Another beautifully written book from Jennifer Saint. The book was brilliant and I really enjoyed the complexity of Hera’s story - will definitely be recommending to fans of mythological retellings.

As a one-time classicist, I love this genre, and I have to say this is one of the best stories of reimagined Greek mythology that I have read. Told through the eyes of Hera, it explores all the stories of the gods and goddesses that I grew up loving, drawing on the tales of Homer, Hesiod, Ovid and Aristophanes, amongst others, to give us an insight into the world of the immortals, and the mortals that they created.
As the millennia moves on, Hera and her fellow gods and goddessess remain timeless. But gods and goddesses are not infallible - will their pride, greed and lust be their downfall? Can an immortal cease to exist? Or can they learn to grow, develop and adapt to changing times?
This had everything! Fascinating characters, fabulous stories, passion, rage, envy, joy, love and tragedy, but most of all empathy, for Hera, goddess of marriage trapped for eternity in her own unhappy marriage.
I raced through this book, savouring every second of the gorgeous prose, beautifully researched stories and the opportunity to get to know the gods and goddesses of Olympus, warts and all!

Headlines:
Rise and fall
Patriarchy meets matriarchy
Competitiveness

What a screwed up bunch the Olympians were...hedonistic, egotistical and all about power. Hera led this tale with empowerment that rose from within herself, I had to admire so much about her characterisation. And yet, she was cold, lacking in feelings towards those you'd expect and she was fiercely competitive with Zeus.

A lot of this tale was about Hera's plotting and her long term strategy to rise above Zeus. I cannot say she had integrity because she didn't. I found the tales of her progeny and her disconnect from them somewhat shocking. Through Hera's eyes, there really wasn't one god or goddess I could really say I liked but their scheming made for gripping reading.

I really loved the last quarter of this book. The demise of the Olympians was exciting and messy; the final paragraphs of this book were superb.

I read this and also listened on audio in parts. The narration was great and channelled the cold calculation of Hera.

Thank you to Wildfire Books for the review copy.

I adore everything which Jennifer Saint writes, her take on Hera is a breathtaking and immersive read. The prose is beautiful and the characterisation is at the heart of this story, Saint always manages to weave characters so well and makes it so that these mythological retellings are still relatable and have messages for a modern day reader. I can’t wait to see what she writes next! Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC :)

3.75/5

I adore Saint's retellings. I was so curious to see how she would retell Hera's story, I was particularly interested to find out exactly what it would cover. It turns out it is as vast and intricate as all Greek mythology is. We start at the fall of the Titans and the rise of the Olympians, and span important events from the creation of Athena to the birth of Apollo and Artemis, from the Argonauts to the Trojan War, and far beyond. We get glimpses of all of these events and the tumultuous feelings of Hera as she witnesses them.
I am a very passionate lover of Greek mythology, however I think this book is also incredibly accessible for those that don't know very much, yet still illuminating and intriguing to those that already know all of the stories within it.

I loved Saint's writing, I thought it was beautiful and effortlessly captured such emotion within it. The only reason I didn't rate this higher is because my personal interest does not lie within Hera. I personally think it's far more interesting to read about mortals and their interactions with the gods, they are also much easier to empathise with. Because of this I do prefer Saint's other works, however I still think this is an incredible book and a worthwhile read. I truly did appreciate and admire the reframing of Hera's narrative. While I can't say I am now Hera's number one fan, it definitely did make me sympathise with her moments of grief and forced me to rethink the narrative in which her story is always told.

Hera is such a complicated figure to choose as the protagonist of our story and I would be fascinated to know why Saint chose her specifically. Hera is known for being the sister and wife of Zeus, the goddess of marriage and women. But most commonly, she is known for her jealousy and vengeance. I'll admit, Hera has never been a favourite goddess of mine, she has never really interested me all that much. But this story certainly made my opinions of her more complex.

