#Blogtour Hera by Jennifer Saint

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Hera by Jennifer Saint.

'From the No. 1 bestselling author of Ariadne, Elektra and Atalanta - From Jennifer Saint, the queen of the mythological retelling, comes the captivating story of Greek mythology’s most famous wife.'

About the Author

Jennifer Saint grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the untold stories hidden within the myths. After thirteen years as a high school English teacher, she wrote Ariadne, which tells the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur from the perspective of Ariadne - the woman who made it happen. Ariadne 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. 

Jennifer Saint is now a full-time author, living in Yorkshire, with her husband and two children. Her second novel, Elektra, and third novel, Atalanta, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. Follow @jennysaint on X

About the book

When the immortal goddess Hera helps her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father, the ancient Titan Cronos, she dreams of ruling the world at his side. But as they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera begins to see another side to Zeus, a side just as ruthless and cruel as Cronos was. She was clearly born to rule, but does that mean perpetuating a cycle of violence and cruelty that has existed since the dawn of time? Will assuming her power mean that Hera loses herself 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

The author gives the reader the version of Hera which is left unsaid, taking it all a step back to comprehend the reaction to what was done unto her in the first place. We usually hear or read the result, which depicts the vengeful, angered women full of jealous rage and spite. Instead Saint takes us back to the root cause - how Hera was defined by the choices of others. How patriarchy also rules mythology, because it is easier to sell the image of a scorned and angry woman than a character who defends herself and keeps her own self safe by reacting to the threat or perceived threat.

I wonder how many readers, especially women, walk away from this thinking - oh wait, she is more than just the bitter representation the patriarchy wants us to see and remember. In fact isn't her story indicative of the narrative we are told about older women, scorned women and women who are just a little too noisy for society. Let's gaslight them to hide the truth behind the anger, let's dismiss them to distract from the truth, and let's create a narrative that makes them the villain in every story, because we wouldn't want the truth to be discovered when someone scratches the surface.

I really enjoy the way this author captures both the magic, the folklore, the heavy truths and the story from all angles, when it comes to Greek mythology. The journey from end result, expectation and hardwired knowledge, becomes undone when the light is shone into the darkest corners of Hera's story. It makes her many reactionary tales so much more understandable. A fantastic read.

Buy Hera at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Wildfire; Hardback, eBook, Audio | £20.00 - pub date 23 May 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Clytemnestra's Bind by Susan C. Wilson

The House of Atreus: Clytemnestra’s Bind by Susan C Wilson. From women-led publisher Neem Tree Press comes this fiery first instalment in an epic three-part Greek mythology series.

About the Author

About the Author: Susan C Wilson is a working-class author from Scotland. She has a degree in journalism and a diploma in classical studies from the Open University. By day, she works as an administrator in the Scottish Courts, where she learns fascinating things about human nature. As a writer, Wilson aims to make ancient stories resonate with a modern audience. Her debut novel, Clytemnestra’s Bind was long listed for the Mslexia Novel Competition in 2019. Follow @BronzeAgeWummin on Twitter

About the book

The House of Atreus is spiralling into self-destruction — a woman must find a way to break the family curse...

Queen Clytemnestra's world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family, and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself. Tormented by her loss, she vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to Agamemnon. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten to destroy the family Clytemnestra loves once more. 

From one of Greek mythology's most reviled characters — a woman who challenged the absolute power of men — comes this fiery tale of power, family rivalry and a mother's burning love.

Review

I am really enjoying the wave of mythology retellings, reimagining the myths and when told from the perspective of the women often delegated to secondary roles they can take on a power of their own. As Clytemnestra reminds us - women deliver kingdoms and kings. Something men like to forget or rather they like to suggest that it is a minor detail.

The author delivers the tragedy, the cruelty and the magnitude of power struggles in such a powerful way. The first few chapters are sharp jabs to the abdomen and quick bitter slaps to the face. Stories, lives and futures changed in small brutal moments of possession and power struggles. The lives of children, of infants, mean nothing to a man seeking revenge or wanting to eliminate future rivals.

Clytemnestra is almost disembodied from her emotional anguish when Agamemnon stakes his claim on his new queen. Deep inside a fierce fire of determination grows whilst she lives with the knowledge that her new husband has neither conscience nor scruple. Any future children will always live under a shadow of threat from a man who sees others as mere pawns in his games of power and war.

It's written with a brutal frankness, whilst embracing the emotional context, the complexity of the interwoven stories, and giving certain characters the time and attention they deserve. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to other readers and look forward to more from the House of Atreus.

Buy Clytemnestra's Bind at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏:  ‎Neem Tree Press; pub date 15 Jun. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara

It's truly a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara. This is a feminist retelling you don't want to miss.

