Jennifer Saint continues to amaze me with her fantastic writing and unique perspective. Saint never leans away from the absurdity of the Greek myths and for that I love her. Her portrait of Hera is a breath of fresh air, never shying away from the complexity of her character. I cannot wait to hear her talk about her process while writing this book. I will be recommending this to all of my customers!!

I’ve read and enjoyed all of Saint’s other books so far and when I saw her next one was going to take on the Queen of the Gods herself, Hera, I couldn’t wait to read it so I was very glad to be approved for this eArc.

Hera has made an appearance in most of the Greek mythology based books I’ve read, usually shown to be punishing some poor girl that Zeus has set his sights on. Whilst Saint doesn’t erase this side of Hera she does seek to offer more of an explanation and softens some of her sharp edges somewhat.

Saint’s writing is stunning. She grabbed my attention and kept me gripped til the end. I ended up gobbling this up in the space of a few days, I was that enthralled.

I definitely got a new understanding of Hera from this and really felt for her, feeling forced into a role she never wanted instead of getting the status she felt she deserved.

If you enjoy tales of Greek mythology with a more feminist slant this will definitely be for you.

I've been disappointed in a number of the recent feminist retellings of Greek mythology. The storytelling has been poor and the material stretched thin as the drive to create something new and original gets ever more difficult.
Jennifer Saint's choice of Hera as her central character is a fascinating one. She never really seems to have a story of her own, instead appearing as the vengeful wife in other's tales. She often makes life difficult for our heroes and is hard to warm to.
This story shows the reasons why she is so angry, highlights the appalling misogyny of the Olympian gods and looks at her complex relationship with Zeus and her children.
I particularly liked the first third of the book as Saint explores the fight against the Titans, what it means to be a god, the establishing of the Olympian dynasty, and Hera's role as a mother of monsters. I did feel it dragged a little in the middle as we got onto more familiar territory. Hera really is hard to like when she punishes the innocent because she isn't strong enough to punish Zeus.
But the ending was thought-provoking and satisfying, dwelling on the changing relationship between gods and mortals and what happens if gods cannot adapt.
All in all a very enjoyable read that shows there is still room for something new in this genre.

I'm a sucker for greek mythology, especially when it's written by the wonderful jennifer saint. ariadne and elektra were two of my favourite reads of 2022, atalanta was one of my faves of 2023, and now hera is one of my faves of 2024!


hera is a greek goddess who's story I've never really looked into, I've only heard about her from tales of her anger at her cheating husband being misdirected at women, so although I was excited for a new jennifer saint book, I wasn't excited for a hera book. but I LOVED this. hera is such an interesting figure, this book explores who she was & how she ended up being the unlikeable character she became.


thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book, which will be published may 23rd<3

I like Greek mythology books, even though I know nothing about the mythologies before I start!

This was an interesting one, I obviously had no idea what was going to happen but I knew it was a feminist retelling. And from the cover, it looked like Hera was a badass who was going to take what she wanted with violence and take no shit. It… was not like this at all 😂 there was a lot less action than I thought there would be, and the schemes that Hera had actually didn’t turn out that good most of the time.

This was my main problem with the book, was that after the beginning, Hera would come up with a scheme and then it would fail, and then she’d come up with the next idea, and it would fail or some unintended consequence would happen because of it and she still would not be happy. I was hoping that in the end she’d come up with a really clever plan that would work but she didn’t! She kind of got what she wanted in the end, but it wasn’t because of anything she’d done 😂 so I was a bit disappointed.

But I did enjoy the story and I liked the ending and the writing was beautiful. But I would’ve liked to see Hera being powerful like she looks on the cover. Overall this was a good read, the chapters were a good length and it was well paced.

Hera is the Queen of Goddesses. Wife of Zeus and cruel and jealous in her protection of her status - isn’t she?

This is a fabulous and epic exploration of life through Hera’s eyes. Following her birth to Rhea she is whisked away to safety by Gaia to rescue her from her father Cronus who has eaten all of his other children to avoid the prophesy that his child will overthrow him.

Hera returns to Crete to join her brother Zeus, and other siblings once freed, to take part in the epic battle of the Olympians against the Titans, before the rise of the Olympians.

As Zeus grows in power, Hera’s once partner on the battlefield becomes her husband against her will. So begins her quest for vengeance.

I really enjoyed this. I loved Stephen Fry’s Mythos and the canter through the entirety of Greek mythology was wonderful, especially when seen through the eyes of a female goddess (I have no idea how I hadn’t fully realised just how awfully the male Gods treated women?!).

It also reminded me a little of Maleficent and other retellings where we see behind the cruel, vengeful mask, and understand the experiences that shaped the behaviour.

It was such an enjoyable read and I loved it when little tales I’d read weave their way in, such as the quest of Jason and the Argonauts, (especially loved the brief reference to Atalanta).

My favourite quote is this:
‘All she knows is that he leaves a trail of broken women in his wake, and she is the most broken of them all.’

Another brilliant read from Jennifer Saint and one I think I’d reread again and again to spot new nuances and insights.

Thank you to netgalley for the free readers e-copy.

Following the story of Hera, Queen of Olympus, goddess of marriage and mother of deities, this retelling has easily become an all-time favourite of mine.

As a widely despised character, it was very interesting to finally read a representative novel exploring Hera's dire rage, obsessive nature and desperation for power. At times her character could be so sensitive she was almost human, but Saint did a fantastic job of maintaining Hera's divine nature - she isn't human, we cannot expect her to act as such, however cold or detestable that may make her.

It's not often that retellings focus on the lives of the Olympian gods themselves, but I think the lyrical, illustrative prose of the novel created a perfect atmosphere to explore the otherworldly nature of these figures. The lines between the gods and the humans were so stark at the beginning of Hera's story, making the ending even more profound.

I wish we'd seen a little more of Hera's relationship with her grandchildren. The story focuses so heavily on the immense hardships of her life that a little more reprieve would have gone a long way. Apart from this, I found this book flawless and I cannot wait to re-read it.

This book is a captivating reimagining of the life of the famous Greek goddess, it weaves together mythology and creative storytelling to bring Hera to life in a new and refreshing way.

Jennifer's talent shines through in her ability to delve into Hera's complex character, showing her not just as a vengeful and jealous wife of Zeus, but as a powerful and multidimensional figure in her own right.

The story is a compelling and beautifully written exploration of love, power, and betrayal. I would recommend it if you are a fan of Greek mythology and historical fiction.

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.

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.