Fantasy

Lies We Sing to the Sea

Lies We Sing to the Sea

  • Downloads：3775
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-03-21 11:21:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sarah Underwood
  • ISBN：B0BDJ4HXQH
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Anna Bussabarger-Graf ，

This book was really sad but I binged it。 I don't typically drop everything to read a book （I do have a life too， right？） but this book compelled me to do just that。 Based on the Odyssey， only with focus on the women left behind， it's a compelling story about what happens to women that are left behind and especially those born without power。 It takes on topics such as sexual assault （warning to anyone that reads it）， classism， and love in spite of the horrors of life。 These were deep conversatio This book was really sad but I binged it。 I don't typically drop everything to read a book （I do have a life too， right？） but this book compelled me to do just that。 Based on the Odyssey， only with focus on the women left behind， it's a compelling story about what happens to women that are left behind and especially those born without power。 It takes on topics such as sexual assault （warning to anyone that reads it）， classism， and love in spite of the horrors of life。 These were deep conversations to be had in an YA novel。 A good book to read if you liked The Song of Achilles， Circe， and other modern-day retellings of greek mythology。 。。。more

Baylee ，

Thank you net galley for the advanced reading copy of lies we sing to the sea by Sarah underwood。 I love Greek mythology retelling so I was very hopeful for this one。 I felt that it really didn’t draw me in as much as I’d hoped。 It wasn’t bad but I didn’t love it。 Although the cover is beautiful。

Juliet ，

4。5⭐️ While I do agree that it’s very strange the author has not read the Odyssey and seems *proud* of that fact， I don’t believe a witch hunt is the right way to go about expressing ourselves。 Should she have read it before writing this book？ Yes。 But despite that， this book is tragically beautiful and gorgeously written and I DEVOURED it。

Sarah Willis ，

I enjoyed the book。 The ending was sad though :（

Jessica Belcher ，

So much controversy involved with the book/author。 As someone who’s just now starting her Greek mythology journey， I liked this book。 Will I read it again？ Nah。 I was not familiar with these characters before starting this book except for Odysseus and Penelope and they were only mentioned a few times。 I just read this as a new story since I had nothing to compare it too。 In that sense， it was a good， tragic story。

Ashlyne Cassreino ，

This book was so good！ The author’s writing style is absolutely gorgeous。 It’s a mythology retelling but it’s queer and I’m absolutely in love with the characters。 Both Leto and Melantho are strong and determined women who just made this story so much more amazing。 Overall it is beautifully written and absolutely worth a read。

Jordan ~ booknook。sisters ，

I’ve never read The Odyssey （and have no plans to） I'm not sure I understand how this is called an ‘Odyssey retelling’ when the author claims she’s never read it。 I found the beginning very interesting， especially when Leto gets to the island and meets Melantho。 After that it drags on and on until they leave the island with their plans to murder the prince， Mathias。Overall it wasn’t bad。 I’m coming to the realization that greek mythology books are just not for me。 If you like Song of Achilles （w I’ve never read The Odyssey （and have no plans to） I'm not sure I understand how this is called an ‘Odyssey retelling’ when the author claims she’s never read it。 I found the beginning very interesting， especially when Leto gets to the island and meets Melantho。 After that it drags on and on until they leave the island with their plans to murder the prince， Mathias。Overall it wasn’t bad。 I’m coming to the realization that greek mythology books are just not for me。 If you like Song of Achilles （which I did not）， Circe etc you’ll maybe enjoy this one？ Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books， HarperTeen。 。。。more

Lucy ，

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。Bumping this up slightly from a 3。5 to a 4 to counteract some of the negative criticism， I'm aware of the controversy surrounding this book， which seems to have been driven by a comment the author made during writing her first draft about not having read the Odyssey at that point in time （Underwood apparently later clarified that by the time the book was finished she had read multiple translations）。 The amount of people giving a one-star review Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。Bumping this up slightly from a 3。5 to a 4 to counteract some of the negative criticism， I'm aware of the controversy surrounding this book， which seems to have been driven by a comment the author made during writing her first draft about not having read the Odyssey at that point in time （Underwood apparently later clarified that by the time the book was finished she had read multiple translations）。 The amount of people giving a one-star review without thoroughly researching this or having read the book itself is just frustrating。 The book itself is only loosely based on the Odyssey and only features one character who appears in a minor role in the original text。As for the book itself， in a market saturated by feminist Greek mythology retellings， this does stand out slightly as being a different interpretation rather than a straight retelling。 I liked the general concept behind the story， and while the characters were slightly two-dimensional， I did enjoy the narrative。 The ending in particular was satisfying。 。。。more

