Hera by Jennifer Saint and narrated by Naomi Frederick is a glorious retelling of the myth of Hera, immortal goddess and daughter of the ancient Titan Cronos. Often recounted as a spiteful, vengeful wife, this retelling is completely different and I was all in!

Jennifer Saint has a unique way of re-imagining the characters of Mount Olympus, reframing Hera to a woman of strangth and tenacity, fighting for what is right against the odds

Naomi Frederick is a highly intuitive and very talented narrator. Incredibly versatile, she adds a colourful narrative to this brilliant book

Absolutely outstanding

Thank you to Netgalley, Headline Audio | Wildfire, the author Jennifer Saint and narrator Naomi Frederick for this fantastic ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

“They call out to Hera the bride, Hera the wife, Hera the mother, with every gift and sadness the hold. Each of them is a stream flowing into an ocean of disparity, deeper and vaster than she could imagine, and she follows them one after the other, each women’s suffering so familiar she can barely tell one anguish from the next. “

I never thought that I would I feel very much positive emotion at all towards Hera based on EVERY other retelling of various Greek myths and stories. It was refreshing to think about hera in a totally new light - of, at times, infuriating by her lack of action where she could have really made a difference vs where she chose to use her power.

I really enjoyed thinking about the truth of her perceptions vs what I’ve always assumed/ the image I have of Hera. The writing style didn’t quite capture me like Ariadne. I would have preferred a first person narrative to tell Hera’s story - for me it felt a bit jumpy at times and I struggled to feel really at one with the narrative until the last third of the book. However, chunks of the writing really enamoured me. I particularly loved the descriptions of the lands/the earth, in addition to the depiction of Gaia. I could really feel the presence of Gaia through the writing.

Also Hera’s relation to Typhon and therefore the chimera, hydra etc was something that I was totally unaware of? Always nice to learn something new. Plus I enjoyed the little easter eggs from Jennifer Saint’s other books.

This is her best one yet (and that's saying something because I'm a huge fan of her other books)!

Hera is a very rich book and I felt like it made Jennifer Saint’s books come full circle for me because, in illustrating the vastness of Hera’s life - and that of any god - it touched on some of the narratives explored in the author’s other rewritings.

Hera is known in current times usually as Zeus’s wife, the goddess of marriage, but this book intends to show just how much more Hera has to show for herself. The book starts right after Hera and Zeus take down Cronus and the Titans, starting the age of the Olympians. It shows how Hera was in equal measure responsible for this take-down of the old regime and is just as powerful as Zeus, but suffers at the hand of misogyny.

Reading this book was really infuriating because of all of the situations Hera goes through, especially when it comes to her relationship (in the wide sense) with Zeus, and it intended for us readers to feel that way. Jennifer Saint’s writing is at its best here; she was really able to portray the vastness of the life of a god, compared to the fleetness of a human's - the changes and the frustrating many cases of sexism/misogyny.

The book doesn’t seek to redeem Hera against characterisations of her as the jealous and vengeful wife, but humanizes her and gives an overview of her life and all of the many things that happened in the life of a goddess that is one of the most ancient and powerful among the Olympians.

Thank you very much to Wildfire/Headline for my stunning proof! I also listened to this one as an audiobook, narrated by Naomi Frederick, and it was incredible. Thank you so much to Headline audio!

“All she knows is that he leaves a trail of broken women on his wake. And she is the most broken of them all. It makes her dangerous. And he knows it”

I listened to the audio version of that book. I truly enjoyed how the narrator read the text. It felt like a monument, a long and epic poem and truly helped to get immersed in J. Saint’s prose deeper.
Even if I love deep mythology retellings, where events are often completely different from the legends we have, I liked how here the motives are more discussed than the actions. Hera is a very complex character and we go through her whole story. All her contradictions and the way she processes events are deeply human (the fact that she overanalyzes human behavior wasn’t lost on me, and is a great mirror of her own character). Through the pages, we develop empathy for Hera. Not because she’s overly sympathetic (she remains very gray, and that’s this novel’s force), but because we learn why she acts like she does. She is the first victim, the first reduced to silence. She sees her life and her hopes collapse one after the other and reacts like she believes she has to. And, like all of us, she makes mistakes.
Which makes her very human, and opens the book’s question, identity. What defines us? Our enemies? Our family? The people who watch us? Their expectations? How do they interpret our actions?
With its very beautiful prose, in addition to narrating Hera’s story to us, this book incites us to question about ourselves.

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Saint and Headline Audio/Wildfire for the ALC. My opinions are my own.