Practically every god and goddess in Greek mythology has done terrible things, which is why I'll repeat that I find the stories of mortal people surviving the gods' wrath far more captivating. But there are certain stories that stick out more as immoral or wrong. Sexual assault is a common theme and feature within Greek mythology as it was unfortunately an even more common action of the time and was therefore represented in ways we would definitely now find disturbing in stories only told by men. I love that now we are getting vibrant and angry feminist retellings where the women in these stories are recentred and their wounds made visible, their victimhood made into personhood, their lives given more meaning than only an assault used to tell a story.
I say all this because this is very obviously something that Saint's retellings do as well, they are absolutely amazing feminist retellings. However there are aspects of Hera's narrative that Saint cannot erase or rewrite without straying too far from what we know of her, and so she cannot rewrite Hera's punishments for the women Zeus lays with and also those that he rapes. Because of this, Hera has always left a sour taste in my mouth (have no fear, Zeus leaves far worse than a sour taste, I will in no way bypass his actions and blame Hera only for her reactions), it is an element that makes Hera a difficult character to fully empathise with.
This has nothing to do with the book itself, this story is the closest anything has ever come to making me like Hera, I'm only trying to explain why I couldn't personally rate this book higher.

I still appreciate this depth to Hera's character that we encounter because she commits acts that we, the reader, might dislike or even hate her for. It parallels the moments of deep sympathy Saint is so adept at dragging from us. We mourn with Hera, we shake at the bars of her gilded cage with her, we find small moments of joy with her. And that's all because of how skilfully Saint is able to portray her and the rest of the gods.
The ending in particular was such an emotional, devastating yet hopeful, whirlwind. It was the perfect ending for a story of a god, for the story of all the gods. I think it might have been my favourite part. As I mentioned before, all my favourite moments to witness the gods are when they interact with mortals, at no other moment in time are their immortal presences so tangibly different, at no other time do they appear so frightening and powerful, yet at no other time do they also appear so human.

Another factor I loved with all my heart was how prevalent certain characters were that aren't often focused on in the mythology. I adored seeing Echidna and her care and love for her children, it's a side of her that isn't often portrayed as compassionately as Saint does here. It was thought-provoking and added perfectly to the cast of morally complex characters. I really liked that this story never tried to redeem characters, but always added a lot of insight into their actions.
I adored, more than anything, how prevalent Hestia was, my favourite unproblematic goddess! She's such a warm, comforting presence throughout the story, as is apt, and I was so endeared to her whenever she came across the page.

All of this is a very long-winded way of saying do yourself a favour and go read Saint's superb retellings! I just adore them, they're the perfect feast for your Greek mythology cravings!

Thank you Netgalley and Headline for an e-arc.

Enjoyed this very much, Hera's anger and frustration really comes across well, but I did wonder why she insisted on punishing the victims of Zeus, rather than him. If she wanted allies, she'd have found them there. I liked the way she mellowed towards the end, while Zeus got what he deserved - I wouldn't want to worship those gods!

I loved this book! I have always really struggled with Greek myth retelling as but this was fantastic. I loved it!

5 ⭐️

I had high expectations for this book and I was not disappointed!!
Hera is such an overlooked goddess in Greek/Roman myths. Always portrayed as a vengeful and jealous wife of Zeus…
This shines new light on to her story… hey pain, her sacrifice and he femininity.
I loved this version of Hera - equal in every way to her husband and brother Zeus.
Queen in her own right.

A wonderfully written retelling of Hera and how she came to be the wife of Zeus and Goddess of marriage. There are a lot more myths intertwined in the novel so that at times it’s more like the story of Olympia, and is a lot of information in a fairly short book. That does take away a little from getting to know and connect with Hera, I’ve enjoyed the character building more in Jennifer Saints other retellings. But Hera’s story is so much bigger it’s probably not fair to compare them. Overall, although not my favourite retelling, it’s really worth the read and I’ll certainly buy a copy for my shelf.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy

Renowned as a formidable queen, Hera is breathed to life in this retelling by Jennifer Saint. Hera helps break the vile and terribly violent Titan rule of her father Cronos, alongside her siblings and dares to dream that the new Olympian rule will be much more fair. Yet, it soon becomes clear that Zeus has inherited mean and cruel streak and takes his pleasure when and where he wants. Hera wasn't always a jealous and vengeful wife, taking out her anger on the mistresses and offspring of Zeus. Saint paints a picture of Hera when she feared her father, when she lived freer, hoped more and had visions of a brighter future, giving us a fuller picture of all the elements and events that led her to become the fierce queen Hera of legend. #hera #jennifersaint #netgalley

This is a book follows Hera Queen of the gods and includes a retelling of some of the Greek myths but from a different slant.
Zeus has defeated his father who defeated his father before him, and tests his power whilst fearing his offspring might overthrow him.
The book covers his relationship with Hera his partner. Is the relationship mutual and equal. Whom has power over whom.
It explores revenge, misogyny, controlling behaviors and redemption.
Who really are the monsters and who are the heroes?
Is one regimes more benevolent and more equal than another or is behavior repeated.
Do mortals need the gods or do the gods need the mortals?
An excellent read an a bright inventive reimagining of the gods of Olympia
Can't wait for what Jennifer comes up with next. Perhaps something similar for the gods of the Norse.