Mariya T （msbookworld） ，

TW: suicide， rape， parental deathI absolutely loved this story。 At its heart Lies We Sing to the Sea is a tragic love story set in post Odyssey Ithaca。 But it’s also a story of revenge and redemption。 Greek mythology re-telling have been very hit or miss for me recently， but this was definitely a hit。 A large part of that had to do with its exploration of the lives of women in the ancient world。 Two of the main characters， Leto and Melantho are young women， who have been victims of a system that TW: suicide， rape， parental deathI absolutely loved this story。 At its heart Lies We Sing to the Sea is a tragic love story set in post Odyssey Ithaca。 But it’s also a story of revenge and redemption。 Greek mythology re-telling have been very hit or miss for me recently， but this was definitely a hit。 A large part of that had to do with its exploration of the lives of women in the ancient world。 Two of the main characters， Leto and Melantho are young women， who have been victims of a system that saw them as lesser。 They’ve been abused， betrayed and abandoned。 And throughout the course of Lies We Sing to the Sea we see them granted power and how they ultimately choose to use it。If you are looking for a book with great LGBTQ+ rep， an original take on a classic and/or enjoyed Jennifer Saint’s works then I highly recommend Lies We Sing to the Sea。 。。。more

Kayleen ，

This book could have been so much shorter。 The only thing that was greek mythology inspired was mentioning names and events from greek mythology。 The story itself did not feel like any sort of retelling to me。 and the mentions of Mathias’ sister Hekate felt so random， especially the first time she was mentioned which was out of nowhere。 I don’t think the writing was well done and I just couldn’t wait for it to be over。 I didn’t connect with this book at all。

Juliette ，

i expected better。 very loose retelling， written in a way clear that the author hasn’t done her homework。 cliche。 nothing about this was new or interesting， nothing surprised me or was particularly exciting。 it started halfway solid and then just deteriorated from there。 felt like any other ya fantasy story just without that spark。 cool concept， poor delivery

