As a kid, I went through a Greek myth phase. It was kicked off by the adoption of cable television at my grandparent’s house: one of the first movies I watched on cable was 1981’s Clash of the Titans. Thus, when it came to Greek heroes, I was ever more of a Perseus girl than a Hercules fan. But I knew of Hercules, or Heracles or Alcides if you’re into Classics, and his labors and heroics. In college, I did take a number of Classics courses, though, alas, I never stopped to wonder at the incongruity between some of the gods’ domains and how they act.

In the story of Heracles (literally a man named “glory of Hera”), Hera (the goddess of family) induces madness in Heracles and he kills his family. But why does Hera do this? What are the consequences to her and to Heracles, who is basically the pawn of a goddess?

That’s the story that John Wiswell chooses to tell in Wearing the Lion. His Heracles is a more compassionate character, brought up to revere Hera and generally giving her credit for his own deeds. When he’s unknowingly betrayed by her, he undertakes his labors to find out what god he’s wronged. Hera is given more motive for tormenting Heracles, but she comes to regret her actions. What follows are characters trying to take accountability for their actions and the messiness of not being ready to forgive yourself or others.

That’s weighty stuff. Luckily, Wiswell excels at lightening the load with humor and relatable, likeable characters. As Heracles proceeds through his labors, he gathers a found family of monsters. The Nemean lion? A pussy cat. The Lernaean Hydra? More heads, more migraines. And that’s only the beginning of how Heracles’s tasks become characters. Definitely my top book of the year and unlikely to be unseated.

*3.5 stars*

*Thank you to NetGalley & DAW for providing a digital copy to review*

Heracles is a character in Greek mythology that I’m not overly excited about. I was pleasantly surprised by this adaptation, however, and made Heracles more likable, at least to me.

There are two POVs in this book, Heracles and Hera, and the book spotlights their complicated relationship, which is an aspect I found really interesting. If you aren’t familiar with the myths, Heracles is one of the many offspring of Zeus, which automatically causes Hera to hate him. To make matters worse, he is named after the goddess, (Hera)cles, which just enrages her further.

The humour in this book is amazing, and I just loved how snarky Hera is. It reminded me a lot of Blood of Hercules, specifically Alexis’s hilarious inner monologue. I loved her character development throughout the book, and we see her really take her role of protector of women in childbirth seriously.

I also really loved the different approach to Heracles and how caring he is to those around him, including those he doesn’t know and is expected to kill. Found family is a major theme of this book, and it was heartwarming to see an odd bunch of creatures band together to help Heracles.

This is a different and fun adaptation of the Greek myths, and I really enjoyed following Heracles on his journey.

This story follows Heracles and Hera in alternating chapters from their POVs. Hera, tired of her husband Zeus being unfaithful to her, focuses all her anger on her husband's latest child of infidelity Heracles. Heracles is completely unaware of this hatred, and prays to Hera regularly for everything going on in his life. When Hera makes the decision to send a fury to destroy Heracles, after he has built this happy life with a wife and children, the fury warps Heracles mind to have him kill his children. When he comes back to reality and realizes what he has done, he goes down on a path of vengeance to figure out what god sent the fury after him. This is what leads him through the famous 12 labors.

I found this book very unique, but it just was too silly at times for me. When I say silly, I think the tone was more gentle for the background of Heracles, and it was more focused on found family throughout the 12 labors. I did really enjoy Heracles interactions with Boar, Atlas, and the imposter Heracles characters were done very well - it really led to good character development for Heracles in the story. It could have probably been four stars for me, but the silliness was with the Hydra - I could have done without all the talking head and the weird stuff with the lionlike naming him Purrrseus. My only other issue was the pacing - at the beginning of the book I was hooked, but near the end I was just getting bored and I thought a lot of it got dragged out. Plus the whole plot with Zeus being missing was meh. I would pick this up if you want a very unique and different way to retell a Greek myth!

Thank you so much for this ARC! I had such a great time reading it!
This was a brilliant and heartwarming take on the Heracles legend.

Instead of going through life with hatred and pain, causing violence wherever he went, Heracles takes on his labours with love and understanding.

The found family he finds on his path is funny, weird, and perfect! And it’s a great reminder that we can make it so much further with people there to support us!

Heras journey throughout was also brilliant, you feel her pain, her anger, and her desperation and ROOT for her on her path of becoming a better person.

She’s not always making the best choices, but she’s trying, and she’s taking accountability and we stan an accountable queen 🙂‍↕️

I highly recommend this book, I feel eternally grateful to all of my family, blood and found, after reading this, and can’t wait to see what Wiswell writes next!

