Hera by Jennifer Saint is another amazing combination of research and imagination! It’s quickly become a favorite of her books

The novel tells the story of the Greek gods (and other mythologies) from the perspective of Hera, wife of Zeus and queen of Olympus. In this book, we can see the world of Greek mythology from her perspective, which is almost never the case in the plays, stories, and poems of the era. In the book, Saint gives voices to a character who are often voiceless, vilified, or mis-represented.

To see the construction of the Greek pantheon and other divine and semi-divine figures was so fascinating, especially when viewed through the perspective of a women who is so often portrayed as a vindictive, jealous, and shrewish woman! The book starts with the battle between the gods of Olympus/ the Titans and ends with Hera watching a play about the gods and Greek history during the City Dionysia. In short, her story comes full circle from the Gods creating man to man crafting the gods though early drama and other stories.

I loved this book, and I recommend it to anyone who loves Greek mythology, retellings of other stories, and feminist perspectives.

Hera is such an integral character within mythology and she seems like a character who would be perfect for the feminist spin so popular in recent retellings. She is the daughter of Kronos, sister to Zeus, and invested in ruling on Mount Olympus. Once she and Zeus overthrow the titans, Zeus takes power and forces Hera into a position where she must become his wife. In traditional stories, Hera is portrayed as a jealous spouse, exacting unfair revenge on Zeus' lovers and victims as well as any children from these affairs, but what if there was more to it? This is the question that Saint attempts to answer in her recent book.

Sadly, while this book initially seems promising in redefining who Hera is, it eventually does almost the exact opposite. I'm not sure it's intentional, but Saint reinforces the idea that Hera is wholly focused on Zeus and his affairs. It's portrayed as revenge for his forcing her to marry him, but eventually it amounts to the same thing. She doesn't truly punish Zeus who cares little for the women he sleeps with and instead torments the people he victimizes as well as their children in some instances. She lacks the insight to see how her actions affect anyone outside of herself and becomes blinded by her own rage. It felt like a huge fumble in the handling of her character.

Additionally, this book suffered from being overlong. I get that Hera has a massive presence within mythology, but I felt like Saint was summarizing everything she ever did and it made the book tedious in the middle. I think it would've been better served had she focused on 3-5 integral moments and delved more into depth with how they were important to Hera's story. I didn't need to watch her exact revenge on every nymph, mortal, and Demi-god that slept with Zeus.

That said, it wasn't all bad. This book shines when it talks about Hera's relationship with Echidna and her monster children. I loved the parallels drawn between the two of them despite their massive differences. It's one of the few points in the book that Hera actually express any level of compassion or empathy as well. It had the affect of making her feel less flat which is something sorely needed within this narrative.

I also thought that Hera's relationship with Athena was handled well. They aren't friends, but there is a begrudging respect between the two of them and they ally with each other when convenient to their motivations. Unfortunately, I actually felt Athena outshined Hera in the book which is frustrating since Hera is the titular character.

Naomi Frederick narrates the audiobook and is possibly the best part of it. Her voice really brings the characters to life, telling the story in an easy to follow way. I always listen to audiobooks at 2-3x speed, so I appreciated that her narration still sounded good sped up.

All in all, I wanted much more from this book. It felt more like the spark notes summary of Hera as told by Greek mythology instead of a new, fresh take. I don't know if Saint is under an inordinate amount of pressure to turn out a new retelling every year, but I think slowing down her publishing rate and taking the time to really challenge the traditional portrayals of her characters might result in a better book. Clearly, she is a talented writer and well-versed in mythology and I wish she was given time for that talent to shine.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Flatiron Books, and Jennifer Saint for the ARC. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

I love Jennifer Saint and all her mythology tellings. I deeply appreciate the passion and wealth of knowledge it feels she holds for these stories. Sometimes they can be hard to break into. I know some things about the myths, but maybe not enough.

Jennifer Saint has never failed me yet. She might be the queen of Ancient Greek myth re-tellings (pun intended). This book was also almost like a villain origin story. Nevertheless, I was hooked on the story. The author took a not very well-liked character from Greek mythology and made her story unique & compelling. I was never a big fan of Hera but I enjoyed this book. There should be trigger warnings at the start of this book though because characters do experience some major trauma. However, the author does write about the characters’ trauma with tact and grace. In the end, I still did not like Hera but was able to sympathize with her character. I was satisfied with the ending on the whole. Now, I have to read Elektra by this author. I’m guessing we won’t get a book focused on Athena sadly. Still, I can’t wait to read whatever this author writes next.

Hera
Written by Jennifer Saint
Read by Naomi Frederick
Book 146/250
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling
Format: Digital/Audio, ARC
Pages/Time: 304/9hr 30min
Published: August 13, 2024
Rating: 9.5/10
Narration: 8/10

“Everything has to change, even gods.”

