Jennifer Saint takes the women that Greek mythology pushed to the edges of its stories and puts them at the centre. Ariadne, Elektra, Atalanta, Hera and Aphrodite have all been given their own novels, and four of them became Sunday Times bestsellers. If you loved Madeline Miller or Pat Barker and want more myth told from the inside, she is the natural next author to read.
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About Jennifer Saint
Early Life
Jennifer Saint grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the stories hidden inside the famous ones: the sisters, wives and daughters who appear for a line or two and then vanish. She studied Classical Studies at King’s College London, where she is now a Visiting Research Fellow in the Classics department.
Writing Career
Before she was a novelist, Saint spent thirteen years teaching English in a secondary school. After those years in the classroom she wrote her first novel, Ariadne, and when it came out in 2021 it became a Sunday Times bestseller, a Waterstones Book of the Month and a finalist for Waterstones Book of the Year.
She followed it with Elektra in 2022, Atalanta in 2023 and Hera in 2024. Elektra and Atalanta both reached number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list, and her books have been published in 25 languages. She then moved to Viking in the UK and Ballantine in the US in a two-book deal, and the first of those novels, This Immortal Heart, came out in June 2026.
Saint now writes full time and lives in Yorkshire, where she is President of the Leeds and District branch of the Classical Association.
Writing Style
Saint writes in a clear, warm, readable style, closer to a page-turner than a literary puzzle. Her novels usually move between two or three women, so the reader sees one myth from several sides at once: in Elektra, for example, the chapters pass between Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra herself.
Her recurring theme is how women survive in a world run by powerful men and unpredictable gods. The gods are real and present in her books, meddling in mortal lives, much as they do in Madeline Miller’s Circe.
Jennifer Saint Books in Order
Jennifer Saint does not write a series. Each novel stands alone and retells a different myth, so you can start anywhere. Here are her novels in publication order.
1. Ariadne (2021)
Myth: Theseus and the Minotaur Setting: Crete and the Aegean
Ariadne and her sister Phaedra are princesses of Crete, daughters of the fearsome King Minos, and they grow up hearing the bellows of the Minotaur in the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The monster is their brother, and every year he demands blood. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives as one of the sacrifices, Ariadne falls in love with him. Helping him kill the Minotaur means betraying her family and her country, in a world where drawing the attention of the gods can cost you everything.
2. Elektra (2022)
Myth: The House of Atreus and the Trojan War Setting: Mycenae and Troy
The House of Atreus is cursed, caught in a cycle of violence and revenge that runs down the generations. The novel follows three women bound up in that curse. Clytemnestra, Helen’s sister and Agamemnon’s wife, sees her hopes collapse when Helen is taken to Troy. Cassandra, Princess of Troy, is cursed by Apollo to see the future and never be believed. Elektra, the youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, is horrified by the bloodshed in her own family and has to decide whether she can escape it.
3. Atalanta (2023)
Myth: Atalanta and the voyage of the Argonauts Setting: Arcadia and the voyage of the Argo
The King of Arcadia wanted a son, so his newborn daughter is left on a mountainside to die. She is found by a mother bear and raised alongside the cubs, under the protection of the goddess Artemis. Grown up and determined to prove herself among the heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves the forest to join Jason’s Argonauts as the only woman on the quest. It is the most adventurous of Saint’s novels and a good choice for readers who like action alongside their mythology.
4. Hera (2024)
Myth: The rise of the Olympians Setting: Mount Olympus and the world of gods and mortals
Hera, daughter of the Titan Cronus, helps her brother Zeus overthrow their tyrannical father and dreams of ruling at his side. But as their reign on Mount Olympus takes shape, she begins to suspect that Zeus may be just as ruthless as the father they betrayed. Myth usually casts Hera as the jealous wife or the wicked stepmother. Saint shows her as a queen who must decide whether to carry on the cycle of cruelty around her or find a way to build something better.
5. This Immortal Heart (2026)
Myth: Aphrodite and Ares Setting: Mount Olympus
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, holds power over every heart, mortal and divine, and is ruled by passion whatever the cost. Ares, God of War, is her opposite: feared, unwanted and devoted to chaos. When their lives collide, they find that the gods are no more immune to love and loss than anyone else, and that even divine love cannot protect them from the politics of Olympus. Saint’s first novel with Viking is her most romantic yet, a love story set among the gods.
Reading Jennifer Saint in Myth Order
Because every book stands alone, publication order works perfectly well. If you would rather follow the myths’ own timeline, this is roughly how they fall:
- Hera, which begins with the overthrow of the Titans
- This Immortal Heart, set among the Olympian gods
- Atalanta, the age of Jason and the Argonauts
- Ariadne, the generation of Theseus
- Elektra, the Trojan War and its aftermath
Greek myth does not keep a strict calendar, and different ancient writers tell the same stories in different ways, so treat this as a guide rather than a rule.