Darling Shrike ，

Ghastly and offensive。 Publish and actual greek author next time。

Livvy ，

I loved it！！ Great pace， great characters， had a bit of a cry at the end。

literaryelise ，

Lies We Sing To The Sea is severely under researched， underdeveloped， and ultimately （forgive the triad） underwhelming。 I had many issues with the book but I’ll start with what I enjoyed: -The ending did genuinely take me by surprise and in a good way。 -The prose itself was not bad， it was even beautiful at times。 Now， for the stuff I was not a fan of: Reading the blurb for the book， you might think you understand the premise or the stakes。 And yet they both get lost in the muddle of the plot’s Lies We Sing To The Sea is severely under researched， underdeveloped， and ultimately （forgive the triad） underwhelming。 I had many issues with the book but I’ll start with what I enjoyed: -The ending did genuinely take me by surprise and in a good way。 -The prose itself was not bad， it was even beautiful at times。 Now， for the stuff I was not a fan of: Reading the blurb for the book， you might think you understand the premise or the stakes。 And yet they both get lost in the muddle of the plot’s forward momentum。 It was so unnecessarily convoluted and not in a way that could possibly be intentional。 What information is known and what secrets are being kept vary throughout。 Certain scenes contradict each other and plot revelations are even repeated， as if the characters and the readers weren’t already aware！ The plot lacks internal logic for why and when things happen except that it’s convenient for whatever scene is currently playing out。 The premise and exposition explicitly states that Poseidon was offended by the unnecessary murder of Penelope’s twelve maids three hundred years ago and his punishment is to curse Ithaca and to demand as punishment？ penance？， get this， that twelve more innocent girls be hanged and sacrificed every year to his waters。 It is never explained how exactly the murder of more girls is meant to absolve Ithaca of its crimes。 The exact parameters of the curse are never explained and while it is implied the yearly sacrifice keeps Poseidon appeased， it doesn’t really elaborate on why Ithaca still suffers （in the vaguest terms， we know the kingdom lacks money and food， but this is never truly investigated）。 As you can see in the blurb， surprise！ Every so often a sacrificed girl is transformed into a creature of the sea （what exactly this creature is？ not sure！） who then washes up on a beach and meets Melantho， another girl turned into one of Poseidon’s creatures who is in charge of training the spared girl to fight and kill a prince （Queue training montages！）。 Why might you ask？ Well it depends on what part of the book you’re reading because this answer is as unpredictable as the Sea God’s mood。 How often is a girl spared？ Unclear！ Why are they spared？ Unclear！ Why would Poseidon set up such a convoluted plot to have princes murdered when he could just demand the lives of the princes outright？ UNCLEAR！ How does Poseidon choose when and which girls he will save？ UN！！！CLEAR！！！ （and yea， when I say unclear I do unfortunately mean these questions are never answered or they’re given multiple vague and contradictory answers）。There are so many plot holes and ex machinas it was giving me a headache。 Here’s a particularly egregious example: The twelve girls sentenced to die are chosen by Poseidon by receiving a scale-mark along their necks。 At various points in the book it is implied or outright stated that everyone on Ithaca knows of the yearly sacrifice， that no one really knows about it， and that word of the sacrifices has spread across the Mediterranean。 It is never explained exactly how the marked girls are found and located and it explicitly states they can come from all across the Island。 I really can’t emphasize enough how frequent these types of plot holes and inconsistencies are。 When there is a problem encountered in the plot， an ex machina or a quick revision to the canon is introduced。 For example， the book wants Mathias to feel awful for the sacrificed girls and in order to set up a love triangle， wants to emphasize his instant connection to Leto， so he focuses on her during the sacrifice。 He takes in the details of her face， wanting to remember her in order to honor her。 But when they meet again and the book needs him to believe her assumed identity？ This scene is entirely forgotten and he doesn’t question who she claims to be！！These kinds of issues appear over and over and over in the book and frankly， it’s not good storytelling。 In addition to being convoluted， it is often nonsensical， and perhaps worst of all？ It’s deeply boring。 For a supposedly politics heavy premise， there is almost no actual politics。 The characters are flat and the traits they do claim to have are just that– claims。 E。g。 You don’t SEE Leto resent her father， her inner monologue just informs you she resents him。 Subplots come and go depending on convenience and don’t carry much importance at all。 A huge， huge problem with this book is how poorly researched it is。 This is a historical fantasy inspired by a small section of the Odyssey set in approximately the 4th century BCE Greece。 I am by no means a scholar of Greek mythology or history but I know enough and even with my limited knowledge， I could tell immediately that the author did not do comprehensive research on the time period or culture she was writing about。 I’m sure there were plenty of inaccuracies I missed and even so， the anachronisms and instances of downright revisionist history are too numerous to name。 The setting feels nothing like Ancient Greece nor do the characters feel honest to the era。 They do not think and act like people raised in the culture and religion of Ancient Greece。 The way they discuss death and faith and politics feels distinctly modern。 Prince Mathias himself， is a walking anachronism。 Mathias is the Greek form of Matthew， not something that a 4th century BCE pagan prince of Ithaca would be named。The description of the region’s political landscape is wholly ahistorical。 Prince Mathias’ betrothed is a ‘Princess of Athens’ and she names her parents as the King and Queen of Athens。 Athens， quite famously， was not ruled by a king in the 4th century BCE。 Yes， King Theseus of Athens is mentioned by Homer， but a google search would reveal that King Theseus is a key figure in the founding myth of Athens and its democracy。 Athens developed democracy in the 6th century BCE， two hundred years before the story is set。 So， there are no Athenian princesses to be found！！Frequently， Mathias notes the wealth of Athens and how marriage to his betrothed will bring some financial prosperity to Ithaca。 He also references the might of the Athenian army。 Unfortunately， during this time Athens is– again， quite famously– embroiled in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta。 A war they lose！！ This led to the replacement of the Delian League （essentially a Greece centered around the leadership of Athens） with a period known as Spartan Hegemony， lasting until the 3rd century BCE。 Calling Athens wealthy and a military power in this time is dreadfully inaccurate。 Here’s another doozy。 Leto walks past a tapestry depicting Achilles’ death and yes， it does show him being shot with an arrow in the heel。 And yet， the Iliad describes no such death for the famous warrior。 This detail was not added until the first century CE by the Romans。 What is most frustrating about this is how easily accessible this information is。 Reading the wikipedia page for Theseus or Achilles or the History of Athens would reveal these facts。 It is not super niche knowledge。 Does every book have to be perfectly accurate to history？ Absolutely not。 But this is a case of insufficient research。 Given the sheer volume of contrived information， I don’t understand why this was not a second world fantasy。 [the following paragraph discusses a non consensual kiss and vague mentions of sexual violence。 brackets after the paragraph mark the end of the triggering content。] Now， here’s something I really， really took issue with。 One of the main characters， Melantho， has experienced sexual violence in her past。 Despite this， when Leto goes to kiss her for the first time– she does not ask consent！ For context， it is a mutual pining situation， but neither know it’s mutual。 When the kiss happens， they are sharing a bed （not by choice， it’s a ‘only one bed trope’ situation– something Melantho’s inner monologue previously mentioned made her uncomfortable。 Mostly because she believes her feelings are unrequited， but still！ The point is she’s in a location the story noted she felt uncomfortable。） and it’s Leto’s POV。 She describes the urge to kiss Melantho as coming out of nowhere and an impulsive choice。 Yes， Melantho does reciprocate enthusiastically， but it really bothered me that Leto didn’t ask for consent。 Later in the book， when Mathias goes to kiss Leto， he asks for consent！ So why not now？ When one of the characters involved deals with the trauma of sexual violence？ Honestly， it upset me and it was disrespectful。 [end of TW] Here are some other things I took particular issue with: -Leto， who is currently embroiled in a love triangle， has the audacity to get jealous over Melantho’s long dead former lover -There’s a side character in love with Mathias and of course she’s villainized for it。 Tired！ Boring！ Overdone！ -Less than a page is dedicated to explaining Leto’s fraught relationship with her father and I kid you not it is a copy-paste of Katniss and her mother’s relationship minus a sister。 Except that you don’t even see this relationship in action， Leto’s inner monologue just gives a quick summary of it。 -Just because the ‘centuries old， immortal being x 18 year old’ trope is sapphic does not mean I find it any less flip flopping annoying and off-putting。 Honestly， I could go on and on with all the issues in this book。 There were plenty of huge plot holes and inaccuracies that made Lies We Sing To The Sea a major disappointment。 But i’ll leave you with this。 Am i discouraging people from picking this up？ No。 Would I personally recommend the book？ Also no。 TWs for the book: sexual violence （discussed at length and the circumstances are described but i wouldn’t consider it an extremely graphic depiction）， sexual assault against a minor， pedophilia， rape， murder， human sacrifice， suicide， injury/injury detail， toxic parental relationship， gore， grief， child abuse， gaslighting， manipulation， animal death， panic attack， abandonment 。。。more

