Hekate Book Review

Told as a narrative poem, Hekate traces the goddess’ life from her birth amid the war between the Titans and the gods of Greek mythology, through to her descent into the underworld, and finally her awakening to her powers and her desire to use them for justice. It’s a quiet epic, full of simmering rage at her situation and her lack of understanding about her own powers. In some ways, it reminded me a little of The Princess Saves Herself in This One– chapter titles become the first line of the poem, and the feminist undertones and messages shine through. The verse has a rhythm to it which means it is quick to read but still beautiful, and the emotion running beneath it is raw and human.

What I found striking was how much the poem centres Hekate not as a peripheral witch figure, but rather as a witness and protector. Through her, we see the brutality of the Greek gods from a woman’s perspective: Persephone’s abduction, the oppressive silencing of women, the way power is redefined as dangerous if it is in a woman’s hands. Everyone’s refusal to explain Hekate’s powers to her is frustrating because it is so similar to real-life: she’s denied this part of herself, this understanding of who she is, because such knowledge would make her dangerous and position her as a threat. So instead, she is left uneducated and ignorant, until she decides to teach herself.

Her relationship with Persephone doesn’t get much time on the page, but it is still moving. Together, they become symbols of endurance and survival- women who have gone through terrible things and continue to be strong in the face of adversity.

I admit I am not familiar with the original Greek myths about her, so I can’t speak to how accurate or embellished this narrative is, but it is still an interesting read even if you don’t have the context. 

Stylistically, I again can’t comment too much as someone who tends to shy away from poetry. But I will say the imagery is strong and evocative, never too heavy but just sketched in enough to give a firm sense of setting. The poem balances mythic grandeur with intimate lyricisim. The imagery is dark and haunting. In some ways, the delivery of the narrative through poetry is a nice touch, a harkening back to canonical texts such as The Iliad and The Odyessy. 

If I have one critique, it’s that the scope of the narrative may keep the reader at a slight distance. As someone less familiar with the myth, I would have liked to have more to reflect on, perhaps a pause or two along the way to highlight the key moments of the story. 

Ultimately though, Hekate reads like a reclamation. It’s an interesting choice to market it as YA, and I suppose it does neatly fit into the “coming of age” themes so often found in YA, but it is quite heavy on darker, mature content, and poetry as a narrative form is not particularly popular in YA. Still, it’s a nice reminder of how myth can be rewritten, how forgotten voices can speak again through new forms. Even if you’re not a poetry fan, there’s something enchanting here- a story that lingers long after the final line.