Lies We Sing to the Sea

By: Sarah Underwood

Narrated by: Saffron Coomber, Ioanna Kimbook, Sebastian Humphreys

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

An instant New York Times bestseller and legendary YA debut!

This dazzling sapphic fantasy inspired by Greek mythology will captivate fans of Circe and The Song of Achilles.

Each spring, Ithaca condemns twelve maidens to the noose. This is the price vengeful Poseidon demands for the lives of Queen Penelope’s twelve maids, hanged and cast into the depths centuries ago.

But when that fate comes for Leto, death is not what she thought it would be. Instead, she wakes on a mysterious island and meets a girl with green eyes and the power to command the sea. A girl named Melantho, who says one more death can stop a thousand.

The prince of Ithaca must die—or the tides of fate will drown them all.

Sarah Underwood weaves an epic tapestry of lies, love, and tragedy, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller, Alexandra Bracken, and Renée Ahdieh.

©2023 Sarah Underwood (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Lovely classic Greek story

I love the storylines that continue the untold journeys of the forgotten. The author captures the emotional state of her characters and you feel what they are feeling truly. Took me a minute to get into the book but once you do you can’t stop listening/reading. The narrators also managed to convey a lot of emotion in their voices without making me hear every indrawn breathe.
Beautifully written and excellent narration on the audiobook version.

interting time and take on that story

greek methodology has always been a favourite read of mine. this new take on the maids was interesting . loved also the queer take on it

Cool story, terrible pacing

I liked this story a lot; I love this new trend of reimagined myths, and this one did a great job. It was pretty well narrated, although the two main characters' voices were a bit too similar. My main issue was with the pacing of the story - it could have been an hour or two shorter. There were stretches of time when I was tempted to skip ahead, as parts in the 3rd quarter felt repetitive and drawn out. Still an enjoyable listen, though, with a properly Greek ending.

Ugly cry

Beautiful story! Loved the complexity of the story and the pace. Enjoyed the mythology themes and characters.

Lovely

If you make it to the end you’ll ugly cry. This is marketed as a YA novel, but I think the themes are pretty complex and as are the intricacies of emotion. If you love anything historical or classical, this will scratch that itch. I only wish Melantho was a more likable character.

Lies We Sing To The Sea

First and foremost, I realize how hard it is to write a novel—Not sure if this is her first novel but some things she could’ve done without in my opinion. I gave this book 4.5 stars because sometimes it was hard to figure out what was going on, and you really had to concentrate to make sure you didn’t fall off. The author did a good job intertwining Greek Mythos into the story. Leto and Mathias were my favorite characters throughout the story. Melantho I guess would be my secondary favorite only because she has powers (which is kind of bias lol). Overall, I enjoyed the novel thanks to the audiobook.

good book! the pacing of it is a little weird

i really liked the overall story, very good for mythology lovers, the only thing i disliked is how the pacing of events is weird, often too slow or too fast, nothing to do with the narration, solid narrator. anyway i do recommend if you like mythology and want a good book + good lgbtq book

The Readers

The Readers all did an outstanding job. There was nothing that I would have changed. The inflection and emotion were on point. They really brought it to life. . . Inflation, Bravo!!

Hits every note perfectly

Review first then note for the not-read-Odyssey point of interest.
This was quite possibly my favorite audiobook experience... I've listened to hundreds of audiobooks, quite a few in the greek retelling sub-genre, so it is a very high bar to say this will always have a special place in my heart. The characters, world building, and plot were all wonderfully executed. It felt well editted so as to keep the flow of the story moving and focus on the characters/plot. The narrators for the audiobook were absolutely outstanding as well, bringing more emotion to an already vibrant text... I couldn't be more impressed.

The whole "havent read the Odyssey" thing...
So the genre of greek retellings are a favorite of mine as are the classical literature they're based on. I've read multiple translations of the Illiad/Odyssey and spent a lot of time in that headspace.

I'm shocked to find that the author has not read the Odyssey as I would have thought it absolutely essential to writing this book well... I'm even more shocked that despite that handicap, the book feels authentically placed in the ancient greek world.
The illiad and Odyssey presume that the audience is intimately familiar with the concepts and world in which the story takes place. It's a bit odd that the author hasn't read the Odyssey but the scope of the book is specific enough that I don't think it would have benefitted much anyway.
It is perfectly written to be what it is- YA fantasy set in the ancient Greek world/mythology.

A lot of historical/fiction founded on classical literature spends time with background or working in the historical context.. I've always loved this as I am an ancient world nerd and will take any excuse to go back, but the book gave as much context as it needed and I think the story is better off for it. It's approachable to a wider audience and the focus is more squarely on the exceptionally well written characters in a world that does feel authentic to the cruelties of the ancient Greek reality/mythology. Much as I love to hear about the ancient Greek world, that isn't what the book is about and doesn't seem to pretend to be otherwise. It isn't a Dan Brown "do the research then try to build a narrative out of it" book, but rather a narrative that found a well fitting home atop a historical work.

Oh My God!

What an incredible story! I want to keep reading but it is done. I absolutely love the characters, the twists, the love, the hate, the sex, the magic! It is phenomenal & I highly highly recommend this to anyone who likes an adventurous romantic suspense!