I requested ‘Lies We Sing to the Sea’ by Sarah Underwood from ‘NetGalley’ & ‘HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen’ as a digital ARC. I grew up hearing of the Gods and the heroes that once roamed Earth, and being taught the origins of the stars, and our world, so I am always excited for, and devour any new book about the Gods, and heroes. The premise sounded intriguing, and like most Greek stories there is always a price to pay for dishonoring the Gods, and and in ‘Lies We Sing to the Sea’ this price was the death of twelve maidens each year… and this sounded absolutely fascinating - reading about the wrath and punishment from the Gods is always an ingredient for an engaging read.

Unfortunately for ‘Lies’ the ‘Dear Reader’ blurb at the beginning really skewed how I read this. All of the sources cited as inspiration are all retellings that already had liberties taken, and even ‘Lies’ is supposedly a retelling "with a large number of creative liberties" that have caused ‘The Odyssey’ to be almost completely lost to me. I took issue with the original stories of the Gods being described as “sanitized” and “child friendly” - these are the very ways I learned about respect for others as a child, and had the concept of ‘consent’ vs. ‘no-consent’ explained to me.

Another issue was Melantho who is in the author’s words “vilified” - which isn't entirely true... was she painted in a positive light - 'no'. Towards the end of ‘The Odyssey’ Melantho called Odysseus (when he was disguised) a “wretched stranger” and “crack-brained fellow” and ended with a threat that someone would “rise up against thee to beat thee about the head with heavy hands, and befoul thee with streams of blood, and send thee forth from the house” (Murray, A.T, 1919) The maid isn't being singled out due to her sex, since we've already seen the consequences/curse of too much hubris with Odysseus, and the outcome of the suitors (many of which were named) for their destruction of Odysseus' home, and as Odysseus says the suitors "raped my maids" and "wooed my wife on the sly though I was alive" (Rieu, E.V, 1946). Melantho is not being targeted by storytellers, but rather we're seeing a much bigger picture of the consequences of disrespect here.

The only thing I felt was solidly concrete and true to 'The Odyssey' was the few mentions of the journey Odysseus was on, the hint at the suitors of Penelope, and the death of Penelope's maid at the end.. This would have done well as being its own new myth, or even turned into a modern retelling.

I believe students that enjoy ‘Percy Jackson’ and YA retellings of Greek myths would appreciate this - but as someone who went into this expecting more - I was severely disappointed. Was it beautifully written - ‘yes’, but please don’t market this as a retelling of something that hasn’t even been read fully, and just selectively picked over (source: article of interview by Zanna Buckland).

2/5

As a fan of The Odyssey and mythological retellings, I was excited to read this book, and there were a few things I liked. The writing is lyrical and includes some really lovely prose, and the premise is intriguing. I also like that the story focuses on some of the lesser-known characters in The Odyssey. It’s always intriguing to get a fresh perspective on a classic story. However, you shouldn’t go into the book expecting a retelling of The Odyssey like I did. It is definitely not that, though it is inspired by the epic piece. (Also, how are you “inspired” by The Odyssey if you’ve never read it? I don’t understand this.)

As much as I wanted to love the characters, they fell flat for me. I felt most were underdeveloped, and I never really became invested in their journeys. Some of Leto’s actions were so immature, and her conflicting emotions irritated me. The story also included tropes that I don’t enjoy, especially the love triangle, and the pacing was very slow at many points of the story. The book might appeal to some readers, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

When I first read that this was a vengeance story based around the maids of the Odyssey I was stoked. Take into account all the options of Greek Mythology for all that could be played with, the possibilities seem limitless.

I really enjoyed the first couple chapters of the book. It was atmospheric and well written. You get a good feel for the characters (made up cast included) and what you expect the overall tone to take.
There was a lot of promise for this story when you first read the synopsis. While you do get some of that, I think this needs a bit of redirection. The more of the story you read the more the writing seems to fall apart or feel more juvenile in tone. Something about it just seemed off. After some digging about the creative process of the story, I discovered an article where the author stated they had not actually read the inspiring story but took bits and pieces that interested them of it and worked in into the narrative. Unfortunately, it shows. If you look it as a (very) loosely inspired by as opposed to a retelling you may find more appreciation for the book.

Discussing characters:
Melantho is clearly set up to be a broken character given her story line. She’s probably the most consistent character in the whole book.
Leto changes the most. She starts off quite spunky and by the time we hit the final act her behavior rather swings all over the place. It makes it hard to take her vengeance seriously. I get why she does what she does, but there are other thing (relationships) going on at the same time that make the inconsistencies that much more in your face.
Mathias I actually didn't mind for the most part. He had a lot of growth throughout the book even if he did come across a bit “woe-is-me” at times.

