Thus With a Kiss I Die

 

Thus With A Kiss I Die- Christina Dodd

 A John Scognamiglio Book

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: I’m 20-years-old and by my own design, never been wed, free as no married woman ever is. I’m beautiful, but without conceit, for Juliet, my legendary Mamma is the most gorgeous creature to ever walk the earth. Just ask Romeo, my legendary Papà. (Rumors of their deaths were premature.) I was heartwhole until I fell (literally) in love with Lysander of the House of Beautiful. But our love was not to be, for I was thwarted by Escalus, the Prince of Verona . . . who had designs on me. 

I’m trapped. 

Then! I’m presented with a solution. Escalus’s father, Prince Escalus the Elder, appears to me. He tasks that I find his killer. Did I mention Elder is a ghost?

Given that I only recently dispatched Verona’s first serial killer, I’m less than pleased. Yet Elder promises to unite me with my One True Love, so I gather clues. Meanwhile, revolution threatens, for beneath Verona society’s glittering surface lurk dark shadows—and an enemy eager to make me a tragic heroine in my own right . . .

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After the events of A Daughter of Fair Verona Rosie (Rosalind Montague) was hoping for some quite time to figure out how to deal with her unwanted surprise betrothal to Prince Escalus- or even better, figure out how to get out of the betrothal. Then Escalus's father gives her the perfect solution: figure out who murdered him (yes, he's a ghost) and he'll help her out. That promise along with the fact that she can't back down from a challenge and Rosie's in. After all, how dangerous can investigating a 20 year old murder be?

Christina Dodd takes us back to Verona, where Romeo and Juliet didn't die but had a large family instead. Rosie claims to be the sensible one, but she's also headstrong and enjoys a challenge to prove she's as capable as any man. When murderers are about, some caution might be a good idea. In this book she shows some signs of growth into the role she'll inhabit as princess of Verone, and it will definitely be fun continuing to watch her drag the prince's household into her way of thinking. The signs are already clear in a few fun scenes (like when Rosie finally takes over the prince's kitchens) and she meets Escalus's grandmother, who looks like she'll be an enthusiastic participant. 

The scenes with Rosie and Escalus are a lot of fun, the two have good chemistry even if Rosie doesn't quite recognize that's what it is, and when Cal (as she starts calling him) gets off his dignity the two work really well together. Elder's ghost didn't contribute much to help solve the mystery but he is good comic relief.

The writing is mostly modern with some very comic one-liners: you should find yourself having some laugh out loud moments!

An excellent sequel to A Daughter of Fair Verona, I think I enjoyed it even more. A fun and fast summer read that will keep you entertained!

Yours, Eventually

 

Yours, Eventually- Nura Maznavi

Dutton

Release Date: February 18, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚 (3.5)

Synopsis: The Ibrahim family is facing a crucial Their patriarch just lost his fortune as the result of a Ponzi scheme, and the family is picking up the pieces. At the family’s core is Asma—successful doctor and the long-suffering middle daughter who stepped into the family center after the death of her beloved mother years ago. Despite what the prying aunties think, Asma is living the life she has always wanted, fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a doctor . . . or so she thinks.

In walks Farooq Waheed, Asma’s college sweetheart whose proposal was cruelly rejected by Asma’s aunt and father. Now, eight years later, Farooq has made his fortune by selling his Silicon Valley startup and is widely considered one of the most eligible bachelors in California. As he enters Asma’s social orbit, she finds herself navigating a tricky landscape—her pushy sisters, gossiping aunties, and her father’s expectations—on her path to reconciling the past and winning Farooq back in the present. If there is still time. 

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Asma Ibrahim has always played by the rules: taking care of her family after her mother died, breaking off her engagement when her father dispproved of the man she loved. Becoming a doctor instead of marrying young was her one rebellion. Now her ex, Farooq, has returned having made his fortune just has Asma's family has lost theirs. And Asma needs to decide if she will continue to follow her family's expectations and do what is easy, or figure out what will make her happy and take a chance with Farooq.