About the Author

Luna McNamara holds a master's degree from Harvard University in the study of women and gender in world religions. A lifelong lover of Greek myths, she has studied ancient Greek language and philosophy. She is currently a social worker living in Boston. Psyche and Eros is her debut novel. Follow @McnamaraLuna on Twitter, Visit lunamcnamarawriter.com

About the book

The greatest love story ever told...

Born into an era of heroes, a prophecy claims that Psyche - a Princess of Mycenae - will defeat a monster feared even by the gods themselves. Rebelling against society's traditions, she spends her youth mastering blade and bow, preparing to fulfil her destiny.

But she is soon caught up in powers beyond her control, when the jealous Aphrodite sends the God of Desire, Eros, to deliver a fatal love-curse. The last thing Eros wants is to become involved in the chaos of the mortal world, but when he is pricked by the very arrow intended for Psyche, he is doomed to love a woman who will be torn from him the moment their eyes meet.

Thrown together by fate, headstrong Psyche and world-weary Eros will face challenges greater than they could ever have imagined. And as the Trojan War begins and the whole of the heavens try to keep them apart, will they find their way back to each other...before it's too late?

Psyche and Eros has every single mythological ingredient readers could hope for: a fierce, aspirational female protagonist (this is definitely Psyche's story), a Herculean-like quest, all your favourite Gods and Goddesses wreaking havoc on mere mortals and set against the outbreak of the Trojan War.

Review

Not going to lie - absolutely freaking loved it. It's all the way up there when it comes to the fantastic retellings, reimagining and new interpretations of Greek mythology, although to be fair this is more than just that. The author has taken a chess board of a variety of mythologies and well-known personas, well maybe more of a smorgasbord, and moves them and makes slight changes to known narratives to create this riveting retelling. It's a reawakening.

Psyche is born under the glow or shadow, depends on how you see it really, of a prophecy that speaks of her future defeat of a monster. Just a minor problem with being perceived and treated as a possible heroine, society doesn't expect girls to save the day.

Eros is a wee bit bored, confused and even perplexed by humanity, especially the way mere mortals manage to take what he bestows upon on them and manipulate, destroy and abuse it. He is frustrated by his fall from status and having to bow to those once lesser and now in control. He has no choice when he is forced to deliver a curse, because Psyche has come to the attention of a green-eyed monster.

The two are destined to meet, collide and change their paths forever. Love under the constraints of a cruel curse or never the twain shall meet per the fine print of the same curse.

I can't recommend this enough, especially if you're embracing old material view through a different lens. Narratives, myths, gods, goddesses and mortals written through the eye of the needle called man. Let's turn up the volume a little louder on the silenced and unwritten perspective.

Buy Psyche and Eros at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orion Fiction; pub date 25 May 2023, available in hardback, ebook and audio £16.99. Buy at Amazon com. 

#Blogtour Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Atalanta by Jennifer Saint.

'From the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author comes a new story of a legendary woman from Greek mythology.' Spurned by a king. Raised by bears. Blessed by a goddess. The only female Argonaut.

About the Author

Thanks to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. Since September 2022, she has been a Visiting Research Fellow in the Classics Department there. In between, she spent thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students. Ariadne is her first novel, Elektra is her second, and Atalanta is her latest mesmerising mythological retelling. Follow @jennysaint on Twitter or visit jennifersaint.com

About the book

Exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside her cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis. Swearing that she will prove her worth alongside the famed heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves her forest to join Jason’s band of Argonauts. But can she carve out her own place of legend in a world made for men?

Review

At the core of this retelling is erasure of the only female Argonaut and why her presence has been gradually clipped away in popular narratives. In fact the entirety of the book leans into the role of women in mythology, their treatment by men regardless of whether those men are of myth, of reality or of a mixed nature. Atalanta deserves her space.

It's fascinating how the role of any mythological figure can be cast, written of and perceived in both a positive or negative light, depending on who does the retelling. I think that's why this niche and the retellings or old myth new angle is particularly popular in the book world at the moment - it allows the writer to step away from tales for the majority by men written for men, hence certain recurring themes and the way women are portrayed.

The angry, the reactionary, the vengeful, the woman waiting to be consumed and ravished by any old god, demi god or just a man in general. How refreshing to encounter the character resuming her rightful place in the stories, fighting the presumptive narrative and battling to carve out her space.

Artemis is the pinnacle of feminism is this story, her warnings and prophecies become self-fulfilling ones, because the punishment for not heeding them lends itself to a similar narrative that men deem appropriate for women who refuse to bend the knee. Does that make Artemis the faux feminist?

It's a great read, the author does a fantastic job of breathing new life into forgotten mythology.

Buy Atalanta at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire pub date 13th April 2023, £16.99 hardback, eBook & audiobook. Buy at Amazon com.