This had so much promise to be a striking story set in this time frame. With some tweaking the author could have pulled the Odyssey aspect of the story completely out and made their own swing at an original mythological style story. While the writing did kind of fall apart at the end there are some lyrical bits to be found.
For a debut brought about from pandemic boredom there is some promise there. I reiterate, it needs some tweaking.


***spoilers***

The love triangle/square arc between Melantho and Leto, Leto-Mathias, Mathias-Olympia was an absolute mess. Olympia is obsessed with a rather clueless Mathias. Melantho and Leto kindle a romance right before the ploy to seduce Mathias comes along. Only Mathias and Leto start to get cozy while Leto and Melantho are still fooling around together. It’s sloppy. There’s nothing else to say for it.

There are many convenient devices that move the plot along. The visions, the burning boat, the raft that magically allows Melantho to escape the island that she’s been trapped on for three centuries, interactions with other characters where someone is suddenly able to perform an action (or forget they fought more then once, chased down and hung a character that just happens to be waltzing through the palace halls again a short time later).

There are other issues brought about from the previously mentioned interview but they have little bearing on the present story. The author clearly has an appreciation for the subject matter but perhaps not the depth of scope into the culture of the time itself.
EARC kindly provided by NetGalley and HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I want to begin by stating clearly that Lies We Sing to the Sea is not a retelling of The Odyssey, but a YA debut loosely inspired by the events of The Odyssey. If you are looking for a Greek retelling that is reminiscent of Madeline Miller, you will not find it here.

What you will find is a story with some potential buried beneath a mountain of both minor missteps and major transgressions, a story that reads as though it were written by an author who is not a student of Greek mythology, because she is not. Suffice it to say, Lies We Sing to the Sea is a thousand times more "impenetrable" than the source material Sarah Underwood deemed so in interview that has since been archived.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220615031808/https://felixonline.co.uk/issue/1785/books/an-interview-with-sarah-underwood-bioengineering-graduate-and-soon-to-be-published-author

Picking up several centuries after Odysseus orders the death of Penelope's twelve maids as payment for their treachery, Lies We Sing to the Sea opens with Leto, one of twelve women condemned to the same fate by Poseidon each year to punish Ithaca for Odysseus' wrongdoings.

After swinging from the gallows at the hands of Prince Mathias and meeting what we believe to be her untimely demise, Leto finds herself washed up on the shores of Pandou, transformed into a terrible creature. There, she meets Melantho, bearing the same monstrous form, and so begins a tumultuous relationship one could scarcely describe as a "dazzling sapphic" romance. Together, they return to Ithaca to break Poseidon's curse, where we the readers must endure one of the messiest love triangles in contemporary fiction.

In an effort to be as fair as possible to Sarah Underwood on the heels of her debut novel, I will first highlight what I believe to be the two primary redeeming qualities of this book:

1. It was pretty. If you read retellings of myths or stories inspired by them for their atmospheric nature, you might find something to enjoy here.
2. While most of the prose was repetitive and stale, there were a few moments of lyric loveliness. It is clear that Underwood has potential that might one day bloom into real literary talent.

That said, I have a hard time getting behind much else in this story, especially given that the author herself admitted that Lies We Sing to the Sea was born out of the boredom of the pandemic; quote: "I’ve got nothing else to do, why don’t I give this a go?" This became more and more apparent the further I read; each page was laden with redundancy, self-contradiction, and clunky dialogue that left me with my face in my palm more than once. The pacing wasn't much better - I took a break from reading a little over halfway through, and it was a colossal effort to finish.

It is my firm belief that most everything in this world is derivative. We make new what is old. We take what we know, reshape it, and make it beautiful, which makes us appreciate it that much more. That said, if you're going to take inspiration from one of the most widely known, ardently loved pieces of literature, you should take extra care to understand, appreciate, and honor the source material rather than admit outright that it bores you to tears and that it's "fun to pick at."

And one more thing: how is it that Sarah Underwood manages to use the words "parchment" and "papyrus" interchangeably, when a simple Google search - with which Underwood is familiar, according to her interview ("I don't know anything about Classics, I Googled everything!") - would reveal that they are, in fact, not the same thing?

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperTeen for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Lies We Sing to the Sea's strength are the characters. Beginning with the tale of the Twelve Maids, it has a foundation in inequality. In the ways these maids, these women, were wronged. How rulers and heroes escape punishment and death. And how they're never the ones to pay the price. From a premise alone, I was entranced. With that framework, it took me a long time to warm up to Mathias. He's privilege, a prince, and is forced to witness the hanging each year. While the deaths weigh on his conscience, and he's lost his own sister, Lies We Sing to the Sea doesn't let anyone escape unaffected.

