being beautiful wasn't enough for her. She envied the respect and power Clytemnestra demanded and received, and desired the strength and independence her sister had more than anything. I loved how the relationship between Clytemnestra and Helen was so complex, particularly how Clytemnestra's perception of it changed throughout the novel. As we get towards the end of the novel and the end of the Trojan war, we see how Clytemnestra looks back and starts to understand her sister and their childhood in a new light, realising that her perception of Helen was skewed by her own biases just like everyone else's.

I also really enjoyed reading about Electra, Castor and Polydeuces. And oh Aileen, how I love you!

As mentioned, the only character I didn't really feel was developed enough Aegisthos - his motivations and actions just didn't make sense to me, and Clytemnestra's relationship with him just didn't feel natural to me despite it being very much in character for her. Considering how well the rest of the novel and characters are developed, it's likely this is just something I just didn't pick up.

Clytemnestra is an incredible and painful story of tragedy, revenge, and love. We are taken on Clytemnestra's journey with her, through those fleeting moments of happiness that compound the heartbreak when tragedy hits. Every moment and every character is thoughtfully written and you are fully immersed into this world. Ultimately, it shows us the power of stories and the bias within them. Clytemnestra's story is painful, dark, and deeply unjust - but it's also a fight against that. It lays out her flaws and strengths brutally and honestly which makes for uncomfortable reading at times (and be warned, there is a lot of violence and sexual violence as you might expect) but it tells the story it set out to and the narrative isn't twisted to try and sugarcoat any of the ugliness.

I absolutely loved this and I can't wait to read more from Costanza Casati, I really hope she writes some more mythology retellings in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review