The best Jennifer Saint mythology book to date

 

 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ Hera might very well be my favourite Jennifer Saint mythology book to date. Though I don't give Hera the goddess much thought, favouring other gods above her, I really took a shine to her in this iteration.

Hera tends to get a bad wrap as a nagging, vengeful wife but if you look at her story dispassionately, is this novel does, you can appreciate the position the queen of the gods faced and, better still, why she did what she did. Her story is one that would be too easy to feminise, making Hera a victim of the patriarchy (which, to be fair, she is) but I applaud taking her tale in a different direction and making her creatively crafty instead of whiny.

If we are honest, Zeus was a horrific husband and Hera had more to contend with than most. Pointing out the injustice of all he put her through with his proclivity to rape innocent women/nymphs/etc would be a full time job. Though Hera's intention of redressing each situation may seem unfair to Zeus's victims, the overall view of vengeance against Zeus as a baseline could be commended. This position sheds new, and interesting, light on her actions making them sensible and even just.

There is much to appreciate in this novel. It covers a great deal of ground in quick succession making lengthy occurrences (Trojan War I'm talking to you) speed by in the blink of a god's eye. The end of the novel, especially, seemed fitting and fully satisfying. Hera, as a novel, hit the correct tone for me and gave great polish to Hera's often tarnished crown. Also, a big shout out to Hestia who features largely in this story. The much needed voice of reason on Mount Olympus. An enjoyable read, two thumbs up.