Heracles loves his Auntie Hera. She's the goddess he reveres the most, and he makes sure to dedicate his life, his accomplishments, and his family to her worship. The small issue is that Hera loathes Heracles, another one of her "dipshit" husbands infidelities. Having had enough, Hera sends a Fury to finish him off... which accidentally leads to the deaths of his children. Distraught and overwhelmed by grief and anger, Heracles sets out to find the god that did this and punish them... in Hera's name.

This book fell into my lap at the perfect time, as I was taking a classical mythology course at university. I loved Wiswell's understanding of Greek myths, and the care and love he put into keeping the stories accurate while putting his own spin on the lore. Some parts of the novel felt repetitive (how many times can you hear the term "dipshit husband" without starting to get resentful) but the characters are lovable and Heracles' struggle over the death of his sons and his role in their murders is heartfelt and solid. Buoyed by a cast of caring supporting characters and some snappy humor, I loved this one a lot.

If you're looking for found family, a reflection on grief and its consequences, and a tale of adventurous deeds and forgiveness, snap this one up.

Don't forget to check out Wiswell's first book as well, Someone You Can Build a Nest In. His books are just so much fun and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

CW violence, death (including children)

3.75⭐ rounded up to 4. I have mixed feelings about this one. There are parts that I hated (I know, it’s a strong word, but I had strong opinions about some choices, especially in the first 30%), and others that I *absolutely loved*. In the end, I think this book wasn’t really for me, but I’m sure other people will enjoy it.

This novel is a (non direct) retelling of the 12 Labours of Hercules, but with a humanizing and humorous twist. Themes explored include family, infidelity, trauma and PTSD, grief, atonement, forgiveness, etc. It sounds VERY light at first, but there are some very heavy topics along the way, including infanticide. Overall, it’s equal parts fun and devastating. I love Wiswell’s sharp and clever writing style. However, there’s a lot of swearing in this one --- and coming from the gods, it gave me the ick. The dual narration with 1st person POVs also includes a lot of “speaking” to someone else through prayer. I was not a fan, but maybe that’s just me!

If you enjoy Greek mythology retellings with loveable sidekicks (this is the ULTIMATE ragtag bunch of misfits!) and comedic relief, but also parts that will absolutely crush your soul, you’ll probably enjoy this one!

Tropes to expect: found family, the “chosen one,” gods among humans, demigods and mystical creatures, disaster dominoes, kindness is strength, divine politics, good intentions but bad consequences.

❤️ Flawed characters
❤️ Purrseus and Boar
❤️ Subtle wisdom
❤️ Hera’s emotional arc
❤️ Complex relationships
❤️ Interaction with Atlas
❌ Inconsistent tone
❌ Flip from comedy style to casually murdering children and back to comedy style
❌ “dipshit husband” x 40
❌ Weird ace rep
❌ Heracles’ childish tone (“Auntie Hera” and “papa Zeus”)

Trigger warnings: violence, blood and gore, death and grief, child death, infanticide, infidelity, manipulation, emotional abuse, fire and fire injury, panic attacks / disorders, injury and injury detail, abandonment, war, torture, etc.

Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell
Greek Mythology...but make it weird, wonderful, and wildly funny.
Greek myths aren’t always at the top of my reading list, but John Wiswell? That’s an automatic yes. His writing always delivers something sharp, clever, and completely unexpected, and this was no exception. Wearing the Lion takes the gods and goddesses we think we know and throws them into a blender of comedy, heart, and fresh perspective.

If you like your mythology a little offbeat, a little irreverent, and completely original, this one’s for you.

Themes:
Mythology, but with humor (the way Hera stands on business is unsurpassed--Zeus does not stand a chance)
Unreliable immortals
Clever wordplay and wit
Worldbuilding that reinvents the familiar
Found family (god edition)
Queer and quirky characters in divine chaos

Would I recommend it?
Absolutely. Especially if you want something different and delightfully absurd in the best way. Even if Greek myths aren’t usually your thing, Wiswell makes them impossible to resist. I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for this read; it was funny, fun, and full of mythological mayhem.

Thank you to DAW Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I could not stand Someone You Can Build a Nest In. I have been far more disappointed than pleased with most of the Greek mythology retellings I have come across. I'm not sure why I decided to pick this book up, but I do really like the cover and I could be as simple a person as that, I suppose.