I love that Jennifer Saint chose to write about Hera and highlight this particular goddess, but the story itself fell a little flat for me.

Jennifer Saint, the muses are on your side for real! What a way with words you have! Hera wasn't by far my favourite greek goddess, but Saint made me open my eyes and see her from a diferent light. It always amazed me how Jennifer can make a woman out of a myth and now of a Goddess, Not my favourite of the author, I must say, but if you a fan of her penship you don't what to miss this one.

I’m a huge fan of Jennifer Saint’s books (particularly Atalanta) & was thrilled to be given the chance of an early read of this one. Hera is the Queen of the Gods - & if you believe the stories, not a very warm one. She’s portrayed variously as vengeful, bitter, violent & downright terrifying, but this story turns her ‘almost’ human (which she’d be utterly furious about!). The story begins in the early days of the young gods & fills in the background of their upbringing. Fast forward a while & throw in a rebellion or two & before you know it, Zeus is taking charge & bossing them all about. Being married to him against her will sets the tone & poor Hera is stuck. I really enjoyed this book & having read lots of recent stories of the Greek myths, it was nice to hear the Queen’s point of view. With thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

Every Jennifer Saint book I read I end up falling in love with. Hera is a glorious retelling packed full of beautiful prose. From what I knew of Hera I was expecting to struggle with her character as she's known as the jealous wife of Zeus, but Saint has given us a fully fleshed out, complex character and you understand her motivations and end up rooting for her.

Her motivations are clear, she has so much depth and her story really stays with you long after you finish the book.

Saint always manages to draw you in with her lyrical writing and feminist perspective and I know I'll be recommending this to so many people.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I can't remember the last time I felt such a kinship with a character quite like this, despite not having much in common. Hera, as written by Jennifer Saint, is a complicated and absolutely captivating person. Her inner thoughts were so clear and powerful, and so gutwrenching at times. The book tells the story of the era of the Olympians, from when Hera is a young goddess, and flows through to more current times. It was beautifully written, with depth and weight. I finished the book a while ago, and I still think of Hera's feelings. I think it's going to stay with me for a long time.

Jennifer Saint is a genius when it comes to feminist Greek mythology retellings. Hera is just a mixture of everything I love about Greek mythology and it might be one of the best retellings I've ever read. I loved the different portrayals of Hera in different situations and it really gave her the depiction that she deserves.

This is Jennifer's 4th Greek mythology retelling and the 4th book of hers I have read and it certainly did not disappoint. Jennifer's writing creates such vivid pictures in my mind whilst reading that I forget for moments that I am not there in the midst of it all. This book is based on Hera - Zeus sister (and wife) and queen of the heavens. All the usual suspects are involved in this retelling from Zeus to Athena and the rest of their children with lots of stories intertwining, the Argos get a mention as does Heracles and Jason. The monsters of Typhon are explored in great detail. I love the female perspective and being the shamed and embarrassed wife of Zeus when he plays away and the punishments she Hera dishes out. Will she finally get revenge on Zeus after so long of him ruling the world. This was big bold and wonderous full of tales of power and wickedness and I loved it. The writing was superb and so much is detailed within the pages. I will be recommending and looking out for more from Jennifer

Feedback left on Audio version of the book. DNF at 60%

I really really wanted to love this one as Jennifer Saint wrote one of my all time favourite mythological retellings but I listened to 60% and gave up, I was just so very bored. I could tell I was supposed to be feeling rage for Hera but I just didn't and even more than that I didn't care at all which I hated because Ariadne broke my heart.

As someone who loved Jennifer Saint's previous books, especially Ariadne, and enjoys Greek Mythology retellings, I was surprised that she chose Hera as the subject of her next book as she's not an especially likeable character and is typically written off as Zeus's angry, jealous wife. What Jennifer Saint does in this book is give much more depth to her portrayal of Hera. The writing was beautiful and it was interesting to enter the world of the Greek Gods from Hera's perspective. She's by no means an easy character to root for, and some of her decisions were very questionable but you do start to understand her anger much more and it was a compelling read that held my attention throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance copy.