First published 2023
Leto stands among the twelve maidens chosen for death. Every spring, Ithaca offers these lives to Poseidon, payment for the ancient crime against Queen Penelope's twelve maids. The god cast those servants into the sea centuries ago, and now he demands blood in return. Leto expects the noose to end everything. Instead, she opens her eyes on an unknown island. There she encounters Melantho, a girl whose green eyes hold secrets and whose voice commands the waves themselves. Melantho presents Leto with a choice that could break the cycle forever. One more death, she promises, will prevent a thousand others. The prince of Ithaca must fall, or the ocean will claim everyone. Leto must decide whether she can kill to save her people, even as she discovers that truth and lies tangle together like seaweed in the tide.
Genres: mythology, historical-fiction, fantasy, young-adult
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: Ithaca, Island
Period: Ancient
424 pages · Hardcover · HarperTeen
Content warnings: death