Gentlest of Wild Things
‘Joyous, wonderous and healing’ – GRACE LI
‘Delightful’ – BEA FITZGERALD
‘A shimmering thread of love between women’ – SAMANTHA SHANNON
’Dazzlingly imaginative’ THE GUARDIAN
‘Wild and tender’ AMÉLIE WEN ZHAO
‘Exquisitely written and poignantly romantic’ – PASCALE LACELLE
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 …
Sarah Underwood grew up in Devon, England. She obtained her MEng in Computational Bioengineering at Imperial College, London, and has recently graduated with an MPhil in Population Health Sciences from the University of Cambridge. Lies We Sing to the Sea, her debut novel, was a NYT bestseller. Gentlest of Wild Things is her second novel.