I'm always up for Jane Austen re-tellings and Persuasion is one of my favorite Austen books. This modern day Pakistani-American community retelling fit Austen's vibe in many ways- the pressures of following community and family expectations come across clearly to the reader. Asma thinks her chance of happiness has passed her because she listened to her father and turned Farooq down eight years ago. She looks at her friend Fatima and younger sister Maryam, at the people in their social circles, and can't see happiness by following expectations. 

As much as I enjoy when modern authors stick to the Austen original, I also respect some twists- and Yours, Eventually provides twists as the book progresses. Without giving away too many spoilers, Asma has growing to do throughout the book. She isn't Anne Elliot. She isn't perfect. She makes mistakes, doesn't communicate with family or friends, and takes a long time to learn from and admit her mistakes. But the growth happens, eventually. 

A good modern day Desi retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, fans of Sonali Dev will enjoy Yours, Eventually. 

I received a DRC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Daughter of Fair Verona

Daughter of Fair Verona- Christina Dodd

Release Date: June 25, 2024

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended ( badly). Only here’s the That’s not how it ended at all.

Romeo and Juliet are alive and well and the parents of seven kids. I’m the oldest, with the emphasis on ‘old’—a certified spinster at twenty, and happy to stay that way. It’s not easy to keep your taste for romance with parents like mine. Picture it—constant monologues, passionate declarations, fighting, making up, making out . . . it’s exhausting.

Each time they’ve presented me with a betrothal, I’ve set out to find the groom-to-be a more suitable bride. After all, someone sensible needs to stay home and manage this household. But their latest match, Duke Stephano, isn’t so easy to palm off on anyone else. The debaucher has had three previous wives—all of whom met unfortunate ends. Conscience forbids me from consigning another woman to that fate. As it turns out, I don’t have to . . .

At our betrothal ball—where, quite by accident, I meet a beautiful young man who makes me wonder if perhaps there is something to love at first sight—I stumble upon Duke Stephano with a dagger in his chest. But who killed him? His late wives’ families, his relatives, his mistress, his servants—half of Verona had motive. And when everyone around the Duke begins dying, disappearing, or descending into madness, I know I must uncover the killer . . . before death lies on me like an untimely frost.

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 If Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet didn't end in death, what would have happened? The "happily ever after" everyone wanted. Then 20 years later, we would get The Daughter of Fair Verona. Romeo and Juliet now have 6 kids and another on the way. The oldest, Rosaline (call me Rosie) is practical, hates poetry, and has managed to get out of her previous betrothals by matchmaking the men with women they were better suited for. She's smart, can do math, studies alchemy with the Friar who married her parents and promises he doesn't make those pesky sleep-like-death potions anymore. But when Duke Stephano insists on a betrothal, Romeo can't say no and Rosie doesn't know how to get out of it. It's rumored the man has murdered each of his three wives, no one likes him, so what is Rosie to do?

Nothing as it turns out. He's found dead at their engagement party, a knife in his chest. Which would be great, especially since Rosie meets a guy she's sure is her True Love the same day. But people start thinking she's the one who killed the Duke. More bodies follow and Rosie, her Nurse (who's gotten a lot tougher since her days trying to keep Juliet in line) and Prince Escalus need to find out who is killing people before Rosie is attacked by a mob- or gets killed herself. Rosie wants to be able to marry her love Lysander and not get killed, Prince Escalus really doesn't want a mob in his city, and Nurse was hoping at some point her job would involve less drama. Will anyone get their wish?

This was a fun rom-com historical mystery. Rosie's description of what actually happened to her parents instead of Shakespeare's version in the first few pages will have you laughing out loud (you've been warned!). Rosie herself is a delightful mix of snarky humor, self-awareness, and Montague temper that sometimes overrides good sense. And while she may be a good matchmaker for others, let's just say I saw what was coming her way by the time they'd hauled the first dead body out while she didn't figure it out until the surprise scene at the end. Everyone has blind spots for themselves I guess. 