I know very little about Greek mythology although it’s something I find interesting. I welcomed the opportunity to listen to this title which covers Hera and Zeus in particular. Zeus is particularly unpleasant and although I had sympathy with Hera, I found her difficult to like. That aside, their stories are the stuff of legend and this title provides a brilliant insight into the whole wold of Greek myth and legend. Some difficult themes are explored; incest, abuse, violence amongst others, but it’s all in context and handled well. I found the narration rather mixed. Pronounciation of some place names felt and sounded incorrect and jarred. It wouldn’t encourage me to listen to other titles narrated by this person; I’d stick to a book version.

I enjoyed listening to Hera a lot, I've always loved Classics stories so hearing this take on the trials and tribulations of Hera was exciting. The cadence of the writing appeared to give the feel of an epic poem, so fit right in. Naomi Frederick did a good job of getting this across. The story made me ponder Hera in a new light, which I guess was the point? So that was a success!

A few slight niggles on the reading, the pronunciation of some of the names threw me right off for a while (like Ath'ina for Athena, there were a few others, that one in particular stood out). Other than throwing me for a loop the first few times they were mentioned I got used to it and continued to enjoy the story as it progressed.

I would be interested in listening, or reading, more of Jennifer's take on other Sagas and godly tales in the future.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I’m glad I read this book as I learnt a lot about greek mythology, especially surrounding Hera. It did sometimes feel a bit of a chore to pick up though as it’s not a page turner. It spans over thousands of years so it’s more like a bunch of short stories all connected together. Basically you’re learning Greek mythology in a story format.

It’s written well and Hera is given very good reasons for acting the way she did. I have a lot of sympathy for her now. I hated Zeus already but despise him after reading this.

I listen to this story by audiobook and the narrator was perfect for the voice for Hera. However, there were quite a few wrong pronunciations of names that quite bothered me honestly to the point I don’t know if it be an audio version I’d recommend.

Overall I’m giving it a 3.5 stars but closer to 3 stars personally for me.

(Content warning of sexual assault for this book! Not graphic but it is talked about a lot)

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline Audio and the author for granting me an Advance Reader Copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

First things first - TW are Rape, Sexism/Misogyny and Incest!! Oh and Zues...just for those like me that gets a bit aggy hearing the crap he does.

I love anything Greek mythology related, so knew I would enjoy this book! I love how Jennifer focuses on the powerful bad ass females of Greek Mythology, I feel like we do not hear hardly enough about them, just the basic information. So I hope she continues sharing the wonderful powerful stories!

For me Hera the goddess has always been a hit and miss for me due to Heracles and also knowing what her womanizer of a husband does. However this gave me a bit more empathy for her, her story before her "villain arc". She put up with so much trash, I'm honestly surprised she didn't break sooner and was more harsh.

The narrator was ok, though I didn't like how some of the names were said like Athena and Demeter - I'm not sure if that's just how the narrator says it or if the names are actually meant to be read like that, and everyone else is saying them wrong. Either way I felt the narrator was a good fit, and can picture it being Hera's voice.

Loved the storyline and as mentioned I hope Jennifer continues showcasing these heroines. I really was encaptured from the get go, and honestly it didn't feel like 13 hours of reading, it felt like 5 hours because I enjoyed it so much and got lost in Hera's world.

Overall really enjoyed the book and would recommend to anyone that loves their Greek Mythology and want to hear more about powerful females! So when the book is published don't run or walk, SPRINT... or fly - your choice!!

Thank you to Netgallery for providing me the opportunity to read this book. #Hera # Netgallery # JenniferSaint #GreekMythology

The beguiling story of the Queen of Mount Olympus, told by Jennifer Saint. To say I wanted more would be an understatement. This was a delicious page turner right from the start. Everytime I had to put it down, it was all I could think about. I did end up finishing way past my bedtime, just so I would be able to sleep. Audible narrated so well.

Perfect for fans of Madline Miller and Greek mythology . Grrat narrator and a fascinating retelling of the story of Hera. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance audio book

Jennifer Saint is a fantastic writer of Greek mythology retellings and this does not disappoint. This book was like a Greek mythology overview starting with the fall of Cronos all the way through to the fall of the gods all from the POV of Hera, queen of the gods and wife of Zeus. Dipping in and out of so many myths from the really well known ones like Heracles, and Medusa, and into some of the lesser known ones the reader gets a bit of a Greek mythology 101. For me personally it helped me much better understand the chronological order of my favourite Greek myths.

Hera isn't exactly a likeable character, she is, what she always has been, vindictive, jealous, and petty but this book gives a better understanding of why she is this way and although I definitely did not agree with her actions I could at least emphasise with her. I did find it a little repetitive, Zeus does something bad, Hera lashes out at some poor victim of her husband.

While I enjoyed the story and the narrator her pronunciations of some names and places really took me out of the story at times and it took me a little minute to figure out who was who. I am not sure if she was perhaps pronouncing them the correct Greek way and my knowledge of the pronunciations is just wrong in which case I retract this statement.

