I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hera is definitely one of my least favorites of the Greek pantheon. However, I have to say that Jennifer Saint did a wonderful job taking an unlikable character and giving them not only a fleshed-out backstory, but also making them appear relatable. Hera was the daughter of Cronus, and we get to see her story from the beginning as she joins her brother Zeus to take down Cronus, all the way to the end as the gods disappear from the world.

One thing I really liked about this was the progression of her character alongside the myths surrounding the gods. However, unlike some of the other gods we see, I had issues with Hera being too passive. She relies on others to do her dirty work most of the time and then gets upset when things don't go her way and blames everyone else except herself.

I have always hated Zeus, but this book really nailed how much of an a-hole he really is. Again, the relationship between her and Zeus is just her blaming him for everything, and -- just like in the myths -- she blames the women he assaults instead of blaming Zeus himself. And I'm sorry, there was just no way that that can be rationalized for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It was slow, and Hera needed a good swift kick to the rear, but between the storytelling and the audiobook narrator, this was both well written and entertaining.

I am thoroughly enjoying all of these books! This one is no exception. Ms. Saint has a wonderful way of telling these stories in an engaging and heartfelt manner. All of the characters are well thought out and add their own flavor to the story line. I loved how Hera recognized her flaws and how she dealt with that. I can't wait for the next one!

I enjoyed Jennifer Saint's previous books: Atalanta, Ariadne, and Elektra. But those 3 were just the warm ups for the stellar gut-punch that is her novel, Hera!!!

Obviously, Hera is a huge character to write, and I was nervous to see what Saint would do. But, wow! Her story is creative, and both redemptive and damning. Hera is simultaneously relatable and hateable. And since her story encompasses all the other gods' stories, this book felt like an ode to readers who have been reading the retellings.

It's narrated by actress Naomi Frederick, and is perfection! I definitely recommend the audiobook, though a trophy for your shelves is a must too <3

I received the audiobook from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. Thank you!

4.5 rounding up! I absolutely loooved this retelling! Beautiful writing centering Hera who is usually a caricature of a jealous wife mentioned in stories of Zeus’s conquests. It was so cool to get her perspective.

Greek myth retellings are having a MOMENT! This book features, Hera, queen of the Olympic gods and Goddess of Wives and Marriage. When Zeus, Poseidon & Hades divide the worlds between themselves, Hera wonders where and how she can fit in with ruling. She is relegated to Zeus's wife after a brutal rape and even though she is queen, she never stops trying to overcome her plight.
There are many stories being retold within Hera's, including the Trojan War, Jason and the Argonauts and the 9 Labors of Hercules. Hera is a goddess to revere and revisiting these stories within her own will leave you wanting more.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

I absolutely adored this book. Hera is a goddess that I haven’t really seen many novels Touch on and this one did it spectacularly. I loved her perspective, and she had such a good narrative voice.

With beautiful writing and poignant storytelling, this tale of resilience will leave you feeling everything alongside Hera and all the characters who’s lives were altered by the god’s greed and cruelty. Mirroring the lessons of greek mythology, this book is a reflection on the consequences of greed, lust for power, and vengeance. I could keep talking about this amazing read but I will just finish by saying, if you love greek mythology, this book is for you.

I always find it interesting to try to understand the perspective of an unlikeable character. For example, June Hayward/Juniper Song in Rebecca Kuang’s Yellowface. Or Amy Dunne in Gone Girl.Even Walter White in Breaking Bad (who in the beginning, I liked). And Hera, the all-powerful Queen of the Gods, wife and sister to Zeus, daughter of Cronus, Goddess of Marriage... and possibly the gnarliest of them all.

Hera is often vilified in Greek mythology, due to her jealousy and vindictiveness towards Zeus' lovers and their children. She frequently punished Zeus' mistresses/victims and their offspring, even though it was her husband who was the philanderer, sexual predator and rapist.

But before Hera was a vengeful deity, she enjoyed hanging out in the forest with river gods, shapeshifting and winning wars against the Titans etc. you know, the regular. Jennifer Saint’s retelling highlights who Hera was vs. how she got to be that way.

For people unfamiliar with where the root of her wrath began, it had a lot to do with the pain that kindled inside her following Zeus pretending to be an injured bird, then surprising Hera and raping her. That’s just the beginning, there is a lot more that unfolds after these first chapters which I won’t spoil for people who aren’t familiar already.

Notably, this retelling isn't going to redeem Hera’s actions. Yet it will humanise her as someone grappling with subjugation, suffering, ridicule and betrayal, without absolving her. More than anything, it’s probably going to make you despise the patriarchy and Zeus AKA the Greek god version of Harvey Weinstein, more than you already did.

You'll meet a lot of the famed gods, demi-gods and their divine offspring (mostly Zeus'). Some are cameos but it's still cool. I learnt a lot. One of my favourite things I learnt while reading this was also about the monsters of Greek mythology, such as Ekhidna, Typhon and the Hydra. And Jennifer Saint made me empathise with them and see a rounded perspective of their story.

Whether you’re a Greek mythology rookie, dabbler (⬅️ me), or expert/classicist, I’d recommend this for a more holistic perspective of Hera. Although some scene transitions were slightly disjointed, overall the third-person narration was emotionally evocative and lyrical and I felt connected to it.