Solving the murder was a fun combination of Rosie, Nurse, Prince Escalus, Lysander, Friar Laurent, and others each combining knowledge and clues. What was kind of fun was even when you had a good suspicion of who did it, you still didn't know who did it or why until the end, even though all the clues were there for you. 

I enjoyed how Christina Dodd played with the world and the characters, allowing Rosie's parents or the Nurse to be blind to something until Rosie realizes they are just pretending to not see it. Romeo teaches all his children sword skills and Juliet pretends not to know until she gets mad at him and then says he better make sure to step up the secret training- and Romeo and the kids realize they aren't as sneaky as they thought they were! There are beautiful descriptions of what it would be like to walk down the streets, what you'd see and smell and experience, that I loved. The foods and wines leap off the pages in wonderful descriptions.

The one thing that took a little getting used to was the odd combination of more 'historic' speech with very modern language. I'm still not sure how I feel about that. I'm glad the whole book didn't go for a 'Shakespeare' feel to the language, since that would have slowed the pacing and this worked really well as a fast paced romantic comedy. The older' language tended to stay in more 'formal' situations, which worked, but sometimes it inched out into others, which didn't. The more modern language mostly stayed in casual interactions, which worked, or when Rosie is talking to us as a narrator, which worked, but then sometimes bled over into other situations, where it didn't.  That's the reason I'd give the book an actual rating of 3.5.

Overall a fun read. Fast and humorous, with entertaining nods to Shakespeare if you look but nothing that won't ruin things if you aren't a big Shakespeare fan. Definitely note- this is book one of a series. The mystery gets solved, but there will be further adventures to look forward to!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Medusa's Sisters

Medusa's Sisters- Lauren J.A. Bear

PenguinRandomHouse/Ace

Release Date: August 8, 2023

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Even before they were transformed into Gorgons, Medusa and her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were unique among immortals. Curious about mortals and their lives, Medusa and her sisters entered the human world in search of a place to belong, yet quickly found themselves at the perilous center of a dangerous Olympian rivalry and learned—too late—that a god's love is a violent one.

Forgotten by history and diminished by poets, the other two Gorgons have never been more than horrifying hags, damned and doomed. But they were sisters first, and their journey from sea-born origins to the outskirts of the Parthenon is a journey that rests, hidden, underneath their scales.

Monsters, but not monstrous, Stheno and Euryale will step into the light for the first time to tell the story of how all three sisters lived and were changed by each other, as they struggle against the inherent conflict between sisterhood and individuality, myth and truth, vengeance and peace.

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This was a powerful retelling of the story of Medusa and her sisters, and is kind of what I'd looked for in Natalie Haynes' Stone Blind but didn't get. The story alternates between Stheno's first-person narrative and a limited third-person narrative for Euryale, which took some getting used to. At first I found it jarring, but I got used to it the longer I read. As I didn't really like Euryale, I was happy not to be in her head for her chapters.

The first third of the book or so was a little slow for me. They are born and growing up and not much is happening except to show us immortality, the relationship between the sisters, their mother, and a few of their other relations. As the sisters (who can pass as human at this stage) decide to travel and learn about humans things pick up. Other stories are woven in and we learn the sisters' personalities as they learn about humans. Stheno is the protector, Euryale the self-absorbed flirt, Medusa the ever-curious and innocent. 

This story probably has the best reason (if you can call it that) for why Athena cursed the sisters after Poisidon raped Medusa of any version I've read. Certainly the most personal, selfish, and heartbreakingly awful one. The author doesn't shy away from reminding us that Greek culture, like the myths, didn't place much importance on women and rape was a regular thing that men were not usually held accountable for. Or that women were generally blamed for. There is certainly victim blaming for Medusa. So consider most of the book a trigger warning, if you hadn't already assumed that by the idea that this was about Medusa and her sisters. The author doesn't gloss over much.

