*Note that these quotes come from an uncorrected eARC and are subject to change upon publication.*

"I know my fate," she whispered to him.
And I will change yours.

I'll tell you what, Alexandra Bracken never ceases to amaze me with how well she writes. I may not always entire love the story, but writing wraps me up and has me feeling things throughout the entire span of the novel.

This one in particular was not exactly what I had expected....and that's to say that I guess I didn't even entirely know what to expect other than this was going to be pretty heavy on the Greek mythology. While I'm no expert by any means, I have always had an interest and appreciation for it and I am an AVID reader of Lore Olympus on Webtoon (sorry Castor, I have an unapologetic hate for Apollo from that, lol). So, that being said, even though I personally didn't remember what every god and goddess stood for, or what great deeds each hero had accomplished, I really enjoyed doing my own research as each character arrived on the page. Even if I wouldn't have, there is enough information and context clues that that wouldn't have really been necessary, anyway. I'm just a tru librarian to my core and always need to know more, more, more.

"It's a good thing, then," Iro said with a small smile, "that neither of us has ever been afraid of a fight."
She opened the door, only to turn back. "By the way, that sword has a name. Makhomai."
I make war.
Lore smiled.

The biggest part of this story that I didn't expect was just how fucking VIOLENT it was going to be. Now, I've talked about this a lot with my blogmate, Chelsea, and both of us has said that ever since we've had kids, we can't read the same thing as we used to. This, I think????, was a prime example of this. Since it's in the summary, I'm not spoiling anything by saying her family dies a brutal death. Now, this may sound bad but if It had just been her mom and dad, I think I could have been okay....but no. It was also her two LITTLE SISTERS. Not going to get into it because it makes me sick to my stomach even thinking about but I will just say that the sheer violence that continually crops up in this book is hard to read.

Bracken does not shy away from details and I could vividly picture each death, each cut, each blow. It just got to be a lot for me and that really took a little bit away from the story for me (honestly though I should have known better and prepared, Ancient Greek was savage and we all know it).

Alone. She was alone...
"Stay with me." Lore let out a choked cry, sobbing for breath and relief at the crush of it all. Don't leave me...
They didn't.
She felt her family around her--the soothing touch of them, brushing her cheeks, wrapping around her center. And beyond them, the presence of unseen eyes.

Other than that though the only thing that tripped me up was the fact that in my head this wasn't a standalone so I wasn't picturing everything wrapping up so neatly at the end, lol. Also my bad.

ANYWAY, let's get on to the good stuff. The characters. It shouldn't surprise you when I say she wrote an excellent leading lady (Lore), a best friend I wish I had (Miles), and ~the~ love interest (Castor). Also many other great supporting characters, AND villains (hooooo let me tell you that betrayal fucking STUNGGGG), but the mains are my favorite of course. I do wish we could have gotten a little more of Lore and Castor...I don't know...happy interacting in the present??? but I lived. Still many heart-pounding, butterfly inducing moments.

The story, as I said, wraps up neatly by the end and while I at first was like waittttt, this was too easy??? I've been thinking about it more and I'm like nooo, girl. Lore has seen SO MUCH death. She needed an ending like that. I also liked the ongoing mention of the Fates and the talk and dwelling on what people are fated to become and how fate can't be changed and how Lore at the end finally thinks to herself "There was nothing fated. Lore had not been chosen for this; she had chosen to come here herself. Every step she'd made, every mistake, had led her here." I just think that was such a HUGE moment for her to realize that her life DIDN'T have to be ruled by these crazy ass gods/goddesses or the Agon. She made her own decisions and could be the person that she chose to be. Ahhh gives me shivers just thinking about it.

So, overall. I did really enjoy this but sadly my tender heart can't take the violence anymore and I had to take a star off. Totally a personal preference (but it does also make me wonder if this is really being marketing for YA lolll).

"You may be a god," she told him, relishing the sight of his struggle. "But I'm the Persides."


