A really good and interesting take on Hera. Gave a very thoughtful and in depth look at Hera and how she is more than Zeus’s wife and goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth.

I really wanted to love this book, as I have loved Saint's other books. I think this one didn't work for me because it was a little TOO ambitious. The problem with centering your book on a goddess is that you have the entirety of Greek mythology to contend with. As such, this felt a little rushed and lacked the compelling nature of a book that is centered on a mortal woman. Yes, I liked the humanizing effect that Saint's writing had on Hera, a goddess who is usually portrayed as a one dimensional jealous wife. I enjoyed seeing her as a whole woman with motivations beyond those of jealousy. It just seemed too grand a scale to tackle, and a lot of the emotional pull was lost in the vastness of the story.

HERA!!!! I have read all of Jennifer Saint's books, and this is my favorite! To deal with the story of an immortal goddess is...I have to say it....a herculean task! Reframing the relationship of the first couple who made a great case for the benefits of divorce in a true to the myth, but also new is brave. Unless you count their parents because swallowing one's own offspring is definitely divorce worthy. The author did a great job of retelling the myths surrounding the Queen of Olympus, and I'm so glad she took this on. It reads like The Odyssey, it builds and winds the story in a lovely way. It was great to see not only Hera throughout the ages, but I got a sense of the other deities' personalities as well. Saint did a great job bringing them to life. About the middle part of the book, I will say that I lost some of my sympathy for Hera, as she becomes what the myths have told of her. However, toward the end I absolutely LOVED her character. I also have to say that the author did an excellent job with the ending, because ending the story of an eternal being is challenging. I definitely give this 5 stars!
Thank you to Netgalley, MacMillan audio and Jennifer Saint for making this ARC available, I enjoyed it immensely!

I appreciate the idea of retelling these Greek myths, and it seems they are becoming more and more popular lately. I think it's a good idea to have a bit of a base in mythology before you read this because there are a lot of names, some very similar, and it's easy to mix up some characters. As for an amazing retelling of a badass queen, this missed the mark a bit. I feel like it didn't add much to what we already knew about Hera. It gave us a little more of a backstory, and humanized her a bit, but she spends most of this novel just being the bitter and spiteful queen we've always heard about. I wanted to feel more pity for her in this story, but I just didn't. Her anger had always seemed misguided as to whom she takes it out on, and it didn't differ in this story. The writing was well done though, and I was able to picture myself there with the characters. I did like that aspect of it. For people who just want to learn a bit about mythology, this would be a good one for you.

Jennifer Saints retellings of Ancient Greek mythology are always captivating and intriguing. You don’t need to know a lot about the original myths in order to get pulled into to the characters and their stories and love them for how Saint depicts them.
In this book you see the struggles that came with being the wife of Zeus and queen of the god’s. You feel Hera’s pain and grow with her through the years and trials that she faces.

Something about how jennifer saint writes makes me feel like I'm being told a story instead of reading it. When I got approved to read this... it became a priority and every time I sat down the world vanished and I was surrounded by marble halls, and warm hearts. Heras story is one you hear but from the lense of men, and the stories of old. The tale that's woven here gives us a new perspective and a Faire with purpose that just feels right. I was curious where the story would end based on her other books not being about immortals. I was not disappointed

Deep dives into mythological figures appeal to both the fantasy lover and the history lover in me. Hera is a well-researched book about the Queen of Olympus, usually dismissed as Zeus' spiteful, jealous wife, and takes the bits and pieces scattered about her throughout history to craft a fully fleshed character.

Hera and her siblings win the war over the Titans (including their father Cronos), but instead of becoming an equal partner, she finds herself subjugated by her brother Zeus. He sexually assaults her and then forces her to marry him, while continuing to scatter bastards all over Earth, and becoming as much as tyrant as Cronos once was.

Her rage turns into a finely honed weapon of revenge, both on Zeus' other women and his children, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, until she finds herself a shell of the vibrant goddess she once was. Her every dream shattered, her own children distant, Hera must make the choice of continuing her bitter existence or finding a new way to spend the rest of her long, immortal life.

There are a lot of characters from mythology here, I had a pretty good grasp on who was who most of the time, but sometimes I did have to go back and look someone up. I loved the characterizations of the rest of the Olympians, and the rest of the gods and goddesses. I enjoyed Ariadne a lot and now Hera, and must now go check out Jennifer Saint's other books.

3 stars

Having read all of Saint's novels thus far and enjoying her approach to feminist retellings (especially in _Atalanta_), I could not wait to start the audio version of this most recent effort. While it's an intriguing retelling, it's also a challenging one.

Folks who have any incoming knowledge of Hera will be a at least a little prepared for some difficult content. Saint does not spare readers. This novel is filled with references to rape, sexual assault, and incest. I was expecting this content, and I still found it more pervasive than I was anticipating...and more disturbing. Folks who are sensitive to this material should find their way to another text (and maybe not to Greek mythology, but especially not to this character and the ancillary women who appear throughout).

There's no denying that Hera has a rough go of it in classic renditions, but in a feminist retelling, I want her - and the other women characters who are abused by men - to have more agency and justice and generally better responses to each other than they do here. While a retelling will always be limited by its point of origin, there can also be a mix of freedom and artistic license with that attachment to tradition, and I wanted to see much more of the former in this novel.

This is well written, and while it is not my favorite of Saint's works, those who can manage the challenging content will find a ruthless but engaging depiction of Hera within.