Without giving away spoilers, I can't get too specific on much. I was surprised to learn this was a debut novel- the writing was mostly better than I expect from debut novelists (although there was a lot more "if I had but known" writing than I needed). At the same time, I'm not sure the author had quite figured out how to end the book and it seemed to get a little awkward again towards the end.

The women take their stories back here in ways you expect and also in stories and ways you don't expect. Medusa's death and what comes after are powerfully and emotionally written and actually brought me to tears in a few places. This is definitely one of the most powerful retellings I've read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Royal

 

The Royal (Game of Chance #2)- Susan Stoker

Montlake

Release Date: August 8, 2023

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Former military man and member of a royal family Callum Redmon can’t deny his sense of responsibility. So when his cousin’s latest love interest claims to have a stalker, Cal reluctantly meets with the young woman and her mother. He wants to write off the situation as a complete farce—if only his feelings for another member of the household could be as easily dismissed.

Since her father’s death seventeen years ago, Juniper Rose has been at the cruel beck and call of her stepmother and stepsister. Her fantasies of escape mean leaving behind her father’s beloved home, but enough is enough: when Cal offers her a way out sooner rather than later, June takes the leap.

Cal’s home in Maine with his military brothers seems like the safest place to start fresh. But as Cal and June’s fairy-tale romance blossoms into something real, they find that the dangers stalking them may have been real all along.

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I'm always a sucker for a Cinderella retelling and this was a great one! June has been a servant in her own home since her father's death, thanks to the emotional abuse of her stepmother and stepsister. Seventeen years later she's gotten the courage to try and leave when fate brings Cal Redmon to the house. He's been strongarmed into going there to check out a stalker situation for his cousin, who has been "dating" the stepsister, and while it takes about a day to see through that ploy, it takes less for him to become fascinated by June.

She's observant, calm, intelligent, and Cal wants to help her out. So when he leaves he convinces June to go with him. What starts out as just helping turns into more on both sides. Both have massive insecurities- both emotional insecurities and body insecurities- and are convinced the other won't want to be with them long-term. It was really interesting to see Cal so hung up on his body since we don't usually get men in romance books who are so unsure of their looks. Connected the way it is with the torture he went through and you can understand how painful and self-conscious he feels about it and you feel so bad for him. I was so happy June was able to see straight to the heart of him and what a great, caring guy Cal is. She seemed to instinctively know just the right things to say, even if Cal wasn't always quite ready to hear them, which I thought was great. She knows it isn't about the outside- her steps are gorgeous women and horrible- though she never quite internalizes that for herself. 

This was more a book about finding yourself and internal healing for both Cal and June, and Cal freaking out about falling in love, than it was a fast-paced mystery or thriller the way some of Stoker's books are, so you have to go into it with a bit of a different expectation. You don't have to have read The Protector first, though all Cal's friends show up again so you see familiar faces if you did read it. I loved how protective the guys are of each other and how they embraced June once they were sure she was right for Cal. And we get a tease for the next book that promises major action ahead!

An enjoyable, lovely romance with Cinderella vibes that were just enough for me without being over the top, great friends turned family, and two damaged people learning to trust themselves and each other enough to fall in love and admit it. 

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Weaver and the Witch Queen

 

The Weaver and the Witch Queen- Genevieve Gornichec

Ace

Release Date: July 25, 2023

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Oddny and Gunnhild meet as children in tenth century Norway, and they could not be more different: Oddny hopes for a quiet life, while Gunnhild burns for power and longs to escape her cruel mother. But after a visiting wisewoman makes an ominous prophecy that involves Oddny, her sister Signy, and Gunnhild, the three girls take a blood oath to help one another always.