Huge thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for allowing me to read an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest feedback.♥

I really enjoyed the introduction to this world and I can't wait to read the rest of this book! It promises to have tons of action and some great characters with interesting stories!

Lore is the perfect book for fans of mythology and bad-ass babes. Lore has left behind her family's all-consuming brutal culture. She feel safe in anonymity, until old friends and even older fiends appear before her, seeking help only she can offer. What follows is a twisty turny journey through modern day New York, replete with fights and magic enough to keep the reader guessing and gasping. Highly recommended.

I love the sample that was provided. Athena is a great goddess, and I like the choice that's put forth to Lore. Actions (and choices) have consequences, whether good or bad, and it's an important thing to learn through life. I'm looking forward to reading the whole book.

This review is based on a "sneak peek" of a few chapters via NetGalley, so when I read the whole thing I'll update!
These early chapters had me yelling at my ereader at midnight. Why why why didn't I wait until it was out? The first chapter of prologue is a bear, nearly unreadable due to density and some weird narrative choices, but once Bracken gets into the actual story it's non-stop and really fun (and very murdery) world-building.
If Lore's life is this much of a mess right now, I'm looking forward to reading how her new pact with Athena ups the stakes.

This chapter sampler was AMAZING. I am so nostalgic on Medusa's story since I had to do a project on her in middle school. I am so hyped for this to come out and read the rest! Is it January 5th yet?

I really enjoyed this chapter sampler! I am always a fan of Alexandra Bracken's writing and I have been following her on Instagram as she has documented her journey writing this novel. The first couple of chapters of this book that were provided in this sampler were really enjoyable. I like the introduction of Lore as a character and I think the prologue to the book was an amazing way to start! I am extremely excited to dive into the full version when I get my first chance!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Disney publishing for this ARC.

I was really excited to read Lore as I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology. Our main character Lore loses her whole family in last year's Agon. She does that thing a lot of characters do and associates they're deaths with something that they did. You don't find out until about 3/4ths of the way through what a bombshell that is.

You get to meet some of the Gods and learn some of the history as these lineages fight in a seven day battle ( this happens every seven years, the Gods become mortal and battle it out). Throughout the years of battles the original God's fall and are replace by new God's. One of the writing habits I didn't care for in the story was the constant labeling of one of the main characters as a "new God". I get it I don't need to be reminded still 1/2 way through the book. Readers are not that forgetful.

You go through the week long battle with Lore and get ragtag group. There's some growth in the characters which is always nice to see. You become invested and hope none of them die, also a good sign in the writing style.

Over all the story was pretty good, it has a few good twist I want ready for. If you're into Greek mythology and liked the hunger games this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this sample.

I wished I could love this. I’ve always enjoyed Greek mythology. The idea of a hunt is cool. Unfortunately, there is just so much unexplained information thrown at you in the beginning. I’m also not the fan of the “tell your best friend your crazy back story and have them totally accept it”. I don’t know, perhaps I like the tragic loner MCs. Overall, this sampler was just too slow and too much of an information overload for me.

Rating: 5 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so freaking amazing! I’ve never been super big into Greek mythology, but then I decided to take a Classics class in Uni this year and I think that’s why I enjoyed this book so much!

This didn’t follow one but many different myths and Alexandra Bracken interlaced them so that they all fit into one full story. It felt it’s own myth.

We start the book with Lore fighting in an underground fighting ring and it’s so exhilarating that I was so excited to keep reading. We are introduced to the mythic characters right away and it was fun because Lore and Castor have a past and you can just feel the angst rolling off the page. Their band of merry imposters, humans, hunters, and gods is soon formed out of alliance to avenge Lore’s family’s murder. The friendship in the book so genuine and was built out of trust and I really liked the relationships that were formed. Especially Van and Miles! They’re just so adorable and true cinnamon rolls! Lore and Cas were so wholesome and I really liked that we saw flashbacks into their childhoods and how they grew up. It really added to the story and we got to see how they were shaped into the characters they were in the present day.

