Jennifer Saint’s fourth novel is told from the perspective of Hera. Hera helps her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father, the Titan Cronus and she wants to rule by Zeus’ side. Hera starts to suspect Zeus is more like their father as they start to rule. Hera is often portrayed as a jealous wife or wicked stepmother but this retelling shows Hera and her many sides as she tries to forge a better world.

The writing of this was good as is expected when reading a novel by this author. Saint clearly knows her Greek mythology and it was easy to follow who was who. I can see people enjoying this and it was good to follow someone like Hera who we rarely see as a main character.

I am giving this 4 stars and to be completely honest I didn’t have the best time with it. I was expecting it to be 5 stars after loving all 3 of Saint’s previous novels especially Atalanta. This is definitely a personal issue but I was a bit bored with this and I think it’s because I read Mythos by Stephen Fry last year. Mythos covered the majority of the ‘characters’ in this novel and that meant I was bored with a lot of the events in here. It was just hard for me to sympathise with Hera because her story such as being subjugated by a man is very derivative of other things and it just doesn’t interest me. Also, I do think following a Goddess is tough because it’s hard to care when they are immortal and it all feels a bit pointless/empty. However, this is a personal thing and I don’t think other people will have this issue, it just wasn’t a favourite for me unfortunately. I loved Atalanta because things were happening, the reader followed the Argonauts but here things just happened to Hera and it was dull. There wasn’t really anyone to root for. I do think Greek Mythology retellings are just a bit overdone now and I personally won’t be reading many any more. You can only read so much of the same thing until you get bored and that’s me with Greek myth.

I love mythology and retellings so I was so happy to receive this arc from NetGalley
The author is one I’ve enjoyed in the past and this was just as beautifully written
The story was engrossing and absorbing from start to finish. The author brought the characters and settings to life while giving us Heras story and this is a must for all mythology fans
I loved this one and it is up there with the best retellings that are out there

Jennifer Saint you brilliant author!! I absolutely LOVED this book. In most retellings Hera never comes across very well at all and I am guilty of judging without actually knowing all of her story. Hera tells us of the struggles that females, even goddesses, face when trying to claim what is rightfully theirs. Does Hera misdirect her anger at Zeus and deflect it on his victims? Yes. Is she also just misunderstood and hurting? Yes.
An absolutely beautiful retelling that will make your heart hurt.

𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰. 𝘔𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴- 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬-𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. - Hera from The Iliad, Book 4, lines 68-70.

Thank you Headline books and Netgalley for the arc!

Pub date- 23rd May 2024.

Hera by Jennifer Saint is a dazzling retelling of the immortal goddess Hera, daughter of the ancient Titan Cronus and wife and sibling of the sky and thunder God Zeus.

This was a devastatingly beautiful and emotive read. I was filled with feminine rage throughout. There's no denying that Hera is a difficult character to capture. She is vulnerable, repressed and tortured one moment, but also vicious and malevolent in another. I fell in love with her wicked edges as well as her compassionate side. I found myself justifying her acts of wickedness with concerning ease throughout.

This book is simply captivating. I was swept into a world I knew little about; however, I didn't feel overly bombarded or overwhelmed with the mythology. The book had a pleasant, lyrical flow which made the content very accessible and incredibly enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline books for the early access to Hera.

What I love most about Jennifer Saint’s writing was abundant in her latest work. The way she manages to make Greek mythology accessible is astounding.

Jennifer Saint has yet again shown the struggle of females, even gods, in the fight to get what is theirs. The ultimate fight to get what she wants. “She can be anyone.” And that she does.

A beautiful retelling, not to be missed.