When Oddny’s farm is destroyed and Signy is kidnapped by Viking raiders, Oddny is set adrift from the life she imagined—but she's determined to save her sister no matter the cost, even as she finds herself irresistibly drawn to one of the raiders who participated in the attack. And in the far north, Gunnhild, who fled her home years ago to learn the ways of a witch, is surprised to find her destiny seems to be linked with that of the formidable King Eirik, heir apparent to the ruler of all Norway.

But the bonds—both enchanted and emotional—that hold the two women together are strong, and when they find their way back to each other, these bonds will be tested in ways they never could have foreseen in this deeply moving novel of magic, history, and sworn sisterhood.

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 Gunnhild, Oddny, and Signy are the best of friends and sworn sisters- from a young age they know their destinies are tied together. When their farm is burned and Signy taken captive, Oddny goes to Gunnhild's family for help. Gunnhild, who ran away as a young woman to learn magic, returns to help find Signy with King Eirik and his band of raiders as uneasy allies. The connections between Gunnhild, Oddny, and Signy must last through both the mundane and the magical worlds as they fight politics as well as other witches in the battle to reunite.

This is a historical fantasy, so magic is as normal as any other job here, and Gornichec treats it that way. We learn the rules with Gunnhild but never get overwhelmed by anything, And Gornichec voices one of the rules that I've always noticed but no one ever mentions when it comes to prophecies: when you try to avoid them, that's when everything comes true! In an interesting twist that I rather liked, we don't know what the prophecy is, but when Signy and Oddny's farm is attacked we learn that the real attack is meant to be on Gunnhild. Since no one can find her, this is supposed to draw her out. Not for something she's done but for something she might do against a trio of witches she's never met. Clearly not a great plan since what happens? Gunnhild and Oddny join forces to track down Signy, discover their enemies, and defeat them- thus fulfilling the prophecy the other witches wanted to avoid in the first place. 

All three women have the same dream: not to follow the traditional path of a woman of their time. Signy puts it best though, what can you do if you don't want to follow that path? What else is there? This book is, for better and for worse, about answering those questions. In some ways that's the interesting theme of the book: does a person have control over their own fate? Can they choose their own path or do they have to follow the traditional one set out for them by society? What happens if you're different? Many of the characters are, in one way or another, struggling with these questions, even before we realize it. I will probably end up going back and rereading the book with these struggles in mind the second time around to see what I think of them in that light. I think it will be very interesting.  

Genevieve Gornichec (The Witch's Heart) returns with another vivid and enchanting book. You can tell Gornichec has done some research on what life might have been like in this time and place- the homes, the food, the clothes, all come across as very real. Whether entering one of the living halls or walking down the street in Birka, you get the feeling you are walking with the characters. And I'm a bit of a history nerd, so I admit there were times when I was reading this and going "wait, this reminds me of something I read in The Real Valkyrie or Children of Oak and Ash", but I promise you don't actually need to know anything about the true history of the time period to enjoy the book. 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Thief Liar Lady

 

Thief Liar Lady- D. L. Soria

Random House

Release Date: July 11, 2023

Rating: 📚📚

Synopsis: I’m not who you think I am.

My transformation from a poor, orphaned scullery maid into the enchantingly mysterious lady who snagged the heart of the prince did not happen—as the rumors insisted—in a magical metamorphosis of pumpkins and glass slippers. On the first evening of the ball, I didn’t meekly help my “evil” stepmother and stepsisters primp and preen or watch forlornly out the window as their carriage rolled off toward the palace. I had other preparations to make.

My stepsisters and I had been trained for this—to be the cleverest in the room, to be quick with our hands and quicker with our lies. We were taught how to get everything we wanted in this world, everything men always kept for themselves: power, wealth, and prestige. And with a touchingly tragic past and the help of some highly illegal spells, I would become a princess, secure our fortunes, and we would all live happily ever after.

