Hera

The enthralling tale of a powerful Greek goddess maligned in both myth and ancient history, as told by Sunday Times bestselling author Jennifer Saint.


When Hera, immortal goddess and daughter of the ancient Titan Cronus, helps her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father, she dreams of ruling at his side.

As they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera suspects that Zeus might be just as ruthless and cruel as the father they betrayed.

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?

Often portrayed as the jealous wife or the wicked stepmother, this retelling captures the many sides of Hera, vengeful when she needs to be but also compassionate and most importantly, an all-powerful queen to the gods.

Review

In Hera, Jennifer Saint has portrayed her protagonist, not as the jealous and vengeful wife of legend but as a fierce resistor of authority, who is driven by a desire to regain her lost equality in a world defined by cruelty and destruction. Saint has a knack of making even the immortals relatable and she brings this most dysfunctional of families into vivid life in her thrilling depiction of a much misunderstood Goddess. -- ELIZABETH FREMANTLE, author of Disobedient

I didn't think I could love Jennifer Saint's books more... and then she wrote Hera. Hera is an exceptional achievement - Jennifer Saint immerses us into a vibrant, magical world, with a wonderfully compelling heroine, yet also examines so many profound and complex ideas around the mythology, wearing her deep knowledge of the subject so lightly. Hera is an incredibly gripping tale of passion, power and retribution. It is also one of the most original, thought provoking meditations on ancient mythology I have ever encountered. -- ELODIE HARPER, author of The Temple of Fortuna

Hera is a sweeping, epic story of Greek mythology's most complex goddess. Jennifer Saint weaves her own original threads into the ancient tales, resulting in a story that is subtle, nuanced, and utterly gorgeous. -- SARAH UNDERWOOD, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea

This is a very special novel . . . With echoes of Miller's Circe, Hera is an epic novel that follows the queen of the gods through her battle against the Titans, her marriage, and her quest for vengeance. The goddess is transformed from a bad-tempered wife to a compelling character readers can root for, even when she is being wicked. With an unforgettable cast of characters (Gaia, Hestia, Demeter and so many more), Hera tells us the story of the Greek gods and their unending quest for power, their ambition, their passion and retribution and, finally, their relationship with mortals. -- COSTANZA CASATI, author of Clytemnestra

Hera is Jennifer Saint's best book yet, and every bit as fierce, powerful and captivating as the Queen of the Gods herself. For too long Hera has been relegated to the sidelines of mythology, serving as the comic punchline, the 'nagging wife'. In Hera, Saint rips the Queen of the Gods out from Zeus' shadow, letting her blaze her own path through these famous myths. Saint does a masterful job of humanising Hera without detracting from her divine power, she is still a fearsome queen but through Saint's expert storytelling we are able to understand and sympathise with Hera like never before. This is a must-read for fans of mythology! -- ROSIE HEWLETT, author of Medea

About the Author

Jennifer Saint grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the untold stories hidden within the myths. She read Classical Studies at King's College, London where she is now a Visiting Research Fellow in the Classics department. After thirteen years as a high school English teacher, she wrote Ariadne which was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year in 2021 and was a Waterstones Book of the Month, as well as being a Sunday Times bestseller. Her second novel, Elektra, and third novel, Atalanta, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. Her latest mesmerising mythological retelling is titled Hera.