By: Jamie Steinberg
Deina dreams of freedom but is stuck in a life of servitude as one of the Soul Severers in the city of Iolkos. She is tasked with helping souls transition from life to the afterlife – with each ritual she conducts earning her a year off her indenture to the god Hades. Deina seeks the wealth she needs to free herself, so when an opportunity arises to assist Orpheus to retrieve his dead wife Eurydice from the Underworld she is quick to volunteer. Uniting with a group of fellow Severers, she undertakes a task that holds much more weight and consequence than she could have ever imagined. Daughter of the Underworld is a mythological tale crafted by sisters Katharine and Elizabeth Corr that is a dark and twisted journey of intrigue and hope.
Deina serves at the pleasure of Hades, helping those ready to transition from life to death. Yet she dreams of freedom for herself and her best friend Chryse. So, when the tyrant Orpheus propositions her and her fellow Serverers with the chance at a better life in exchange for heading into the Underworld to return with his dead wife Eurydice, Deina takes it. Joining her along the way is frenemy Theron, warrior Aster, intellectual Drex and, unexpectedly, Chryse. What starts out as an excursion that sounds simple enough turns quickly into a nightmare as the Underworld is more treacherous than they could have imagined. Add to it that someone – or something as it were – keeps appearing to Deina and lending a hand. Is he a friend or foe? Deina can’t tell.
Katharine and Elizabeth Corr weave an intriguing tale that is so seamless you can’t tell where one sister’s writing starts and stops, and another begins again. Deina (who’s name you might have to Google to properly determine how to pronounce) is determined, no matter the cost, to make it back from the Underworld and she has the wits to survive the work that is cut out for her. She is a beautifully crafted, yet flawed character and the Corr sisters do a wonderful job at intriguing the reader with Deina’s adventure that makes you turn page after page to find out if she can make it back to the surface and save herself and Chryse. All the incredible twists and turns of this story are truly unexpected, making it a worthwhile read.
Daughter of the Underworld is a mythological tale that explores a perilous journey that could lead to a better life for one, but the adventure itself is fraught with more than the reader, or Deina, expected. Flip the pages to read a tale of survival, sacrifice and determination set in a world of gods whose care and concern for humanity hold more malice than compassion.