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mattiedancer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Writing: 4⭐️/5
The writing in this story was clear and poetic. At times, I really did love the beauty of the words and how the story was unravelling carefully. I think Underwood writes very cleanly and epically, which served this Greek-myth-inspired story well. The shifting character POVs served the story well, though I do wish each character had a more defined voice during their own section.
Characters: 3⭐️/5
The characters in the story were clear and relatively strong. Or, at least, the main characters – our narrators – were. The side characters felt much more wishy-washy, their personalities left unexplored and undeveloped until the climax of the story, which then felt far too late. Despite our three main characters being clear in their characteristics, they also didn’t develop much throughout the story. The plot took the centrefold of the story, and the characters simply continued along their paths.
Plot: 3.25⭐️/5
I did enjoy reading the story, as the plot felt clear and decided. However, at many points, the plot’s pacing felt incredibly off. I wondered at the stretched out timeline between Menthalo and Leto’s training to the condensed timeline of them returning to Ithaca and crashing into Mathias’ life. Since the timeline felt rushed, many of the plot points felt rushed. Personally, while I enjoyed both of the love stories in the novel, I wondered whether they could have been handled a bit better to make it feel more respectful. I love a good poly relationship, but – while Menthalo and Mathias ended up respecting each other – one was left in the dark about the other, and Menthalo herself never seemed to be settled with the fact that Leto also loved Mathias.
Who Should Read This Book?
Fans of Greek Mythology looking for something inspired by it; readers looking for a tragedy that isn’t hopeless; those who like LGBTQIA stories;
Content Warnings?
Blood, death, hangings, drowning, murder, injury, injury detail, fire, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, sacrifices, misogyny, sexism, gaslighting, abuse, suicide, suicidal thoughts, depression, classism,
Post-Reading Rating: 3.25⭐️/5
I liked the ending, but I wanted a bit more from the lead up into it.
Final Rating: 3.25⭐️/5 (3.38)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sandymaple's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I don't understand why this was marketed as a retelling of the Odyssey - it is not. I thought the writing style was quite beautiful, but to be honest, I did not like much else. There was insufficient character development, I didn't like any of the characters, the premise of the curse was not clearly explained, the ending was drawn out, there was way less mythology than I expected, the love triangle was completely awkward and felt forced... I am stubborn and wanted to get to the end, but this easily could have been a DNF for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Confinement
hevlav's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Slavery
Moderate: Rape and Suicide
corabookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Every year in Ithaca, 12 girls are hung and dropped into the sea to satisfy Poseidon. Except, this year, one survives. Leto wakes on an island and meets the mysterious Melantho, a girl who tells her that to end Poseidon's wrath, they must kill Ithaca's prince.
I really enjoyed this book! The plot was a beautiful combination of curse-breaking and assassination attempts and romance, and the writing was really gorgeous. My only real problems were that 1) the plot and pacing got a little tedious at times, as it would kinda loop around and repeat and drag at a few points and 2) (slight spoilers!) I do feel like it perpetrated the whole bisexuals-are-cheaters narrative as the main character holds a relationship with both Melantho and Mathias without either of them knowing. I know other people had issues with the historical accuracy of this book, but honestly if you go into it just expecting a fun fantasy novel, there's nothing that really sticks out or ruins the story or anything. And all the controversy about the author never having read the Odyssey is pointless. This is NOT a retelling of the Odyssey. It takes one element of the end of the story and spins a new tale that takes place centuries later. (I also really did like this spin on said element of the Odyssey.)
All in all, this book wasn't perfect, but I really liked it! If you like Greek Mythology-inspired stories and retellings, you should check this one out!
I really enjoyed this book! The plot was a beautiful combination of curse-breaking and assassination attempts and romance, and the writing was really gorgeous. My only real problems were that 1) the plot and pacing got a little tedious at times, as it would kinda loop around and repeat and drag at a few points and 2) (slight spoilers!) I do feel like it perpetrated the whole bisexuals-are-cheaters narrative as the main character holds a relationship with both Melantho and Mathias without either of them knowing. I know other people had issues with the historical accuracy of this book, but honestly if you go into it just expecting a fun fantasy novel, there's nothing that really sticks out or ruins the story or anything. And all the controversy about the author never having read the Odyssey is pointless. This is NOT a retelling of the Odyssey. It takes one element of the end of the story and spins a new tale that takes place centuries later. (I also really did like this spin on said element of the Odyssey.)
