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Divine Might by Natalie Hayes - 4.5/5 ⭐

Not my first Hayes book and certainly will not be my last. She has such a beautiful skill in writing about Greek Mythology in her books and it's captivating. So much detail and description behind her words, truly phenomenal.

Her knowledge never ceases to amaze me when reading one of her books, you can quite clearly tell just how much work is behind her writing. Hayes' writing is so vivid and enchanting that I can, and will always, be engrossed by her books.

Divine Might takes a closer look at the Goddesses in Olympus and their stories. Hayes, somehow, makes the Goddess life like and relatable? It's honestly impeccable how she does this. But once again she's produced a phenomenal piece of writing that will keep me coming back for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

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Divine Might is a book all about the goddesses throughout Greek Mythology, and how different authors interpreted their stories. I had read and thoroughly enjoyed Pandora’s Jar and knew that I was going to love Divine Might just as much, and I really did. The author is one of my favourites and I love her writing style and the humorous approach to certain situations, with contemporary references sprinkled throughout to draw in a modern reader to an ancient environment and allow us to connect and reflect on the past. I was lucky enough to meet Natalie Haynes in an event a while ago, and I was really excited to hear she was bringing out a new book, so I’m beyond grateful to have been given the chance to read this ARC, because it was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I can’t wait to get my own physical copy! I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Greek Mythology and the way both women and goddesses are portrayed throughout.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc, I was very excited for this as the author is well established in her field
As always Natalie Haynes writing and knowledge is outstanding, she weaves such great tales with humour
In this book she examines the roles of the goddesses in Greek myth
This was beautiful and such a joy to read from start to finish
Recommended for mythology fans

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For some time now, Natalie Haynes has established beyond question her impeccable credentials with respect to presenting stories from Greek mythology. Her writing brings vividly to life the Gods of the Greek pantheon, from their powers to their pouting tendencies.

And perhaps more importantly, given the traditional male lens that dominates myth as much as it does history and much of our present-day reality, Haynes provides us with a unique look at the Goddesses.

In a way, her previous (re)writings have all been leading up to this, a magnum opus of sorts. And she provides a fascinating insight into her logic (and by extension, her creative process) in the introductory essay with which the book begins.

In Divine Might, Haynes takes a closer look at the female characters of Olympus - not just the Goddesses, but also the crucially important "supporting characters", like the Furies.

Her sympathetic gaze teases out unexpected nuances, and in some case, she sets the official narrative on its head, making characters often derided seem far more relatable; and in some cases, more justified in their actions and reactions.

From the long- suffering Hera to the immensely powerful but too often underestimated Aphrodite (what, you thought the Trojan War was just the result of Helen being a pretty woman?!), Haynes allows us to see the women of Olympus very differently from the way that they are traditionally portrayed. Indeed, perhaps more as they would themselves wish to be portrayed...

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