Gentlest of Wild Things is a sensational sapphic YA fantasy tale that draws on elements of Greek mythology to weave a new tale full of deception and devotion.
Eirene and Lamia are excellent protagonists—trying to unpick this mystery and ultimately take control of their own fates. Eirene is driven by her love for her sister Phoebe and her determination to complete Leandros’ impossible tasks is unmatched. You can feel her sorrow and her rage, but also this all-consuming love. Lamia is similarly driven by a loyalty to her family and a curiosity to find more than her confined existence. The connection between them grows naturally and you cannot help but root for it. Their dialogue and chemistry sparks off the page, but only at a point where it feels earned within the narrative. It is not an instantaneous thing, instead it is one where the fire builds. I still find sapphic representation on page heart-warming to see, particularly as it has been so rare for so long. Underwood’s relationships are soft and tender, but also have a fair bit of bite and angst to them. Nothing is easily achieved and nothing is without its layers and deceptions to it.
Underwood’s prose is just sumptuous and screams with rage, but also softens with love and hope. It is so multi-faceted and while reading there were several quotes that just captivated me or really connected with me on an emotional level. There is a lot of gorgeous writing, but also a simmering sense of fury at the confines of the traditional story and structure. This is a book that grapples with patriarchal control, rape culture, sexism, ableism and homophobia, so please be mindful while reading. There are sickening scenes, not because they’re particularly violent on page, but the implications are horrifying and speak to a terror that is unimaginable. It is insidious and makes your skin crawl. Underwood cleverly exhibits this using a fantastical element, but the behaviour and the acts themselves are all too recognisable. It holds a mirror up to our society and it is soul-crushing to read. There are also scenes of explicit violence and bloodshed, which are dark but to me felt less horrifying than these implications.
Through Lamia’s narrative in particular, you can see the manipulation and coercive control exhibited as part of an abusive relationship. She is exploited and othered, deliberately isolated to remove her from any potential source of hope or happiness and to also retain her power for someone else entirely. There is a strong theme of claiming your own story back against all odds, be that through changing your destiny or reclaiming your own power. Part of this is being able to stand confidently within your identity—something which isn’t always named on page due to the time period, but you can pick up as a reader and understand the additional implications Underwood is making. It gives you a swell of pride in your chest that is sorely needed amongst the darkness of this narrative.
Without giving anything away, it also incorporates a current renaissance in YA fiction in a really interesting and unexpected way. It provides an excellent twist on a mythological element that epitomises desire and a way of furthering the way this central relationship breaks the societal rules of this world.
Gentlest of Wild Things is an incredible, original YA fantasy that unleashes a long-held rage, but also delivers a beautiful romance.
Gentlest of Wild Things is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 15th in the UK and October 1st in the US.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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 descendent of the god Eros.
Eirene and her beloved twin sister, Phoebe, have always managed to escape Desire’s thrall. Until Leandros’ 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 . . .
