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.

This was a fun and forgiving take on Heracles’ 12 labours, but it felt quite disjointed and with less purpose and clarity than I’d have liked

DNF. This one’s a case of, it’s simply not to my taste.

Don’t enjoy the modernisms, don’t enjoy the portrayal of any of the gods (even if this is probably pretty close to how their believers saw them, ie as a constant soap opera), don’t buy into this take on Hera as someone I’m supposed to care about especially. (As much as I loved the ‘because I am there’ passage.) Hercules bores me. Whatever’s going on with Zeus in the background bores me. I can’t see any way what Hera did could ever be forgiveable or even understandable (I have yet to come across any story that comes up with a reason Hera doesn’t just murder ZEUS rather than going after his demi-gods).

I mean, I lost interest in retellings of the Greek myths years ago – I only picked this up because I loved Wiswell’s debut, and because I was interested in the hopepunk approach this looked like it was going to take. Probably I should have just skipped it.

The hand-wavey – not time-skips but time-summaries? – I genuinely hated, though. The language and prose is so simple, so straightforward it becomes dull. This is especially a problem because it makes the big emotional moments fall flat. The murder of the children? No impact, no emotion, no feeling. It doesn’t land. You have to make me feel the grief, the horror! You have to rip my heart out! And that absolutely does not happen. I felt nothing, and I felt nothing because it’s not described, it’s not lingered over, it’s almost sped through on fast-forward! WHAT.

The cinnamon roll sweetheart that is Hercules is just not as subversive or weird as Shesheshen’s being the main character was in Someone You Can Build a Nest In. It could have been, because of what a 180 it is from Greek heroic ideals, but that requires establishing those ideals first for a modern audience who don’t have them internalised. Teddy bear!dad is a character type modern readers know and love, it doesn’t ping us as strange. (Befriending monsters instead of slaying them probably would still ping as strange, but I didn’t get that far with the nook.) As-is, Hercules comes across as very sweet but uninteresting. I’d love to be friends in real life; I don’t want to read about him.

I don’t think it’s great. I’m not sure it’s bad. It’s definitely not for me.

"Good news, Heaven,” announces my dipshit husband. “I’ve made a new king of the mortals.” John Wiswell, Wearing the Lion

It bodes well, when the first line of a book makes me laugh. Wearing the Lion is a humorous retelling of Hercules, which turns tales of heroic deeds into a found family yarn. Hera is acerbic and vindictive, but I couldn't help but love her. Heracles is a clueless, but truly good hero that can't help collecting a menagerie of monsters.

But, it wouldn't be a Greek myth without turning dark. Then we get the character deep dives, which are just as fascinating. There is tragedy, heartbreak, loyalty, love, adventure, and acceptance, a bit of something for everyone.

This is a very interesting greek mythology tale which is told by both the pov of Hera the goddess of fertility and Hercules a mortal who is actually the illegitimate son of Hera's husband Zeues. Throughout the novel we read a lot of Hera's frustrations with her husband and the fact that her plots to kill Hercules are always foiled. Hercules is a very lovable character and can be a bit silly at times but overall he's a pretty cool guy.
Overall I did like it. Although the only complaint that I have is that I wasn't exactly fond of Hera's excessive swearing and name calling of her husband. I understand Zeus wasn't exactly an easy man to live with but really the excessive swearing got old after a while. Despite that however, this book is indeed worthy of five stars.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

4.5/5 stars

Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell is a mythological fantasy that reimagines the tale of Heracles, focusing on his complex relationships with the god, especially Hera.
Raised to honour the goddess of family, Heracles navigates divine politics, loyalties and personal trials while seeking his own path amidst immortal conflicts.
The story weaves myth and emotion and offers a different and fresh look on the story of Heracles or as we often know him Hercules.

If you are a fan of mythology you will likely really enjoy this story.

Due to the split view of Heracles and Hera and seeing different chapters in each perspective it gives us the human side of things and the god side of things.

And boy are the gods spoilt!

I personally really enjoyed the book and the way it took a different spin on a story we have seen more than once of the years.

It is my first John Wiswell book and I would be for sure interested to read more from him!

