What an opportunity it was to read this ARC, a debut from Wren K Morris who has a lot to give to feminine literature.

Surrendering to Scylla is an original reimagining on the mythical monster most famous for snatching the lives of Odysseus's men with her tentacles and gaping maws in Homer's Odyssey. In this retelling, Morris takes from Ovid's Metamorphosis to show Scylla's origin - that she wasn't born this way - Scylla was a nymph who just so happened to catch the gaze of Glaukos and in turn the ire of Circe. Set many years after Scylla's metamorphosis, she captures Ophelos choosing to spare his life instead of take it.

I loved the plot line of this novel. It was a very refreshing take. Scylla was a layered character rather than being two dimensional, she wasn't a monster in the grisly sense, burdened by scars and caught in the crossfire of a gods quarrel. Ophelos was an interesting character too, a squeamish, seemingly cowardly individual who actually had a lot to give. There were moments where I felt his reasoning was off kilter - there was one sentence about him changing who Scylla was when it came to ships and carnage which I didn't agree with, it took something away from him, made him almost in line with a power struggle.

The themes, however, were really well thought out. This idea of learning to love oneself and in turn others, it was reconciliation of the soul for Scylla, finding something of her old self and entwining it with her new monstrous form. For Ophelos it was all about gaining courage and looking past the beastial side of things. It was similar to Beauty and the Beast in that sense.

The ending was very charming, but I wanted little children running around the beach. To those who know Scylla's end in Greek myth, you must be wondering how that's possible. Well, to you, I suggest picking up this enrapturing debut and find out.