Really lovely. I very much enjoyed this atmospheric, mythology reimagining. It was a sweet romance, though, I do admit, it took a while for it to grow on me. The main character, though, I did like throughout. A strong female figure determined to protect her loved ones.

I always love a good Greek myth retelling, but unfortunately this fell flat for me.

My biggest issue was how I could not get on board with the romance. To me Lamia’s very sheltered upbringing and soft demeanor made her come across as very young mentally. While in contrast, Eirene’s rougher upbringing and more defiant personality made her seem older. It didn’t help that even Eirene viewed Lamia as younger upon meeting her. With this clear gap in mental age, their relationship came off as more familial than romantic. It’s clear throughout the book that Lamia is in desperate need of a mother figure, and Eirene’s fierce protection of her feels like she’s trying to fill that role for her. I also didn’t like how aggressive Eirene was with Lamia at first. She wasn’t very kind to her, and this just added to my disbelief in their romance.

The Ancient Greek influence and setting was very loose. This didn’t come across as being written by someone with a genuine interest in Greek myth. The modern cursing really took me out of the story, and overall the atmosphere felt very lukewarm. Especially since Eirene completed all the tasks set before her fairly easily. I didn’t really feel any tension and the mystery never intrigued me.

I kind of dislike how Phoebe was basically dropped from most of the story, considering how she was the driving point behind Eirene’s actions. If anything, I wish this was merely a sister story and the romance was left out. I think Eirene’s position as a protector and it leading her to sacrifice herself for her sister was the strongest part of this novel.

The Gentlest of Wild Things by Sarah Underwood swept me into a lush, sapphic retelling of Eros & Psyche—set in sunlit Greece with deadly magic. Eirene’s fierce love for her twin Phoebe and her bond with Leandros’s daughter Lamia pulled me into a story of power, freedom, and first love . The slow-burn romance between Eirene and Lamia burned brighter with each task completed, and the mythology vibes gave the tale real weight and wonder .

It’s atmospheric, emotionally rich, and the kind of fantasy that feels both epic and intimate. A few plot bits meandered, but the characters’ growth and the lush, mythic setting left me longing for more. If you love queer fantasy with heart and a touch of ancient magic, this one’s a dream come true.

An interesting imagining of multiple elements of Greek mythology--though perhaps, the story suffers from characters who are not allowed to develop relationships (of different kinds) unless/until convenient to the plot. So much of the story, particularly the ending, feels unearned and hollow.



***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

This is a sapphic take on the myth of Psyche and Cupid, except Psyche is just a regular girl, Eirene, in a difficult situation and Cupid is a girl, Lamia, sheltered and locked away in a tower by her terrible father. The magic elements in this book are really interesting—its implied early on that magic is more like superstition or maybe even advanced science, and then by the end of the book we’re encountering true gods and monsters. This surprises Eirene much less than it surprised me which is maybe the point—everyone in this world believes in the gods as very real forces in their lives, influencing their actions.

The plot here is nothing especially groundbreaking and is rooted in a lot of familiar mythological and fairy tale tropes: evil father, girl in tower, three impossible tasks, etc. Lamia flips from being painfully sheltered and naive to knowledgable and independent a little too quickly, but I was glad to leave behind the childish version of her as soon as possible, especially given how blatantly villainous her father is. The story really shines when Eirene and Lamia are interacting, tentatively getting to know each other and learning things about themselves in the process. Maybe this is more common in YA, but it felt so rare to see a relationship develop through characters actively problem solving and trying to understand each other. Eirene and Lamia are both bound by difficult circumstances out of their control and their relationship, in contrast, is something grounded and pragmatic that they can take refuge in.

And I know not everything needs to be a duology/trilogy/cycle these days, and this really isn’t that kind of story, but I kinda wish we could see Eirene, Lamia, and Phoebe go on a bunch of greek mythology based adventures in future books, especially since the final confrontation gives us a peek at a huge world filled with magic, monsters, and gods. Alas, the ending doesn’t leave much room for that, so I’ll just have to be satisfied that the girls are happy together.

