LoveReading Says
In Lies We Sing to the Sea, debut novelist Sarah Underwood reimagines the Greek myth of Penelope's twelve hanged maids from Homer’s The Odyssey to present a richly detailed, sweeping story that will satisfy latter-day fans of fantastical fiction. Teeming with tragedy, romance and big themes — fate, sacrifice, desire and female agency — it relates an epic quest to break a curse and exact revenge.
While some superstitious townsfolk had whispered about her having “mystical powers”, seventeen-year-old Leto has lived a largely unremarkable life in the kingdom of Ithaca, a place where twelve maidens are hanged each spring as a gift to Poseidon, god of the sea. All that changes when Leto’s time to be hanged comes, and she defies the gallows by waking up on Pandou island. She’s discovered by Melantho, keeper of Pandou, who buries the eleven dead maidens with honey and wine, before explaining that Leto’s survival presents a rare opportunity to break the hanging curse —“We need to kill the prince of Ithaca”.
After the swift set-up of this context, and after Leto initially refuses her heroine’s call to adventure, Melantho drops the bombshell that she’s too bound to Pandou to leave the island, which means Leto must bear this task alone. And so the stage is set for a twisting tale of lust, love, loss and sacrifice, told in a style that melds modern snappiness with timeless atmosphere.
Joanne Owen
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Lies We Sing to the Sea Synopsis
A fantasy romance, by dazzling new talent Sarah Underwood, inspired by Greek mythology and the tale of Penelope's twelve hanged maids.
'A lavish epic of power, vengeance, love and fate.'
YA Book of the Month in The Observer (2/4/2023)
'A lovely, lyrical fantasy which takes the fate of the hanged maids of the Odyssey and weaves something brand new. A story overflowing with emotion and full of magic.'
Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne and Elektra
In the cursed kingdom of Ithaca, each spring brings the hanging of twelve maidens, a gift to the vengeful Poseidon. But when Leto awakens from her death on the shore of a long-forgotten island, its enigmatic keeper Melantho tells her that there's only one way the curse can be broken. Leto must kill the last prince of Ithaca . . .
In Lies We Sing to the Sea, debut author Sarah Underwood delivers a thrilling and breathtaking tale that will enthral readers from the very first page as they are transported to the cursed shores of Ithaca.
A reclamation of a story from thousands of years ago, Lies We Sing to the Sea is about love and fate, grief and sacrifice, and, ultimately, the power we must find within.
'Gorgeous, tragic, and timeless, Underwood's LIES WE SING TO THE SEA makes an age-old story feel new again. This is Greek tragedy at its best: sweeping in scope yet deeply intimate in characterization. This book will break your heart.' - Grace Li Sunday Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief
The hardback of Lies we Sing to the Sea reached number 9 in the New York Times bestseller chart week commencing 13/2/2023 and was the bestselling YA book in the Young Adult Fiction chart week ending 18/3/2023.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780008518080 |
| Publication date: |
29th February 2024 |
| Author: |
Sarah Underwood |
| Publisher: |
Electric Monkey an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
488 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Romance / Relationship Stories
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| Other Genres: |
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