I really enjoy greek mythology and retellings, so I was excited to received this digital review copy. I felt that this retelling was original, thought provoking and well written. However, I do believe that there was a pacing issue with this book and that made it difficult to full immerse myself in it. It also felt a little disjointed at times, and could have used a little bit more polishing for a completed story. Overall, I did find the story itself to be enjoyable and original so I would still recommend this highly to anyone interested in greek mythology retellings.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved John Wiswell's debut novel, so I was really looking forward to reading his latest. Greek mythology is certainly a change from what I would describe as "cozy horror" but I was interested to see how he did with a new genre.

Unfortunately, this was a mixed bag for me. I loved Heracles himself, who definitely had a kind of naïve charm. He finds himself at odds with the goddess Hera, who has hated him since his birth due to her husband Zeus' infidelity. While I liked Heracles, Hera drove me batty. She was so cartoonishly angry, and her humor did not land for me at all.

I did enjoy the gentle solution to all of the tasks. Heracles was really a very endearing character. I just think I like my Greek retellings to be more poetic ala Madeline miller. Some readers will definitely adore this, but since the humor was a miss for me, it really didn't work.

Three stars for the character of Heracles, who I did really love!

John Wiswell wrecked my precarious emotional state twice in one month! It has to be a new record!

This book is equal parts fun, heartbreaking, and exciting. The 12 Labors of Hercules is one of my favorite stories period, and seeing it reframed in such a touching and human way was…fun? Devastating? Incredible? Yeah. All of the above.

If you love a found family trope, mythological retellings, and just generally trying to read through your tears, this might be for you!

I’d recommend for fans of T. Kingfisher (especially if you loved The Saint of Steel Series or Nettle and Bone), fans of TJ Klune, and/or fans of Travis Baldree.

Wearing the Lion releases on June 17th and is absolutely worth the ride.

Thank you to @dawbooks and @netgalley for an early review copy. 😊

Only giving this 5 stars because I can't give it more. This was absolutely perfect - I laughed, I cried, I contemplated the universe. I will be reading anything this author publishes, please and thank you.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Hera and Heracles as they're forced to confront the wrongs they've done and each other.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the tone overall, and thought there were a number of parts that were very funny. My biggest issue with the book was the lack of clear content warning about the death of Heracles's children in the book. The summary did mention Heracles's children die, and that is part of the myth, but the way it happened was extremely upsetting, and the descriptions were more horrific than I expected. I almost put the book down at that point. I kept reading, but even though there were a lot of really great found family elements to the rest of story; it was never enough to make up for the upsetting source of Heracles's labors.

This was a really good retelling of the Hercules mythology. I really love all the Greek mythological characters and gods, so this was an exciting read for me.

I was unsure about this read at first but it really grew on me! This book is a great mix of adventure, humor and friendship. I really enjoyed how optimistic Heracles was. Any problem he encountered he looked at with an open mind. My favorite character has to be Logy. I just imagine this large serpent creature squeezing to fit on the chariot with Heracles. I really enjoyed this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Daw for this ARC. Due to be published June 17, 2025

Thanks to NetGalley for access to a copy.

I enjoyed this retelling of labours of Hercules. But I'm not sure how to review it. There are comedic moments and its also tragic. This felt very much like it is its own thing and not very like other books.

Hercules and Hera are the main POVs we see and she is mostly angry while he is very naive. They do both grow and I think the ending earned.

Recommended.

A great retelling of the Hercules. I could have done without all the swearing and F-bombs, but this is one of the best adaptions of the myth I’ve encountered, including Hercules with Kevin Sorbo.

Ever since I read the other book this author wrote, I knew I'd want to also read other book written by him. So when this one appeared on NetGalley, I immediately send my request. And here we are.

This Heracles's retelling has three povs: Hera, Heracles and Alcides. These last two make a very particular point of view, 'cause they are from the same person but "Heracles" means the protagonist sees himself as a hero, as "Hera's Glory"; "Alcides" means that he feels a mortal, a man, vulnerable, sometimes hopeless.

The story is divided in five parts: "The Rise", "The Family", "The War", "The Peace", "The Fall". This division helps the reader both in keeping track of the main character's life and also it defines really well where Heracles is emotionally in that part of the plot.