The Gentlest of Wild Things is a tender, thought-provoking story that will stay with you for awhile .
It’s a perfect read for those who appreciate introspective storytelling and the beauty of nature.

the story is a study in the difference between love and marriage, sometimes beautiful and sometimes brutal, and i recommend it to anyone.

i am surely not in any target demographic, but found it compelling with the genuineness of its characters and the creativity of the plot, however fantastical. i think a great many people will enjoy it.

thank you for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

DNF @21%

This book just made me angry, and I'm not sure that was the intent. The men were all terrible and ridiculously stupid. And I don't like that the main character kept defending her cousin. He was terrible, I don't care if he wasn't always the way that he is. I hate him and I don't need anyone making excuses for him.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. While I found the synopsis interesting and I do enjoy Greek mythology type retellings, this one did not hit as hard for me. Lamia and Eirene have their moments and the switch of narration was good but overall I was not enthralled. The writing did not pull me in and I was trying to get to the end so Leandros can get his just desserts. It was fine but no need to revisit. 2.5 stars.

Ok so I have the same problem as with the author’s previous book… don’t coin this as “inspired by” or a “retelling” of Greek mythology…. Has nothing at all to do with it. At all. Having said that: I liked the romance in this story & the plot was interesting.

3.5 ⭐️
loved lies we sing to the sea so i had high hopes for this one but it fell a bit flat at times. there were moments where the story seemed to drag and i wasn’t really sure what was even going on but there are highlights of this book that i absolutely loved. not my favorite book ever but i would still recommend it for any sapphic loving greek mythology monster gf lovers out there

”you are more beautiful than the dawn and i know which i would rather wake to.”

An engaging Sapphic romance that incorporated a lot of interesting Greek mythology. Readers looking for a cut and dry mythology romance should probably look elsewhere as the bulk of the plot focused on the tasks at hand and uncovering why Lamia is forced into hiding.

I was fortunate to receive an eARC of this from NetGalley.

Who doesn't love a good queer spin on a classic mythology re-telling? The main themes of this book are the powers of sisterhood, overcoming a patriarchal society, and learning how to stand up for yourself against evil. Eirene, who goes in place of her sister to become a monster's bride, was a badass hero and a strong protagonist, and she did whatever it took to keep herself and her sister safe.

That being said, this book was not for me. The maiming and the trauma was a bit too much for me to want to stomach, and I feel like I wanted more of a resolution for everything I had to read through up until that point. Lamia was uninteresting as a character, and even when her secret was revealed, it didn't make her more interesting.

I have read a good handful of Greek mythology retellings in the last couple of years. In the last six months, this is my second sapphic Psyche/Eros retelling (yeah I know, I am predictable). But oh did I LOVE this.

I raced through this novel in two days total, staying up until 2 in the morning to finish it. The writing is easy and accessible, but beautiful in its composition. The interaction between the Psyche/Eros story and that of the Lamia was so well done, and though the FMCs were young, their flaws felt human and real, and I rooted for them from start to finish. The revenge payoff at the end was so well done, and I audibly went “THAT’S RIGHT” when we got to it.

A beautifully romantic retelling, I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a refreshing new take on an old tale. 4.5⭐️ , rounded to 4 on Goodreads

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I had high hopes for this book. Sapphic Greek mythology retelling? Sign me up! While I liked the concept, the story and writing simply did not follow through.

At no point could I understand the mood the author was going for. The tone constantly shifted between dark and creepy, young and humorous, and fantastical. It left me feeling like I had whiplash.

Characters were flat, the villain cartoonish, the plot repetitive and monotonous, and the dialogue was juvenile.

This book desperately needed a harsh editor. I skimmed the last 25%. The most interesting part was the connection the main character had with her sister, which was completely ignored by the ending resolution. I feel like I wasted my time.