While the story is good and I did really enjoy my time, I do take away half a star simply because of the overuse of the word dipshit! We get it Hera hates her dipshit husband, we didn’t need to hear it over 40 times though lol!

Thank you to Netgalley and DAW publishing for providing me with this ARC!

“Dark yet endearingly sweet” seems like a good summary of Wiswell’s works. His <i>Someone You Can Build a Nest In</i> from last year is garnering all the major award noms, and I can see that repeated next year with this rewriting of the labors of Hercules. He takes on the tale with back and forth narratives told by Heracles and Hera. Heracles is kind of a good-hearted himbo who adores his family and diligently worships Hera; meanwhile, Hera loathes Heracles because he was produced by her husband’s philandering, and her project of vengeance is so deep she almost breaks herself in the process. That creates a complex book wherein the hero and villainess both struggle to find salvation amid their grief. The book isn’t without humor, though, and it often arises from the found family that Heracles creates through his labors.

I’ll eat up any mythological retelling, and I was super excited to read Wiswell’s take of the story of the labors of Hercules, told from Hera’s and Heracles’s perspectives. I really like Wiswell’s writing style: it’s irreverent and wry and you really feel the characters.

There’s tragedy and found family and self-discovery for both parties—all great ingredients.

Four rather than five stars because the last 20% dragged on a bit for me, and there were a few things I would’ve loved to have delved further into.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW!

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the digital ARC.

“The self comes to us through others.”

I absolutely loved this book. This was Greek myth retelling as I’ve never read it before. Not only have I never read a retelling like this before, I’ve never read a portrayal of Heracles like this before! Normally, Heracles is characterised by his brute strength, his ego, his impulsiveness and often, his lack of intelligence. In “Wearing the Lion”, Heracles is powered by the morality, kindness and bravery of a Disney Princess. And it works. It’s so good.

“Wearing the Lion” is a quest for justice and inner peace and truly, the real peace ends up being the friends Heracles and Hera made along the way. And it’s not schmaltzy, it’s not overdone- you never get sick of Heracles. You just love him and root for him.

“I wish I’d known this version of myself who knew how to be angry.”

“Life is worth more than one fleeting moment of glory.”

Similarly, the character of “Auntie Hera”, the antihero (see what Wiswell did there!!) is so tenderly written. I found myself tearing up multiple times on her behalf as she rediscovered what it meant to her to be the Goddess of Family. I thought nobody could outdo Claire North and Jennifer Saint’s portrayals of Hera and her inner voice, but John Wiswell really wowed me.

“What does our goodness matter to our victims?”

“I made you a tool when I should have made you loved.”

I sincerely hope Wiswell will bring the world more Greek mythology retellings. I eagerly anticipate rediscovering these ancient compelling stories, not through the lens of his wonderful mind, but just as I did in “Wearing the Lion”, via his heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars

A beautiful a masterfully written re-telling of the labours of Heracles.

This book is one of those rare gems that you can’t stop thinking about, even when you are not reading it and I know it will stay with me for a long time now that I have finished it.At its core this book is a story about healing, recovery and redemption after unimaginable loss told in a compelling fantasy setting.

I particularly loved:
- 🦁 Purrseus, an adorable animal sidekick will always get a high rating for me. This book benefited even more from a gang of loveable monsters.
- The role of found family in Heracles healing was written beautifully.
- Hera’s POV was incredibly enjoyable to read, even if she was incredibly cruel at times.

This gorgeous book was uplifting at times and made me cry more than once and I would highly recommend it to both fantasy fans and anyone who loves a unique and well crafted story.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is so completely different from SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN, and somehow also manages to hit the same dark cosy tone. Witchcraft, honestly.
WEARING THE LION captures the essence of Greek tragedy, while seamlessly weaving in humour and an incredible journey of emotional growth for its main characters.
I laughed. I cried. Sometimes I laughed and cried at the same time.
A dark tale with heart, humour, and a social conscience could have been jarring. But anything Wiswell touches just works.
Did I also picture the characters as their cartoon counterparts from Disney’s 1997 Hercules? Yes. Am I sorry? No.

Thanks to DAW and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early!