“Children born in war / are made of a different kind of clay. / We become used to the din. / We grow used to the collapse / of crumbling buildings / and fire and develop a compassion / for broken things.” A stunning verse novel imagines the life of Hekate, daughter of Titans Asteria and Perses. Seeking safety for her child as the Olympians prevail, Asteria leaves Hekate in the care of the goddess Styx in the Underworld. Hekate grieves her mother, aches at the eternal torture of her father, and grows up lonely, curious, and lost without knowledge of her powers and purpose. Forbidden to explore, she wanders anyway, mapping the Underworld realms. As she matures, Hekate seeks out the Fates in Hades’s palace, sure they must know what she is meant to be. But it's Thanatos, bringer of peace to the dying, who helps Hekate realize she can return the dead to life. Hekate abhors the gods’ lust for power that has torn her family and the world apart time and again. And she sees how goddesses are rulebound to limit women’s power. In response, Hekate breaks the rules to wield her own power with intelligence and compassion, and to live on her own terms. Themes resonant and relevant to contemporary readers (family, betrayal, forgiveness, identity, war, love) are deeply woven into this gorgeous, textured tapestry of a story that offers glimpses of other Greek myths while centering Hekate’s determination to know herself and offer grace.