A review by withlivjones
Hera by Jennifer Saint

dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is Jennifer Saint’s best book yet. The scope of the book is insanely huge, spanning from the Titanomachy and foundation of Olympus, through the age of heroes and the Trojan War, all the way to the Classical Greek period and beyond - it essentially covers all of Greek mythology from the perspective of Hera, which is a massive achievement. 

And Hera is a fantastic protagonist - her anger and bitterness is clear throughout the whole story, and she’s a flawed and morally grey character whose actions are fully explored but never fully excused. She also has a convincing character arc over the course of the book. Many of the other gods were also explored in a lot of depth - my personal favourites were Hestia and Hephaestus. 

This book also has an in-depth exploration of the relationship between gods and mortals, and the nature of ancient religion as a whole, which I thought was really interesting and insightful - I love when retellings get all meta and start discussing why we keep telling these stories over and over in the first place. 

I did have a couple of minor issues with the pacing, and I felt that a few of the myths were very quickly brushed over when they could have been explored in a little more depth, but for a story that covers so much content it’s inevitable that some parts will have less time dedicated to them. Overall, however, this was a fantastic retelling and potentially a new favourite of mine. I would definitely recommend, especially if you’re a fan of Circe by Madeline Miller, I think both books share quite similar vibes! 
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