Where to Start with Jennifer Saint
Start with Ariadne. It is her debut, it is her best known book, and it shows everything she does well: a familiar myth, a sister’s eye view and a heroine who has to make an impossible choice.
If you want…
- The Trojan War: read Elektra, then go on to our Best Greek Mythology Historical Fiction list for more retellings of Troy.
- An adventure story: read Atalanta.
- The gods themselves: read Hera.
- A love story: read This Immortal Heart.
Books by Time Period
All of Jennifer Saint’s novels are set in the mythical world of the Greek Bronze Age, the age of heroes that the ancient Greeks themselves looked back on. For more fiction set in the ancient world, see our Ancient World time period hub, and for novels set in historical Greece, from the Persian Wars to Alexander the Great, our list of the Best Ancient Greece Historical Fiction.
Popular Jennifer Saint Books
Ariadne is still the book most readers start with, and the one that made Saint’s name. Its strength is the relationship between the two sisters, Ariadne and Phaedra, whose lives take very different paths after Theseus arrives in Crete. Readers who know the myth will find it told from a side they have never seen. Readers who don’t will simply find a gripping story.
Elektra is the book that took Saint to number one. It retells one of the darkest stories in Greek tragedy, the curse on the House of Atreus, and its three narrators give a fuller picture of the Trojan War than any one voice could. Film and television rights to Elektra have been sold to the studio A24.
Awards and Recognition
- Ariadne: shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2021, Waterstones Book of the Month, Sunday Times bestseller
- Elektra: number one Sunday Times bestseller
- Atalanta: number one Sunday Times bestseller
- Hera: Sunday Times bestseller
Writing Schedule and Upcoming Books
This Immortal Heart was published in June 2026 as the first of a two-book deal with Viking, and the agreement announced in 2025 planned the second novel for 2028. No title has been announced for it yet, so watch this page for news.
Similar Authors You’ll Enjoy
- Madeline Miller: the writer who started the modern wave of Greek myth retellings. Start with The Song of Achilles or Circe.
- Pat Barker: a grittier, more literary Trojan War, told by the women in the Greek camp in The Silence of the Girls.
- Natalie Haynes: a classicist with a sharp, funny voice. A Thousand Ships tells the Trojan War through the women on every side, and Stone Blind retells the story of Medusa.
- Costanza Casati: if you liked Elektra, Clytemnestra gives the queen of Mycenae a novel of her own.
- Claire North: her Songs of Penelope trilogy begins with Ithaca and tells the Odyssey from the women left behind, with Hera as narrator.
- Claire Heywood: Daughters of Sparta follows Helen and Clytemnestra, a natural companion to Elektra.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Jennifer Saint book to start with?
Ariadne, her first novel, is the best place to start. It retells the story of Theseus and the Minotaur through Ariadne, Princess of Crete, and it shows everything her later books do well.
Do Jennifer Saint’s books need to be read in order?
No. Each of her novels is a standalone retelling of a different myth, so you can read them in any order. Some readers like to follow the myths’ own timeline, starting with Hera and ending with Elektra.
How many books has Jennifer Saint written?
Jennifer Saint has published five novels: Ariadne (2021), Elektra (2022), Atalanta (2023), Hera (2024) and This Immortal Heart (2026).
Are Jennifer Saint’s books historically accurate?
They are retellings of Greek myths rather than history, so they follow the ancient stories rather than archaeological fact. Saint studied Classical Studies at King’s College London, and her novels stay close to the versions of the myths told by ancient writers while giving more space to the women in them.
What time period are Jennifer Saint’s novels set in?
All of her novels are set in the mythical age of heroes, the Greek Bronze Age world of the Trojan War, the Argonauts and the gods of Olympus.
Are Jennifer Saint’s books suitable for teenagers?
Her books are written for adults. Like the myths they retell, they include violence and war, so they suit older teenagers and adults rather than younger readers.
Will Jennifer Saint’s books be adapted for film or TV?
Film and television rights to Elektra have been sold to the studio A24, so an adaptation may follow.
What is This Immortal Heart about?
This Immortal Heart, published in June 2026, is a love story between Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, and Ares, God of War, two opposites whose lives collide on Mount Olympus.
Is Jennifer Saint writing a new book?
Yes. This Immortal Heart is the first of a two-book deal with Viking, and the second novel was planned for 2028 when the deal was announced. No title has been released yet.
Which authors are similar to Jennifer Saint?
Madeline Miller, Natalie Haynes, Pat Barker, Costanza Casati, Claire North and Claire Heywood all write novels that retell Greek myths, often from the point of view of the women in them.
Conclusion
Jennifer Saint has become one of the leading names in the boom of Greek myth retellings, and each of her five novels gives a familiar story a new centre of gravity. Start with Ariadne for her best known book, go to Elektra for the Trojan War, or pick up This Immortal Heart for her newest and most romantic story. For more novels in the same vein, see our Best Greek Mythology Historical Fiction list.