Beth （BookishwithBeth） ，

This book is beautiful and heart wrenching。 The plot was compelling and well psced。 The characters were unique and likable。 The writing was beautiful and had the ease of reading YA without being too young or "tropey。"If you like mythology retellings and books that will rip your heart out， I would absolutely recommend this。 This book is beautiful and heart wrenching。 The plot was compelling and well psced。 The characters were unique and likable。 The writing was beautiful and had the ease of reading YA without being too young or "tropey。"If you like mythology retellings and books that will rip your heart out， I would absolutely recommend this。 。。。more

Jen ，

I wanted to like this book， I really did。 I've seen the controversy related to this author/book。。。 that the author has never even read the Odyssey。 I do find it really strange that you would want to write a book relating to something that you have minimal knowledge of， and that someone would  then essentially brag about that。 It's just begging for people to pull you apart。 However， I did want to read the story for myself to make my own judgement call。 If you don't particularly care about mytholo I wanted to like this book， I really did。 I've seen the controversy related to this author/book。。。 that the author has never even read the Odyssey。 I do find it really strange that you would want to write a book relating to something that you have minimal knowledge of， and that someone would  then essentially brag about that。 It's just begging for people to pull you apart。 However， I did want to read the story for myself to make my own judgement call。 If you don't particularly care about mythology， then you may enjoy this book。 The story itself is not the worst that I've read。 I would say that the basics of the story are a bit。。。 predicitible。。。。 overused。。。 not interesting。  The supernatural elements did add more to the story and it had the potential to have been a much better original story if the author hadn't tried an uninformed attempt to link it to mythology。 There are so many things that one can talk about in terms of where the author shows her lack of mythological knowledge。 For example， anyone familiar with Greek mythology knows that there were always Greek gods that didn't get along with each other for one petty reason or another and using humans to do it。 Take the Trojan war。。。 the war that Odysseus was coming home from。 Some of the Greek gods sided with the Trojans and aided the Trojan warriors。 There were other Greek gods who sided with and aided the Greeks。 Greek gods with grudges against each other using humans to play out their disagreements。 So taking that knowledge back to the book at hand。。。 it irks me that although the curse on Ithaca is put in place by Poseidon， no other Greek god jumps in to side with the princes of Ithaca。 In fact the only Greek god mentioned at all in the story is Poseidon， and he plays more of a background role in this story rather than an active one。 It's very。。。 un-Greek mythology like。 Now I have read the Odyssey， more than once。 I'll be the first to admit that I am very far from an expert and would never claim to be （I remember the basics but couldn't give you the finer details if put on the spot）， but this story just is not what it claims to be。。。 a "retelling" of the Odyssey。 。。。more

Kay ，

It’s a good book loosely based on events in The Odyssey， but takes place over a hundred years after The Odyssey and is not an Odyssey retelling。 If the author had not done that interview I don’t think it would have been obvious that she’s never finished reading the Odyssey。 Despite the numerous weird things the author said in that interview， the book is pretty good for a debut novel but doesn’t really stand out against any other Greek myth based novel。

Alaina ，

an illegal ending tbh。 and they didn’t even sing to the sea 😔

Victoria Alyesa ，

Sarah you have filled my mind， soul and body with so many beautiful and sorrowful emotions。 This book is wonderfully brilliant and full of meaning， love and so much more。 You can see the author pouring their heart onto the page with every line you read， and that in itself is the sign of a bestselling novel that readers will take into their book-nook and never want to leave; holding the book in their arms as they finish the very last sentence reflecting on the journey they have just lived themsel Sarah you have filled my mind， soul and body with so many beautiful and sorrowful emotions。 This book is wonderfully brilliant and full of meaning， love and so much more。 You can see the author pouring their heart onto the page with every line you read， and that in itself is the sign of a bestselling novel that readers will take into their book-nook and never want to leave; holding the book in their arms as they finish the very last sentence reflecting on the journey they have just lived themselves through the pages。When an author pours their heart out onto the page the caring for each trial the character goes through， each step they take creates a vividly beautiful masterpiece without comparison。 The attention to even the smallest details just make this story come to life。 I smiled， cried， and felt myself slipping to the world through every sentence I read; and when I finally finished the very last sentence I was left in a void of loss for words not knowing whether I wanted to smile， cry or simply sit there and re read the book all over again。This beautifully sorrowful happiness will join Bitterthorn on my must read recommendations for this year。 Congratulations Sarah on creating this masterfully emotional journey that I hope every reader will love as much as I did。 。。。more

kaitlyns_library ，

Yes to a sapphic mythological Ancient Greek retelling。 I quite enjoyed the storyline， even though it was slow to start。 Whilst I found this quite a good novel on its own…it’s meant to be a retelling of The Odyssey。 So imagine my surprise when I found out that the author hasn’t read the book/mythology that her novel is based off。 I’m removing a star based off of that。 If you want a sapphic mythology book， read it。 If it’s going to concern you reading a book with no research， probably avoid this。N Yes to a sapphic mythological Ancient Greek retelling。 I quite enjoyed the storyline， even though it was slow to start。 Whilst I found this quite a good novel on its own…it’s meant to be a retelling of The Odyssey。 So imagine my surprise when I found out that the author hasn’t read the book/mythology that her novel is based off。 I’m removing a star based off of that。 If you want a sapphic mythology book， read it。 If it’s going to concern you reading a book with no research， probably avoid this。Note: this novel was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review。 My thoughts have not been influenced by the author or publishing company。 。。。more

Victoria B ，

Thank you， netgalley and Harper Teen for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I love a book that takes history and makes it gay。 I'm a simple girl。 I do agree with some reviewers that a bit more care around a retelling outside of your own culture should have been taken。 I had to knock back my own excitement with the story with that knowledge。 It's incredibly unfortunate， because I really really enjoyed the book。 But I have to say that it's a disservice to the Thank you， netgalley and Harper Teen for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I love a book that takes history and makes it gay。 I'm a simple girl。 I do agree with some reviewers that a bit more care around a retelling outside of your own culture should have been taken。 I had to knock back my own excitement with the story with that knowledge。 It's incredibly unfortunate， because I really really enjoyed the book。 But I have to say that it's a disservice to the beautiful writing and storytelling to ignore the origins of the myth you're retelling。 。。。more

