Review of 'This Immortal Heart' - Jennifer Saint

The story of Aphrodite and Ares is one I thought I not only knew, but knew well. However, this re-telling of their love affair casts a whole different light on the version I knew, and I absolutely loved it. The Greek gods are often portrayed in quite a one-dimensional way; they are childish and ignorant/uncaring of the effects their actions have on the lives of the humans they care little for. Saint takes that trope and turns it on its head. Aphrodite is far less self-centred and vain than she is usually portrayed and Hephaestus, often regarded as a combination of villain and figure of mockery, is a fully fleshed out character. Saint's portrayals of the gods remains true to their natures, but gives them much more rounded personalities and their fancies and foibles become more akin to human weaknesses than actions borne out of a lack of awareness.

The love affair at the heart of this book very much has a feel of doomed lovers, destined to be torn apart and felt less Greek god and more Romeo and Juliet, but with infintely less angst and teenage drama. Aphrodite and Ares are more mature lovers, with a full understanding of the consequences of their actions. However, making them more 'human' meant that as the reader, I didn't feel that sense of distance that I quite often do in other similarly themed books set in the classical world.

I loved the explanation of how Hephaestus is lamed and another real strength of the book is that there is no playing into the ugly villain stereotype. Aphrodite is often at pains to point out that she thinks Hephaestus is attractive - he isn't Ares good-looking, but he is handsome in his own way and more importantly, is kind and caring. He makes mistakes, yes, but he learns from them and changes. I think this highlights a really important point in the modern world as well; that all 'looks' and 'body types' have their place in the world and are equally valuable.

The story had a very contemporary feel to it overall and I think this definitely works in its favour. It's a classical book for people who aren't necessarily interested in the classical world and I think anyone who likes a well-written romance would enjoy this. I had the double benefit of liking both genres.