About the Book
-
Author:
- Sarah Underwood
- Genres:
- Fantasy
- Historical Fiction
Cover Story: Statuesque
BFF Charm: Yay
Talky Talk: Greek Feminism
Bonus Factor: Paranormal Creatures
Anti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting
Relationship Status: Nice to Meet You
Cover Story: Statuesque
If this book wasn’t about mythology, specifically of Greek origins, I would have been very disappointed.
The Deal:
Power rules on the island of Zakynthos, and no one has more of it than Leandros, supposed descendant of Aphrodite and Eros, who deals in Desires. He makes men’s dreams come true, often to the detriment of women. Eirene, the local herbalist, knows to keep her head down and avoid notice, but when Leandros comes for her sister, Phoebe, Eirene has to find a way to stand out—and perhaps take Leandros down in the process.
BFF Charm: Yay
Eirene is a smart, loyal, passionate young woman who chafes under the strict (and drunken) thumb of her cousin, who is head of their household merely because he’s male. Eirene’s a headstrong and clever young woman living in a man’s world, and she struggles with the dichotomy of wanting to break free while needing to toe the line to keep her twin sister safe. She’s brains and brawn, and I like her a whole lot.
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
When Eirene arrives at Leandros’s manor, she’s surprised to discover that he has a daughter, Lamia, who he keeps hidden away. Eirene doesn’t want to like her, because she’s a Leandros apologist and might get in the way of Eirene’s plans to thwart him. But there’s something fragile and beautiful about Lamia that Eirene can’t fully deny.
Talky Talk: Greek Feminism
Pretty much everyone I know had a Greek mythology period in their early lives, and most of us thanks to D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. Eirene’s story seemed like a nice follow-up to that book, with a feminist twist that made it modern and pertinent, even while Eirene was wearing leather sandals, a chlamys, and talking to a not-so-far-off descendant of Eros, the god of love. Underwood did a great job of keeping to the historical period without the language reading stale, and although Eirene, Lamia, and the other characters didn’t feel like people I’d know in real life, it wouldn’t take us much to find common ground.
Bonus Factor: Paranormal Creatures
Semi-spoiler alert: Gentlest of Wild Things features an Empousa, or a type of Greek vampire. I wasn’t familiar with them before this book, but I am fully enamoured (appropriately, as they are similar to succubi) with the idea of their shape-shifting abilities and their random one copper leg.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Dan Scott Award for Awful Parenting
Historical fiction is rife with men being men and lording themselves over women. Leandros is one of the worst examples I’ve read recently, with his charming nature and his “I’m doing this to protect you” bullshit. Lamia deserves SO much better.
Relationship Status: Nice to Meet You
We had a nice time, book. I didn’t feel like we connected all that well, but I don’t think either of us needed anything more than a person to listen/to tell our tale.
Literary Matchmaking
Rachel Smythe’s Lore Olympus series is another, more fantastical, gateway to Greek mythology.
Leigh Bardugo’s Wonder Woman: Warbringer mixes modern and ancient themes, including feminism.
And for a lighter version of Greek mythology, revisit Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson novels.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Electric Monkey, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Gentlest of Wild Things is available now.
