Hera Is a story about a woman trying to claim the power she is owed by any means necessary.
It was interesting that Jennifer Saint chose to take the perspective of the gods themselves when previously she has focused on mortals and it worked.
As usual the writing was beautiful
Hera was quite an unlikeable main character but her character growth was good.

Hera is portrayed in this book in a different way to normal. It follows through after the demise of Zeus which makes a refreshing change.

A lot of characters to get your head around especially if you do not know anything about Greek mythology. Hera came across as a strong woman, that was held back by her brother husband Zeus. The mighty powerful one. But she was cunning to say the least to get rid of his offspring.

The way her children were left out of the Gods position whilst Zeus offspring took over, was at the end sorted out.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

HERA is a tale of the capricious gods who sow the seeds of their own destruction.

Unlike Jennifer Saint's other novels, HERA does not follow a mortal tangled in the schemes of gods and the cruel men they favour. This is instead a tale of the gods (though the male gods are certainly still cruel and selfish.) This means the tale does not focus on a certain event, a single myth the heart of the retelling, but rather weaves many of them together into a tale of fighting for power and change.

Hera is an unlikeable main character, as grasping for power as the men around her, full of vengeance and cruelty. She is powerful but afraid, lashing out in fear, plotting to hurt those who Zeus seduces because she can't revenge on him. It made for an interesting main character to follow because you don't agree with her but understand the flaw at her centre.

The ending was the part I enjoyed most, following the story to a place Greek mythology retellings rarely go. The story of Hera in the myths doesn't come with a triumphant victory, some way she triumphs in the end. Jennifer Saint finds a way to bring a closure around the idea of power, using a hollow victory that challenges Hera's world view. It's very satisfying to see it all crumble around the gods and who is able to find a way to survive.

Naomi Frederick narrates. I liked how stately it was, reflecting the queenly aspect of Hera. It was also interesting to hear the names of the Greek gods, different to the ones I'm probably pronouncing wrong.

Lots of thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.
I received this on my birthday, and what a present it has been! Not going to lie, I was quite apprehensive before reading this, given that it concerns one of the mythological figures I'm most interested in (one that also happens to be quite controversial) and I was wary about how she and the events she is involved in would be portrayed, but I was very pleasantly surprised.
I was so engrossed in the story that I finished it in one evening, simply couldn't stop reading. I might not have loved every interpretation, there were myths I'd have liked to see and I'm not really sure how I feel about the last part of the book, but I'm quite happy with Hera's characterisation and overall this has to be the author's best book so far and one of my favourite retellings of all time. It keeps true to the source material for the most part while adding inner lives for the characters and bringing forth the complexity that many people ignore, which is precisely what I'm looking for in a Greek mythology retelling.

Hera by Jennifer Saint

Thank you for the opportunity to review this ARC! All views are my own.

Favourite Quote: "A world under the rule of benevolent goddesses, instead of power-hungry gods."

I absolutely love seeing more stories being told from women’s perspectives within the Greek mythology genre. Seeing the story from Hera’s perspective was intriguing, yet a first-person point of view would have made it more relatable and engrossing.I understand that was a purposeful creative choice, but the third-person point of view made it difficult for me to connect with Hera's character, and her thoughts and feelings seemed distant. I also recognise that gods are meant to have a different perception of time compared to mortals, however, the sense of time in the book felt a bit sporadic.

Even though I could not relate to Hera’s character, this retelling provided a deeper understanding of her actions and the motifs behind them. The most engaging part was her interactions with Ekhidna. I also adored her gentle friendship with Hestia as well as her complex relationship with Athena.

