The war is over and Agamemnon can finally return home with his army and spoils of war in tow. With him is is greatest prize; Cassandra, King Priam's daughter, priestess of Apollo and his war bride. Waiting for him, his wife and Queen, Clytemnestra, who has never forgiven him for the murder of their eldest daughter in exchange for a fair wind. Both dream of the King's death, but what do thr Gods and fate have in store for them all?

Similar to the first two books in the series, we see the story primarily through the eyes of one person. Unfortunately, that person is not Brieseis. Instead, we follow her friend, Ritsa, who acts as Cassandra's slave, servant and eventually friend. While she is recognisable from the previous books, I don't feel that she was given a huge amount of character development or an overly crucial role in the narrative to date. And there are a couple of additions that I found questionable - for example the hint of romance, while well done and quite sweet, is a little tainted by the reminiscences that she and her love interest have about the time he played games with her (now deceased) husband when he was a child. It's quite a change to suddenly be experiencing a totally different person's take on the situation, so there is an automatic disconnect between this 'finale' and the other stories; indeed, it reads more like a standalone, or the start of a new series rather than a continuation of the old. 

While Briseis is mentioned, she only makes a cameo appearance right at the outset of the story. This left me feeling quite disappointed, as the narrative voice throughout the previous books has been of her 'reminiscing' (for want of a better word) about her time in Troy from what seemed to be many years later. As a result, there was plenty of scope for a third book from her POV, or to at least somehow reunite her and Ritsa so that both could reach a satisfying conclusion.

I was concerned that having Cassandra as the leading protagonist would be less enjoyable, as I didn't take to her character at all previously. However, while I still can't say I liked her, she was seemingly a more rational character in this book. I could understand her better, agree with more of her actions and actually enjoyed her more straightforward style. Likewise, Agamemnon is somehow less abrasive in this book, although just as horrible a man. 

The story itself is well written, but it's not quite as intense as the previous instalments. The story takes place over a relatively short space of time (only a few days, by my count), and essentially you only have two real settings; the ship travelling home, and the royal palace and surroundings. So it feels like there's a lot of "busy work" going on; it's all heading to the inevitable conclusion and, while it is a lovely retelling, that's really all it is. There's very little extra added to the tale by the author to make you see the story from a fresh perspective. I found myself wanting more throughout, but it never arrived. And while Ritsa's story does seem to get a fitting conclusion, the book itself is left open-ended.

It is definitely worth a read, but I can't say I'll be rushing to buy this series.