All in all, this book wasn't perfect, but I really liked it! If you like Greek Mythology-inspired stories and retellings, you should check this one out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, and Classism
katie0528's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Leto is born on Ithaca, home of the famed Greek hero Odysseus. However, hundreds of years earlier, Odysseus offended the god Poseidon by executing his wife's Penelope's maids. Poseidon curses the land, creating a yearly tradition where the people of Ithaca sacrifice 12 more young women. Leto, is unfortunately one. After her violent execution, Leto wakes up on an island, home to the mysterious Melantho, a girl who died much the same way as Leto. Melantho reveals that the only way to break the curse is to kill the prince of Ithaca, Mattias, so the two girls disguise themselves as Matrias' betrothed and her maid. Unfortunately, killing a prince is easier said than done, particularly when he's handsome, charming, and also desperately wanting to break the curse. I spent the whole book hoping this would turn into a throuple situation, but alas I was disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
lesemaus2303's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved every bit of it!
Almost didn't want to finish it because i didn't want the story to end. Emotional and so thrilling.
Almost didn't want to finish it because i didn't want the story to end. Emotional and so thrilling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
chase0w0's review against another edition
miiiid
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
thebookishbugg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I couldn't put this book down. It swept me in from page one and next thing I know it's 11:00 p.m., I've read 200 pages in one sitting, and my heart aches.
The ending made me bawl my eyes out.
Don't know how I'm going to find something to read after this, it's going to pale in comparison.
Don't know how I'm going to find something to read after this, it's going to pale in comparison.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
pencilspeaker's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is definitely NOT a retelling of the Odyssee, rather (just) a "what if I take one side character from this myth, put them in a YA love triangle, use ancient Ithaca as a backdrop and see what happens".
There were some plot holes and inaccuracies, but I enjoyed the prose. The book kept me entertained; at times I was unable to put it down.
Leto is a really cool protagonist, I like that often times we only know what she knows. I really hate Mathias tho like how can you fall in love with him after he had you executed and the whole sapphic/bi romance arc was poorly executed (I was here for the sapphic couple that was advertised, and have a lot of anger for the trope of the bisexual who cannot choose and cheats on both of the people they're (supposedly) in love with) .
The plot of the curse was really interesting, but I do have a lot of questions that remain unanswered, because they were apparently solved off-page (hello, what happened to Adrasteia? Where did Selene get her information?). The ending was written beautifully (apart from that jump-scare-y Sex scene, wholly unnecessary at that point), however can I for once have a happy ending in sapphic fantasy please?!
There were some plot holes and inaccuracies, but I enjoyed the prose. The book kept me entertained; at times I was unable to put it down.
Leto is a really cool protagonist, I like that often times we only know what she knows. I really hate Mathias tho
The plot of the curse was really interesting, but I do have a lot of questions that remain unanswered, because they were apparently solved off-page (hello, what happened to Adrasteia? Where did Selene get her information?). The ending was written beautifully (apart from that jump-scare-y Sex scene, wholly unnecessary at that point), however
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Suicide
Minor: Slavery, Blood, and Murder
theinkedpath's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ES:
Este es un libro complejo de reseñar.
¿Me ha gustado? Sí. ¿Me esperaba más? También.
Creo que ha habido mucha controversia con este libro por el concepto y por el hecho de que la autora a confesado no haber leído nunca el texto original de la "Odisea", ha empañado un poco esta novela en general.
Esta novela se vendía como un retelling de la Odisea, pero no lo es. Es una continuación (cientos de años en el futuro) de un solo capítulo de la Odisea. La mejor forma de describirlo sería: "¿Qué pasaría si al colgar a las sirvientas de Odiseo y Penélope se desatara una maldición sobre Ithaca en donde, salvo que se cuelgue a 12 mujeres inocentes, Poseidón inundará la ciudad?'. Esto es lo que se presenta aquí. Y en el centro de todo esto Melantho y Leto dispuestas a que esto no pase nunca más.
¿Con esta premisa era necesario leerse la Odisea para escribir una novela con mitología griega? Puede que hubiera sido deseable pero no obligatorio porque no es un retelling directo. Y pienso lo mismo sobre su lectura: puedes leer este libro sin necesidad de leer la Odisea.
