Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler: this book was going on. And on. And on.

Okay, I need to start off by saying that the way this book was marketed was completely wrong. And Odyssey retelling, but the author has not read the Odyssey? Yeah, no. It felt like just a way to sell the book, and frankly, it is embarrassing.

Moving onto the actual story, it started off as interesting. The curse, the prophecy, searching for a solution. But is just kept moving in circles. It went back and forth to the same issue. The relationship between the main characters was confusing. Was it supposed to be a love triangle? Leto kept saying she had feelings for Melantho, but kept making out with Matthias behind her back. She was changing her feelings within a couple of sentences, and it was giving me whiplash.

I think the ending was the best part. Probably a happy ending would have docked another star from the final rating.

It was not bad, per se, just unremarkable. Forgettable. In a month's time I probably won't remember anything apart from the amount of times the sea and Poseidon were mentioned.

I wanted to love this book so much, especially with its Greek mythology inspiration, which is always a draw for me, and the premise of Leto breaking free from her fate was so compelling.

The first part of the story really sucked me in, and I appreciated how the narrative set up this world of ancient curses and divine intervention. The mythology aspect is one of the strongest points, and I do think it’s been given an interesting twist with the way Sarah Underwood takes familiar elements and reimagines them in a fresh, new light.
That said, I struggled a bit with the pacing as the story went on. The love triangle, which I know some people will really connect with, just wasn’t something I personally enjoyed, and at times I found it more distracting than emotionally engaging. The shifts in Leto's focus between the two characters (Melantho and Matthias) left me feeling a little disconnected, and I didn’t fully buy into the romance as the driving force behind the plot.
Thee were aspects I liked, and aspects that didn't grab me so much, I still enjoyed the writing and the narration, though I did speed it up to get through it.

I really enjoyed listening to this new take on the myth of Odysseus's return to Ithaca. The immersive setting and characters were great - I found myself rooting for both sides, wanting Leta's mission to both succeed and fail! The narrators and audio pacing were excellent too and I've found myself thinking about this story a lot since finishing it. Would recommend.

I don’t know why I left it so long to read this amazing book! The roller coaster of emotions i experienced was unreal! It’s so captivating so well written I could picture it in my mind as if it was a movie. Sarah Underwood has a gift for bringing ancient history back to life

Leto is one of 12 girls sacrificed to Poseidon each year. Somehow she wakes from her death on an island with the beautiful Melantho, who tells her there's more to her destiny, there's a way she can end the curse and save all the future sacrifices.
I liked the mythology setting which is what drew me to this book in the first place, and the little twist regarding Melantho. However, I generally don't like love triangles and really didn't understand this one. The ending was a bit underwhelming too.
The narrators were mostly pleasant to listen to but one of them audibly breathes quite often which is a bit annoying.

A thoroughly enjoyable book with good narrators. I had had this book sitting on my shelf for a while and though I knew that I wanted to read it based on the premise and the reviews of friends I had just never gotten round to it so when I saw that the audio book was available for review on netgalley I jumped at the chance. The narrators made this audio book so easy to listen to that before I knew it it was finished and I was left wanting more!

Sarah Underwood’s Lies We Sing to the Sea is a beautifully crafted novel that blends mythology, mystery, and romance into a compelling narrative.

Multi-narrator format is always a big plus in my book - I just love me good cast! And let's be honest: it makes the story feel more alive and multifaceted when you have different voices for different characters.

The pacing of this book is spot-on as the plot unfolds, with each twist and revelation perfectly timed to maintain intrigue. The mystery around the prophecy is well executed and it connecting to the secrets one of our main characters is keeping is really nice. I also like that there are multiple kinks in the prophecy that are discovered bit by bit, making things more complicated along the way.

The suspenseful elements are well balanced with an exploration mythological themes from ancient Greece, creating a world that feels incredibly vibrant. It's a somewhat refreshing take on the mythology with the Gods being more passive forces in the world and never showing up themselves (like the greek gods like to do...), and the author manages to incorporate these elements without overwhelming the plot.

