After reading and loving the first novel in the trilogy I was worried that the House of Odysseus would feel lacklustre; a filler novel until the climatic conclusion but I shouldn't have worried. I read the novel in one sitting; the writing, characters and setting were all gripping. I'm now eagerly awaiting the final novel in the trilogy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve recently finished Ithaca so with that book fresh in my mind it was wonderful to return to Claire North’s retelling of the Odyssey from the perspective of the women left behind. In Ithaca we were told the story from the perspective of Hera, in this one we are gifted with Aphrodite’s point of view as she follows Penelope, Elektra and a host of other fantastic female characters as they battle with love and war. There were moments that made me laugh, moments that made me cry but all in all had a great time reading this book and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Is it perhaps too modern at times with its language use? Perhaps. For me that wasn’t so much of an issue as it helped to make the characters more relatable.

Im really looking forward to reading the next book in the series after reading this one, I felt that this book was slightly better thank the last so it excites me to see what the next book will be like.
*a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC of House of Odysseus.
I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see how it ends.

This follow-up to Ithaca continues Penelope's story, but this time it's Aphrodite who takes on the role of narrator instead of Hera. The narrative picks up shortly after the events of Ithaca and delves deeper into the retelling of Greek mythology, with a particular emphasis on the women of the island. It's an enjoyable, witty, and captivating read, especially in the second half when a gripping plot involving poisoning and murder unfolds. I found great pleasure in reading about the formidable female warriors on the island and witnessing the successful execution of Penelope's schemes. And that ending... I can't wait for the next installment!

I would like to express my gratitude to the author for providing me with a complimentary review copy in exchange for my honest and unedited feedback. I would also like to extend my thanks to Netgalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and the author.

Slightly more puzzling compared to the traditional canon relating to Penelope, but in many ways this felt like it did her much greater justice.

Under the structures and rules for queens established in Ithaca, with Hera as narrator, Penelope appears at a disadvantage when Menelaus comes knocking, searching with apparently concern for his nephew and King of Kings, Orestes. Surely, with her palace and lands overrun by Spartans she will be unable to resolve this problem, and may lose her lands (oh no, her husband's lands) too.

However, this story allowed her character to perform at its best, untangling political schemes, battling against kings and even a little murder-solving.

I was initially puzzled why this was narrated by Aphrodite, who seems to have no real role in L
Penelope's story, but her own character, mirrored by that of Helen, really grew on me. And it's only fitting that the three goddesses involved in the Trojan War each have their own voice.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great second book in the Songs of Penelope series, a retelling of the Greek myths from a female perspective. North paints the characters distinctively, through both the judgements of the watching gods, and the dialogue between the characters themselves. She is especially good at building tension, and in her descriptions of battle sequences, and the political intrigues of court society.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book and NetGalley.

I am really looking enjoying the popularity of Greek mythology genre of the last few years and as an otherwise big fan of Claire North, I jumped at the chance to read this.
House of Odysseus continues the story of Penelope, Queen of Ithaca as she maintains a tenuous grip on the Western Isles in the long absence of her husband Odysseus. Plagued by would-be suitors, her position is further endangered as she becomes caught in the middle of Menelaus' attempts at becoming the "king of Kings".
I struggled to get into the first few chapters, mainly getting to grips with the who's who of the characters but settled in the story then. The use of Aphrodite as the narrator is a wonderful choice and provides a witty slant to the story. However I found the occasional use of modern of phrases a bit off-putting, I gradually got used to it.
A solid offering and well-paced story

I was disappointed, when I realized that Hera isn't the narrator of this book. Aphrodite did quickly grow on me, but I still missed Hera. Additionally, Menelaus is a great despicable villain, but also the worst person to spend time with, and with an omniscient narrator we spend quite a lot of time in the head of the patron saint of MRAs, which is not the most fun experience.
I still love what Claire North does to Greek myths. They're feminist retellings, that have lots of respect for the source material and don't turn the heroines into not-like-the-other-girls-girls (or women), but I still didn't blaze through this one as quickly as I did through the first.

Somewhat better than Ithaca, House of Odysseus was still quite a drably-voiced retelling of Penelope's tale.

I quite liked the premise and set up, two rage-filled kings, Menelaus of Sparta and Orestes of Mycenae, at odds with one another with Ithaca and Penelope caught in between them trying to stop a war at home while Odysseus is at Troy.

However, the main problem was the story dragged. Aphrodite especially as a narrator was just very long winded and I found myself almost glossing over some parts.
I think North's writing of Penelope and Elektra did save the book somewhat, they were engaging and fleshed out characters who I at least found interesting. Penelope is every bit as clever as you'd expect of someone Odysseus would marry, and she was definitely my favourite character.
Helen was quite annoying for most of the book I found, though redeemed herself somewhat towards the end...ish

The language and writing was quite lyrical and flowing for the most part, weaving the world of the story well. And then suddenly at times kinda falls flat and slips into more deadpan modern style I felt, especially with moments of attempted humour.

Overall I'll probably read book 3 to at least finish the series and maybe see will it also climb by 1 star, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend these books over others like SoA, Clytemnestra, Medea or Women of Troy.

I loved the first instalment of this series and was looking forward to reading the second. I was not disappointed - if anything, the pace is even more assured and the plotting more gripping.

