Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Lies We Sing to the Sea

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood

21 reviews

mirandyli's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This was a beautiful story perfect for fans of queer Greek mythology. Very heartwrenching.

I thought this book was going to subvert the “kill your gays” trope, but in the end, a queer character does die. It isn’t a happy ending.

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_puberty2's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

i was deeply disappointed with how the author handled her sapphic characters and the more sensitive topics she decided to include. with all of the major conflicts being driven by the rape, abuse, and death of the lesbian character — melantho — and pretty much every other woman in the book, i expected the ending to include some kind of meaningful resolution to their suffering that would give greater purpose to that narrative choice. instead, it was treated purely as a plot device, as was the lesbian character as a whole. i grew attached to her very quickly as i could relate to a lot of her internal conflicts and her guilt, but without her trauma she would have very little individuality from leto.

introducing a male love interest (mathias) to an established sapphic relationship is already a cardinal sin but melantho just kind of accepts it when leto is effectively cheating?? with minimal resistance?? especially since it completely undercuts her consistent distain towards him and his affection for leto throughout the rest of the book. i understand that mel feels unworthy of leto’s love, but failing to resolve that internal conflict with an expression of unwavering loyalty made it seem like their relationship wasn’t real enough to involve monogamy. leto questioning her “choosing” melantho over mathias (even though he was Always going to have to die) honestly solidifies that for me. the fact that the last thing to happen before mel ends up dead is fade-to-black sex that’s framed as a “parting gift” for mathias before they end the curse was salt in the wound. adding in the detail that the caveat to needing 12 princes was one prince who chooses really just felt like a way to make mathias the heroic, selfless one despite the fact that he was already the 12th and him accepting his death made no difference for mel’s centuries of tireless work and the thousands of girls who died in the meantime. similarly, her attempt to explain melantho’s acceptance of mathias (despite her consistent rejection otherwise) using his sister’s death was another severely underdeveloped attempt to make you sympathize with him and his “sacrifice”.

overall, i think choosing to create a sapphic novel with a foundation of women’s suffering then prioritizing the feelings and image of the singular male main character is very telling to the author’s priorities. this isn’t even getting into the complete non-effort put into making this the “odyssey retelling” it was advertised to be (despite the author never having ever read the book) and complete lack of research into the setting and time period.

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Loosely inspired by Penelope’s twelve hanged maids immortalised in The Odyssey. Sarah Underwood’s Greek myth-infused debut was a surprisingly relevant and pacy, character driven read that brings female rage and resilience to the forefront of the narrative.

Not a retelling as such, but a creative reinterpretation (that uses the original as a starting point), I had been a little nervous to start this one as I’d seen a few mixed reviews. But I’m soo glad I finally did, as I really enjoyed it!

The prose was wonderfully immersive, and I enjoyed delving into the lives (and alternating perspectives) of our three protagonists — all of whom are trying to break the Curse that has plagued Ithaca for centuries. It can get angsty at, but I really enjoyed that tension.

Leto-compassionate, fiercely determined and strong willed, is the first character we meet and she was incredible! It’s her rage and need for vengeance that initially propels the plot, but her dynamics with fellow hanged maid Melantho, Prince Matthias and her endearing capacity for empathy (despite all she’s endured), is what really kept me invested.

Melantho (along with Leto) were my absolute favourite characters and I loved seeing their growing relationship develop. Their past experiences and emotional complexity was phenomenal. And really focuses on the difficult choices that they must make —in a world that sees them (and other women like them) as easily replaceable/ disposable.

Matthias, was an interesting and somewhat endearing character too, but his complicity in the hangings (which he had to oversee) and slow start in actively trying to break the curse, meant I did kind of dislike him at the start. He does eventually begin to make up for it as the story unfolds, but I feel his character not being as developed as Leto and Melantho did hinder him a little.

Nevertheless, his actions speak louder than any words ever could, and had me absolutely sobbing by the end.

Given the current climate (and attacks on women’s personal freedoms) worldwide, this felt like a very relevant and topical read. In which the previously silenced voices of women (subjected, objectified or victimised) can use their new power to finally get justice for all the pain they (and others like them) have suffered.

Overall, a perfect introduction to Greek Mythology for readers eager for more female centric reimaginings. Especially, if they’re already fans of Madeline Miller or Jennifer Saint.