Dicho esto, ¿que pienso yo de "Lies we sing to the sea"? Me ha parecido una propuesta interesante, con una trama y unos personajes complejos que tienen muchos secretos ocultos. Me ha encantado la forma tan detallada y estilística de escribir, llena de florituras, que me ha recordado mucho a los textos clásicos. Sin embargo, no es oro todo lo que reluce. Aunque me han gustado la complejidad inicial de los personajes, tengo que reconocer que creo que a veces su forma de actuar no era acorde con cómo se nos presentaban previamente, siendo, en ocasiones, inmaduros, torpes o simplemente ciegos. Como punto negativo también debo indicar que la narración tiene problemas de ritmo, siendo durante largos fragmentos del libro muy lenta y sin rumbo y, sin embargo, en su último tramo creo que ha pecado de acelerada y de que algunos hechos y revelaciones aparezcan o se les ocurran a los personajes por arte de magia.
¿Me ha gustado? Sí, pero esperaba más, aunque entiendo que, siendo la primera novela de Underwood tiene mucho que evolucionar.
EN:
This is a tricky book to read because of its controversy...but her we go.
Controversies:
-Firstly, the concept. This story was marketed as a retelling of 'The Odyssey" but it is not. It is a fantasy story that takes one chapter of 'The Odessy', the hanging of the Penelope´s maids and uses it to build up a fantasy story that happens hundreds of yers after that event. To me, that is not a retelling, but a follow up of the story, a what if if you will. Therefore, I did not feel offended by the use of the original text through the story (because the novel itself is a new product on its own).
-Secondly, the fact that the author had not read 'The Odessy' by Homer. I do not see it as alarming as I have read in some places. Should she have read the original text prior writing the story? Probably it would have been a good idea, for research, context and tone for example, but I do not consider it compulsory. The story itself I read it as if a "what if". What if, after the hanging of the maids, Poseidon cursed Ithaca and Odyseus´s family for their cruelty towards the maids by threatening to drown the city? The only way to stop this from happening is hanging 12 young innocent people each year as payment to the God. However, hundreds of years later, our protagonist, Melantho and Leto, decide to break the curse by killing Odysseus's descendant, Mathias. With this premise I do believe that the author introduced enough elements let the reader know the classic passages it refers to while having a new story. So, to me, the fact that she did not read 'The Odyssey' is not that bad. I think the author could have benefit from it, but it is not the end of the world. And I hold the same opinion for the readers: you could read 'The Odyssey' before reading this book to have more context and connect all the references, but you can also jump directly to Underwood's novel (which is what I did although I want to read the classic story too).
What do I think of this book?
This is a complex question because I liked it but, at the same time, I expected more from it and saw a few flaws. Let me explain:
I really like the concept of the story and how it was presented to us. I also loved the characters and how grey the were, specially the three main characters, with their multiple layers. I also love the very crafty way in which Underwood used the language and her writing craft, producing a very flowery prose that conjured beautiful scenes in my head. In this particular aspect, her writing reminded me of the classic text such as 'The Iliad'. However, this book has flaws as well. Firstly, it has problems regarding the narrative reading as it has really big portions of the book in which the action is very slow and, then, in the last third of the book everything happens very quickly and, some of the revelations happen too quickly or out of nowhere. As for the characters, though I love their complexity, I do believe that sometimes they behave in a way that goes against their previous behavior or in a very immature or irrational way producing that, sometimes, the enchantment around the character personality breaks producing in the reader a sense of inconsistency.
Does this mean I dislike the book? No. I like the book, but I do feel that some aspects of it could be improved more to make the story reach its full potential, as well as meeting the good aspects I listed before. However, this is the first book of the author and I am confident she will get better as she writes.
So, in the end, is a 3 stars book. Let's see what Underwood writes in the future
Este es un libro complejo de reseñar.
¿Me ha gustado? Sí. ¿Me esperaba más? También.
Creo que ha habido mucha controversia con este libro por el concepto y por el hecho de que la autora a confesado no haber leído nunca el texto original de la "Odisea", ha empañado un poco esta novela en general.