The language used in the book is frank, direct, sometimes scurrilous; very simple to understand and very down-earthed.

I have to be honest: I usually don't like Greek Heroes, not even Heracles. But Wiswell's version of him totally fascinated me. He's gentle, kind, brave, delicate. He's so full of love, so full of altruism. He's more human than demigod. It broke my heart to see him suffer so much. It's a first, for me.

Surprisingly, also the Greek Gods and Goddesses are more human than one might expect (most of them). Especially Ares and Hera.

One of the thing I loved the most is how the concept of distances in space and the passing of time are represented in a way that perfectly reflects the idea of divine eternity: Hera bats and eye on Olympus, and in the meantime Heracles on Earth made a full journey and defeated an enemy.

This retelling doesn't fully follow the myths in the canonical way we know them, but the twists and reinterpretations of the legends are well written, a pleasant surprise.

Trigger warning: some scenes (especially the part of the story when Heracles climb mount Olympus and talks to Hera) are very vivid and detailed and gore.

Overall, by the way, this book tells a story of love, friendship, found family, and a journey to find one's true self.

I had a book from this author in my TBR on goodreads, so imagine my delight seeing a Greek myth retelling from them and getting approved for it!
It was a wonderful retelling, I adore that we get to follow Hera in this story along with Hercules.
I would love to see more from this Author!

This was one of my most anticipated reads for the year and it exceeded my expectations. When I tell you this will be THE Heracles story people will look to from now on, I am not exaggerating. Just like in Someone You Can Build a Nest In, there is so much heart in this story, even in the most unexpected of ways. There is also so much grief and trauma that it hurts to watch Heracles go through his labors and later lose himself to it.

Along the way, there is the best group of found family, full of myths, legends, and monsters. This is a found family you will die for. And all of this is just on Heracles’s or rather, Alcides’s, side of the story. The other half of the story comes from Hera’s POV.

Hera had to watch as Zeus was unfaithful to her over and over again. And rightfully, she was pissed. So she decides to take it out on Heracles, who, despite this, is absolutely devoted to her.

“Quit praying to me, you little sh!t!” had me absolutely dying. Most of the funniest book quotes I have come across come from Hera. Do not go into this expecting the gods to use proper, older language. Expect cursing and slightly modernized speech as a way to spice up the world a bit.

This story is a reimagining of the myths (not a retelling) while also keeping many aspects true to their origins. Apollo being a domain stealer is hilarious. Athena, always being so wise and also very capable, feels spot on. I love how Ares gives “peace a chance” with Aphrodite. Just so much of this book is so, so good.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming and hilarious story based on the myth of Heracles, that will also leave you heartbroken and gutted, then you need this story! It is dark and it is sweet. You will laugh. You will cry. And you will want to read more and more of Wiswell’s work.

Thank you to @dawbooks for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Wiswell pulls off an impressive feat with this book. The plot structure is deceptively simple; the themes and characterization are terrifically complex. One might expect something flatter and more feel-good than the myths it's based on. But that expectation would do <i>Wearing the Lion</i> a great disservice. What we have here instead is a deeply humane story of family, found and otherwise, but also one of grief, generational trauma, and redemption sought the long and hard way 'round.

Wiswell's Heracles is lovable and three-dimensional, easy to ache and cheer for. There's something almost Seven Samurai-esque about the way he gathers his merry band of legendary monsters to his bosom. But it's Wiswell's Hera who's truly a marvel. Oh, yes, she's still very much the vindictive, petulant, and capricious goddess of myth. But she's also wounded and loving and dragging herself into being better, step by painstaking step. Wiswell's writing refuses to flatten her into either harridan or blameless victim, both of which would be hideously out of character. There's also something particularly special about the way he writes her relationship with her son Ares, another god who tends to get flattened in retellings.

In general, I love the way Wiswell writes the Greek gods. They are at once human and relatable, and larger than life and fundamentally inhuman, shifting avatars and burrowing into their domains. They feel like <i>gods</i> and that can't be easy to pull off.

Is <i>Wearing the Lion</i> a perfect book? Not quite. There are some choppy transitions and middle sag. I almost didn't care. Not when Wiswell manages to create a myth retelling which feels truer to source than many I could name, all while walking the tonal line of a fractured fairy tale. We've got something special here, and well worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

A humorous, energetic and witty reimagining of the story of Hercules.