If you loved Someone You Can Build a Nest In, I have no idea what you'll think of this book. It delves into all the emotional complexity and darkness of the heart that Nest avoided like the plague. I know, Nest had man-eating monsters and the worst family dynamics ever, but they weren't complex and they never felt emotionally resonant to me.

But I'm reviewing Wearing the Lion! There are two POV characters here, Hera and Heracles/Alcides. If there's a theme to this book, I think it would be Hurt People Hurt People and/or Even Strong People Can Break. Hera, a goddess who destroyed her murderous parents and married her philandering brother who does his best to make mockery of the fact that she is Goddess of the Family, is at the very end of her rope with his bullshit when Heracles is born. She can't quite handle Zeus so she focuses all her pain and rage on his son.

Heracles, however, knows Hera from her reputation alone and only knows that he is named to be "Hera's Glory" which he tries his utmost to live up to. He prays to her all the time, does great deeds in her name, and honors her with sacrifices.

If you know much about Greek mythology then you know that most myths do not end well for the protagonists. They are tragedies written large, and Heracles certainly follows in that tradition. Hera snaps in her rage at her husband and sends a fury to torment and kill Heracles, but instead Heracles is driven into a stupor of madness and kills his sons. The Goddess of Family has become the instigator of filicide and Heracles the protector has become a perpetrator of atrocity.

The author does a great job with the characters. Hera, these days, is often a rather overshadowed goddess who's seen as sort of a nagging shrew. In this book, she works hard to create and preserve families but she has so much pain and rage that she can't see straight. She was convincing to me. Her fellow Olympians (who are also basically her family) have no healthy habits in family behavior to learn so even if they are trying to help her they do so through conspiracy and machinations. But I ended up liking most of them anyway. Ares redeemed himself with me with his repitition of "A veteran loves his mother.", the closest anyone comes to saying how they feel. The author instead shows us through these immortals' actions where their loyalties lie.

Heracles is a poignant character. He can't comprehend what has happened and needs to understand. He's almost insensate with grief and guilt but he still embarks on a trip to the Delphi oracle to find out which deity was responsible for his possession. Hera, wrestling with guilt of her own that she doesn't want to admit to yet, intervenes and deceptively sends him on a series of Labors that ostensibly will lead him to the god responsible.

However, Heracles is basically a guy who sees other creatures' pain and only wants to help them, not kill them. The great Lion, the Hydra, even the Bull of Crete, he manages to win them over and they become a sort of found family for him who help him from experiencing utter despair.

But eventually there will have to be a reckoning between Hera and her namesake. I'd better not say any more about the plot.

But I ached for these characters. They were both hurt so badly and there seemed to be no way that this could resolve. Hera couldn't see any worth in herself, much as she talked about being Queen of Olympus. Heracles had set his whole identity around his fidelity to his family and to Hera and his soft heart was set to be pierced in a way that couldn't be healed.

These didn't feel like twentyfirst century inserts of morality displaced to ancient Greece to me, even though I know that a truly Bronze Age Greek man would not have Heracles' psychology. They both felt so human. I feel like in his first book, the author skimmed simplistically over the surface of how humans work. In this one, he really dug into sources of pain, isolation and self-loathing. I was moved by this book.

I love Greek mythology retellings - something about taking stories and changing them based on our current view of the world is an incredible thing. I don't think this book succeeds in doing that.

This just wasn't for me. We follow Heracles, a son of Zeus who does everything he can to give glory to his "Auntie" Hera. Meanwhile, Hera resents him because he's a product of Zeus's infidelity; true to the myths, Hera pushes Heracles to murder his children, leading us to watch Heracles go through his famed twelve labors. Because Heracles doesn't want to inflict any more harm, he befriends these beats instead.

I didn't enjoy the modernisms of this book at all. From the bizarre choice of vernacular to the constant soap opera portrayal of the Olympians (even though this is accurate to how their believers would have seen them), this like this were major, cringeworthy distractions. Another issue is the language and prose being so simplistic at times that it actually negated any emotional impact. Nothing lingered, the story just keeps churning even after it lost my attention.

If I ever have to read the words "dipshit husband" again, I'll go crazy.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and DAW Books for the advanced reader copies.</i>

Reconozco que es muy difícil hacer un retelling de la mitología griega que suene original, llevamos siglos revisitando estas historias y es complicado no contar algo que ya hayamos visto. John Wiswell encima se decide por los mitos más conocidos, las doce pruebas de Hércules, que hemos visto narradas hasta la saciedad.


