Lies We Sing to the Sea: AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! New for 2023, a sapphic YA fantasy romance inspired by Greek mythology, for all fans of The Song of Achilles

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ALSO ALSO, it’s one thing to say that Odysseus probably wasn’t 100% faithful to Penelope (fair enough), but saying he was “sleeping his way around Greece” is... a big leap?? I mean, unless we’re taking the Calypso situation as, uh... not being about rape, in which case, Okay Then. Great. love that for us It was not dying she was afraid of, for she had long steeled herself against the idea of it, but what lay beyond. Underwood’s debut novel, Lies We Sing to the Sea, engages readers with its immersive characterisation and fantastical plotline. The story is set in the land of Ithaca, which has been eternally cursed by the god Poseidon. Each year, 12 young girls are sacrificed to please Poseidon and protect the land. The royal family says a prayer and sacrifices the maids into the depths of the sea.

I’m never going to get direct experience of living in Ancient Greece, but you learn about interpersonal relationships at university, which you can adapt and lift and put into your novels.] Now, though . . . It is almost time. She knew exactly what it was almost time for. The sacrifices took place at noon, when the equinox sun had reached its peak in the sky. Okay so. This author is def someone's daughter or sister or beloved niece, because I really don't see another way a girl my age could publish this book and lie so boldly in interviews while achieving a good amount of success. As for her hair, a ribbon to keep the longer strands from her face normally sufficed, though she supposed it would not stop it getting caught in a hangman’s noose. There had been a time earlier, whilst the maid had been meticulously tailoring the white ceremonial gown to Leto’s hollow frame, when Leto had familiarized herself with her restraints.Get ready for the tears, readers, because today’s excerpt is from the Greek mythology-inspired fantasy Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood. Being someone who studied Greek mythology and literature, I was a bit reticent to read this book, but I decided to read it, when I got the chance by a friend gifting it to me, so I could make my own mind and not rely on others'. And, could someone explain to me how the hell are the daffolids the only flowers in all Greece? Is that a thing? There are everywhere. Everywhere. Simon James Green, author of the ‘timely’ Boy Like Me, photographed at home in south London. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Next, to ancient Greece and Sarah Underwood’s Lies We Sing to the Sea (Electric Monkey). In the kingdom of Ithaca, 12 girls must be hanged each spring to appease Poseidon. When Leto awakes from her death, the enigmatic Melantho reveals her destiny: to kill the last prince of Ithaca and destroy the curse. Inspired by the fate of Penelope’s maids in Homer’s The Odyssey, this is a lavish epic of power, vengeance, love and fate.

Review

In the cursed kingdom of Ithaca, each spring brings the hanging of twelve maidens, a gift to the vengeful Poseidon. But when Leto awakens from her death on the shore of a long-forgotten island, its enigmatic keeper Melantho tells her that there’s only one way the curse can be broken. Leto must kill the last prince of Ithaca . . . A wondrous tale of love, death, and sacrifice. The vivid characters give depth and adventure to a story with roots in classic Greek mythology.” — Natasha Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of Skin of the Sea The characters are not so much developed, I couldn't see their growing or the chemistry between them. It felt a bit off, not as much as forced, but expected. It wasn't a great build up, many things were expected, as the jealous Mathias' friend, their bonding, or the ending.