Review: Hera by Jennifer Saint

Hera by Jennifer Saint
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an Audio ARC of this book via Netgally, all opinions are my own.

The narrator was wonderful in this portrayal of Hera as told by Jennifer Saint.  

I've really grown to love Saint's Greek mythology retellings from the female perspective.  When I was growing up, all of the Greek mythology featured the male heroes and gods.  I don't think I realized how terrible the gods and heroes were, or maybe I was reading more sanitized versions of the myths.  Hera was always portrayed as bit of a villain especially when it came to Zeus and Heracles.  She was one of my least favorite goddesses of the pantheon.  Saint's version paints Hera in a different light and explains the motivation for many of her actions.

This tale begins with Hera, Zeus and the others overthrowing the Titans and takes us through her reign as queen of Olympus.  She has always been painted as cruel and vengeful, however we learn that her rage and cruelty was not without purpose and motivation.  Hera never wanted to be Zeus' wife or the goddess of marriage.  We come to find out how that came to pass, and that she wasn't just a petty and jealous wife, she was always plotting against Zeus for making her less powerful instead of his equal.  Her schemes to overthrow him and hurt the things he loves always seem to fail, yet it doesn't stop her from trying.

I really enjoyed this.  It takes us through many of the well known myths and features all of the well known gods and goddesses from Greek mythology as well as some lesser known stories and characters.  I really appreciated Saint's comprehensive look at the creation of the Olympus and the Olympians through to it's downfall.  We walk with Hera through her traumas, her joyful moments, her anger, her frustration, and many other emotional moments on her journey to find a purpose and heal from the hurt Zeus has caused her.

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