Not only is the prose beautiful but it's a story we've not really seen in regards to Homer's Ithaca, a welcome addition whether you've read the Odyssey or not. Sarah Underwood truly has a way with words and has crafted a luscious story giving power and voice to the victims of Ithaca's royal family. Only Margaret Atwood has truly given voice to these women in her novella The Penelopiad and Lies We Sing to the Sea takes it so much further in ways the reader doesn't expect.

The love story woven truly takes you by surprise and the ending is heartbreakingly perfect for its characters. No doubt my favorite passage will stick with me for a very long while:
"'We are more than our actions,' said Leto. 'We are the way we love others and the way they love us back.' And the way that others will ruin themselves in our absence, the way that no one else will ever be good enough for life to be worth living."

The author is truly talented and I hope we get to read more from her in the future.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley. But all the opinions are my own.
I went into this book only reading the summary and being peaked by that alone. I have read the Odyssey and the Iliad in high school. I have read other stories about Greek Mythology as well. I will have to start out with this is in no way a retelling of the Odyssey. I would more say this is just inspired by Greek mythology in general. I had to throw away any idea of Greek mythology and then I was able to enjoy the book.
Just a very brief idea of what the book is about: Leto is a Maiden that has been marked by Poseidon to by sacrificed. Twelve maidens are marked to be sacrificed to appease Poseidon, so he does not destroy Ithaca. Now Leto is trying to find a way, so maidens do not have to be sacrificed every year.
It was a wild ride! I loved that Leto was so feisty. I rooted for her the entire book and there were so many loveable and hate able characters. I laughed and cried during this book. I enjoyed the book as a separate entity to anything Greek Mythology related. This is more of a vibe book. It can be slow but beautiful. The romance is sweet and not spicy, which is what I would expect in a YA book.
Now, to get to the inaccuracy of Greek mythology. Holy moly was the riddled with terrible ideas of Greek mythology. It was written as if the author had a general sense from pop culture of what happened in Greek mythology but never actually researched any themselves. There were plenty of times I was yelling at the book about how most of it would never have happened.
I would recommend this to someone who knows absolutely nothing about Greek mythology and has no interest in learning about true Greek mythology. Maybe I would recommend it to someone who can push aside anything they know about Greek mythology and enjoy the book as it is.
For the publisher, I would say DO NOT market this as a retelling or even associated with the Odyssey. Just market this as inspired by Greek mythology.
Due to how it is being marketed as, the amount of suspended belief taken, and the story itself I would give it a 2.5/5 stars. It was a fun ride.

2.25 Stars
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-ARC
This book is a perfect example of almost but not quite there yet.
I think the book would have done better if the author had said it's inspired by the odyssey and not a retelling because it's not. It's the aftermath of the odyssey in the author's universe but I still don't think that counts as a retelling especially if one hasn't done the appropriate research
I think there is potential in the book but it could have been written really well and somewhere, it missed the mark
The characters aren't memorable and nor is the writing. Ultimately, an interesting story falls flat and did not impress me

I was sent a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


Leto is one of twelve girls chosen to be sacrificed to the sea, a yearly ritual on the island of Ithaca that ensures Poseidon’s goodwill and keeps the water from swallowing the island whole. But Leto is not so quick to go. Betrayed by the royal family and cast to the sea, Leto has a chance to get revenge on the person who ordered her death. But in order to break the curse that leads twelve girls every year to drown in the seas, Leto may have to wait on that. There’s a way to end the sacrifices, and Leto is determined to find it.


Sarah Underwood’s prose in Lies We Sing to the Sea is elegant, and reminds me a lot of Madeline Miller’s writing in Circe. The aesthetic of the prose is epic, fitting for this retelling which features the Greek Gods and mythological figures.

Leto is a character I was rooting for the whole time. Her defiance and determination are admirable and relatable. She has so much strength in her character, yet she is undeniably human in her actions, which brought her to life for me. This retelling was interesting from the get-go, and I was invested the whole time.

The plot is well-paced, keeps you on the edge, and the story’s themes were meaningful. I liked this book a lot, and I hope Underwood writes more!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of LIES WE SING TO THE SEA by Sarah Underwood. I am withholding my full review for the duration of HarperCollins Union strike.

This was okay, but I’ll be withholding my full review in solidarity with the Harper Collins Workers’ strike!

I really wanted to love this, but I can't get over the fact that the author has never read the Odyssey and actually cited Percy Jackson as her source.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I think I expected a bit much from this book... however, it was marketed as a sapphic Odyssey re-telling which I was so excited to dive into. I did enjoy it, but I'm not sure that I would classify it as w re-telling... it's very obviously inspired by the Odyssey, though, and had my emotional heartstrings in its grip for the entirety.