The biggest thing that struck me about this story was how Wistwell twists a tale of violence, vengeance, and rage into a story about family, redemption and friendship. Wistwell takes the traditional tales of monsters being defeated and humanises them and flips their connection to the protagonist. Hercules’s relationship to these “monsters” also shows a different kind of heroism to the one traditionally found in the original.

Hera is also an interesting, very flawed character. Her battles against Zeus, Hercules, and her identity are a prominent theme. At times, Hera as a character can be intense, and her chapters have an angry, struggling element - this can feel a bit heavy; however, this does even out as Hera learns more about herself and her relationship with others.

Overall, I really enjoyed this creative retelling of a well-known Greek myth and how it weaves contemporary and more positive themes throughout.

DNF @ 27%

Wiswell's debut was my favourite book of 2024 so I'm absolutely gutted that this one didn't work for me.

This is one where I was already wary at 0% and found it to be consistent for the next 27%, so readers should be able to tell early on if they can vibe with it or not. I wasn't vibing with Hera's overuse of "dipshit" and find the extreme naivete of Heracles to strain both credulity and charm.

There's something about the tone here that's trying very, very hard but absolutely rubs me the wrong way. Hera is jealous and angry, she comes across like every terrible stereotype of an ex-wife while not actually being Zeus's ex. The juxtaposition of wholesome Heracles who is just a naive, good boy who absolutely adores her should make for some great comedy, but only made me feel weary.

I pushed on until 27% because I wanted to give the book time to cook and at least watch Heracles with his first trial, but the tone was too consistent and just not for me.

I still absolutely love the concept and the Kindle cover for this one, and I'll certainly try Wiswell's next book. Unfortunately this one's not for me and I'm gonna cut my losses here.

4.25 stars ⭐️

This was such a funny and heartfelt book, and very different from other greek myth retelling I’ve read! The emphasis on found family and character growth was really an interesting direction to take the story of Heracles in, and it was really sweet. And I LOVED Hera’s pov throughout the book, making it dual pic really elevated the story.
I did think that it got a bit slow in the middle, and I wish we had gotten a final resolution with Zeus, but overall I really enjoyed this book and will be checking out John Wiswell’s other work.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this eARC

"This is the spot where he now calls, 'Come look. This kid is going to be your favorite.'"

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC by John Wiswell. A story of Heracles that I didn't know I needed. When the Queen of Olympos sends down a retired Fury to punish Heracles for being born, which sets him off on a journey to seek justice and redeem himself, I didn't expect it to be in the form of a found family. Heracles and his found family go on a journey to find the identity of the god who infected his mind and forced him to kill his children, only for that redemption to be each other. I love how wholesome a found family version of Heracles is and learning/being reminded that Heracle isn't actually his name, it's Alcides. If you are an adult Percy Jackson kid wanting for adult retellings in the same vein as Jennifer Saint's retellings, this is one for you.

This is an interesting take on the Hera/Heracules relationship and gives the perspective on both sides really well. I found the changes and how his labors were accomplished in this story to be very interesting. I do think the ones who would benefit from this the most are the ones most familiar with the mythology to see the changes that were made, but also I kept thinking of the Disney movie because of the lightness from Heracules himself early on. Overall, while I had some issues with pacing throughout the book, this was still an enjoyable read.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this adaptation and interpretation of the Labours of Hercules. The voice of the characters is so very good, and I really enjoyed the overall changes made from the original story, with Hercules taking care of the animals and creatures he is sent to kill, and grappling with his own grief and faith through the story. I will say, this book felt like it took forever, and I’m not really sure what the issue was. I just felt like it moved way too slowly to continue being engaging the whole way through, maybe it’s the writing style or just how spaced out I found plot points. But the slowness is really my only major complaint!

Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell is a very enjoyable retelling of the Heracles story. The characterisation of Hera and Heracles was fantastic, especially Hera, whose vivid personality pulled me in right from the start. I genuinely laughed out loud more than once, her snarkiness was legendary. The pacing kept me absorbed in the story for the most part although it did slow down a little in the middle. Still, the story was so engaging that I flew through it. Definitely a fun and memorable read which I will probably return to.