You'll have to mind your triggers should you choose to read this, because the Greek Gods didn’t know that No Means No and Jennifer Saint does not shy away from lack of consent in ancient times. The Greek Gods can ALL get in the bin. Yep, you too Apollo, you're one of the worst.

My heartfelt thanks to Hachette Australia & New Zealand | Wildfire for the advanced digital review copy, and also to my GR friend, Persephone's Pomegranate, who is a Greek mythology expert and gave me some contextual background knowledge before I dove in. You can read her entertaining Greek mythology reviews here.

Zeus can get in the bin. Thoughts processing on Hera. RTC.

Interested to see if Jennifer Saint can keep pace with Greek mythology retelling queen, Madeline Miller. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital review copy.

Jennifer Saint's Hera is everything I've ever wanted in a Greek mythology retelling. The gods, including the titular protagonists, are depicted as relatably flawed and messy, but on a massive scale. This is one of the few retellings I have found that seemed to capture the complexity, grandeur, and dysfunction of the Olympian gods.

While many are tired of Greek and Roman mythology retellings, I would argue that this book was an incredibly fresh take on the trend as the novel is told from the perspective of Hera, the common villain in many of the myths. Saint brings Hera to life beautifully, honoring the classic works she was included in while also giving her added dimensions. Rather than white washing the character's actions, Saint gives additional motivations to Hera's choices. Rather than being the one-dimensional jealous wife and wicked stepmother, she is a woman forced into a role she never wanted only to be humiliated again and again. Striking out at her husband and brother only leads to her own failure. So she aims her attacks at easier and more innocent targets: Zeus' illegitimate children and the women he assaults or seduces. Seeing Hera depicted as a heroine in the war against the Titans, a victim of assault and oppression, a vengeful wronged wife who terrorizes women and children, a protector of women, a champion of heroes, etc. all at once was so refreshing.

In addition to Hera's excellent characterization, I also loved how the other female characters were handled. There's a tendency to depicted women as either helpless or all powerful with very little middle ground. Either depiction is reductive, in my opinion since both types leave out complexity and humanity. That's not the case here as even the side characters have layers to them. All of the female characters are unique with their own strengths and challenges. Their relationships with Hera are just as complex as they can be mentors, rivals, friends, enemies, and allies, some of them fluctuating between the roles depending on the circumstances of the moment.

My only complaint about the novel is that we didn't get very much of Hera's life before and during the war against the Titans. Seeing that would have given a firm picture of what Hera was forced to give up while bring forced into the role of wife. That wasn't enough to ruin the book for me though.

I'm rating this a solid five stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read a book yet that has solely focused on Hera and i am so grateful that Jennifer Saint gave Hera her moment. We see Hera from her time of escaping her father Kronos to how she carries on. We are literally taken through Hera's life in her POV. From her navigating the new life of being a goddess and the Queen of Gods, dealing with Zeus and his shenanigans/offsprings, her relationships with other Gods, and the struggle of seeing where she fits in the bigger picture. I felt like we finally got an understanding of this character that we have only gotten bits and pieces of in all the other stories we know so well. Hera has always been one of my favorite greek gods, so this book definitely did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the last few chapters the most because the author did such an outstanding job of the God's roles adapting as humans start to overtake their world. Where did the Gods go? What did they do? What did she do? It is all tied together so well and I loved it. This book was such a beautiful tribute to Hera, and I will highly recommend it to all my fellow greek mythology friends. the narrator was also wonderful!!!

I am new to reading novels based on Greek Mythology, but author Jennifer Saint writes of Hera in a way that vindicates her from the light she is always portrayed in—a Hera that lives life on her own terms.

If you’re new to reading fictional books based on Greek mythology, don’t be discouraged. I found myself wanting to read Saint’s other books, inspired by the other other Greek Goddesses such as Ariadne, Electra, and Atalanta. This novel is more plot-drive, and while I tend to prefer character-driven plots, Saint did not dissappoint.

Thank you for blessing us with your talent, Jennifer. A special thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for sharing this audiobook with me. I have to get the physical copy and re-read this one soon!

Hera is a fascinating goddess. I've read a lot of snippets about Hera in other Greek mythology retellings, but this book gave me a deeper understanding of her (as well as the family dynamics of the Olympians).

Unlike other books, this one makes you feel the passage of time more like the immortal gods than any mortals. It briefly covers the war between the Olympians and Titans, how Zeus came to rule the heavens, and how he denied Hera her rightful place. We also see many other conflicts, both among immortals and mortals, leading to the decline of the Olympians. This isn't just an origin story; it spans centuries of mortal time, never lingering too long in one era. This suits Hera, who is less concerned with mortals than her fellow Olympians.

The book made me feel furious and indignant at the injustices towards Hera, but overall, it's a drama and action-packed story about a powerful goddess struggling to find her place under Zeus's rule and disrespect. Hera isn't always likable, but understanding the context of her life makes her acts of jealousy, pettiness, and anger more understandable.

I enjoyed the audiobook so much! I can't wait to get my physical copy. This book is out on August 13th. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advance copy of this audiobook!

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. 🌟🎧