This is my first Greek mythology inspired book and I was a little unsure of what to expect given the controversy around this book. I wouldn’t say this is a retelling but more of a spin-off story of a side character from the Greek epic the Odyssey - almost like a fanfiction of the side characters. I am familiar with some of Greek mythology but do not think you need to be too familiar with it to read this book.

This story is told in a third person limited-omniscient point of view that alternates between our three main characters, Leto, Melantho and Mathias. Leto is our angry main character who is trying to break Poseidon’s curse, Melantho is our mysterious female love interest, and Mathias is our gold hearted prince. Although this fantasy read does have a bit of romance, the romance is very young adult with tingly feelings and charged glances with some light black pepper rather than spice.

The book has very slow pacing throughout the book until the last 10% where everything speeds up pretty quickly and you won’t want to put the book down. I had a hard time imagining some of the imagery and the slow pacing made this a little hard for me to finish. I thought the story was interesting and wasn’t actually that focused on the Odyssey or its characters, but instead had a lot of references to portions of the epic. The ending of this was predictable and didn’t feel that satisfying to me (given how slow paced this book was to lay out all of the clues). Additionally, I felt the characters were underdeveloped and I did not feel attached to any of them as they felt very flat.

Overall this book had a great premise and the plot backbone was interesting but the book was a little too slow and underdeveloped overall for me. I would recommend this if you enjoy slower fantasy reads with some light romance and enjoy the setting of a fantasy read in Greece. I would not recommend this if you are looking for more passionate romance or more developed characters and plot in your fantasy read.

I support the HC Union, so this is a summary from Google books.

“Each spring, Ithaca condemns twelve maidens to the noose. This is the price vengeful Poseidon demands for the lives of Queen Penelope’s twelve maids, hanged and cast into the depths centuries ago.

But when that fate comes for Leto, death is not what she thought it would be. Instead, she wakes on a mysterious island and meets a girl with green eyes and the power to command the sea. A girl named Melantho, who says one more death can stop a thousand.

The prince of Ithaca must die—or the tides of fate will drown them all.

Sarah Underwood weaves an epic tapestry of lies, love, and tragedy, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller, Alexandra Bracken, and Renée Ahdieh.“

This book was beyond amazing!! It has similar vibes to Songs of Achilles but a completely different storyline. The characters touched my heart & the ending was extremely bittersweet. I loved that there were a couple twists & turns, so you never really knew the full story until the end. When this comes out I am recommending it to all my friends — it is a must read!

This was such a fun read! I have loved Greek mythology every since I was a kid, and this book gave me all the nostalgia I was looking for but with an added sapphic twist to a classic tale!

Like Sarah, I was the sapphic autistic kid at school with a huge special interest in myths and stories in general, so, naturally, as soon as LIES WE SING TO THE SEA was announced, I made it my personality. I knew I would love this book… I just didn’t realize *how* much it would mean to me.

To see Sarah reclaim this story and fill it with so much love and tragedy and hope… it was incredible. With gorgeous, lyrical prose that made my heart ache all through the book, memorable characters I grew attached to, and an engaging plot that had me absorbing the entire story, LIES WE SING TO THE SEA is an unforgettable book.

And also—I can’t believe I’m saying this—this book is FUN. The vibes, the characters, the plot… Did it break my heart? Well, yes, but I had the literal best time reading this and cursing Sarah. I can’t wait for readers to do the exact same thing in March!

Prepare to be swept away!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I want to preface this by saying that my review is solely based off of the author’s actual work. I understand the concerns other reviewers have brought up, so I recommend reading through those as well.

As far as the material goes, it’s pretty well done. I found it engaging, and I was invested in both romances, which I was surprised by, quite frankly. While the characters could have been more fleshed out, they were likable. Some of the dialogue felt out of place for the time period, but largely, it worked for me. It was well paced and kept my interest. Now, should I have known because it was a mythology retelling that it wouldn’t have a happy ending, so head’s up there.

This book could have been so much more. As a fan of Greek mythology and beautiful book covers, I was excited to receive an eARC for “Lies We Sing to the Sea,” especially since it’s likely getting the special edition treatment with Illumicrate this spring. My excitement began to dwindle around 20% and I had to push myself to finish (because I’m NOT a quitter). I’m very glad I did though, because the last few chapters left me with tears in my eyes and helped lessen the sting of my frustrations with this book.

My main issues were the slow pacing, a story that could have been developed further (especially with the supporting characters), and a writing style that just fell a bit flat for me. I did, however, enjoy the multiple POVs, queer representation, and as I mentioned before, the ending. Did I hate it? No. Would I read it again or recommend it to someone else? Also no. It wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t great.