Queen of Heaven

Hera Greek Myths Retold #1

by Ava McKevitt

A thrilling tale of Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses! For fans of Natalie Haynes, Jennifer Saint, Madeleine Miller and Pat Barker.The goddess Hera as you’ve never seen her before…Divine daughter. Jealous lover. Goddess of motherhood. Vengeful wife. Queen of Olympus. Hera is woman incarnate. And woman scorned. The powerful goddess has never agreed with the way her story has been told and now the time has come for Hera to set the record straight. Ripped from the stomach of her father by her brother Zeus, Hera’s beginning was violent and unnatural. And her life on Olympus was overshadowed by that of her brother-husband Zeus.But who was the real Hera? What made the revered goddess of matrimony and motherhood?And how did the daughter of Time become the queen of Heaven…?QUEEN OF HEAVEN is the first book in the HERA Greek Myths Retold Series. It is an exciting historical adventure set during the time of myth and legend in Ancient Greece.THE HERA GREEK MYTHS RETOLD BOOK Queen of Heaven

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Greek Mythology

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2024

Reviews

[Tawnya · Rating 1 out of 5]

wanted to like it.

I Disliked the author putting 21 st century archetype onto ancient being. Good premise but sadly it’s trite. Zeus bad Hers angelic Athena trans because of course natural women can’t have wisdom

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a refreshing look at Greek mythology through the eyes of Hera, rather than her vainglorious husband/brother Zeus. The author hasn't rewritten the myths, just changed the viewpoint. Mythology wasn't written for children although that's what has happened in the Western world. Reading about Zeus when you're an adult changes everything...instead of seeing him as all-powerful, and seducing any woman he wants, he becomes monstrous, a malignant narcissist. And that seducing? Not so much...it's sexual assault at the least and rape at the worst. We must remember that until recently, women have had no part in recording history or literature. I love the recent additions in literature giving us a new look at ancient myths and fables. It's a much-needed paradigm shift and I thoroughly enjoyed Queen of Heaven!

[Velma Bevan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't even finish it. Poorly written, language moves between modern to what I suspect author feels is "old." Nothing new to Hera's tale and rather than portraying her as a strong female casts her as weak and fumbling.

[Rebecca Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd say this was a 2.5 star read in the end. The writing is very simplistic and given it's written by Hera, the Queen of Heaven, it took me a while to reconcile that writing style with the story teller. There are also times when the narrative refers to events far in the future which can feel jarring.

By the end of this book though I was gripped, I'd gotten to grips with the way the narrative was unfurling and then... it ended. Incomplete. Just ends. There was no satisfaction to this. One of my biggest peeves in books is a last minute plot twist or hook that basically demands the reader has to read the next book. Whilst not a twist or a hook this style of ending in the middle of a story is very reminiscent to that, and honestly left me with a sour taste.

Even though this is a 2.5 star book, I'd read on if I ever get another trial of Kindle Unlimited.

[Sacha Chevalier · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m horrified that this was written by a woman. Apparently the author was going for a retelling of Hera’s tale where she is portrayed as a victim of Zeus, but she only succeeds in portraying a strong (if flawed) woman as weak. And the shaming of sexuality is off putting at least to me. Example: Hera is to preside over her first mortal wedding when she sees Europa among the guests. She’s shocked to see that her breasts aren’t covered, and Hera’s bff Aphrodite explains to her that her people worship a snake goddess whose chest is never covered, and so her supplicants do the same. Then (and this is an exact quote) Aphrodite says “ “No shame at all. Of course, it is to be expected from barbarian whores. I almost admire her.” WHAT?

I’m tempted to stop reading here. The tone of this book has been making me uncomfortable for the duration, I honestly don’t know if I can continue.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Greek mythology. Being half Greek, I grew up reading all things Greek mythology. This author created her own version. Although based on Greek mythology, her version is slightly different. The writing style ebbs and flows, where I find myself being engrossed in some parts, while in other parts I found myself flipping through pages of unnecessary dialogue. All in all it was a good book, solidly written.

[Jacinda Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far so good 1st book of a trilogy

Good book read it in two days have the other two already starting number two now covers heras telling of events the why's and why nots if why she
did the things she did what she went through as a wife, sister, mother, goddess and finally as Queen of Heaven

[Anna Jaskiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not super great writing. It was a nice refresher of all of Zeus’ affairs and Hera’s story. I thought this Hera was a little weaker than I’d expected. She was also unusually harsh to Hestia in my opinion.

I mainly wanted to read this as a primer to Jennifer Saint’s latest book, Hera, to see how they stack up.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting alternative view of mythology

An fascinating story giving an alternative view of Greek mythology, from the point of view of Hera. Well written and interesting. Looking forward to reading book 2 to see where the author takes it next

[Diesel Reads Books]

I don't really have a star review for this but you must know if you want an action advenutre, this isn't it. True to most greek legends, it's immensely depressing where women are concerned and there are frequent sexual assualts throughout

[Patrick J. Heard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hail Hera

Wonderful story as told by Hera. Humorous, dark, and also frightening. I’ve always been intrigued by Hera, and now I’m ready to read the rest of the trilogy.

[Kati · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me. The writing was very juvenile.

[Benn May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads quickly and with some nice twists on myths but feels one note for much of the book.

[Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

im kind of in the middle here. I love love love Greek mythology however all the women seem to be victims I know its going by "the times" it was set in but ehh.... I dunno

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love greek mythology so much but feel like this one didn't quite do Hera justice. Maybe I need to finish out the series? It's always tricky staying true to the greek myths while adding your own spin to create a unique story, and I just didn't feel like I read anything new here. I will say I liked her easy to read writing style so I'll definitely check out more of the author's books.

[Sally Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book will be looking for the next one