The novel’s world-building feels authentic thanks to this really good mix of mythology and normal every day life. Sure, it's set in Ithaca from long ago but it still feels familiar enough to just get it. The author has taken the time to create a setting that is rich with history (Odysseus' doing echoing all the way to the present of the book for example), which adds depth to the characters’ struggles and choices, making their journeys more resonant. They are quite literally haunted by the past and have to pay for the sins of their fathers!

The romance,too, was well-executed, adding an emotional dimension to the story without ever taking away from the other plot elements. The relationships are developed with nuance and care, making them feel genuine and integral to the characters’ development. I was positively swooning in multiple directions!

And by the time you reach the conclusion of this story, you're rewarded with a powerful ending that ties together the various threads of the story. It’s a satisfying resolution that feels earned and leaves a lasting impact. I love me a book that doesn't shy away from the painful option. And this book did it three times in the span of only a couple of pages!

Overall, Lies We Sing to the Sea is a captivating audiobook experience, one that brings together mystery, mythology, and romance in a way that feels engaging. Sarah Underwood’s storytelling, combined with the skilled narration, makes this an audiobook that is both a pleasure to listen to and an easy recommendation for fans of myth-inspired fiction. If you’re looking for a story that will keep you hooked from start to finish, Lies We Sing to the Sea is well worth the listen.

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.


lies we sing to the sea is gorgeously written, richly imagined and threaded with intense emotion in its depictions of vengeful gods, angry girls and immense, unyielding sorrow. with utterly compelling characters, irresistible romances and the slow remembrance of a cruel fate lost to time, underwood has woven a tale of love, destiny and, above all, survival. lies we sing to the sea will break your heart even as it heals it.

I love anything inspired by Greek mythology and having previously read Lies We Sing to the Sea, I was looking forward to the audiobook bringing the story to life. Unfortunately, it didn't have the impact I was hoping it would - I liked the multiple narrators for multiple characters, however some of their voices were monotone and almost robotic which honestly made the story slow with no sense of urgency, and just boring.

To add: miscommunication tropes need to be put in the bin.

In the cursed kingdom of Ithaca, each summer brings the hanging of twelve maidens, a gift to the vengeful God of the sea, Poseidon. For seventeen years Leto has escaped the curse's mark. Until now......

A Greek mythology romantic fantasy tragedy which I had the pleasure of listening to on audio. The narrators were wonderful and Sebastian Humphreys portrayal of Prince Mathias was dreamy. Great creation of all the characters, easy to follow and understand.

This book is everything you want from a Greek mythology retelling or alternative interpretation. It has love, friendship, power, revenge and heartbreak. The story was captivating, the prose and language was beautiful throughout. The chapters were short and easy to absorb.

An enchanting listen which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, the author and narrators for this ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio | Electric Monkey for providing access to the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating: 3.25.

This has been a surprisingly long journey, considering the relatively small size of the book.

I want to point out that I really enjoyed the first 20% of it, adoring Leto's rage and frustration. But as the story went on, she lost the spark that made her interesting, forcing me to put her in the same mental boat as Melantho - of characters I couldn't be bothered caring for anymore. So I was left with poor Matthias, who simply deserved better than this.

The story dragged on endlessly, feeding us more and more teenage drama of this messy love triangle that made me feel nothing but frustration. I did not care who would be chosen by Leto - if anything I was hoping that Melantho and Matthias would discard her completely after she kept switching from one to the other, curses and consequences be damned. Or that they'd turn into a polyamorous couple. The ending gave me some comfort but I can't say that I enjoyed anything related to the romantic plotline. Nor did I feel any grief in the end.

That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the Queen's reveal. Her hatred towards Leto made total sense, and she might be the most tragic character of the story (apart from Leto).

Despite everything I mentioned above, I still found myself giggling and smiling every now and then when bits of dialogue or action provided some proper entertainment. So the book gets some brownie points for that.

Regarding the 'Greek mythology retelling' debates, I'm not that mad by the way the legends have been twisted. The marketing strategy behind the novel must've been changed since its release, as it's currently labeled as 'inspired by Greek mythology', which is accurate. It might've been smarter to attack lesser-loved characters or, even better, create new figures entirely, but oh well.

The narration's been pretty decent as well. I enjoyed the edge in Leto's voice that appeared at the beginning. My main issue would be that Sebastian Humphreys' female voices were not great, so further work in that department might be necessary.

I picked up this book expecting a feminist retelling of a Greek myth or story but it’s not what it is. If I’d read a couple of the reviews I wouldn’t have even picked this up, I see the author admitted to not having read the odyssey before and as a historian it bothers me that you would set a book in a world without doing research. While I understand that authors take inspiration for their stories from many places, and could have been inspired by Percy Jackson or other retellings already in circulation I can’t fathom why you would write a book and market it as a retelling without having read the original. But while this is annoying it’s more poor advertising than anything else because it’s not a retelling.

When reading the likes of Circe, song of Achilles, and Ariadne I enjoyed recognising the story but seeing it from a different viewpoint, and the elements I didn’t recognise I could find with a quick google search. When I was trying to find elements of this story I was coming up empty, yes the 12 hanged maids was in the Odyssey but the rest seems to be an invention by the author. So what I read wasn’t so far a retelling but a fantasy set in Ancient Greece and inspired by a small section of the odyssey. It also doesn’t seem to be feminist, it’s told from the perspective of 2 of the hanged women and we find out that as punishment for killing the 12 maids ithica has to … kill more women? Like what? I don’t know whether the author came up with this herself or maybe she’s just not explained it well enough but it makes no sense to me

The writing was flowery and fitting with the style of book and the narration was great but it wasn’t enough to keep me invested

This didn't really work for me. Simply put, I didn't care. I liked the main character at first but she ended up being pretty two-dimensional and I couldn't find it in me to care about her romances. I couldn't stand the prince and the other one deserved better. The intrigue kind of lost me and I just let myself be carried through it. I kind of wanted it to end? I guess it wasn't terrible but I just didn't feel it. It just didn't work for me...

Oh. I had high hopes for this one. But I just couldn’t get into it.
I didn’t feel much sense of urgency - despite the looming threat of 12 more deaths. What was happening didn’t make me want to pick it back up when I put it down.
The characters were okay, but I don’t think the romance was developed. I also feel like a lot of the conflicts in this could have been prevented with a bit of communication.
It wasn’t a Greek myth retelling, it was a fantasy set in Ancient Greece with mentions of Greek myths to ground the story. Had you given the heroes and gods different names, it could have been set anywhere else.

3.5* rounded up

*** This review contains a few light spoilers ***

I really enjoyed the premise and the first half of this book, pretty much everything up to Leto and Melantho arriving in Ithaca. To me the second half of the book felt overly drawn out and I'm not really sure how I felt about the love triangle, I definitely didn't love it, I think it might have been a stronger story without it or if Leto had seemed genuinely torn between the two.

I also personally really dislike the lack of communication trope, especially in a multiple POV narrative which leads to the reader knowing that if they did just talk everything would be resolved pretty quickly. This added to the second half of the book feeling like it dragged as you knew that once they actually got round to properly talking the issue would be resolved. Likewise their 'research' felt kind of pointless, it was clear that there wasn't anything in the library and then they just went to a couple of potentially interesting locations but didn't do any kind of actual looking around when they got there. Then suddenly deciding to go to the cellars felt like the author not knowing how to get them to a location she wanted them in.

