Lies We Sing to the Sea

January 15, 2023
Every year, 12 girls are sacrificed to sea god Poseidon to save the Ithacan people from starvation. Leto is an orphan in a poor village, selling her half-formed prophecies, when the fate of execution befalls her. Miraculously spared, she is washed ashore on the island of Pandou unconscious but alive, and there she makes her new home with mysterious Melantho, who is something more than human. Leto, like Melantho, has been changed--able to become a scaled, aquatic creature and graced with watery magic. Leto and Melantho form a daring plan to kill the prince whose orders doom girls like them to death, though Leto also feels affection for and attraction to him. As they slowly succumb to their desire for revenge and love for each other, Prince Mathias attempts to right the wrongs of his ancestors. In this feminist retelling, Underwood takes a lesser-known portion of The Odyssey, mining what it has to say about queerness, legacies of violence, and women's roles in mythology. Unfortunately, the characterizations are underdeveloped, the timelines confusing, and the pacing off. Relationships and plot elements are developed primarily through exposition rather than unfolding naturally. For example, elements such as what precisely defines the attraction between scrappy Leto and Melantho and who Matthias is as a person beg for deeper examination. The retelling works best when it leans into the more monstrous and surreal aspects of the story's larger mythology and is willing to examine complications in morality and love. Inconsistent but intriguing. (Fantasy. 14-18)

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January 30, 2023
Underwood artfully ties Homeric tropes into the plot of this alluring, if unevenly paced, ancient Greek retelling. To avoid societal destruction, the citizens of a cursed Ithaca annually sacrifice 12 teenage girls to Poseidon. When 17-year-old orphan Leto is sentenced to death, unexplained happenings lead to her waking on the island of Pandou, where she meets Melantho, who had previously been sacrificed only to similarly awaken on the island, cursed to command the tides. To break the curse, Leto must kill teenage Prince Mathias of Ithaca, a descendant of Odysseus who is haunted by the annual tradition. As the three teens’ lives intertwine, amorous feelings are forged amid harrowing action and vengeful pursuits. Leto, Mathias, and Melantho’s sweeping alternating perspectives drive this urgent-feeling romantic adventure. Floral language, while occasionally dampening character development, excels at setting an absorbing scene. Exploring conflicts surrounding the mistreatment of women, power imbalances, and sexual violence, Underwood adroitly utilizes the inspiration material’s foundation to deliver an expansive world plagued by monsters both mythical and mortal. All characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Catherine Cho, Paper Literary.

March 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-This novel expands on the story from the Odyssey in which Odysseus and Telemachus kill Queen Penelope's 12 maids. Centuries later, Ithaca must sacrifice 12 girls every spring to Poseidon or be destroyed-a curse placed on Ithaca for the actions against the maids. When Leto, daughter of a royal oracle, is sent to be hanged with the other 11, she wakes up very much alive in a mysterious place called Pandou. There she meets Melantho, another girl like her, who was brought back by Poseidon with the chance of breaking the curse. Those who are saved come back changed, with the ability to transform into sea creatures. There have been others, but only Melantho remains-and Leto is the last. In order to break the curse, they must kill Mathias, the Prince of Ithaca. Mathias has lost a sister to Poseidon and wants nothing more than to break the curse himself. The novel alternates among Leto's, Melantho's, and Mathias's points of view. While not a full retelling of the Odyssey itself, Underwood's novel gives a new voice to the 12 maids and their legacy in her debut. There are clear romantic feelings between Leto and Melantho that build through the novel, as well as hints of romance between Leto and Mathias. Themes of love, betrayal, hope, and loss permeate the pages. VERDICT As expected with a tragedy, love does not always ensure a happy ending, but readers will be invested in the story and characters regardless. Recommended for most teen collections, especially where Greek mythology-inspired fiction is popular.-Marissa Lieberman

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