Loved it cant wait to read the full book. I always enjoy reading books on Greek mythology. Love the characters I have met so far and the world.

This fast-paced urban fantasy follows Lore, a girl who has fled the brutal world of the Agon after her family's brutal murder. Every seven years, nine Greek gods are punished for their involvement in a rebellion through the Agon, where the gods become mortal and must walk the Earth for a week, hunted by descendants of ancient heroic bloodlines that are seeking immortal power.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced chapter sampler of Lore. Bracken has created a fully fleshed-out world that had me at the edge of my seat and her twisting of classic greek mythology is an unexpectedly fresh take. These few chapters were filled with intrigue and action that had me turning the page as fast as I could.

This book is a darker version of Percy Jackson mixed with all the good of The Mortal Instruments and elements of The Hunger Games. If you are looking for a fresh fantasy stand-alone, this may just be the book for you. I cannot wait to read more!

Loved this!!!

5-stars, easily. I actually ended up receiving the full e-ARC for this book, so you can find my full review there.

Thank you so much for providing me with the chapter sampler. I was hooked into this one from the very start!

Fast paced book and I really enjoyed it. Good story line and I think people are gonna love it. I would definitely read again and recommend

I was lucky enough to receive a chapter sampler, including the first six chapters, through NetGalley and I couldn’t be more pleased! The overall story (from what I’ve read this far) follows an event called Agon that was created to punish nine Greek gods. Lore herself describes what Agon is the best by saying, “For seven days, every seven years, the gods walk on earth as mortals. If you can kill one, you become a new god and take their power and immortality, but you’ll be hunted in the next Agon as well.” (50)

Readers are introduced to the first god on the first page with a bloodbath of a scene. Right after this introduction we meet Lore and her opening scene is just as intense and badass. In these first few chapters readers get a scene of Lore as a person who just wants to live her own life and be free of her past. Unfortunately for her that comes tumbling down when one of the nine gods being punished shows up on her doorstep injured and wanting her help.

So far this is a book I never want to put down and I cannot wait to get the full edition on release day so I can fly through it. If you are a fan of mythology you should absolutely pick up this book! If you are a fan of the magical and mythical land being forced into our modern day world (in this case being set in New York) then this is the book for you!

We purchased Lore for our library. I didn’t realize this was just a sampler, but we also got a physical ARC in and I hope to get through the whole book really soon!

I’m disappointed that I didn’t realize this was only a chapter sampler because WOW do I want to read more. The history of the hunters/world, though somewhat explained, seems a little murky now, but I’ll bet it becomes clearer throughout the book. Teens will gobble this one up.

I was definitely intrigued by this book and I went into it with pretty low expectations. I wasn’t looking for it to blow my mind. I just wanted a good time with Greek mythology which is something I love and honestly that’s what I got with this book. The cover is absolutely gorgeous as well so that also added to my desire to read it.

Characters

Our main character is Lore and she was a pretty fun protagonist to read about. I definitely empathized with her and was always rooting for her to be the one winning. She was a solid character with flaws and strengths. The romance was not my favorite but it was cute. I’m not the biggest fan of childhood friends to lovers but I think in this book it was well done and fun to read about.

My favorite characters though were definitely Van and Miles. I wish they had more page time but I’m glad they were in the book as every time I read about them I was smiling and laughing.

Plot/Story

I was a little confused when I first started the book as I didn’t really get the synopsis and didn’t understand exactly what the hunt entailed but the more I read the more I was intrigued and the pieces all started to come together. One thing I really appreciate about the plot was that it was fast paced. There weren’t many pauses and that really helped to keep me engaged with the story. I stayed up until midnight to finish as I had to know what happened.

Since this book is set in the modern world, specifically New York City there wasn’t much world building. I do think that Bracken did a really good job of fleshing out the secret society that exists within the city as well as make the reader feel like they know what the city is like even if they’ve never been there. I also think choosing NYC as the backdrop for the hunt was a good choice and thinking about Greek Gods running around the city trying to evade one another was fun.

Writing

I enjoyed the writing style. I don’t think it was overly poetic which can sometimes be a real turn off for me. It was clean, straightforward and easy to read which is exactly how I like my books.

Conclusion

I think if you’re looking for a new take on Greek Gods this book might be right up your alley. The fact that it’s a standalone is also a plus because everything was neatly wrapped up at the end and it left me feeling really satisfied. I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for more Greek mythology inspired books to read about!

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When @Katytastic was gushing about this book in one of her videos, I knew I had to read this! I'm a sucker for childhood friends to lovers - I know it's cheesy but it's one of my favorte tropes. This is my first Alexandra Bracken's book and with a premise as good as this one I can't wait to read her other books! One of my favorite lines: "You may deny the fates, but they will not deny you." This also has greek mythology and I love that it's got diverse group of characters.

**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of Lore by Alexandra Bracken through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to them and the publisher for this opportunity.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken is a young adult fantasy novel set in a world where the Greek gods walk the Earth as humans.  Lore thought she escaped the world she was raised after the murder of her parents, but finds herself sucked back in. It is set to be published on January 5th, 2021.  I rated it five stars on GoodReads.

Here's the summary from Goodreads:

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love and redemption.
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for their deaths.
Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.
The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost--and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

I found myself really intrigued by the premise of those book, and ended up requesting it twice because I got approved for the chapter sampler first, and I wanted to read the whole book.  I am SO glad that I did, because I absolutely loved the story and it's officially my first five star read of 2021.

This story was a bit of a slowburn despite the fact that it took place over a few short days.  It was very well paced with good moments of action in between moments of world building.  This was a really cool world.  I liked the roots in mythology while being cemented in a modern world.  I am a sucker for a good urban fantasy, and this one fully didn't disappoint.  I know that Greek mythology is something that has been explored a lot in young adult fiction, but I felt that the way that the gods and their stories were included in the world was really original, and I was very impressed.

I loved Lore as a main character.  She's got a lot of traits that make her a typical hero, but she was still reluctant to get back into it, which is a feature I love.  I also really sympathised with her story and how she felt like she didn't fit in, and how she was blaming herself for various things that happened.  She's not typically likeable, but I honestly really enjoyed her and she's probably one of my new fave female characters.

The story was well constructed.  The action scenes were well paced out so that I wasn't completely stressed out and biting my nails the entire time.  There were moments to recover and recollect but never long enough to get too comfortable.  The story kept me guessing with who could be trusted and who was on the right side of things.  I appreciated that the exposition was well done and I didn't feel overwhelmed or overly confused.  Information was revealed at just the right pace.  I also liked the inclusion of flashbacks to show what things were like for Lore prior to the events of the novel.

The side characters were also quite well developed.  I really enjoyed how the characters came together and split and just overall how all their relationships developed.  They felt real, and the author did a good job at making me fall in love with the characters pretty quickly.

Overall, I had a really good time reading this book, and I highly recommend that you check it out when it releases on January 5th.

I love the sneak peak!! I’m so excited for the full length novel, it was an attention grabbing starter and I’ll be sure to keep an eye out on Jan 5.

This was only a chapter sampler or the full book. I was so intrigued by the premise and was immediately drawn to the writing and the characters. I want to read more and can't wait to get my hands on a copy.

I would recommend this to anyone who is a lover of YA fantasy. I am excited to read more.

I was given access to the first six chapters of LORE and I have to say, I am hooked!!! Alexandra Bracken sets this story up so perfectly! I need to get the rest of this story ASAP!

Disclaimer: This is not a review of the whole book, but just the first six chapters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion Publishing for this chapter sampler -- Lore is out this Tuesday, January 5, 2021!

While reading this quick sampler, I was reminded of how I felt when I read the House of Earth and Blood excerpt. Confused, my brain hurt trying to keep information straight, and not feeling invested. I suppose that's a given with new fantasy books, since there needs to be a lot of world-building involved.

The difference with this book and the Crescent City book is that I was dying to read more with the other excerpt. Not the case with Lore. I don't feel bonded or connected to the main character. I feel like she explained the Agon and bloodlines probably once every chapter, but I'm STILL confused over the mechanics of it. I'm usually such a sucker for anything involving Ancient Greek mythology, but this one misses the mark for me. I don't think I'll be reading the full version of this book. Sorry!

