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Gentlest of Wild Things

by Sarah Underwood

Desire, bargains, and Greek myth

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Desire, bargains, and Greek myth

On Zakynthos, Desire is a commodity controlled by Leandros, a descendant of Eros. When he targets Phoebe, her twin Eirene accepts a series of tasks in exchange for her sister’s safety. The bargain also draws Eirene toward Lamia, Leandros’s secluded daughter, whose own wish for freedom complicates the arrangement. Blending the Eros and Psyche myth with legends of the empousa, the novel weaves sapphic romance into a fantasy of family bonds, confinement, and the costs attached to desire. A lurking hungry threat gives the sisters’ negotiations with power a darker edge.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in Greek-myth-inspired fantasy and myth retellings.
  • Readers seeking sapphic romance and a friends-to-lovers relationship.
  • Readers drawn to stories about sisters, bargains, and quests for freedom.

Themes

Desire and powerSisterhoodFreedom and confinementSapphic loveGreek mythology

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"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. . . .

Tropes:

 

  • Sapphic romance
  • Myth retelling
  • Hurt/comfort
  • Friends to lovers
  • Not like other girls (cannibal)
  • Animal companion
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