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shannonvonpesach's review against another edition
I really like the writingstyle but the start was too confusing for me and I have a feeling I need to know more about the Greek mythology then I do now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
ntstucky's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, Violence, Suicide, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Rape, Blood, and Slavery
woelkchen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape
bookish_hollyx's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Rape, Violence, and Suicide
fossilreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
As a story, on its own, exciting and thrilling. But as I'm not able to overlook the fact the author has called it a retelling without even reading the original story it is meant to portray, unfortunately I can not rate this better than 2,5 stars.
I'm personally not a fan of time jumps too much and the way flashbacks to memories or stories told were written, I got confused many times when we jumped from an orally told story to a memory instead.
I'm not very knowledgeable in greek mythology, so I'm not able to give an opinion on how accurate those parts of the story are.
I was happy to see Leto gather herself in the end, it frustrated me how flaky she was with going through with things she seemed to be so incredibly set on. But that's also just.. humanity.
Honestly Mathias might have been my favorite character in all this. He truly wanted the best and tried to do all he knew to be able to. I love and hate his ending, I just want him to have everything good in the world!
This is a heavy read for all the grief and especially the pain women go through (of course girls are the ones cursed and at the mercy of men, as it has gone throughout so much of history).
The ending was predictable, but in my opinion it was in a nice way and didn't ruin the book for me. Some things still felt left unanswered in the end, but at least most of it was a somewhat satisfying ending.
So in short: As a story, it's a great one with such grief and also some joy sprinkled in. In context of it supposedly being a retelling, ehhhh... It's a heavy read when you wish so much better for women in general.
I really liked the romances, but there were so many things that frustrated me within them. I understand Melantho's grief over her past lovers, but babygirl, you are allowed to love again. They are gone, taken from you, it's not like you're cheating.
Leto on the other hand... how easily do you forget Melantho as soon as you set your eyes (and lips) on the prince?
I'm personally not a fan of time jumps too much and the way flashbacks to memories or stories told were written, I got confused many times when we jumped from an orally told story to a memory instead.
I'm not very knowledgeable in greek mythology, so I'm not able to give an opinion on how accurate those parts of the story are.
I was happy to see Leto gather herself in the end, it frustrated me how flaky she was with going through with things she seemed to be so incredibly set on. But that's also just.. humanity.
Honestly Mathias might have been my favorite character in all this. He truly wanted the best and tried to do all he knew to be able to. I love and hate his ending, I just want him to have everything good in the world!
This is a heavy read for all the grief and especially the pain women go through (of course girls are the ones cursed and at the mercy of men, as it has gone throughout so much of history).
The ending was predictable, but in my opinion it was in a nice way and didn't ruin the book for me. Some things still felt left unanswered in the end, but at least most of it was a somewhat satisfying ending.
So in short: As a story, it's a great one with such grief and also some joy sprinkled in. In context of it supposedly being a retelling, ehhhh... It's a heavy read when you wish so much better for women in general.
Leto on the other hand... how easily do you forget Melantho as soon as you set your eyes (and lips) on the prince?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery
kanadrallegria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Murder, Sexual content, Child death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Slavery, Violence, Rape, Suicide, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
simplyammee's review against another edition
The insta-love and time jumps are throwing me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: Rape
klbreyfogle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Slavery
lsaucedo5's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Started off really slow, wasn’t until halfway through the book that it got interesting for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Violence
persephonefoxx'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
So first things first. This book is woefully falsely advertised. Lies We Sing to the Sea is not the Greek Mythology retelling it is marketed as, it is an original story set in the backdrop of Ancient Greece. Which of course brings up the discussions of the author not having read the source material that this ‘retelling’ was based off. As someone who also hasn’t read the Odyssey in it’s entirety or analytically, I am not in a position to add anything to the conversation that hasn’t already been perfectly detailed by other reviews.
All that aside, this story was enjoyable and at time I had fun reading parts. But it wasn’t great. While I enjoyed the writing, I found the characters to be frustrating. The ‘love triangle’ is one of my biggest qualms. The romance in this story had so much potential, especially in a setting historically known for queer relationship. Instead it found itself tearing down the bumpy road of the cheating bisexual trope. A missed opportunity turned dropped ball.
But there was a part of this story I loved. The highlight of it all was the ending. That’s where this story not only shines, but also the moment I found it feeling the most like a story about Greek Mythology. A Greek tragedy. And while it ripped my overly emotional heart out, that was the moment where I saw everything this novel could have been.
This novel has potential. It really did. It was an enjoyable and quick read but I really think it could have been so much more. Yes, maybe that could have started with reading the source material. Or perhaps this was a story that should have existed on its own, outside the world of Greek Mythology. Either way. The beauty of this tale is in the end you just have to get there.
All that aside, this story was enjoyable and at time I had fun reading parts. But it wasn’t great. While I enjoyed the writing, I found the characters to be frustrating. The ‘love triangle’ is one of my biggest qualms. The romance in this story had so much potential, especially in a setting historically known for queer relationship. Instead it found itself tearing down the bumpy road of the cheating bisexual trope. A missed opportunity turned dropped ball.
But there was a part of this story I loved. The highlight of it all was the ending. That’s where this story not only shines, but also the moment I found it feeling the most like a story about Greek Mythology. A Greek tragedy. And while it ripped my overly emotional heart out, that was the moment where I saw everything this novel could have been.
This novel has potential. It really did. It was an enjoyable and quick read but I really think it could have been so much more. Yes, maybe that could have started with reading the source material. Or perhaps this was a story that should have existed on its own, outside the world of Greek Mythology. Either way. The beauty of this tale is in the end you just have to get there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent