Hera by Jennifer Saint

Book Review

Elloise Hopkins

The Titans have fallen, and battle is in the past. The Olympians rule and the earth heals. Hera, who was raised beneath the waters, now flies free. As a hawk, she travels to Mount Olympus, where those who sided with them come to swear peace. Peace may have come, but Hera never stops her close watch on them all.

Like Chronos before him, Zeus is determined to create mortals. Mortals who will worship him. Yet unlike those before, Zeus’ mortals are not so inclined to keep the peace… especially with Aphrodite’s interference.

Hera and Zeus always used to make plans together. Now, he keeps counsel with others and fathers many children. He takes power from Hera, where they used to share it, and bestows her desires upon her siblings. She has no choice but to discover what power still remains to her.

Hera centres around its namesake and is an enthralling re-telling of her place in Greek mythology. Relevant background details are laid out beautifully in the prologue, providing the reader with everything we would need to know about the battle past and the relationships between our key characters. Hera is determined, stubborn, strong, and, above all else, confident. She begins to see the flaws of her fellow gods and takes steps to secure her position.

As we have come to know, Saint writes with an excellent pace. The machinations of Hera and her counterparts play out beautifully as each tries to outwit the other, and the consequences are felt. The reader is kept entertained as plans and plots never quite go to plan, and Hera is forced time and again to find another way to outmanoeuvre Zeus. In addition to following Hera’s story as she desires a way out of Zeus’ control, the narrative also tracks the journey of the gods’ creations of humanity and humanity’s worship and need for the gods in return. Well worth a read.