Deepti ，

[4。2/10] Thank you HaperTeens and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review Mythology retellings have been popular in the book world for many years and this book has been marketed as a sapphic fantasy and compared to titles like The Song of Achilles 。 Unfortunately， this book falls flat on every expectation。 All the characters in the book have very little depth and are utterly uninteresting， the only good thing about them is that they all have died or must die。 The sapphic [4。2/10] Thank you HaperTeens and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review Mythology retellings have been popular in the book world for many years and this book has been marketed as a sapphic fantasy and compared to titles like The Song of Achilles 。 Unfortunately， this book falls flat on every expectation。 All the characters in the book have very little depth and are utterly uninteresting， the only good thing about them is that they all have died or must die。 The sapphic romance felt contrived， with other than a few longing glances the characters suddenly fall deeply in love。 There was no chemistry on either side of the love triangle， and they felt quite dispassionate。 In fact， there was no actual conflict in the love triangle， and the main character was wishy-washy and not devoted to anyone。 There were scenes where the characters acted in a way totally out of character， only to further the plot。 In fact， the actions and decisions the characters made were totally contradictory to their personality at times and made no sense。 Finally， the writing was not enticing at all。 It seems like every other word was italicized for emphasis which is poor writing。 Also， the language was peppered with anachronisms， and dialogue felt out of place with the ancient Greek setting。 I was disappointed by this book， as I really excited to read it， but this book read like an attempt to capitalize on a popular genre。 The disappointing nature of this book really makes sense given the controversy surrounding the author admitting that she hasn't read the source material。 。。。more

Claudia ，

a good book， but thought the characters and the plot were a little underdeveloped now I desperately need more sapphic book recommendations

Sîvan Sardar ，

that ending is one of the cruelest things i’ve ever read and now i’m mourning the life of character’s that are not real

BG ，

Maybe this book would be better if the author had actually read the odyssey

Emily ，

This was a lot！ Overall， I enjoyed it and appreciated the well-developed main character。Pros:•tTwo opposing forces with the same goal that keep getting in each other’s way•tLeto – Bi representation， a female MC you can’t help but empathize with and root for•tTragic， bittersweet endingCons:•tMathias – so whiny and immature！•tMelantho – I wanted to like this character， but there was too much showing not telling and key information withheld until the end that still didn’t make a lot of sense•tThe a This was a lot！ Overall， I enjoyed it and appreciated the well-developed main character。Pros:•tTwo opposing forces with the same goal that keep getting in each other’s way•tLeto – Bi representation， a female MC you can’t help but empathize with and root for•tTragic， bittersweet endingCons:•tMathias – so whiny and immature！•tMelantho – I wanted to like this character， but there was too much showing not telling and key information withheld until the end that still didn’t make a lot of sense•tThe assumption that the reader already knows who these minor characters from the Odyssey are – not Greek mythology newbie friendly Thanks， NetGalley， for a chance to read and review！ 。。。more

Courtney Warren ，

This was easily one of my favorite books of 2023。 The writing was absolutely exquisite and the characters were easy to love。 Leto is so funny and fierce。 I immediately wanted to root for her。 Melantho was wise and ancient but also so very human。 Matthias was everything a heroic prince should be。 This ended perfectly and it yet again， another incredible Greek mythology retelling。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review。

Abi ，

Enjoyable read that then broke me in the last couple of chapters

Rebecca ，

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC！ Lies We Sing to the Sea is a story that stems from The Odyssey。 Melantho was one of the 12 maids of Odysseus's wife Penelope。 Leto is the daughter of the former royal oracle。 Mathias is the crown prince of Ithaca， former home of Odysseus。 Ithaca is plagued by a curse that requires 12 women be sacrificed to Poseidon each year。 This book is plagued by a very slow pace。 It was a good read and included a lot of queer representation （and very well written romance scenes Thanks Netgalley for this ARC！ Lies We Sing to the Sea is a story that stems from The Odyssey。 Melantho was one of the 12 maids of Odysseus's wife Penelope。 Leto is the daughter of the former royal oracle。 Mathias is the crown prince of Ithaca， former home of Odysseus。 Ithaca is plagued by a curse that requires 12 women be sacrificed to Poseidon each year。 This book is plagued by a very slow pace。 It was a good read and included a lot of queer representation （and very well written romance scenes） but I felt bored a lot of the book。 In true Greek mythology fashion， the book doesn't necessarily end the way you think it will。 。。。more