Hera is Saint’s best book to date; a gripping read of heartache, betrayal, and scheming between the Olympian gods. I believe that Hera deviates from the original myths more so than Saint’s other books, and it’s all the better for it. Saint changes Hera into a reluctant goddess. She is assigned by Zeus to be the goddess of wives and mothers a drastic difference from her role as a warrior in the Titan wars. And on top of resenting Zeus for that, he’s constantly philandering and creating new gods and demigods that change the course of the world. Saint makes Hera such a sympathetic and relatable character that my interpretation of myths will forever be tainted by this portrayal.

I was fairly surprised to see Saint take Hera as the main character of this book. Where Atalanta, Elektra, and Ariadne take mortals and how their lives are affected by the deities around them, Hera takes the titular goddess and shows it’s not just the mortals that have to deal with the consequences of other gods. Hera is a truly fantastic read, and probably the best retelling I have read in a good while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to an ALC of Hera by Jennifer Saint! As all of Saint’s Greek retellings, this is a standalone novel, so there’s no need to read her backlist before getting your hands on this one! (Though you might want to read her other retellings after this one, just saying.)

Saint paints a picture of Hera that is multifaceted. She is the wife and sister of Zeus (ruler of Olympus); the goddess of marriage, women, and family; and a person who vacillates between beautiful and generous, and terrible and fearsome. Hera is certainly not a goddess you want on your bad side or someone you want to catch you sleeping with her husband (even if he’s in a mortal disguise). This book takes us from the fall of the Titan gods, through the rise of the Olympians, and even further beyond - when the gods have to admit they remain relevant because of their human worshippers. Readers witness Hera at some of her best moments and at many of her worst moments in fits of jealousy and revenge. Though the novel is rife with an angry and bitter Hera, Saint lends nuance to this image of a woman scorned and mistreated. In Greek mythology, it’s no surprise that the goddess of marriage would land in a thoroughly unhappy one, herself. After enduring abuse and manipulation by Zeus, she takes it upon herself to extract revenge any opportunity she can. And honestly, I love her for that (she’s so real).

The narrator, Naomi Frederick, does a fantastic job at bringing Hera’s internal musings to life. Her voice and cadence are soothing and match the lyrical tone of the text, though it was challenging at some points to understand her pronunciations of certain deities and places (Athena, Prometheus, Demeter, etc.). I picked up on them fairly quickly, but it did take me a few minutes each time to figure out who or what she was referencing at each occurrence. This is a fantastic read for those who love stories about powerful women and/or those who love Greek mythology and mythological retellings. Saint is an auto-buy author for me for a reason!

I really like Jennifer Saint’s books and this was no exception. I haven’t read a ton about Hera, so this was a pleasure to read. I really enjoyed the audio narration as well.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC in audiobook format.

Jennifer Saint’s “Hera: A Novel” takes the immortal goddess Hera—the often misunderstood queen of Olympus—and places her center stage in a captivating retelling. As the daughter of the ancient Titan Cronos, Hera played a pivotal role in overthrowing their tyrannical father alongside her brother Zeus. But as they rise to power, Hera begins to question Zeus’s ruthlessness and cruelty, wondering if she must perpetuate a cycle of violence or if she can create a better world.

Saint humanizes Hera, revealing her complexity beyond the traditional portrayal of a jealous wife. We witness her compassion, ambition, and strategic mind.

The gods of Olympus engage in Real Housewives–level drama, adding layers of intrigue and power plays. Hera’s struggle against Zeus unfolds against this divine backdrop.

Narration by Naomi Frederick: Frederick’s voice brings Hera’s emotions to life, making the audiobook a magical experience. A perfect match for this story, I will look for more audiobooks from this narrator.

Saint reclaims Hera as a feminist hero, emphasizing her strength and resilience.

Hera: A Novel” is a mythological feast—a tale of gods, power, and the quest for a better world. Whether you’re a mythology enthusiast or a newcomer, immerse yourself in Hera’s journey. 🌟🎧

I love Jennifer Saint, and this book was no disappointment. I am not a huge lover of Hera, but after reading this book, I have changed my mind. This really gave you a deeper and differnt look of what we already know. Great read.

Oh. My. Gosh. There are so many Greek retellings, but this one blew me away. I have always been ambivalent towards Hera as a god because of how vengeful she is towards other women in the stories told about her, but this book flipped that feeling on it's head. Towards the book I even was like, wow Hera would be a cute name for my kid! The ending was beautiful and the narrator did an amazing job. Really loved how the relationship between Hera and Athena grew throughout the novel. The retelling was faithful to the myths, yet empowering for women and Hera's character, which isn't common in most greek myths, but we're definitely starting to see more of that in retellings (which I love)! Will absolutely be picking more of Jennifer Saint's books up, and soon!!!! 4.5 stars!!