Si bien es cierto que su aproximación añade el toque moderno de la familia encontrada versus la familia biológica y cierto tono chistoso al principio con la relación entre Heracles y Hera, idolatrando a su mayor enemiga, la novela en general aporta poco al lector.

Los distintos puntos de vista intentan alterar un poco el ritmo para el lector, pero retorcer cada mito con animales para que Heracles vaya acompañado de su zoo particular es repetir en demasía un patrón que acaba resultando cansino. Y ese problema, la repetición, es el principal escollo para disfrutar de la lectura. Es que siempre estamos dándole vueltas a lo mismo, la culpabilidad de Heracles por el ataque de las furias, la culpabilidad de Hera por dejarse llevar por sus impulsos, la culpabilidad de las Furias por hacer caso a su propia naturaleza… Es todo lo mismo una y otra vez.

Además, la prosa tampoco es que esté muy refinada. Vale que Hera tiene una cornamenta que llega desde aquí hasta Lima, pero repetir tantísimas veces “my dipshit husband” no es que vaya a aportar mucho a la novela, más bien inciden en lo repetitiva que es, incidiendo aún más en su principal problema.

John Wiswell intenta humanizar al dios más humano, pero no lo consigue de una manera que sea atractiva para el lector. Esperaba algo más del ganador del premio Nebula, la verdad.

Dual POV is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, especially when it's done like this. Hera's perspective was my favorite, and it made her a little bit more "human" as she is usually considered evil, arrogant and full of envy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately I DNF’d this book at around 25% - while I was excited going into this, having enjoyed Someone You Can Build a Nest In, this book really failed to grasp my attention or emotional investment. While the modern slang was funny at first, the constant use of it really overstayed its welcome and made the tone of the book feel very flippant, clashing with moments that were intended to be more emotionally impactful and serious. I also felt that our primary characters weren’t fully fleshed out as tangible entities, leaving hollow shells filled only with broad character troupes (“vengeful god” and “golden retriever demigod” I suppose??). Because of this the narrative began to feel overly repetitive and ultimately led to me giving up on this attempt. Im certain this book has an audience out there, but it’s not me.

Interesting take on a legendary hero🏛

I really liked the author's take on Heracles the heroic demigod son of Zeus famous for his incredible strength and labors. Here, he's a devoted father and husband with a gentle soul totally traumatized by the death of his sons. His grief is palpable. His quest to uncover the orchestrator of their horrifying deaths ends up sending Heracles out to conquer some of the age's most terrifying monsters. Heracles befriends them and eases their pain instead! Friendship and the broader definition of family are major themes and Heracles' entourage amply demonstrates loyalty and devotion to their new friend.

The story is told by alternating the POV between Heracles and Hera. Turns out Hera, who hates her husband Zeus's philandering, turns against Heracles and then realizes her rage has taken things too far. Her attempts to rectify things don't always succeed.

Add in lots of scheming by the whole pantheon of gods and the story got quite confusing.

Wearing the Lion was not an easy or quick read. It lost me in the middle, but I am glad I persevered to get caught up again as the book raced to the climax.

Thanks to DAW and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 6/17/25 on Waterstones, Goodreads and Bookbub, and with kobo, Barnes & Noble, BAM and Google Play.

Actual rating: 4.5 Stars
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When I say this book is hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time - I mean exactly that. The story is narrated in dual POV between Hera and sweet, beautiful, pudgy, noodle-armed bisexual himbo Heracles/Alcides (yes the two names do play a role). Hera is a goddess in every sense of the world and Wiswell has captured her fury, frustration, power, impotence, rage, cunning, love, and so many other nuances in his depiction of her. To give you a sense of tone, Hera calls Zeus her “dipshit” husband on the first page and debates beating him to death with his own dick before the end of the first chapter.
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In comparison to the brash, unfiltered portrayal of Hera, we have this intoxicatingly sweet depiction of Heracles, who does nothing but send her love and prayers throughout his entire life - despite her actively cursing his existence. He remains oblivious to her hatred for him, blinded by his love and devotion. But cracks begin to surface after a terrible event - one that was supposed to kill Heracles - and he is sent on his labors as a means to discover who was behind the tragedy.
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There is an innocence to Wiswell’s Heracles, but not a blindness. He is especially aware of those around him, desperate to please, to care for, and to protect, even if that means protecting them from himself.
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In Wearing the Lion you can count on a tone that will make you cackle as it breaks your heart, a bisexual Himbo of a Heracles, and found family in a way you’ve never seen it before.
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I cannot wait to read what Wiswell writes next and if it’s going to be the dragon book he teased - I am going to be FERAL for it.
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*I received an eARC from DAW & NetGalley. All opinions are my own*
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Hisses & Kisses 🐍

4.5 Stars

Wearing the Lion is a Greek mythology retelling that takes on the complicated relationship between Hera and Heracles. Hera, Queen of the Gods, takes anger about her husband's infidelity out on the latest fruit of his loins, Heracles. But being a demi-god, Heracles rises to the challenges thrown at him. Alternating between Hera and Heracles' POVs, Wearing the Lion shows that there are multiple ways to overcome trials, or to seek revenge.

