Hm I was so excited to read this book and it disappointed me a bit. BUT I think it did provide a feminist viewpoint of the myth that I hadn't previously considered. 
*This age recommendation is only my opinion. Some younger people might feel comfortable reading this book, and some older people might not. That's fine, either way. Warning for depictions of suicide and suicide attempts, murder, suggestions of incest, gore, violence, disease, depictions of stillborn birth, depictions of pregnancy and abusive relationships.
Prior to reading this book, I was familiar with the Jocasta/Oedipus myth, so I was expecting that to be central to this book. However, the prophecy was barely even mentioned, which kinda disappointed me. Sure, the story is messed up. And maybe Haynes wanted to make her novel less messed up -- I can respect that. But to be honest I felt like the fact that the prophecy was overlooked kinda defeated the purpose of the mythological side of the novel. It seemed more like a retelling of a historical figure/period rather than a Greek myth to me.
Speaking of which, I'm not quite sure the writing style was what I hoped it would be. I'm used to very elegant writing styles when I read Greek myth retellings, however I would say that this book's writing style was a lot more simple/straightforward. I'm aware that Haynes has written and published non-fiction works, and at times I felt that the writing style was better suited to non-fiction. However, Haynes was still able to reflect the character's emotions in many parts of the book.
If I am being honest, the timeline messed with my head a bit. It took me a long while to figure out that the two plots/perspectives were not happening simultaneously, but rather many years apart. I'm also not sure how I felt about how Jocasta's perspective was written in the third person while Isy's was in the first person. I'm sorry to say this but that's usually a bit of a no-no when writing. However, I did quite enjoy how the two stories/perspectives intertwined and mirrored one another toward the end. I also enjoyed how some characters had a constant presence throughout both stories -- such as Sophon.
I have a lot of respect for Natalie Haynes, and I think that she did a great job of bringing Jocasta's and Isy's own stories into the light. This novel actually kinda fits in with my current topic of study in ancient history, which is cool!!! I'm glad I finally read it.
The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes, 14+* ★★★
*This age recommendation is only my opinion. Some younger people might feel comfortable reading this book, and some older people might not. That's fine, either way. Warning for depictions of suicide and suicide attempts, murder, suggestions of incest, gore, violence, disease, depictions of stillborn birth, depictions of pregnancy and abusive relationships.
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