Lies We Sing to the Sea

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.