*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of House of Odysseus – Book 2 of The Songs of Penelope series #BrainfluffNETGALLEYbookreview #HouseofOdysseusbookreview

I’ve been a fan of Claire North’s writing for a while – see my reviews of The Pursuit of William Abbey, The Sudden Appearance of Hope, Touch and The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.. Last year I got hold of the audiobook of Ithaca, the first in The Songs of Penelope series, a retelling of the adventures of Odysseus from the women of Ithaca’s viewpoint, which blew me away. So I was delighted when I saw this one pop up on Netgalley.

BLURB: On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home. In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace—a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra.

Orestes’ hands are stained with his mother’s blood. Not so long ago, the son of Agamemnon took Queen Clytemnestra’s life on Ithaca’s sands. Now, wracked with guilt, he grows ever more unhinged. But a king cannot be seen to be weak, and Elektra has brought him to Ithaca to keep him safe from the ambitious men of Mycenae.

Penelope knows destruction will follow in his wake as surely as the furies circle him. His uncle Menelaus, the blood-soaked king of Sparta, hungers for Orestes’ throne—and if he can seize it, no one will be safe from his violent whims.

Trapped between two mad kings, Penelope must find a way to keep her home from being crushed by the machinations of a battle that stretches from Mycenae and Sparta to the summit of Mount Olympus itself. Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus’ wife. And watching over them all is the goddess Aphrodite, who has plans of her own.

Each woman has a secret, and their secrets will shape the world . . .

REVIEW: If anything, I prefer this next slice of the adventure to Ithaca – and that’s saying something. What I particularly liked is that this part of the story is told in semi-omniscient viewpoint by Aphrodite, goddess of Love. North ensures her voice brings a sensual tone to the tale, both in her frank enjoyment of the bodies that she sees and their passions – but also her appreciation of the sound of the sea, the feel of sunlight on her skin. It brings a different slant to the tale – along with a wry and irreverent amusement that had me smiling throughout and laughing aloud a couple of times. And that laughter was welcome – because this is largely a dark tale.

Orestes is the son who has killed his mother and now is being pursued by the Furies. And a desperate Elektra brings him to Ithaca, closely followed by Menelaus and a small army of Spartans, determined to get his hands on his nephew. It is fascinating to see the dynamic between Menelaus and Helen, after the sack of Troy. And especially how Helen is faring. Which isn’t all that well, given that Menelaus isn’t remotely kind or loving towards his beautiful wife. Interestingly, Helen and Penelope are cousins, so grew up together before their marriages and fates took them in very different directions. I loved the insights we get into Helen’s personality throughout the story – indeed, this is as much about her character arc as Penelope’s.

I’m not a fan of semi-omniscient viewpoint – but North handles this delivery beautifully so that we’re never distanced from the characters peopling the story. I loved that we got a different aspect of old Laertes’ personality – as the former king of Ithaca and Odysseus’s father, Menelaus is compelled to treat the old man with a certain amount of respect. But it isn’t long before we realise that Odysseus and Penelope aren’t the only crafty members of the family, capable of coping with dangerous situations by dint of their wits.

All in all, this book is an utter joy. If you haven’t read Ithaca – I’d urge you to do so. But while these books follow on from the other, they are also constructed so that if you haven’t read the first one, you can still thoroughly enjoy this offering. If you’re a fan of feminist retellings of Greek myths, then this one is right up there with Circe and Songs of Achilles, so comes very highly recommended. While I obtained an arc of House of Odysseus from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10