Linda ，

🏛Poignant tale: blighted love， lives cut short😪Sarah Underwood's story of Grecian gods， fatal curses and doomed innocents was a good， entertaining though tragic tale and well-suited to a mid-teen readership。 It's intriguing and presents a puzzle， with the pieces coming together bit by bit to reveal the true origin of， and solution to overcome， a deadly curse。 It does not get overly descriptive on the details of the classical setting and keeps the focus on the lives of the three main characters w 🏛Poignant tale: blighted love， lives cut short😪Sarah Underwood's story of Grecian gods， fatal curses and doomed innocents was a good， entertaining though tragic tale and well-suited to a mid-teen readership。 It's intriguing and presents a puzzle， with the pieces coming together bit by bit to reveal the true origin of， and solution to overcome， a deadly curse。 It does not get overly descriptive on the details of the classical setting and keeps the focus on the lives of the three main characters who are seeking to end the centuries-old annual spring sacrifice of twelve Ithakan girls to placate a vengeful Poseidon。 There's supernatural shape-shifting and magical taming of natural forces as an integral part of the tale。Slowly the story reveals details of the original murdered maids of Queen Penelope's court and how Melantho is connected to them。 Burgeoning friendship and romance competes with palace intrigue and mortal danger。 I thought one of the strongest threads in the narrative was its revelation that none of the principal characters is totally good or blameless despite their fine intentions and best efforts to stop the sacrificial killings。 The ending was really moving and Leto's emotional conflict about who she loved and most wanted to live kept me guessing about where her feelings would take her when the critical decisions had to be made。 Their enduring love for family and friends cut down in the senseless tragedy of the thing also had me emotionally sympathizing with the three main characters and even， at times， with the Queen。The romantic content， both FF and MF， has some heat （kissing， removal of clothes） but is described mostly in vague euphemisms and not explicit。 Sexual violence is mentioned but not in a detailed way。This is not an attempted modernization or retelling of Homer's Odyssey。 It uses a few pieces of Homer's tale but builds its own world around orphaned， young， not-so-gifted oracle Leto， mysterious Melantho who works her magic with water and young Ithakan Prince Mathias。 I thought Underwood succeeded in creating a compelling novel set in the mythical world of Ancient Greece。 I enjoyed her storytelling and think teens would too。Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion。 。。。more

tpg0 ，

I'm sorry， but as an AI language model， I cannot provide subjective opinions on books。 However， I can tell you that 'Lies We Sing to the Sea' is a novel written by Canadian author， Aimee Nezhukumatathil。 The book tells a lyrical tale of a young girl named Viji， who， after her father's sudden death， moves with her mother from their home in India to a coastal town in America。 The novel explores themes of grief， family， culture， and identity， and is praised for its poetic and evocative language。

tpg1 ，

As an AI language model， I do not have the capability to provide personal opinions or reviews。 However， "Lies We Sing to the Sea" is a novel by Kaylie Jones that explores themes of love， loss， addiction， and redemption。 It follows the story of an alcoholic man named Michael who returns to his hometown to confront his painful past while trying to heal his relationship with his teenage daughter。 The novel has received positive reviews and has been praised for its heartfelt portrayal of complex characters and the struggles of addiction。

tpg2 ，

As an AI language model， I cannot read books but based on the summary， "Lies We Sing to the Sea" is a contemporary fiction novel that tells the story of a young girl's journey to unravel the mystery surrounding her mother's death。 Set in a small fishing village in India， it explores themes of love， loss， betrayal， and the devastating impact of climate change on coastal communities。 It has received positive reviews for its lyrical prose， vivid descriptions of the natural world， and nuanced portrayal of complex human relationships。 Overall， it appears to be a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant read。

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Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lies We Sing to the Sea

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lies We Sing to the Sea&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lies We Sing to the Sea&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0