Also, thank you to Electric Monkey books for the PB copy.

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itsbumley's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Writing: 4⭐️/5

The writing in this story was clear and poetic. At times, I really did love the beauty of the words and how the story was unravelling carefully. I think Underwood writes very cleanly and epically, which served this Greek-myth-inspired story well. The shifting character POVs served the story well, though I do wish each character had a more defined voice during their own section.

Characters: 3⭐️/5

The characters in the story were clear and relatively strong. Or, at least, the main characters – our narrators – were. The side characters felt much more wishy-washy, their personalities left unexplored and undeveloped until the climax of the story, which then felt far too late. Despite our three main characters being clear in their characteristics, they also didn’t develop much throughout the story. The plot took the centrefold of the story, and the characters simply continued along their paths.

Plot: 3.25⭐️/5

I did enjoy reading the story, as the plot felt clear and decided. However, at many points, the plot’s pacing felt incredibly off. I wondered at the stretched out timeline between Menthalo and Leto’s training to the condensed timeline of them returning to Ithaca and crashing into Mathias’ life. Since the timeline felt rushed, many of the plot points felt rushed. Personally, while I enjoyed both of the love stories in the novel, I wondered whether they could have been handled a bit better to make it feel more respectful. I love a good poly relationship, but – while Menthalo and Mathias ended up respecting each other – one was left in the dark about the other, and Menthalo herself never seemed to be settled with the fact that Leto also loved Mathias.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of Greek Mythology looking for something inspired by it; readers looking for a tragedy that isn’t hopeless; those who like LGBTQIA stories;

Content Warnings?

Blood, death, hangings, drowning, murder, injury, injury detail, fire, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, sacrifices, misogyny, sexism, gaslighting, abuse, suicide, suicidal thoughts, depression, classism,

Post-Reading Rating: 3.25⭐️/5

I liked the ending, but I wanted a bit more from the lead up into it.

Final Rating: 3.25⭐️/5 (3.38)

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kkalicky94's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

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thebookishbugg's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I couldn't put this book down. It swept me in from page one and next thing I know it's 11:00 p.m., I've read 200 pages in one sitting, and my heart aches.

The ending made me bawl my eyes out.

Don't know how I'm going to find something to read after this, it's going to pale in comparison.

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captainchloe__'s review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

I was reading this book thinking it was YA, and I will say the content towards the end got quite graphic so just be aware of that. Also, as many have said, it's not a retelling. It's a reimagining of what could have happened next. My main issue with this book is that some aspects of it were not historically accurate - one of the characters, in ancient Greece, uses the phrase "Latrine" which is a Latin word in origin?? As a classicist who focused on politics in ancient Greece, I also haven't read the Odyssey fully, like the author 🤣🤨, but I aim to one day be that confident and have that much audacity.
Overall, if you can look past the audacity, I enjoyed this book, the plot was interesting and the characters were engaging. It was a bit teen drama at points, but overall it was a... It was a read. I read it. Yay. And finally, between the halfway point and the end, it was clear that Melantho's eyes were, in fact, green, and did not change colour.

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summerrydell's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’m wrapped up in the post-reading-endorphin-rush, so I want to give it a higher rating, but I can’t. I think I’m already being generous. There’s just something about Greek myths… However, this is so loosely related (read: under-researched and oversold as something it isn’t). According to the author, this is a feminist retelling of “The Odyssey”, except she didn’t read it/do additional research or include the other 99% of the original story. She admitted she gathered info from “Percy Jackson” and other stories. To me, there needs to be more than 1% to be considered a retelling. The historical details are also very inaccurate for 4th century BCE.

Even with all of that, there are so many plot holes and straight up UNCLEAR details that really do make a difference to the story. The reader is just supposed to accept that things are the way they are because the internal monologue of the MC says so.

So, why give it 3 stars then? Idk, I still kind of liked it 🤷🏻‍♀️😂. There really is a story there, and I do think that some of the writing is very beautiful, even if it was full of holes and inaccuracies.

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elderwoodreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

The first third of this book could've been about a quarter of the length. I honestly couldn't tell you much of what happened outside of the bits of backstory sprinkled in. The last 2/3 the book really shined, however,

the love triangle felt so unnecessary and really made it a struggle to get through at times

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