Overall a really good retelling, it isn't my favourite by Jennifer Saint but it certainly wasn't a bad read and I would recommend to anyone who loves a good retelling.
Thank you Netgalley and Headline Audio for an arc copy of this audiobook.

Thank You, NetGalley for allowing me to read Hera by Jennifer Saint.

I love Greek mythology and am always on the lookout for more books on it.

I remember reading Atalanta by Jennifer Saint and quite enjoying it.

Hence, I had to request for Hera. I love reading mythology from the female point of view and that is what I found in this book too,

I loved the volatility of Hera and the Gods in general and that made for an interesting read.

I would recommend this book for sure.

Can't wait to read more from the author.

Jennifer Saint's retelling of Greek myths are among my favourite within this genre. She builds a really strong narrative and makes the story very enjoyable and easy to follow. My particular favourite of hers is Atalanta. My issue with this audiobook is two fold though, and in no way a fault of the author. To me, relating to an immortal god, rather than a human, even one a son or daughter of a God, isn't as easy, since the stakes are never quite as high, and Hera's motivations ultimately have less threat to her than they would to a mortal, which to me made her less likeable and more self interested. Yes, I know she's Zeus' sister and powerful, but at times I was thinking of toys and baskets.
Secondly, and way more importantly, the narrator. Her pronounciations, were not just distracting, but actually ended up being laughable, and for the 4th book in what is a series of books so far, why on Earth/Olympus is there no-one directing her on consistancy. Particular favourties were Athena - pronounced Argh-Then-Ah rather than A-thEEn-A, and, even funnier, Ares, pronounced Argh-Rez, rather than Air-Reez. Pirate Gods.

Actual rating 4.5.

I thought I had just about read every Greek myth retelling, but thankfully along comes my favourite, Jennifer Saint, and brings to life a totally and utterly new take on the often reviled Hera, wife of Zeus!

I absolutely adored this perspective on Hera, where she’s not some jealous and possessive wife, but a powerful woman desperate to stand in her own right rather than in Zeus’s shadow. The story was in fact pretty heartbreaking at times, painting her as far more of a victim of Zeus’s wants and needs, taken advantage of in much the same way as the human women we read about. It’s easy to feel enraged whilst reading, but thankfully there were strong bonds of sisterhood and unexpected tender moments towards her own children which brought some light and hope to the story - and as always, it’s beautifully written and compelling. And I truly loved that satisfying ending.

Another triumph from one of my favourite authors!

I really appreciate the trend for giving us the more unlikeable character perspective within Greek Mythology retellings. Medea, Circe and Medusa have all been given centre stage and now it's the turn of Hera - immortal goddess, daughter of the ancient Titan Cronos and sister/wife of Zeus. Born to rule she's waiting for her turn and has to manage the whims of Zeus and his cruelty and violence. A multi-faceted character she is vengeful when she needs to be but also compassionate and mostly importantly, an all-powerful queen to the gods.

I really enjoyed Atalanta last year so knew I wanted to read more of Jennifer Saint's body of work, and having recently read Medea by Rosie Hunt, Hera was the perfect next read for me and I wasn't disappointed. This an engaging novel, full of drama, cruelty, violence, secrets and lies - dealing with Zeus I don't think there could be anything less.

Hera touches so many elements of Greek Mythology that she is a familiar, albeit faintly drawn character for me so I really enjoyed the opportunity have her story told and get to learn her perspective. She is not redeemed by this story but gives the reader a better understanding of why she acted in the ways she did and it makes her story more recognisable from a human emotion perspective.

I'm very much a dabbler in Greek Mythology so don't know a lot of in depth details or if modern retellings are accurate in relation to the classical myths, but what I do know is that I really enjoy them. I honestly can't get enough of all the drama, backstabbing and vengeance that every story seems to have elements of and Hera doesn't disappoint.

The audiobook narrator was overall really engaging and well paced but did have some odd pronunciations of God's names (Ares and Athena come to mind) which did take me out of things when they popped up as it felt quite glaringly out of place. It also meant, especially for Ares, that it took me a moment at the start to figure out which god was being talked about, again a distraction from the story. Despite this it was a quibble for me rather than being a major problem as the story is really strong, but it was a distraction nonetheless.

4.5* for the story, 4* for the narration and overall a highly recommended read especially for fans of the genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Audio | Wildfire for an audio review copy of "Hera" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to Headline/Wildfire for the ARC.

I have already reviewed this on the ebook side so will shorten that review slightly.

This is a retelling of Hera's life from almost the beginning right to the end. I've read a few Greek mythology retellings but this is my first centred around Hera, so it was interesting to learn some of the lore for the first time.