This book\the story. Was very good. I've never read or listened to a book by this author before. I thought it would be great for a 13 hour road trip with my 16 year old.
We truly enjoyed it. The retelling was engaging. Of course it is frustrating because Zeus has never been a great guy. With that understanding and background Jennifer Saint tells us Hera's story. We truly enjoyed this book.
I almost took a star off my review because I didn't like the reader's pronunciation of some of the names but that hardly would have been fair it was still a wonderful book

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for letting us listen to this one. I was under no obligation to leave a review

I enjoyed learning about mythology in high school. I’ve been meaning to get into it again recently. This was my first post-high school mythology read. I liked that this focused on Hera throughout, giving me the opportunity to get to know her specifically. The reader is still introduced to dozens of other characters. As a beginner mythology reader it was overwhelming at times, but that’s the nature of the subject matter, not a negative of the book.

This was a bit too long for me. I started finding it was hard to stay interested around 70% mark. This covers a wide timeline. A lot happens and that’s with some parts being somewhat glossed over and time jumping. It was a good overview of Hera from her perspective.

Amazing cover art! I loved cover.

The narrator did a good job. She had a soothing, but also strong voice.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Pub Date Aug 13 2024

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
4.5 ☆
-
I'm not a huge fan of Greek Mythology and know little to nothing about the Greek God's, but from this story along I now know why Hera was the way she was, and knowing that doesn't excuse her acting toward the poor unfortunately souls (women) that Zesus attacked. I feel like she was doing that to hurt him, like he hurt her.

The audiobook is GREAT! The narrator did a great job.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•incest
•sexual abuse
•Greek Mythology retelling
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Aug.13
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Thank you, Netgalley, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook for my honest review.

Was given this as an ARC from netgalley.

This was really good and gave a good look at Hera's backstory. We know her as a very vindictive woman. While I don't condone that, I can empathize with how and why she became that way from this story.

The narrator was amazing! She took her time and I felt that added to the gravity of how Hera was feeling in the book. I would rate this 4.5 stars. Really good for people trying to get into the Greek Gods.

First line: The earth streams with molten gold.

Summary: Hera, along with her brother Zeus, have overthrown their Titan father and now rule on Olympus with the other gods. Hera sees a future for herself filled with power but she is quickly relegated to the sidelines as a wife and mother. As the decades pass she finds that her husband is just as ruthless as her father once was. Is she willing to spend eternity as a subservient wife or take her power and create better world?

My Thoughts: I have mixed feelings on this book. In one part I enjoyed the retelling of the queen of the gods but at the same time I was frustrated with her throughout the tale. She is a strong female character but she uses so much of her power in petty revenge plots on her husband. Rather than trying to better things she is constantly attacking Zeus or trying to cause him problems. It got to be repetitive and annoying. I enjoyed the insight into the Greek myths and their characters. It was a good addition to Saint’s Greek retellings but not my favorite.

FYI: Incest, murder, violence.

Loved the Greek mythology. I had never heard of Hera before this book. Loved the narrator and story. I will definitely be reading more Jennifer Saint now!

Reading challenge category - 2024 Flourish and Blotts - History of Magic - "Hogwarts, a history": Includes a a history

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC Audiobook.

Hera, queen of the gods, is the wife (and sister) of Zeus. She is the goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and family - which is ironic because she's in a loveless marriage to Zeus (her brother; ick) who cheats on her every chance that he gets, bearing many children with many different women. This makes Hera the embodiment of jealousy and vengeance.

I love a good female rage. But even though she should be the epitome of this, Hera was so unlikeable during portions of the book and created so many of her own problems. She is a complex character so my like of her did ebb and flow, but overall I found this retelling lacking the passion that normally is associated with Greek Mythology.

I also had a VERY hard time with the fact that the narrator mispronounced so many of the Greek titans/gods and goddesses' names - Ares, Athena, Prometheus, Demeter, and even the name of the island "Delos."

2.5 stars, rounded up.

Jennifer Saint brings us her version of the Queen of the Gods, Hera. We all know her as Zeus’ wife, the goddess of women and marriage, and the mythological equivalent of feminine rage but here we get an inside look into the whys behind her actions. In Saint’s story we follow Hera from the early days of Mount Olympus all the way to some version of the modern world.
I truly enjoyed this take on Hera’s story. In this story we got to see her action through her own eyes and understand the reasoning that she used to get there. I loved that we got to see her story go from the time just after the battle with the titans all the way past the fall of Mount Olympus and thus how she constantly had to grow and change to keep up with what was happening around her so that she wouldn’t get left behind. Her passionate nature was betrayed in a beautiful way so that even her nastier decisions made sense if only because we would see how she got to that end. Overall, a powerful retelling of a powerful female God.
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio galley in exchange for my honest review.

Jennifer Saint never fails to produce a sympathetic and nuanced take on the Greek goddesses and heroines.

This is a stunning retelling of the immortal lifetime of the goddess of women and marriage, Hera, the queen of the heavens.

Hera is portrayed both as heroine and antagonist. She is relentless in her pursuits, and as callus as she is in the stories you know her from. But new life is breathed into her in this novel. Her jealousy is flipped on its head. No longer is she a jealous wife, as you may have believed her to be, but a warrior goddess with equal claim to leadership as her god brother, who stole it from her and placed her under himself.

This is a story of Zeus taking. And Hera taking back.