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Gentlest of Wild Things

Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

""A tapestry of mysteries, myths, and machinations, all held together by a shimmering thread of love between women."" —Samantha Shannon, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

This stunning Greek mythology–inspired sapphic fantasy blends the story of Eros and Psyche with legends of the enthralling, vampiric empousa—from the New York Times bestselling author of Lies We Sing to the Sea!

Desire binds them. Hunger compels them. Love will set them free. . . .

On the island of Zakynthos, nothing is more powerful than Desire—love itself, bottled and sold to the highest bidder by Leandros, a power-hungry descendant of the god Eros.

Eirene and her beloved twin sister, Phoebe, have always managed to escape Desire's thrall—until Leandros's wife dies mysteriously and he sets his sights on Phoebe. Determined to keep her sister safe, Eirene strikes a bargain with Leandros: If she can complete the four elaborate tasks he sets her, he will find another bride. But it soon becomes clear that the tasks are part of something bigger; something related to Desire and Lamia, the strange, neglected daughter Leandros keeps locked away.

Lamia knows her father hides her for her own protection, though as she and Eirene grow closer, she finds herself longing for the outside world. But the price of freedom is high, and with something deadly—something hungry—stalking the night, that price must be paid in blood. . . .

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 5, 2024
      When his 18-year-old wife Alexandra dies, Leandros—a powerful magnate and descendent of Aphrodite and Eros—announces his intent to marry Phoebe, a 16-year-old who’s “plagued by a recurrent fever.” Phoebe’s twin sister, headstrong herbalist Eirene, persuades Leandros to marry her instead; she is determined to uncover more about Alexandra’s fate and how Leandros concocts his Desires—which the wealthy men of the ancient Greek town of Zakynthos use to make women fall in love with them—so she can stop him once and for all. But to prove her devotion to him, Eirene must complete four grueling tasks. She finds an unlikely ally in Leandros’s teenage daughter Lamia, who experiences chronic pain and whose mysterious magical powers Leandros exploits. As Eirene and Lamia unearth the secrets behind the Desires and Alexandra’s death, they develop a friendship that deepens into romance. This sophomore outing by Underwood (Lies We Sing to the Sea), at once a supernatural mystery, slow-burn love story, and mythological retelling,
      will undoubtedly please fans of all three. Lamia’s character arc is especially compelling, as her burgeoning self-confidence, empowered by her bond with Eirene, allows her to grow beyond her father’s influence. Eirene and Phoebe are described as having brown skin; other characters read as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Catherine Cho, Paper Literary.

    • Kirkus

      August 15, 2024
      Two girls work to discover their own strength to survive. Sixteen-year-old Eirene and her twin, Phoebe, who have light brown skin and curly black hair, live in Zakynthos, a town controlled by Leandros, a descendant of Eros. Women there are manipulated by Leandros' Desires, magic that seemingly brainwashes them into being under their husbands' control. After Alexandra, Leandros' 18-year-old wife, dies suddenly and mysteriously, he decides to marry beautiful Phoebe, wooing her with lavish gifts. When Stavros, the sisters' cousin and guardian, agrees to the match, Eirene, who has never had "an interest in the beauty of men," is determined to save her sister from Alexandra's fate. She makes a deal with Leandros: If she can complete four tasks that he sets, she'll marry him in her sister's place. If she fails, he'll take Phoebe as his wife. Unbeknownst to Eirene, Leandros has a daughter, pale, redheaded Lamia, who's been hidden from the world. Her left leg never fully healed from an accident and affects her mobility. A connection quickly blossoms between the two girls as Lamia helps Eirene with the increasingly difficult tasks. As they complete each one, Eirene and Lamia grow closer to discovering the mysteries of Leandros and his powers. The compelling plot explores themes of feminism, disability, and abuse in thoughtful ways, while staying true to the setting of ancient Greece. Readers will be intrigued by this Sapphic retelling featuring a strong sense of place. A creative, well-told story to satisfy fans of Greek mythology.(Fantasy. 14-18)

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      September 15, 2024
      Grades 9-12 Since Leandros, a descendant of Eros, came to Zakynthos, young women have fallen prey to his Desires (potions that make them fall helplessly in love), which are sold to men wanting obedient wives. When Leandros' young wife mysteriously dies, he chooses Phoebe to replace her--until Eirene, Phoebe's twin, offers herself in Phoebe's place. Leandros humors her by giving her four tasks, "as Aphrodite gave to Psyche, so that she could prove her devotion." Eirene hopes this ruse will help her find and destroy his Desires, but the tasks are impossible to complete alone. Enter Lamia, the daughter Leandros keeps hidden away, whose limp gives her chronic pain. Lamia loves her father, but time spent with Eirene opens her eyes to the monster beneath his caring veneer. Both girls narrate in alternating chapters as they work together, growing in trust and, eventually, in love. Underwood's lyrical fantasy, loosely inspired by Greek mythology, is both a lovely sapphic romance between equally captivating characters and a thrilling supernatural mystery, with sensitive depictions of disability and abuse.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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