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Book Title: House of Odysseus
Series: The Songs of Penelope (#2)
Author: Claire North
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61346131-house-of-odysseus
Release Date: 8/22/23
Star Rating:
What an absolute delight!
House of Odysseus is the follow up to award-winning author Claire North’s Ithaca “a powerful, fresh, and unflinching” reimagining (Jennifer Saint) that breathes life into ancient myth and gives voice to the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men.
In the palace of Odysseus, a queen lies dreaming . . .
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 . . . – Goodreads
My absolute favorite book of 2022 was ITHACA. I loved the story and the voice of the main narrator was wonderful. So I was impatiently waiting to see book two. When I got it I was surprised and worried about a change in narrator. Would she be as biting and funny as Hera was in book one? I might not be the best reader for these books since I have very little knowledge of Greek myths and the tale of Odysseus. Was I going to like Aphrodite as the main voice of House of Odysseus?
I should have trusted the author a little more. This book was just as wonderful as book one. I am driving everyone nuts with how much I praise this series. If you love me you will read this. I swear by Hera, you will love it. It is full of everything I love, a little sarcasm, a lot of wit, found family, brilliant, brave women and even a couple of surprising male heroes in a world where male heroism is vaunted but lacking. I am here in the same place I was after book 1. Impatient for book 3.
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