This review is for the full ARC of Lore. I accidentally posted it under both the sampler and the full ARC.

Oh my god wow!😍 This book was so beautifully written the it easily made the list of my top 10 favorite books ever!

Lore is set in modern day New York City except with a Greek twist. There are gods and decedents of gods living among everyday new yorkers. What they don’t know is that there is a war among the gods and the decedents that they can’t see. Through death and destruction of New York and the people who live there, these descendants (also known as hunters) seek the gift of immortality from the gods.

Lore just wanted to live a normal life. She wanted out. One day during a boxing match as an under ground fight club, her past comes back to pull her straight back in to the life she thought she left behind.

This book is so amazing! I finished it in a little over a day. The concept is so unique and I think that is what made me like it even more. I’m not a massive greek mythology fan but this book made me want to explore it more. If you are looking for a read that you can’t put down and is going to suck you into a world we didn’t think was possible, you should definitely check out Lore!

I received a chapter sampler containing the first six chapters of Lore. Unfortunately, due to the sampler, my review at this time cannot be complete.

The "intro" jumps right into the backstory of the book. I struggled at first with following along. When you get to Chapter One, the storyline eases up slightly but the information dumping and world building is still slightly intense. However, I think Bracken does this to set the tone for the novel. Although there are mythological comparative reads, this is its own world.

You immediately jump right into Lore's story and and I can't wait to see where it continues. I really appreciated all the dark tones as well and am intrigued to see how they alter / direct the characters. And Miles is already the greatest cinnamon roll ever!

I recommend this for those who enjoyed: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Hush Hush Saga, and the Mortal Instruments.

Thank you NetGalley for providing the sampler in exchange for a honest review.

It's a challenging read; I was confused for the first quarter of the book until more plot elements came to light. This was compounded by the fact that some of the characters are referenced using multiple/different names. There are a LOT of action scenes, but they're balanced by quiet moments between friends. I loved the focus on relationships and life contentment. There's a slight bit of romance, but it's on the back burner and very mild.

When I taught 6th grade language arts, I had students who chain-read the Percy Jackson books because they couldn't get enough of the mythology. I was always encouraging (bribing) them to branch out and read other books as well. I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending Lore to most of them due to the violence, strong language (one F-bomb and a few other words), and plot complexity. However, the more mature readers would eat it up!

I have NO doubt that this will be a movie someday.

Yikes. I guess I'll be in the minority on this one.

I wanted to love this. I wanted to love this SO BADLY. The premise is so interesting - an Agon happens every 7 years during which one of the members from the bloodline families can kill a god and take on their powers and immortality. Some of the original gods were killed off long ago and some are still alive, hiding every 7 years. This sounds fantastic and I have been anticipating this one for a long time because I'm a total Greek mythology nerd.

Unfortunately, this was honestly kind of a mess. There was a lot info-dumping, but none of this dumping came at the right time and it always seemed to be lacking a few details. In flashbacks, you're given part of the backstory and then propelled back to present time. In these flashbacks, I really didn't get a good feel for Lore or her family's role in this whole thing. I know it was stated several times, but I still honestly don't get why.

Also, there are friendships highlighted that are supposed to be a big deal, but they're not really given any focus so it's hard to care about those characters - Miles, Iro, Van. And again, with each of these characters, you're given part of a backstory and then the present day just continues. Nothing seemed to be fully fleshed out.

I'm so disappointed and frustrated because I expected to love this. It was pitched as Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games... and I guess plotwise, it was seeing as it's about Greek gods having to fight to the death to survive. But that's it. None of these characters (including Lore) were really developed and I felt the world-building was poor seeing as I can't tell you the impact the Agon has had on these gods or bloodline families for the past century. All you know is that they're being hunted so others can take their immortality and powers, but there was no mention of the impact of the Agon besides that.

Such an intriguing premise, but really weak execution.

This snippet was just great, a perfect way to get people interested in wanting to read more. I am so glad that I got to read the whole book.

Only got the first handful of chapters to read, but I’m definitely looking forward to finishing this book! I love fiction/fantasy with Greek mythology tied in.