It is still unclear to me if Hera has truly obtained her peace and where she ended up settling. She did not seem to belong in the mortal world, as she was never invested in their realm until the very end. She also did not seem to enjoy her time in Olympus. Overall, I wish the ending uncovered more of her thoughts and desires, since, at times, they were conflicting. I also craved a more developed ending between her and Zeus since it felt slightly abrupt. There was a potential to see her grow within her role as a protector of women. I wish we saw her embodying her power by helping women and relating to their pain. Considering she went through a lot of traumatic stuff in her marriage, she could have tried to empower others and help stop the cycles of abuse. Instead, she was very distant towards all the women, both mortal and divine. Ultimately, it is a good retelling, which reveals a different side to one of the most misunderstood goddesses - Hera.

As guessed by the title, the book is about Hera, the Queen of Mount Olympus and her life.

The book is well written and really gives insight to the way Hera acts and why she acts that way. In all fairness I feel sorry for her, she’s misunderstood. The book was a little slow in places but overall it’s a well researched book with a captivating story.

If you’re a fan of Greek mythology this book is for you, just keep in mind there are a lot of triggers in this book, the same as most Greek mythology stories.

And finally, my favourite quote from the book which did make me smile - “What are men, but creations of Zeus that should never have existed”

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Saint and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

Unfortunately I found it a struggle to finish this book..

I love Greek Mythology and was delighted to receive this as an ARC to review, with that being said I found it hard to gel with the character of Hera. Which I suspected I might with Hera being portrayed as a woman who seeks revenge on her husband.

I struggled with the last 45% and wasn't inclined to pick it up which is unusual for me as I'm an avid reader - especially that of fantasy/retellings and mythology. The book jumps around a lot and felt more short story based - which I feel if this was the plan it should have gripped me from the first few pages.

I did however love finding out about the Chimera etc but I struggled finding a character to 'root' for and feel sympathy for any of the characters.

Unfortunately I would say it's not a book for me, but I do have Elektra at home and will be giving that a read!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review!

Jennifer Saint continues to write beautiful stories, even if they support womens wrongs. I loved how we got to see the motivation behind Hera's vindictive behaviour (which pretty much entirely resolves around her getting shafted by Zeus) mixed in with her softer side, woveni n with her relationships to other gods, and even though we got snippets of their stories it was never overwhelming or confusing. Jennifer Saint has gorgeous prose and her stories are always so well paced, lasting years and years but never feeling rushed or dragged out, and I will continue to read everything she writes!

This was an absolutely brilliant take on the life of Hera, one that I think honours and understands Hera as a wife, mother and goddess, but most importantly, as a powerful daughter of Cronos.

So, I am a massive fan of Greek mythology, particularly when the subject matter is breathing life back into female characters, or correcting their history. Therefore, I am also a massive fan of Jennifer Saint and her wonderful books. Ariadne has always been my favourite novel by Jennifer Saint, but I think it has now been usurped by Hera - something that I never thought would happen.

Hera has always been a character in myth that has fascinated me. She has always been portrayed as an evil, vindictive, jealous woman who had a hatred of women, particularly those associated with Zeus in any capacity. And I've always wondered why she has been portrayed this way, especially when Zeus was always the problem yet seen as a a powerful God, and not much else. So, I was thrilled when it was announced that Hera was Jennifer's next subject - I was excited to be able to see her in a true and different light.

She does such a fantastic job of highlighting Hera's importance and power. She's not some timid wife who sat back and just accepted her lot in life; she fought every day of her life. She battled against the injustices against her, and the repeated mistreatment at the hands of Zeus and their siblings. Yes, she's still vindictive, but Saint highlights how complicated and complex her character is. This isn't a vindication of Hera, but more putting her story into context to better understand her. She is such an interesting character.

As with all of Jennifer's other books, it is incredible well-written with many poetic and soliloquy-esque passages. She does a brilliant job of writing character's internal conflict and conveying her thoughts and feelings on the page. We feel her rage, confusion, loss, joy and everything in between. It's very powerful. I particularly enjoyed Hera's relationship with Typhon and Ekhidna as they are both characters that I was unfamiliar with, so I very much enjoyed learning about them and their role in Hera's, and by extension Zeus', life.

This was an absolute masterpiece and I would highly, highly recommend this book.