Why wasn't there a content warnings page? Considering this is basically a book of rape with there being either a description of, mention of, recalling to, etc, etc, of rape or sexual assault in almost every chapter, it really left just a foul taste in my mouth. I don't want this to be dismissed as 'well that's to be expected with Greek mythology' because it absolutely isn't, it's a retelling, and both the accuracy to the original texts and the level of detail involved are entirely up to the author. It's probably not too late to include one in the ebook and audiobook.

Hera is a flawed character. I wouldn't go into this book expecting to like her; she is what she is infamous for, her wrath, jealousy, and vindictiveness. Hera is informative and interesting and definitely well written, but I do feel like there was a lack of or disconnect with anything emotive. It felt more analytical than a creative interpretation, which is fine if that's what you're looking for. My favourite parts were Hera finding joy with her monster grandchildren, and the desertion of Olympus near the end. I do like that Saint kept all the absurdity with the myths, a lot of authors write it out to make it more 'palatable' but I do appreciate it being as accurate as it was. I own Saint's other 3 works and will be reading them very soon.

Regarding the audiobook, I thought it was well-paced; I didn't find it slow or a slog to get through. I liked the narrator's accent, tone, and diction. I did have an issue with her choice of pronunciations, however. Not only with the names of the Greek gods and goddesses, which were pronounced in a way I have never even heard before, but the narrator also pronounced 'machinations' like mash instead of mack. I'm wondering how many other mispronunciations I didn't notice. It was a distraction from the story, I would recommend English pronunciations for the English language audiobook.

I docked my rating based on a lack of content warnings.

3/5

Hera and Zeus were children of the Titan Cronos. She rules alongside her husband but does not feels she is loved enough and is hurt by Zeus continually fathering more children outside their marriage. She seeks t cross Zeus n any way she can.

This is a brilliant novel based on the Greek myths. So well written and well narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Hera is such a strong character and this novel tells us her story, her children and how she may have felt being subject to Zeus’ will.

Enjoyed every page.

It was interesting to learn more of Hera’s story and read Jennifer Saint’s take on it - full of pain, and vengeance, and determination. Hera tries to chart a path for herself in a patriarchal society, finding herself trapped and outnumbered by Zeus’ children despite her best efforts. It’s difficult not to empathise with Hera, the things that are done to her and the way she is treated. She struggles to find any kind of power, but she’s certainly brave. She isn’t a kind goddess, and she definitely seeks revenge on the innocent. She can be cruel, detached, and selfish. It certainly makes her interesting but it’s more difficult to know how her actions harm others, when the God responsible is Zeus, with his ever-growing power and his tyrannical ways. I found that because of the time period covered by this book, and the sheer number of events fit into it, it was harder to follow and it seemed we were being told one overall story, but through many brief stories that were harder to connect to. There are a lot of names and events that take place, and I found it harder to follow the audiobook because a lot of the names were being mispronounced which was really distracting and I wonder if I would perhaps have found it easier to follow and understand if I’d read the book in print or eBook format, which is a massive shame because I truly loved the audiobook of Atalanta! This was still a great book, and Saint is a fantastic storyteller.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Hera
Jennifer Saint

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I'm pretty new to Greek myths and although I know lots of little bits of information and certain stories, I'm only just learning about the Gods and their origins, lives and personalities in depth by reading the retellings like this one.

I'm notching up a fair few reads now but this was my first read by this author - and I absolutely loved it!

We all know that Hera is the Queen of Olympus, but much less will know how she got there and just why she was so disenchanted with her role.

After helping Zeus and her brothers to overthrow their father Cronos, Hera expected to be given a share in the power of the heavens - but she is soon cast aside and realises that Zeus is no better than their father in his quest for power.

Having later been tricked into marrying Zeus, she is then taunted by being made Goddess of Marriage - an institution that means nothing to her given that Zeus has no respect for it or her and continues to sire children by others.

I've never studied Hera closely, but know that she's always been despicted as jealous, mean and ungrateful, but when we see how she came to the throne and her treatment thereafter, her behaviour seems a lot more tolerable.

This book deals with so many sensitive topics such as rape, miscarriage, abuse and adultery - all well known traits of the Gods - and all necessary evils of a story well told - but definitely worth noting before you read.

I have found all the retellings fascinating so far, but this one has definitely taught me more than most.
Hera being one of the first on Olympus and a pivotal character in many of the stories told, meant that following her timeline here, helped me to understand the creation, parentage and status of many of the other Gods, Goddesses and Demi-Gods that I've heard of before - as well as some new names to add to my knowledge.

An excellent place to start if you are new to the myths or a brilliant read to add to a growing collection, if like me, you're just getting started. Loved this one!


💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

I was thoroughly disappointed in this book. Atalanta is one of my favourite books ever, and I loved how Jennifer Saint used the mythology in that.

But this book is just blaming Zeus for everything Hera vindictive thing Hera does. Zeus is the absolute worst but that doesn’t justify how she acts towards less powerful women.

Hera ends up being a fairly boring character.