But there’s always more to the story. With my magic running out, war looming, and a handsome hostage prince—the wrong prince—distracting me from my true purpose with his magnetic charm and forbidden flirtations, I’m in danger of losing control of the delicate balance I’ve created . . . and that could prove fatal.

There’s so much more riding on this than a crown.

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Spoiler Alerts!

I'm a fan of reading re-tellings of fairy tales and myths (though they don't all work, many do) and it had been a while since I've seen a fresh take on Cinderella, so the idea of a spin where Cinderella was conning the prince and in league with her stepmother and sister the whole time? Let's try it!

I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it either. I struggled a lot with it. At first I was definitely confused by Ash's motives and the politics- those were a huge and annoying tangle but sort themselves out as you keep reading. Eventually, you have two different motives going on: Ash's stepmother Seraphina wants Ash to snag a rich lord, while Ash's grandmother wants Ash to snag the prince so she can influence politics and help the rebellion of a neighboring/occupied kingdom. Ash's main motive seems to be to prove to both women that she can do the jobs they've given her, despite them not totally having faith in her. As we all know, Ash gets her prince (thanks to magic that she keeps enchanting him with- something I was not ok with), our story starts in the lead-up to the wedding with her playing the part of the doting, innocent fianceé. She plays so many roles and lies to so many people (including herself) that I never felt like I knew her. The parts I did know, I didn't really like. Morally grey or completely self-centered on proving herself without worrying about what she was doing to anyone else? I'm still not sure, but I feel like she was on that scale. The other characters were either equally hidden (her stepmother and sisters) or completely flat and one-dimensional. The thin worldbuilding meant that I never figured out the magic and its rules, the politics, or much of anything else.

There were really good ideas here, and a lot of potential. But the book dragged in the beginning and then went on longer than it should have in the end. Ash never seemed to know what she was doing, despite priding herself on always being in control. And I never felt like I knew the world or any of the characters enough to feel even a touch of magic for this story.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Much Ado About Nada

 Much Ado About Nada- Uzma Jalaluddin

Penguin Random House

Release Date: June 13, 2023

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Nada Syed is stuck. On the cusp of thirty, she's still living at home with her brothers and parents in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood of Toronto, resolutely ignoring her mother's unsubtle pleas to get married already. While Nada has a good job as an engineer, it's a far cry from realizing the start-up dreams for her tech baby, Ask Apa, the app that launched with a whimper instead of a bang because of a double-crossing business partner. Nothing in her life has turned out the way it was supposed to, and Nada feels like a failure. Something needs to change, but the past is holding on too tightly to let her move forward.

Nada's best friend, Haleema, is determined to pry her from her shell . . . and what better place than at the giant annual Muslim conference downtown, where Nada can finally meet Haleema's fiancé, Zayn? And did Haleema mention Zayn's brother Baz will be there?

What Haleema doesn't know is that Nada and Baz have a past--some of it good, some of it bad, and all of it secret. At the conference, that past all comes hurtling back at Nada, bringing new complications and a moment of reckoning. Can she truly say goodbye to what once was, or should she hold tight to her dreams and find their new beginnings?

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In Uzma Jalaluddin's retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion (with a Canadian Muslim twist) Nada is stuck in the rut of family life and work. Her big idea app was a flop because her business partner stole her idea, Nada retreated into her shell and hasn't come out since. Her best friend Haleema drags her to a giant Muslim conference to meet Haleema's fiancé Zayn and hopes to set Nada up with Zayn's brother Baz. The only problem is that Baz and Nada have a history that Haleema doesn't know about. As the past is resurrected, Nada knows she has to decide: say goodbye to past dreams of love or take a chance and confront her fears?

Persuasion is one of my favorite Jane Austen books, and it is a tough one for a retelling- even more so than most second-chance romances. Bringing it into the modern world is even tougher. Uzma Jalaluddin did a really good job transferring this classic love story to modern-day Toronto, with the tension between generations in Toronto's South Asian Muslim immigrant community standing in for Austen's Regency rules. 