I like reading these type of retellings because I learn about mythology in a fun way. I had no idea who Hera was,to be honest!

Whereas I couldn't connect with her, I liked seeing her as a warrior woman rather than just a extremely jelous wife.

I would have preferred if the book was shorter, but that's a me problem!

'Hera' by Jennifer Saint.

When Hera, immortal goddess and daughter of the ancient Titan Cronos, helps her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father, she dreams of ruling at his side. As they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera suspects that Zeus might be just as ruthless and cruel as the father they betrayed.
She was always born to rule, but must she lose herself in perpetuating this cycle of violence and cruelty? Or can she find a way to forge a better world? Often portrayed as the jealous wife or the wicked stepmother, this retelling captures the many sides of Hera, vengeful when she needs to be but also compassionate and mostly importantly, an all-powerful queen to the gods.

I absolutely loved this book. I'm a big fan of mythology especially Greek and I'm also a fan of the authors previous books too.
Hera has always fascinated me because im terms of Gods I don't feel like her story is told a lot when in fact she is probably the most important of them all...even more so than Zeus.
I love the way the author has told Hera's story and created a journey throughout the novel. I like that the author included a lot of the other Goddesses stories too such as Demeter and Hestia.
I would recommed this book to fans of mythology stories. And I would definitely recommend you read the previous authors work.
Thankyou to NetGallery UK, the publishers and the author for letting me read a.copy in return for an honest review.

This is the story of Hera, the wife (and sister) of Zeus. I loved reading her story, of her heartbreak, the betrayal and how she finds herself in a marriage and a role as a goddess that she doesn’t want to be in. Hera is a goddess, but she’s far from perfect. The author did a good job of portraying the coldness of the gods of Olympia but still making them relatable (not all, Zeus is an utter dick). It was an emotional read to follow Hera in her desperate fight for revenge, and how she ends up punishing the wrong person and looses herself in it. I loved Hestia and all the different side characters. I wished she had gotten more of an epic ending, but it was still good.

I thought this was utterly brilliant. This is Saint at her strongest.

She takes the misunderstood story of a well-known myth and completely alters your view on Hera, making her more than a jealous or obsessive wife but most importantly a woman who got the things she loved most taken from her.

The prose was beautiful, I found myself re-reading some passages because of the joy they evoked in me. I also found the other characters endearing and interesting to read about but Hera was still very much the highlight.

The ending is great and not what I expected, tied well all the stories we had seen Hera go through in these pages and was satisfying to read.

Overall, I am just so impressed. Give this a read whenever you can.

Jennifer Saint is, and hopefully always will be, my favourite author that writes Greek mythology retellings. Her stories are always complex with fully realised characters and a developed world. Her latest book Hera is no different. Rather than focusing on the stories of mortals and heroes, this time she explores the myth of the queen of the gods. Whilst Hera is not the most likeable character in the Greek pantheon, Saint does not simply list her faults and draw attention to her apparent cruelty like other authors. Instead she took a mythological figure that I have never particularly sympathised with and made me care for her- an impressive feat.

Who is Hera? Goddess of marriage and childbirth, Queen of the Olympians, and the woman scorned who unfairly punished those who were preyed on by her almighty husband Zeus - right?

Think again! Prepare for all your preconceived notions about Hera to be shattered in this stunning feminist retelling.

This is the absolute dream novel for a lover of Greek mythology. You could have a bingo card of all of the most famous (and infamous) stories - so many are incorporated into this novel, in a very subtle and seamless manner.

Saint's characterisation of Hera is masterful. The tone is set perfectly from the very first chapter, as she calmly steps through a bloody battlefield. She is highly motivated throughout the novel and as such, I was absolutely hooked. I particularly loved how she interacted with the other gods and goddesses, especially her sisters. This novel doesn't shy away from the highly incestuous nature of the Olympians, which leads to a charged and fascinating dynamic between all of the characters here.