The first book was narrated by a fantastically acerbic Hera; this second one is brought to us by a gentler Aphrodite, who has a definite eye for a well-formed Greek hero. In terms of the story, we pick up where the first one left off. Odysseus is still AWOL nine years after the end of the Trojan war, and his hotheaded but rather naive son Telemachus is off sailing the Mediterranean looking for his father. In the region, the murder of Agamemnon by his wife Clytemnestra, and her subsequent killing by her son Orestes, have destabilised the balance of power and Agamemnon’s brother Menelaus is jockeying for power, sensing that Orestes’ position is weak and exploiting this fully. And Penelope is still biding her time waiting for her husband’s return, fending off the increasingly quarrelsome suitors, worrying bout Telemachus, and managing the arrival of Menelaus and his blatant attempt to annex Ithaca in his drive to ‘unify’ Greece / consolidate his position.

The story is fast-moving and has a nice share of swashbuckling moments as Penelope manages Menelaus’ domination of her court and stealthy occupation of Ithaca whilst trying to poison Orestes to make him seem mad and incapable of inheriting his father’s throne.

There is perhaps less divine intervention in this part of the story - Hera has been confined to Mount Olympus by Zeus for meddling and the gods are running a bit scared. They’re not bore deflecting the odd arrow of course, or sending peaceful dreams or nightmares depending on need.

Claire North does a fine job of bringing out the humanity of characters we are very familiar with from the myths and Homer’s stories. This was a rollicking good read, bring on the third one, where I hope Odysseus finally makes it back home and sorts out the suitors and the politics.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first book in the series, Ithaca, and actually felt this one was even better!! I have always been a massive fan of greek mythology so loved reading about Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, told in the narrative of Aphrodite.

This book was epic and I am really looking forward to reading the next book

Second part of a trilogy - continuing the epic tale of Penelope of Ithaca, the famous wife of Odysseus.
She has been waiting for her husband’s return for over 20 years in Ithaca, while he battles in Troy.
As usual the ‘heroes’ forget about their women.
A well written re-telling.
It was a bit of a slow burner with more a war of words than epic battles.
There was a definite feminist slant on the re-telling - “we women of sky and fire, we goddesses, we are so mighty”
You are emotionally invested in these women and would never underestimate them.
Thanks @clairenorth, @orbitbooks & @netgalley for the eARC

Claire North's work is incredible and this book just follows that pattern. With this being the 2nd book in the series, it just follows so beautifully but is narrated by Aphrodite instead of Hera. I love when you can tell that a book about women is written by women. It becomes powerful and beautiful.

Mythology retellings are some of my favourite things to read and this is no different. All the context is set out in the first few chapters so it makes for a satisfying read.

After listening to the audiobook of Ithica (which is a fabulously narrated, brilliant book) I was keen to read the follow up. It did not disappoint.
Told from the perspective of Aphrodite it follows the wily Ithican queen Penelope, ruling Ithica in the absence of Odysseus, following the battle of Troy. Constantly undermined by Ithaca’s councillors because she is a mere woman, and harassed by suitors keen to take the throne of Odysseus, Penelope continues to be served by the loyal women of Ithica, passing largely unseen, yet more than capable with bow and dagger of defending the island. When her nephew Orestes and niece Elektra arrive on the island seeking refuge from their uncle Menelaus who has his eyes on the throne of Mycenae it is down to Penelope, helped by those loyal to her, her wisecracking father in law Laertes and some divine help to try and put a stop to his plans.

I love Claire Norths style of retellings and find her writing gives depth and humour to the haughty divinities of Greek mythology. In both Ithica and House of Odysseus I have been gripped, laughed and in awe (North invokes vivid imagery of the goddesses in all their power). I love Greek myth retellings but these are up in my absolute favourites and I think they’re underrated to be honest. I’m looking forward to reading more from Claire North and recommend both Ithica and House of Odysseus to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology and those without……

This was a fantastic follow-up to Ithaca, and was told by Aphrodite this time, as she watches over the people of Ithaca during the challenges of the story. Menelaus and his famous wife Helen come to visit from Sparta and the Spartans temporarily take over, and Penelope is challenged with hiding Orestes and Elektra in the wake of Orestes’ madness after killing his mother Clytemnestra. I really enjoyed this book and felt it was a very interesting sequel as I also loved the first book. I would definitely recommend this to any fans of the first book!

Claire North and her narration - I simply adore it. This one was led by Aphrodite and I think it adds another layer of depth to an already complex character driven narrative. A perfect balance of sophisticated, conversational and charming. The plot itself only really picked up for me in the third quarter of the book, but the authentic and naturalistic portrait of each of the characters, particularly Helen, Elektra and Penelope, solidified the rating. Also, the nurturing, protective voice of Aphrodite articulated my very own feelings towards the characters, weaving me through the tale of Ithaca - in essence, what North wanted you to feel, you felt. Cannot wait for the next one.

An excellent follow-up to 'Ithaca'. A great story with the right amount of humour. Love how Penelope and her collection of women deal with the visitors/invaders/guests. This delve into Penelope's life is a great addition to the modern trend Greek myth re-tellings, started I reckon, by Margaret Atwood's 'Penelopiad'. Very much looking forward to 'The Last Song of Penelope'. Thanks to Netgalley.

This sequel to Ithaca continues the story of Penelope, but this time Aphrodite is the narrator, not Hera. The story picks up not long after the end of Ithaca and continues the Greek myth retelling with a real focus on the women on the island. It's a fun, snarky and entertaining read and really picked up in the second half when we get to grips with a concurrent poisoning and murder plot. I really enjoyed reading about the female warriors on the island and how Penelope's schemes all worked out in the end. And that ending... I hope there will be a next book!!

I absolutely love Claire North's work and this book is no different. This is the 2nd book in the series and I cannot wait for the concluding book in the series. This book is a true example of women written by women bringing out powerful stories.

This is retelling of a Greek epic and mythology which is one of my favourite genres. It sets the context in the initial chapters and can also be read as a standalone due to the detailing by the author. Would absolutely recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.