3/10 or 1.5 stars

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Y’all. Gentlest of Wild Things is the kind of book that sinks its teeth into you—literally, because vampiric vibes—and refuses to let go. Sarah Underwood takes the tender ache of Eros and Psyche, twists it with the dark allure of Greek myths, and adds a sapphic love story so fierce it feels like it could split the heavens. The stakes are wild (four impossible tasks!), the setting is lush (hello, Desire bottled on a sun-soaked island!), and the characters are utterly magnetic. Lamia and Eirene’s connection glows with longing, defiance, and a sweetness that will have you rooting for them through every blood-soaked twist. If you love stories where myths are reborn with a bite, this book will absolutely devour you.

I LOVED THIS STORY. It had everything that I was looking for; what an incredible look at a popular Greek mythological tale. I devoured this and it was such a delight. I read a lot of mythological retellings and this one really was unique while still staying true to the core elements of the story.

In this fascinating new Greek mythology-inspired book, readers travel to the island of Zakynthos where Leandros, descended from the god ERos, rules with an iron fist through his control of Desire. When Eirene’s twin sister Phoebe catches Leandros’s eye after his wife dies, Eirene takes Phoebe’s place to complete four elaborate tasks to protect them both. However, the tasks are bigger and more complicated than Eirene imagined, tied to another world and to Desire, but the help of Lamia, Leandros’s hidden and neglected daughter with a secret not even she knows, might be enough. With perspective shifts between Eirene and Lamia, readers get to see the mysteries of Leandros and their relationship unfold in this fascinating new title, and the world that Sarah Underwood brings to life is dramatic, mystical, and immersive. Eirene and Lamia are the stars of the novel, with their relationship and Eirene and Phoebe’s relationship as its heart, and all receive incredible levels of development to their already complex and fascinating characters in this new mythology-inspired sapphic fantasy title. Exciting, incredibly detailed, immersive, dangerous, and adventurous, this new fantasy title is a fascinating and vibrant new novel that fans of Greek mythology retellings will absolutely love.

This was one of my surprise favorite YA fantasies of 2024, and it's so criminally underrated. Billed as a sapphic mashup of the Eros/Psyche myth and the empousa myth, Gentlest of Wild Things not only delivers on both of those promises, but is fully realized and gorgeously written. Gentlest of Wild Things is told in the dual POVs of Eirene, a village girl eeking out a living with her chronically ill sister and their drunken guardian, and Lamia, the daughter of the town's richest man.

When Eirene's sister Phoebe begins receiving gifts from wealthy Leandros, Eirene fears for her; Leandros sells desire itself to the richest bidder, and Eirene's seen too many of her friends married off to men old enough to be their fathers and left a shell of themselves under Desire's influence. So when Leandros demands Phoebe's hand in marriage, Eirene hatches a plot: she will go, veiled and disguised, in her sister's place. Once in Leandros' house, Eirene will find the source of Desire and destroy it so Leandros can never ruin innocent lives again. But Eirene doesn't bargain for the four grueling tasks Leandros sets her when he discovers her treachery, nor the beautiful, quiet girl living in the tower...a girl who's got secrets all her own.

This was honestly a beautiful read, so powerful in its own quiet way. From the slowburn romance between Eirene and Lamia to both girls' character arcs, I was enthralled the whole way through. Underwood has such a way with words, too, fully embodying the ancient Grecian time period while still being contemporary enough that teens can relate easily to the two MCs. While I immediately loved Eirene's fierce protective nature and stubbornness, by the end, Lamia had stolen my heart. I love how complex her character is; from innocent and naive to realizing the wrongness of her upbringing, she felt so authentic it broke my heart. I also loved the chronic illness rep in here and how naturally woven in it is. Phoebe has some sort of chronic fatigue, while Lamia struggles with a bad leg/knee. I particularly related to Lamia, and I will always, always cheer on well-done disability rep in YA books.

I am knocking a star off because the twist of Lamia being an empousa was fairly obvious to me from the start, "Lamia" being another name for an empousa in one variation of the myth. I feel like that's more a me problem than anything else -- readers unfamiliar with the myth will most likely be stunned by the reveal. So, for me, the "thriller" promise of the book fell flat relative to the retelling, romance, and feminist pieces. Otherwise, this is a flawless YA retelling. I can't believe this is only Sarah Underwood's second book -- she is a talent to watch out for. I eagerly await her next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Sarah Underwood for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!