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Hera by Jennifer Saint

Fantasy

Hera

Repeat author

Jennifer Saint is back at Book of the Month – other BOTMs include Ariadne.

by Jennifer Saint

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Quick take

In this epic Greek retelling that interrogates power and patriarchy, an oft-maligned goddess is recast in a new light.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Emotional

    Emotional

  • Illustrated icon, Feminist

    Feminist

  • Illustrated icon, Salacious

    Salacious

  • Illustrated icon, Based_on_a_Classic

    Based on a classic

Synopsis

Even the gods must have their queen.

When the immortal goddess Hera and her brother Zeus overthrow their tyrannical father, she dreams of ruling at his side. But as they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera begins to see that Zeus is just as ruthless and cruel as the father they betrayed. While Zeus ascends, Hera is relegated to the role of wife and mother, a role she never wanted. She was always born to rule, but must she lose herself in perpetuating this cycle of violence and cruelty? Or can she find a way to forge a better world?

In this enthralling retelling, Greek mythology’s most famous and maligned goddess finally tells her own story, as power, passion, and divine strength collide in the heart of Olympus.

Content warning

This book contains scenes that depict sexual assault.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of Hera.

Hera

PROLOGUE

The earth streams with molten gold. It flows in every direction, around the scattered rocks, gleaming in the light of the fires that rage all around. Ichor, the blood of the immortals, seeping into the soil.

Smoke hangs heavy in the air, obscuring the stars. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and the horizon flashes with lightning. It dances across the sky, leaping between the clouds, a glare that dazzles, white and blinding, and is gone, only to reappear somewhere else a moment later.

Hera glances up at it, narrowing her eyes to chart its progress as she steps across the ravaged battleground.

The falling dusk and swirling ash make it hard to see. The ground is churned up, great gashes in the earth where boulders have been heaved and trees torn up by their roots. Some of the mounds she skirts are these shattered rocks and mangled trunks, but some of them are not. Some are golden-stained, sprawled, staring glassy-eyed up to the heavens. Every now and then, one might stir painfully as she passes, let out a whimper of agony so that she raises her spear. She is swift and merciless, leaving silence in her wake.

Lightning sears the sky directly above her, its livid glow rendering every detail of the carnage in stark clarity for the space of a heartbeat before it dies away into darkness again. She listens, trying to distinguish the shrieking of the winds from another scream, one of anguish and rage. The earth is scarred and brutalized, but it is quiet at last. The fighting is in the heavens now.

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Why I love it

What makes certain retellings stand out from others? For me, it’s confronting the villain of the story and creating a more complex character that allows us to look at a story we’ve heard time and time again in a new light. Jennifer Saint’s latest book, Hera, does just that. With intricate storytelling, Saint creates a new narrative for one of Greek mythology’s most notoriously unlikable figures.

We’ve all heard of Hera—immortal goddess, sister, and wife to Zeus, who did not tolerate Zeus’ infidelity. But what if there was a different side to Hera’s story? After the defeat of their father Cronos, Hera and Zeus take over Olympus. As she observes her husband, she begins to question if Zeus is any better a ruler than Cronos and her own role as queen. In trying to understand her place in this world, Hera will have to face larger questions about what it takes to rule and what she must do if she truly wants to create a better world.

There is something truly special about a story that can flip the script and make you root for a character that has historically been deemed wicked. I found myself loving this portrayal of Hera and eagerly turning pages to discover more of her story. Hera captures a side of Greek mythology I haven’t read before and should not be missed by anyone looking for a truly epic story.

Other books by Jennifer Saint

Member ratings (4,515)

Feminist
The Stone Witch of Florence
The Seventh Veil of Salome
Hera
The Lion Women of Tehran
The Return of Ellie Black
Annie Bot
More
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The First Ladies
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
Weyward
Queen of Thieves
Hester
Love on the Brain
Bronze Drum
The Bodyguard
The Change
Lessons in Chemistry
Kaikeyi
My Body
Half Sick of Shadows
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
Outlawed
More Myself
Practical Magic
A Rogue of One's Own
True Story
Fleishman Is in Trouble
The Book of Longings
Untamed
The Kingdom of Back
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Throw Like a Girl
Trick Mirror
Bringing Down the Duke
Three Women
Shout
Thick
Still Lives
The Rules of Magic
The Nightingale
Feminist
View all
The Stone Witch of Florence
The Seventh Veil of Salome
Hera
The Lion Women of Tehran
The Return of Ellie Black
Annie Bot
More
Bright Young Women
The First Ladies
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
Weyward
Queen of Thieves
Hester
Love on the Brain
Bronze Drum
The Bodyguard
The Change
Lessons in Chemistry
Kaikeyi
My Body
Half Sick of Shadows
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
Outlawed
More Myself
Practical Magic
A Rogue of One's Own
True Story
Fleishman Is in Trouble
The Book of Longings
Untamed
The Kingdom of Back
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Throw Like a Girl
Trick Mirror
Bringing Down the Duke
Three Women
Shout
Thick
Still Lives
The Rules of Magic
The Nightingale