This book is separated into four parts and my feelings about the different parts vary. I LOVED Part 1 and 2 of the book, which focuses on Heracles making a name for himself and Hera becoming increasingly annoyed with him. The alternating POVs were done in such a witty way with Heracles praying to Hera, and I really liked how Hera was written in this part specifically. Part 3 and 4 took on a more contemplative tone, which while still enjoyable, did make this read a lot slower to me, which brought down my enjoyment. I did still enjoy the moral imparted by the story about found families, weaponizing guilt, and making amends.

Overall, if you love Greek Mythology retellings, this is one I would recommend.

As far as Greek mythology retellings go, this was an absolute standout for me. I can’t say a lot of them has made me chuckle quite as much as this one has been able to.

Wearing the Lion is so easy to follow and fall into, and while normally I might find it easy to be annoyed when reading reimaginings, the way Wiswell put the plot together was too entertaining to leave me with any serious complaints. Yes, the word ‘dipshit’ might be used frequently when Hera references her husband, but I’ve read books where a lead always refers to their significant other in ways like “my darling husband” or “my beloved wife” and those are never received as a problem, so I have no issue with Zeus being a dipshit.

One thing that I was surprised by, and not in a negative way, was how it differed from the way most Greek mythology retellings tend to be really dark. Wiswell’s prose made it funny and light paced, and I wasn’t bored from the first to last page.

The retelling of tales from Greek mythology is not new – Shakespeare did it among others. But it feels like there are a lot of retellings, reimaginings and reworkings of Greek mythology doing the rounds at the moment. From Pat Barker’s Women of Troy series, to Madeline Miller’s Circe and Song of Achilles, to various works by authors like Stephen Fry, Jennifer Saint and Natlie Haynes. And not only in literature but also on the screen. Recently we had Charlie Covell’s very modern take in Kaos, Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche playing Odysseus and Penelope in The Return and next year we will have Christopher Nolan’s star studded voyage of Odysseus. So to say this is a crowded market in which to pitch a Greek retelling is an understatement.
And yet, if anyone can bring their own, unique spin on this material it is John Wiswell. His debut Someone You Can Build a Nest In was a sweetly twisted fractured fairy tale told from the perspective of the monster. And he brings much of this sensibility to his retelling of the tale of the labours of Heracles (itself done many times including as a Disney animated musical) in Wearing the Lion.
When Wearing the Lion opens it feels very much in the vein of Kaos – a very modern rendering of the Greek pantheon, to the point where readers could almost imagine Geoff Goldblum and Janet McTeer reprising their roles as Zeus and Hera. This section (and half of the book) is narrated by Hera, who is not happy. They are on high in Olympos, witnessing the conception and birth of Zeus’s latest child, conceived with a human. Hera is prevented from killing Zeus as she wants to but does manage to change the prophecy so that the child, Alcides, while blessed with godlike strength, does not become king.
Hera takes against the child.But it turns out that Alcides worships his “aunty” Hera and almost from the beginning - taking the name Heracles in her honour. Heracles unwittingly turns Hera’s plans against her in the other strand of the novel which is mainly written as prayers from Heracles to Hera.
This opening sets a particular tone – heightened, satirical, comic. Those who are already familiar with the story will know that it gets dark fairly quickly as Hera drives Heracles mad to the point where he kills his own children. In the original story Heracles then undertakes 12 labours (seemingly impossible tasks) for King Eurystheus. But it is at this point that Wiswell goes well off script, using those 12 tasks as a kind of scaffold for a very different tale.
Heracles is trying to find out who forced him to kill his children. Hera, concerned that he will discover her involvement, contrives to send him on impossible quests to prevent him from learning the truth. And while in the original story Heracles kills a series of undefeatable monsters (including the invincible lion of Nemea, the many-headed hydra and the man eating Erymanthian boar), in this version Heracles, scarred by the death of his children befriends them instead and they join him on his quest.
Meanwhile on Olympos, Hera, wracked with guilt over the death of Heracles’ children, is finding she has her own family issues to deal with as her children start interfering in the quest and jockeying to take over the throne in Zeus’s unexplained absence.
In Wisell’s hands, the twelve labours of Heracles are completely refashioned to become a delightful found family narrative in the mortal realm with Heracles as a man sick of violence who just wants to be befriend those who are outcast and for people to be kind to each other. And on Olympos it becomes a godly family drama (with hints of Succession) with Hera desperately trying to right her own wrongs while dealing with a range of ambitious, greedy, powerful but also loyal children.
Overall Wearing the Lion does not work quite as well as Wiswell’s debut, and this could be because he is refashioning existing material rather than creating something new. While Wiswell is in many ways reverential to the text, his approach, which reimagines many well-defined characters of Greek mythology, sometimes strains against the constraints of the original story and characters that he is drawing from.
As with his debut, Wiswell’s characters, including many of the side characters, are delightful and engaging even when they are doing bad things. The narrative is full of humour, sly winks to the source material and more than a little quirkiness. Treated as a piece of interpretation that brings an ancient story to life and gives it a new relevance, rather than a strict retelling, Wearing the Lion is a success.