I loved how Jalaluddin made all of her characters, not just Nada, complex. There was a lot going on for each of them, and she did a good job of taking characters that at first seemed basic, then you get an insight part way through that changes how you look at all of their interactions. Nada gets to really go through a lot in this book and I felt like I watched her grow as a person as she fought through her sense of loss and betrayal over her app and losing Baz at the same time- and still feeling that years later but now seeing a second chance and being ready to fight for it. 

I liked the flashbacks to Nada and Baz in college, seeing them fall in love and getting some sense of why they kept it a secret, though I felt like they fell into the classic rut of not communicating or listening to each other. Both of them made mistakes, but it seemed like Nada was the only one willing to work to maybe change the present. While it would have ruined the book to get both viewpoints along the way, there were times I wished I knew what Baz was thinking, or knowing that he was working to change himself as well. Surprisingly, Baz was one of the characters that came off as flat for me.

Overall I enjoyed this book, though the pacing dragged occasionally. I love how Jalaluddin brings the reader into the South Asian Muslim community of her characters without feeling like she has to overexplain the community for her non-Muslim readers. We absorb and are absorbed by the community and Jalaluddin's beautiful writing.

Despite the many times I've referenced Jane Austen and Persuasion here, you don't have to have read it to enjoy this retelling.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Clytemnestra

 Clytemnestra- Constanza Casati

Sourcebooks Landmark

Release Date: May 2, 2023

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: 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.

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In a world where women are considered more property than people, when the myths we know are never about women (and if they are, they aren't good stories), ancient Greece in no place to be a strong and independent woman. Current retellings of ancient myths are giving us new voices for women who have lived too long in the shadows, either voiceless or villains, and Clytemnestra is certainly one of them. Constanza Casati's debut novel wipes away any other attempt to tell Clytemnestra's story and should, in my opinion, become THE go-to retelling of the Queen of Mycenae's story.

A princess of Sparta, Clytemnestra grew up strong, learning to fight, hunt, and wrestle just like all the other children. The only rule? Don't get caught. She protects her younger sisters, physically and emotionally, but is always closest to Helen. Her husband Tantalus is a king, and unlike the men she knows-he listens to her, respects her strength, and doesn't try to overshadow her. But when Agamemnon and Menelaus come to Sparta, things change and Clytemnestra's world changes too. Seeing a strong woman as a challenge, Agamemnon decides to have her for himself and kills Tantalus and their baby, forcing her to marry him. As queen of Mycenae, wife of a man she hates, and mother to his children, she tries to live a new life- but when Helen runs away to Troy and gives Agamemnon the excuse he wants to start a war with Troy, disaster strikes again. 

If you know any of the stories of Clytemnestra, or the Trojan War, you won't be surprised by the basic plot. What I found wonderful was how well the author drew the reader into Clytemnestra's emotional life, easily making you feel her rage, pain, and grief and how it shaped her over her life. It balanced with her warrior nature and aggravation with the Greeks who felt they were better than her just because she was a woman. Over and over she has to prove herself, and does, and reminds them that her actions are the same as a man's- and a king's- so should be treated as such. 

There is a short, sweet, set of letters between the siblings late in the book where they are trying to console Clytemnestra and you really get each sibling's thoughts and feelings (as opposed to Clytemnestra's) for the first time. This might be my favorite part of the book. It is completely different from the rest of the book, and feels a bit like we're looking behind the scenes at something personal and private that Clytemnestra would keep to herself. It is also a nice reminder that not all men in this world are horrible, since one of the letters is from her brother Polydeuces.

Clytemnestra is an absolute must read for anyone who enjoys retellings or even just stories about strong women. This is a book that doesn't read as if it was a debut novel- the writing is more confident and polished than you often read in a first book. I would love to see Casati write her next book for Medea, since we might be able to trust her to tell Medea's story with the same emotional honesty she showed Clytemnestra. Here's hoping!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review