In Hera, by Jennifer Saint we learn more about the goddess Hera, and a different perspective on the gods up on Mt. Olympus. If you are at all interested in Greek mythology, this book is a fantastic read. Hera is often portrayed as angry at Zeus for his infidelity or jealous of the other women that Zeus sleeps with, but this story portrays her as concerned about where her children will fit in the hierarchy of the gods. Not something insignificant to worry about as Zeus only had 12 thrones carved for the Olympians. Hera goes to great lengths to eliminate the other women and their offspring. Is she jealous, it does not appear that she would be. All the greek mythology I have been reading portrays Zeus as someone who sexually assaulted his sisters. Yes, Hera and Demeter are sisters of Zeus. The adventures of Jason and the Trojan War are just playing in the background, something to amuse the gods. Until the gods get bored with everything and begin to leave Mt. Olympus and live in the world. I give this book 4.5 stars. Jennifer Saint is a wonderful writer and I highly recommend Hera. I loved the audio book narrator as well. Thank you to Net Galley #netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my advance copy.

Hera is a breathtaking, wildly entertaining reimagining of the Greek goddess Hera’s character that will entrance readers from the first page.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. I adored the family dynamics and loved how Jennifer incorporated many Greek myths into the story. Hera’s character is often misunderstood in retellings, so I loved how Jennifer portrayed Hera—thoughtful, powerful, and resilient. Many of the acts Hera committed in Greek myths are retold in this story from Hera’s point of view, which was delightfully refreshing. I fell in love with Hera’s character and am excited to read more of Jennifer’s work in the future!

The audiobook narrator for Hera fits the story like a glove. Her tones, accents, and delivery immersed me even deeper into the rich writing and world-building. I highly recommend listening to Hera on audio!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

Jennifer Saint is one of the best writers of Ancient Greek stories with feminist viewpoints. Her latest novel will be welcomed by anyone who has read her other books and it will also, hopefully, introduce new readers/listeners to her works.

Hera was at the pinnacle. She was the sister of Zeus and was involved in the toppling of their father. As often happened siblings married so she was also the wife of Zeus. Hera has come through the ages to be seen as a difficult figure. This may be true-however, Hera had many reasons to feel aggrieved as readers/listeners will learn in this story.

In these pages get to know this goddess of marriage and fertility. Learn about the ways in which Zeus treated her and the consequences of his actions and attitudes.

This audio version is very well done. The narration is crisp and easily engages the reader.

I very much enjoyed Hera. She is not always likeable but Saint always kept me involved in her story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.

I received a free audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

So, the second I saw a new Jennifer Saint book was available, I smashed that request button, so maybe I'm not the best person to review this one! I always get excited when there's a new story based in mythology, and Jennifer Saint is one of my favourite genre authors. This book focuses on Hera, goddess of marriage, (reluctant) wife of Zeus, and chronically angry antagonist in many myths. I like reading books when the main character is somewhat unlikeable- Hera is a good example, as she is rarely painted in a positive light in myths. Exploring her motivations, feelings, and hurt is expertly done, by the author. Hera is often the antagonist in myths, especially ones concerning Zeus' many illegitimate children, and to see her perspective on the gods and their shenanigans is quite refreshing.

JS is amazing as always!

Hera by Jennifer Saint
Narrated by Naomi Frederick
Publication date: 8/13/2024

This is the fourth Greek retelling by Jennifer Saint from viewpoints of female characters, and my third Jennifer Saint book.
I am fascinated by Greek mythology and previously read her "Ariadne" and "Elektra", which are just okay for me, if not disappointed due to my high expectations. I skipped Atalanta, her third book. And now she is out with Hera - and I just couldn't resist. Hera, is a major character in Greek mythology, being a sister/wife of Zeus, and known for her powerfully jealous nature. I didn't know that she is a goddess of childbirth and marriage which seems to be ironic to me given she is known to have broken up marriages. In this book, I enjoyed how she interpreted her episodes and weave them together in a relatable and entertaining manner for general public, including mythology pedestrians like myself. There are a lot of stories related Hera which are so famous that even I might know. One criticism I have is that the last half of the book felt a bit rushed - I felt that the author was trying to include all famous stories that are related to Hera, and and I felt as though she was including episodes just to mention famous stories. Maybe it would have been better to focus on a few events so that we can learn those events more in depth.

Having said that, it's four stars for me, and I have enjoyed this book. It is a beginner friendly and she does a good job explaining each episodes for people who aren't familiar with Greek mythology. If you aren't familiar with mythology - I think you can still enjoy the book.

For an audiobook, I thought the narrator did a good job. Way to go!

An advance copy of this audiobook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for review purposes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⚡️Greek Mythology
💍Hera retelling
⚡️Mentions of SA
💍Cheating
⚡️Female Rage

I received an ALC from Macmillan via NetGalley.

At first I felt so bad for Hera. I was very sympathetic and angry for her! The tellings of Zeus in this book angered so much! After her failed attempt at overthrowing Zeus she changes. The sympathy I once felt for her starts to dim. Towards the end I felt Hera started to live up the things you read about her. Jealousy and anger towards all of Zeus’s children born from other women.
I do still feel bad for Hera’s children. They are constantly overlooked for Zeus’s other children.

I would definitely reccomend this book to others especially if you love Greek Mythology. This was my first Jennifer Saint book!

The narrator was amazing! I was immersed in the story completely forgetting everything around me.

Hera is a beautiful story, but the entire time I listened to this audiobook I felt like I was at arms length.

I am someone who really loves to get into the minds of the characters, so this being in third person and being told almost like an adult bedtime story didn't quite work for me. But that isn't to say the prose and passion behind this story are not for someone else. This is still very powerful, I just wish it was told from a different angle.

3.75 stars rounded.