This was such an interesting take on Heracles' story. I loved the dual perspective from Heracles and Hera. The sympathy for Hera was also brilliant.

DNF at 25%. This is disappointing as I am a huge Greek mythology fan, and love seeing stories reinvisioned and retold in a modern spin. When I saw this being compared to the works of Jennifer Saint, I was so excited, but this book just disappointed me. This mainly comes down to the writing; the premise of the book holds so much promise, but the execution needs work, a lot of work. I'm sure this would appeal to a specific audience who enjoys more of a specific type of humor, because that is what this reads as: a comedic take on the story of Hercules, not a retelling from a different perspective. I'm not one to be offended by cursing, but there is an absurd amount of cursing, and it adds no value to the story; it's just there for the sake of being there. If I never have to read the words "dipshit husband" again, it will be too soon. The tone in which Hera is written also rubs me the wrong way; it feels as if Wiswell is pushing the 'crazy ex-wife' narrative a bit too hard, like shoving it in your face and suffocating hard. The entire time I was reading it just felt like a watered-down version of Greek mythology told by a stand-up comedian who did not do his research.

I really enjoyed this! It's similar to Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson in the way it's filled with humour and heartbreak. Yet while they're two books with a similar tone and the same subject, they tell very different stories and I think it's worth reading both. Wearing the Lion involves Heracles's labours but the why and how are very different from the original myths. Where Herc is actually very faithful to them, Wearing the Lion takes A LOT of liberties. Purists, you've been warned!

Alternating POVs between Heracles and Hera worked great. Heracles is a very compelling character and I loved this new take on him. He's far from the idiotic, violent muscle man we often see. Here he's thoughtful, compassionate, generous, desperate to ease his own pain and that of the people around him. As for Hera, she's infuriating and majestic, vengeful then moving. Her POVs right after she makes Heracles do you-know-what were very emotional and she has amazing character development.

You have to enjoy humour in your myth retellings to enjoy this. Here's a test: Heracles names the Nemean Lion Purrseus. If that makes you smile, you're good to pick this up. If not, then this book probably won't be for you.

I have only two criticisms. One is that there are two subplots I didn't think brought anything to the story: one involving Zeus and another, Heracles impersonators. They're barely there so it didn't bother me but I just didn't see the purpose of them. The other thing is that two characters who die at Heracles's hands in the myth don't here. I'm torn on that change. It tones down the horror of what Heracles does and makes it a lot easier to root for him. Which I understand in the context of this particular tale but I think it could have worked without removing this integral part of his story.

Also, I hope I never have to read the words 'my dipshit husband' ever again.

I did miss a few characters from the myths a little. I'd have loved to see more of Iphicles and their parents, as well as Iolaus. Heracles only marries once, to Megara. Sadly, there's also no Hylas, but we do get bi Heracles. And that brings me to the greatest strength of this novel in my opinion: the beautiful found family vibe and complete acceptance of everyone's identity. Heracles is bi. Athena is ace. The hydra uses they/them pronouns. Although they're unnamed, trans characters are mentioned. There's even a guy who doesn't identify as a human for a while. None of it is judged negatively or even explained; it just is and everyone accepts it. Despite the tragedies and pain that Heracles and Hera go through, it made for a beautiful, heartwarming story and one I'll be happy to reread in the future.