Gentlest of Wild Things

Inspired by Greek mythology, this is a sapphic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Lies We Sing to the Sea that blends the story of Eros and Psyche and legends of the enthralling, vampiric empousa.

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’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. . . .

Sarah Underwood grew up by the sea in Devon, England. She graduated from Imperial College London with a master’s degree in Computational Bioengineering, and is currently studying for her postgraduate degree in Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge.