the six chapter teaser has made me SO EXCITED

the greek mythology (with an exciting twist) and the urban setting are making me really feel the pjo vibes. from what i can tell, the plots are completely different, but the urban fantasy + mythology vibe is similar.

AAHHHHHH JAN 5 HERE WE COME!

This sneak peak has me so excited for this book!

It seems so interesting already and I'm only six chapters in. Time to go finish reading the full e-arc now.

I have already pre-ordered 2 copies of Lore by Alexandra Bracken.

The first 6 chapters of Alexandra Bracken’s Lore have made me even more excited to read the whole book! We are introduced to a world in which the Greek gods, goddesses, and myths we are familiar with are real—with a twist. As a punishment, nine Olympians are sent to earth as mortals every seven years for seven whole days, an occurrence known as the Agon. During this week, they are sought after by hunters, descendants of well known Greek myth heroes, who strive to kill these mortal turned gods to claim their powers and immortality and instate themselves as the new version of the particular god or goddess they killed. Our main character, Lore, despite her resentment of the Agon, finds herself caught within it once again after she is given new information by a now mortal Athena about her entire family’s murder from years prior. Lore must work together with Athena, among others, to prevent the rise of a new god and the possible destructive fate of humanity. Right off the bat, Lore is an enthralling protagonist who takes you on such a unique and imaginative adventure. I CANNOT wait to read the rest of this book when it comes out on January 5, 2021!

The fact that has greek mithology was the sole reason of my request, and I wasn`t let down by the first few pages of this book. It took some pages to fully understand what was happening but I loved the main character already and I can`t wait to read the rest of this book when it comes out! For fans who enjoy almost impossible situations, badass women, greek mithology, great one liners and someone just wanting to be at peace.

People frame this book as a Percy Jackson meet The Hunger Games, and I don't think it's an accurate description. Percy Jackson is MG, and it doesn't cover any of the themes in Hunger Games or Lore, and I believe the comparison can be very misleading and even harm the minors who will read this book thinking it's a la Percy Jackson.

Having said that, I didn't know what to expect from this story. I enjoyed the sample, and when the book comes out, I will borrow it from the library. But like Lore, I feel torn and can't really say if I liked it or just enjoyed it.

- The writing style is compelling, and the voice is appealing, but it does not read like a YA novel. It felt like I was reading an adult novel.

- Lore as the main character is intriguing. If I can only describe her with one word, that'd be torn, and personally, I couldn't connect to that--to Lore's motivations and why she was torn. Also, there was one conversation that felt too convenient and provided answers too easily.

- The world-building is intricate and interesting.

- According to one review on Goodreads, there's only one black character in the book, which I found very problematic. There's some LGBTQ representation.

/This is a sample of the first 64 pages aka first 6 chapters./

I enjoyed the sample; enough to want to read the book, but by borrowing it from the library. The writing style is quite compelling, and the voice is very appealing--albeit not YA. It felt like I was reading a NA/adult novel, which sadly happens a lot.

I also don't know how to feel about the main character. She's more torn than anything else, and from what I've read, I can't connect to that aspect of hers. To explain this further, I can understand both sides and why someone/I would be torn between them, but I can't connect to Lore's motivations and why she was torn. Also, there was one conversation with a certain goddess that revealed a lot of information, but it felt too convenient.

Misogyny was touched upon, which was good and gave the book a contemporary feminist perspective of the old ways, but at the same time, I felt like, building the world that way wasn't really necessary? In terms of the world, from what we learn through the sample, it's intricate and detailed and thorough. How the Greek words were written in the text felt jarring to me--a Greek person, born and raised in Greece-- and not very organic.

I tried to find reviews by marginalized people, and I could only find one on Goodreads, and that person said there's only one black character in the book and she wasn't fully developed. This is very problematic for me.

There's some LGBTQ representation, but I can't comment on if it was done well, because the sample is too short.

Overall, I'll read the whole book, and the concept is good, but it doesn't read like a YA and a few things were jarring to me; hence, my rating. Also, I hope content warnings are officially added to the book summary and on websites, etc, because it could be harmful to the minors who will pick up this book.

Thank you for offering the 6-chapter sample!

This is the preview for Lore by Alexandra Bracken. I loved the idea behind this Gods against hunters and the hunter that only wants to escape. Lore lost her entire family when another family killed them off. Years later, she has mostly gotten her life together. She has a best friend, a home, and until six months ago she had a grandmother figure. Now, fighting in underground rings to quiet her grief, she's trying to get herself back together... that is, until a face from the past shows up with a warning and a bloodied god falls into her neighborhood. She only wants to stay out of Agon and the violent world she left behind, but they offer revenge... and a way to get out forever.
There are two narratives so far- the New Ares and Lore. It's rather jarring how different the prologue is to the first chapter. It reads as more adult material while Lore's story, while explicitly grewsome, has more of a teen feel. It makes for a more choppy transition but not necessarily an unpleasant one. I am interested to see where this is going as the plot is good and the characters are very interesting.
I have to say that it was a bit more explicitly violent than I had anticipated as it is listed as YA and her other series' (Passenger and Darkest Minds), while violent started off not being too explicit and grew as the characters aged. Still, Lore seems to be an older teen... I guess it's not too over the top. I would give this one an age restriction though- no younger than sixteen.
I will be writing a full review after reading the book that I preordered. It comes out the fifth. This preview was given to me from Netgalley and Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. I would say that it's at three stars so far, but it's getting more gripping as the story unfolds so I have high hopes.

I am so excited to read the full book! Lore by Alexandra Bracken uses the gods from Greek Mythology in a way I have never seen before. Every seven years the Agon happens, which is essentially a mix of The Hunger Games and assassins. The gods are made mortal during this time and have to fight off hunters who want to take their place as a god. These 6 chapters I got to read early started off so well. They gave a good background of the Agon, while also leaving you wanting to know more. Lore is the name of the main character, whose family was killed years before. She has been in hiding and wants to be done with the Agon, that's until Athena shows at her door...

I mean this was a mini excerpt. Hard to give a review on that. It does sound interesting, but this wasn't enough to hook me. The truth is that by the time this releases I will have forgotten about it.

This is a stunning start to a book that I got the privilege to read! I won't be putting my full review here, as I got approved for the full version!

It has been a long time since I have read a book like this. Some are calling it a Greek hunger games and too many, that is what they will see. I saw it differently than others. To me it spoke of actions can have dark consequences; our world is harsh, that some people can and cannot forgive everything, and lastly it is ok to be angry. There is wonderfully crafted characters that are strong among all this darkness and repressed sadness. The world is ours but different or maybe it is really ours just finally shown to us in a different light. Overall, this book made me feel and wish to know more about Greek myths and religion.

I'm a big fan of Greek mythology -- when I saw this take of Greek gods and goddesses, I signed up!

Lore is an action-packed story. The preview I read definitely intrigued and left me wanting more. I thought the writing was crisp and I was able to get to know the characters a little bit. I would have liked to know the "world" and history a little better, but it was easy to piece together.

I am looking forward to the rest of the story.

*This was a preview of the first 6 chapters of LORE.* I was instantly hooked! I love books that draw off Mythology, especially when it comes to the Greek myths. The MC, Lore, sounds like a total bada—, and I can’t wait to explore her character more when the book is released. I also love her attitude and banter with Athena & Miles. I was excited to hear this was a standalone, and I’m looking forward to see how the author will end everything. I will definitely be purchasing a hard copy of the book when it releases in January!

so so sad i only got to read the chapter sampler. BUT WOW I'M BLOWN AWAY and loved every single bit I was able to read. the nostalgia i felt with be able to read greek mythology in YA again and the new york setting meant everything to me. and from what i read the world building and back story is done so well without feeling like an info dump. i'm already attached to lore and miles, and i absolutely cannot wait to see more of castor in the full book. alexandra bracken this feels like one of the best books of 2021!

This is a really intriguing introduction to the book. It's a very interesting reimagining of the Greek gods and their descendants. The idea that you can, every seven years for seven days, kill a god and gain their powers is a wild concept !
I was a bit worried at first that understanding the world would be complicated, but I was wrong. The magic system is very well explained and easy to follow, even if you have minimal knowledge of the Greek gods.
There is also a bit of a mystery introduced and I'm really curious to know where our characters end up and how it will be resolved. I will definitely be reading the whole book once it comes out !

Hooked after these first chapters and can't wait for it to come out. I didn't quite understand what was happening in the prologue, it was a little dense and confusing until we got the explanation later, after which it all made sense. The rest of these chapters perfectly set up the book, I feel like I have a good grasp on the world and general story to continue on with. I'm interested to know more about Athena and Lore and I adore Miles already. So far 4.5/5 but I'm excited to read the full book.

Rating 3.5 stars

I was lucky enough to have the chance to review the chapter sampler for Lore, and I think it showed a lot of promise. I wouldn't say that I became super invested in the characters or the world, but I'm definitely intrigued enough to check out the full book when it comes out. The world and characters were interesting, and I would like to learn more about the gods and what Aristos is up to because it's clearly nothing good. I was a little confused when I first started reading because it's a lot to take in, but by the 6th chapter (where the sampler ends) I was understanding it a bit more.

Can't wait to read the full book of this! So interesting and intriguing, I was really gripped right from the beginning.

I received a copy of this sampler from NetGalley in response for an honest review.

Man I wish I had the whole book. I will definitely be purchasing this when it is published. I really liked the small amount that I was able to read. I felt immersed in the world and found it really interesting. I like the character of Lore so far and I'm curious if I will still feel the same after reading the whole book. Can't wait for this to be out now.

This is just a sampler but I am nervous to read the entire book because this was so good. Her previous books were so massive, but this one is a jewel.