Esta novela se vendía como un retelling de la Odisea, pero no lo es. Es una continuación (cientos de años en el futuro) de un solo capítulo de la Odisea. La mejor forma de describirlo sería: "¿Qué pasaría si al colgar a las sirvientas de Odiseo y Penélope se desatara una maldición sobre Ithaca en donde, salvo que se cuelgue a 12 mujeres inocentes, Poseidón inundará la ciudad?'. Esto es lo que se presenta aquí. Y en el centro de todo esto Melantho y Leto dispuestas a que esto no pase nunca más.
¿Con esta premisa era necesario leerse la Odisea para escribir una novela con mitología griega? Puede que hubiera sido deseable pero no obligatorio porque no es un retelling directo. Y pienso lo mismo sobre su lectura: puedes leer este libro sin necesidad de leer la Odisea.
Dicho esto, ¿que pienso yo de "Lies we sing to the sea"? Me ha parecido una propuesta interesante, con una trama y unos personajes complejos que tienen muchos secretos ocultos. Me ha encantado la forma tan detallada y estilística de escribir, llena de florituras, que me ha recordado mucho a los textos clásicos. Sin embargo, no es oro todo lo que reluce. Aunque me han gustado la complejidad inicial de los personajes, tengo que reconocer que creo que a veces su forma de actuar no era acorde con cómo se nos presentaban previamente, siendo, en ocasiones, inmaduros, torpes o simplemente ciegos. Como punto negativo también debo indicar que la narración tiene problemas de ritmo, siendo durante largos fragmentos del libro muy lenta y sin rumbo y, sin embargo, en su último tramo creo que ha pecado de acelerada y de que algunos hechos y revelaciones aparezcan o se les ocurran a los personajes por arte de magia.
¿Me ha gustado? Sí, pero esperaba más, aunque entiendo que, siendo la primera novela de Underwood tiene mucho que evolucionar.
EN:
This is a tricky book to read because of its controversy...but her we go.
Controversies:
-Firstly, the concept. This story was marketed as a retelling of 'The Odyssey" but it is not. It is a fantasy story that takes one chapter of 'The Odessy', the hanging of the Penelope´s maids and uses it to build up a fantasy story that happens hundreds of yers after that event. To me, that is not a retelling, but a follow up of the story, a what if if you will. Therefore, I did not feel offended by the use of the original text through the story (because the novel itself is a new product on its own).
-Secondly, the fact that the author had not read 'The Odessy' by Homer. I do not see it as alarming as I have read in some places. Should she have read the original text prior writing the story? Probably it would have been a good idea, for research, context and tone for example, but I do not consider it compulsory. The story itself I read it as if a "what if". What if, after the hanging of the maids, Poseidon cursed Ithaca and Odyseus´s family for their cruelty towards the maids by threatening to drown the city? The only way to stop this from happening is hanging 12 young innocent people each year as payment to the God. However, hundreds of years later, our protagonist, Melantho and Leto, decide to break the curse by killing Odysseus's descendant, Mathias. With this premise I do believe that the author introduced enough elements let the reader know the classic passages it refers to while having a new story. So, to me, the fact that she did not read 'The Odyssey' is not that bad. I think the author could have benefit from it, but it is not the end of the world. And I hold the same opinion for the readers: you could read 'The Odyssey' before reading this book to have more context and connect all the references, but you can also jump directly to Underwood's novel (which is what I did although I want to read the classic story too).
What do I think of this book?
This is a complex question because I liked it but, at the same time, I expected more from it and saw a few flaws. Let me explain:
I really like the concept of the story and how it was presented to us. I also loved the characters and how grey the were, specially the three main characters, with their multiple layers. I also love the very crafty way in which Underwood used the language and her writing craft, producing a very flowery prose that conjured beautiful scenes in my head. In this particular aspect, her writing reminded me of the classic text such as 'The Iliad'. However, this book has flaws as well. Firstly, it has problems regarding the narrative reading as it has really big portions of the book in which the action is very slow and, then, in the last third of the book everything happens very quickly and, some of the revelations happen too quickly or out of nowhere. As for the characters, though I love their complexity, I do believe that sometimes they behave in a way that goes against their previous behavior or in a very immature or irrational way producing that, sometimes, the enchantment around the character personality breaks producing in the reader a sense of inconsistency.
Does this mean I dislike the book? No. I like the book, but I do feel that some aspects of it could be improved more to make the story reach its full potential, as well as meeting the good aspects I listed before. However, this is the first book of the author and I am confident she will get better as she writes.
So, in the end, is a 3 stars book. Let's see what Underwood writes in the future
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment