4 Stars!

The novel begins with our main character’s death… already I’m sucked in. From there, we see Leto be granted a second chance at life to end the curse that claimed her life and thousands of other innocent women. There’s so much to love about this book. The magic was interesting to see, lying about being a princess to sneak into a castle in order to murder a prince, trying to avoid getting murdered by a secret assassin. It was all really gripping and high-paced.

I didn’t always love the way the romance was portrayed. Leto has feelings for two people simultaneously and it was frustrating to read at times. I will say the author did a good job with handling such a complicated emotion. I liked both love interests equally and believed Leto’s feelings about both of them. Still, I wish the ending was a little more final in regards to the romance, but at the same time it feels the most realistic. You can’t just shut your feelings off for a person instantly.

I definitely recommend this read. It was my first mythology novel, and I am excited to read more. Song of Achilles has been sitting on my shelf for too long. I have noticed the overwhelmingly negative reviews given to this book, a lot by people who haven’t even read it, because apparently this author hasn’t read The Odyssey in full before writing this spin off novel. In my opinion, the great thing about fiction is that you can make it whatever you want to be. It's why I love to write, and it's why I love to read.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely not. Truly under no circumstances. The sheer gumption it takes to write a book so tied to The Odyssey without having read The Odyssey? Not even the lesbians make up for it.

I was underwhelmed by this book. I was hoping for so much more and got meh. I wish there was more to the story than what we got.

Ugh. I really wanted to at least marginally enjoy this one. (It barely scrapped 3 stars.)
This is supposed to be an inspired by/quasi-retelling of Greek myths but aside from references and names it does not read like one at all. The story became all about the strange romances. The plot was there and did not have any major holes (hence why it just barely scraped 3 stars) but also did not have a lot to keep it going. The romances (yes plural) did not really make sense either and neither did the ridiculous ending.

What a beautiful story. I love Greek mythology and love retelling so this book was perfect for me! The two maidens were strong and full of heart. They felt real.

A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

I am not sure if I had a problem with the storytelling or the story in a general way. All I know is that I had a hard time getting through.

I absolutely loved this and can't wait to add it to my shelf! Amazing!! Everything from the setting to the characters was exceptional, though it dragged a little in the middle

Though I initially was intrigued by this title, due to the controversy of the author using a classic tale and packaging this book as a retelling (when it could have simply been a comp) I have decided not to read this book. I believe however, that there must be a reader out there for it, which is why I refuse to give it a rating of one star. I might check this book out at my library, but it's not at the top of my TBR.

Thank you NetGalley for access to this story.

I couldn't finish this. It felt like it had potential, but just fell flat. I felt like this book was under-researched and just pretty underwhelming, especially compared to other Greek mythology retellings.

I didn’t finish this one, it just wasn’t gripping me. It may be one I come back to later, but I wasn’t in the mood to push through. Probably just not for me! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I liked the book enough. I liked the style of writing though at times it felt heavy and daunting. I even grew to like the three main characters. I don’t know much about The Odyssey or about Greek mythology for that matter so I can’t speak on how this book reads in comparison to those earlier works, but the stories within stories were interesting. What kept me from loving the book was pacing and predictability for the most part. The pacing felt so very slow and nothing about this book really surprised me. Just about everything that happened, I had expected. I would probably recommend this book to any friends interested in Greek mythology, and let them judge for themselves.

I enjoyed this one so much! To be honest, I'm not familiar with the original story this book is based on, so I can't say much about how it compares, but on it's own it really held. The sapphics <3 they were everything to me!! I loved the warmth of the sapphic scenes and the earnestness of Matthias, and the contrast between those scenes and the brutality of murder. Also plotting to kill a man <333 you go girls!

I struggled with this one a bit because it was so very slow to unfold. I never felt fully connected to the characters or invested in the plot. That said, I did still cry at the tragic ending and was hoping Melantho, Leto, and Mathias would find a different way to end the curse. I thought the writing was good, but the pacing felt off and the switching perspectives didn't help me feel connected to anything.

If I was 10 years younger I would have loved this book. This book was just a bit to YA for me. The characters were just to juvenile for me and I just wanted to shake and scream at them. Other than that it was pretty good. I like Greek myth retellings and this story had an interesting and unique twist to it. If you are an actual young adult, I would 100% recommend this to you but if your older, maybe not so much.

This was fun! A very solid 3 star read, in the way that it was deeply predictable, but also the kind of thing that 12 year old me would have read in a single day and would sometimes randomly think of years later in the future. Very clearly a debut novel, but a solid piece of writing, and overall, a fun quick read!

The highlight of the book is the prose. Underwood has a strong, literary writing style that works well for something inspired by classical mythology. The book *sounds* well written, but the more I read, the more questions I had and the fewer answers I got. It made for a frustrating experience, as I wanted to like this, but simply couldn't. Despite a plot that should have had high stakes and felt tense, it just... didn't.

I love new takes on Greek mythology. This book dives into the story of Penelope and her 12 maids and the curse that still haunts Ithaca when the book takes place. Every year 12 maids are marked one by one by Poseidon and if the Prince of Ithaca doesn't hang them Poseidon unleashes hellish fury on Ithaca. Leto is one such maid who faces this undeserved fate. Unbeknownst to those in Ithaca, there is a way to break the curse. On a secret island resides Melantho, who was promised 12 victims she could bring back to try to break the curse. Leto is the last. The story that unfolds is slow at times and centers around the relationship of Leto and Melantho and their question to break the curse which ends up being much more complicated than they previously thought. As the book goes on we get the back story of both characters and further insight into how this curse came to be and how it ties into the 12 maidens Odysseus had slaughtered when he returned to Ithaca. The characters were interesting, the plot kept me engaged and that cover is fire. Def recommend to those who like historical fiction.

2/5 Stars

This really wasn't the book for me. I pushed myself to finish reading it, as every time I picked up the book I would read maybe a page and put it back down. The writing just wasn't there for me. I couldn't get interested in the story or invested in the characters in any way. I'm not the biggest Greek mythology reader out there but I do enjoy them and have ( upon looking into the author) found that there was not a lot of research done. I feel like this was easy to tell as the more you read the more the book just dissolves into a mess. Again the biggest issue for me was the writing, I would recommend letting you make the decision for yourself as to wether you want to read it or not.

Lies We Sing to the Sea is a beautifully written novel. I absolutely could not put it down. The story had me turning pages nonstop. I barely left my couch to refuel during my reading experience. This would not be noteworthy except for the fact that I generally avoid reading all things mythology-based when presented the opportunity.

I picked this book to read as a challenge. I needed to read a highly anticipated book by a debut author. Lies We Sing to the Sea fit the bill as I found it on many lists. This book did not disappoint. From its fascinating story, to the gorgeous prose, and the underlying premise that women were punished and made to correct man-initiated acts that angered Posiden and brought a curse on Ithaca. Lies We Sing to the Sea made me glad to be a reader.

While I am not someone who can speak to the authenticity of this being a Greek Myth retelling, I can say that it is a story that gives women an atypical starring role in a time when men were the main players. Women in Lies We Sing to the Sea are not mere conduits for men to save the day. Women in this story take charge to make sure that a deadly tradition comes to an end.

This story is about love and sacrifice during tragic times. It is intense, thrilling, and heart-rending. Sarah Underwood has done a marvelous job of giving life to an alternate path and voice for female characters that is both astonishing and refreshing.