I did enjoy the first half though, I enjoyed the descriptions of Melantho's island and how her relationship with Leto grew and developed. The language used was beautiful throughout the novel and the voices of the three POV characters were strong and independent of one another. I enjoyed the plot and the various aspects of the curse, though at times it's execution was a little clunky. I also enjoyed the fact that we got a bit of insight into Mathias' mother and why she behaved as she did, I would have liked a bit more of that or Leto bringing some of that insight to Mathias before the end of the novel.

I listened to this book on audio and I really enjoyed having three narrators portraying the three POV characters, it made it easy to know who's chapter you were in. I also thought the voice actors were very good at portraying emotion and weren't afraid to slow down or speed up to portray their characters fully. It very much felt like the book was being acted rather than just read, which I think works incredibly well within the oral and stage based Ancient Greek traditions that this novel uses as it's source.

Overall it was a enjoyable read and, though sections were a bit long, I'm glad to have read the whole story.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK Audio and Sarah Underwood for the free audiobook, it was a great audio performance.

This story was simply phenomenal. Rarely do I find myself desperate to get back to the story and excited to pick the book back up. I adored it and cannot recommend enough.

I was kindly sent the audio are to listen to. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator and how well the characters came across. Sadly the story itself was not for me. I really struggle with themes of deception / cheating / lying snd in some books I can let it go as it's written in well. But in this one, I ended up disliking the FMC. Really appreciate the opportunity to listen to this one! Thank you.

There is nothing that screams home as much as stories set in Greece, paying an ode to the myths and gods.

Lies we sing to the sea tells the story of Leto, a young girl sacrificed to the sea along with eleven other maidens as a price Ithaca has to pay to Poseidon. But what marks the end of Leto’s life marks the beginning of this tale. For when Leto is claimed by the sea, she transforms and together with a green-eyed girl she meets, she sets out to free Ithaca of its curse; she sets out to kill the prince.

It is not often when an audiobook feels so… alive. There was an urgency to the voices of the audiobook narrators, a flow which breathes life into Sarah Underwood’s poetic prose.

Sarah Underwood skillfully weaves together a beautiful tale and her writing is lyrical and captivating. Less focused on delivering a complex plot and more focused on creating complex characters, the relationships between the three main characters are the true stars of the show.

It is a tale of fate, of power, of sacrifice, of love.

I did not listen to this story as a retelling of the Odyssey but as its own tale. And, as that, it stands as a beautiful tale indeed.

I know the book has been out for a while, but I only just recently created a NetGalley account myself and when I saw ‘Lies we sing to the sea’ was an available audiobook title to request, I jumped at the opportunity.

I would like to thank Harper Collins Audio UK and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to access this world weaved by Sarah Underwood. #LiesWeSingtotheSea #NetGalley

The first few chapters of Lies We Sing to the Sea had me enthralled. The writing was equal parts sharp and delicate, with beautiful prose and detail woven together to create so much tension. I was hooked.
Equally, the ending was striking. I could not bear to do anything but let the audiobook wash over me as I cried. The emotion overspilling from Underwood’s words was all-consuming and beautiful, and it is a climax I have found myself thinking about a lot since finishing it.
However, the middle was such a let down. It was entirely repetition: reading the same circumstances from three different points of view whilst managing to gain absolutely nothing each time. The plot was moving at such a slow pace it felt painful. This book really would have benefited from being roughly 100 pages shorter, just to keep the plot tight and moving at all times. I really enjoyed the triple point of view narration, but it needs to have each one bring something new to the table when it’s their chapter.

All three narrators did a fantastic job and really brought the story to life.

Overall, I would rate the book 3.75 stars, and would definitely recommend it to others. The writing is fantastic, and the ending was incredibly moving.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio, Electric Monkey, and NetGalley for an Audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is my first read from the author's work and I absolutely love this. The author has beautifully penned down the plotline. It's is well and nicely paced as it was such a smooth and easy breezy read.
It has been in my tbr for so long as I only saw good words about this book and I was so excited to see the audiobook ARC so i requested it, I am glad that i was approved. I absolutely loved it. The characters were so amazing and wonderful.