I've read Saint's previous novels, 'Ariadne' and 'Elektra', with a hard copy of 'Atalanta' in my literal to-read pile, and it's safe to say that with her latest wonderful venture, I will continue to eagerly seek out her work!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Headline for the ARC!

Hera has never been my favourite of the Olympians, but when JS announced the subject of her next book I was intrigued. Hera is typically depicted as spiteful and selfish, punishing the women Zeus is involved with, often against their will. JS did a fantastic job of delving into the many layers of Hera and it has certainly helped me to view her stories differently. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to JS's next book!

Unfortunately, Hera was not for me. I did not click with Hera and the third person present writing style was not for me. Especially given the mythology context.

Although, I've been reading more books based on mythology recently they tend to be a bit hit or miss for me but may be good read for fans of Circe or Saint's previous novels.

(I have added Content Warnings to the end of my review, for those who find them helpful, so be warned there may be minor spoilers at the end)

Jennifer Saint has accomplished the impossible – she has turned the irredeemably cruel Hera into a symbol for hurt & mistreated women fighting for freedom from oppressive and violent patriarchy. It is a true testament to Saint’s incredible abilities as an insightful and compelling storyteller that, time and time again, she is able to champion these mythological figures and finally do their stories justice.

Now, let’s not go overboard here: as anyone who knows even just the basics of Greek mythology is already aware, Hera torments and sometimes kills innocent women & children whose only ‘crimes’ were being the playthings of the Gods (especially Zeus). She still has the trademark narcissism and capriciousness of many Olympic deities, and she seems incapable of identifying (or maybe just incapable of caring?) when she is perpetrating the exact same injustices on other women that she has suffered herself.

Suffice it to say, this story hits differently than Saint’s previous books, especially Ariadne and Elektra…

However, the author does an incredible job of tying *so many* different stories from Greek mythology together to collate major events in Hera’s life (and events in Greek mythology in general) into one overarching narrative. That is no easy feat, but the story we’re presented with flows extremely well, and provides very thought-provoking context for some of Hera’s decisions and the ways in which she changes over time. Saint is a born storyteller, and shares some hard-hitting perspectives that draw out the deeper meaning in some of Hera’s most notorious relationships and punishments. She has a way with words, describing both the beautiful and the monstrous in very creative and poignant detail.

There is so much more I want to say (especially to highlight some of the specific jaw-droppingly astute interpretations that Saint has added to her telling of these stories), and there are so many moving lines that I want to quote from this book! However, I will refrain from both, to avoid any spoilers given this book hasn’t been published yet – on which note, my eternal thanks to NetGalley and Headline Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**I will now provide some Content Warnings for those who find them helpful, so reader beware, here there be spoilers**

Content Warnings:

- Ableism
- Bereavement (including loss of a child)
- Child abuse, endangerment, neglect and murder – including toxic parent-child relationships
- Forced marriage (multiple instances)
- Misogyny (throughout)
- Psychosis including violent outburst
- Sexual assault, rape and victim-blaming (multiple instances – just *so many* instances)
- War (multiple)

Hera might be the best one yet. There is something so magical in how Saint spins stories. Hera is known for being the worst, let’s be honest. But Saint forces the reader to see that Hera is a victim of abuse and while that does not condone her toxic behaviour, it does force you to see how she came to be.

Honestly, never thought I’d feel compassion towards Hera but I did.

In every book captures the uniqueness and complex knot that is sisterhood. I adore how she captures it, it’s always so raw and tender!!

I was so excited to get Saint’s new novel early and it did not disappoint. This is my favourite of her work so far by a long shot, it warped my perception of such a prominent character in a lot of feminist greek myth retellings I’ve read so dramatically and in such a devastating way. Not only that, but to get such a detailed description of ancient Athens as it would have been when the Dionysia was occurring through Saint’s reimagined prose was an absolute treat.
Overall I loved this book, the weaving of so many different myths together to fit Hera’s narrative is exceptionally clever and captivating. A perfect 5* book for me!