One of the aspects I really liked was that it was so modern. Intertwining mythical gods with current day characters and worlds can be a big struggle but I think Bracken did a great job. You can see how well the imposters and hunters adapted to the modern world through Van’s use of technology. While being a skilled hunter and protector of Cas, he is also very knowledgeable of technology. It made me thing of him as half hunter half computer nerd which was awesome. Another modern thing that I noticed was that the characters actually used the taxis and transportation that was provided in New York City. Some other books have worked in a storyline where the characters seem to always be able to drive around New York in their own cars without hitting any traffic which isn’t very realistic, but Bracken worked the reality of New York into the story.

The tag line where the story is compared as The Hunter Games meets Percy Jackson is spot on and I would highly recommend this book if you love either of those series!

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually loved this book! So looking forward to Bracken’s next novel!

This book comes out January 5, 2021

This sampler only made me more anxious to read this book. Anything pertaining to mythology fascinates means Alexandra Bracken really drew me in from the beginning.

I inhaled this sneak peek, the writing flowed well, I was entranced right away! Can’t wait for this one to release!!

As a lover of Mythology, this book didn't disappoint! Loved the fresh spin on the stories of Gods and Monsters, in particular Medusa's tale.

This is just a sample, so this is not a review for the entire book. However, I can say that I am already in love with this book but devastated it is only a sample. Lore is such a unique take on Greek mythology. This book is a mix of Greek mythology and the Hunger Games. I found it very difficult to put this down, and I cannot wait for the entire book.

This sampler has me so excited to read the full book!
The Agon sounds brutal and exciting and I wonder how Lore will handle it. She's run away from the competition, but now she has an alliance with a powerful god to end everything once and for all. This starts out a bit gory, we see a god come back to earth and immediately kill another god. The games begin immediately.

These first few chapters already have me sucked in and I can't wait to see how the games play out!

𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 (6 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴) 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

I am definitely hooked with this Greek Mythology book after digesting the first 6 chapters of the unedited version of the book (thanks to Netgally ❤).

This book is definitely going to be an epic book (I AM EXPECTING IT TO BE) judging from how interesting the story concept is well written and well organised, the suspense and just how everything was actually done well so far. From the prologue and introduction of characters were presented and I am already hooked after they just got introduced and also the names. THE NAMES. THEY ARE WELL MADE MY GREEK MYTHOLOGY FANS.

The characters my dear greek mythology fans, I can really feel how good they were written and I am so excited to accompany them to their hunting festival (I am also obviously nervous thinking the about the hunt for immortaly-I mean immortal greek gods and goddessess both old and new).

The author is doing a good job with the suspense and the slow-burn especially with the concept that the cover had which is Medusa and technically Medusa is nowhere to find yet and I can't seem to guess or theorize well on exactly where will we get to see that or where and when will the transformation or the appearance enter the story and I AM LOVING IT.

This is really a must read and I will definitely get a copy of this book (and hopefully my request for the actual book will be approved 🙈).

This was just a little sampler but I am so excited to get to read the rest of this book! I love the whole idea for this book and the cover is everything!

LORE is a tale worth witnessing.

In New York, the hunters are converging to hunt the Greek gods of old. Thousands of years ago, nine have staged a failed revolution against Zeus. As punishment, Zeus created the Agon, a hunt. Every seven years, these gods will fight in their mortal vessels and hunted down as prey to any ancient hero’s descendant. The successful hunter will ascend to immortality, gaining the slain god’s power.

Lore, orphaned, and hurting, was sought out by a wounded Athena to face her destiny. She spent years trying to avoid the hunt. She wants out. But Lore also wants revenge.

Okay, it sounds like the Hunger Games for the gods. Yes and no. Winning the hunt and gaining power is not the end. There are more at stake. Alexandra Bracken cleverly created new mythology from the backbone of ancient Greek and carefully slipped in issues that affect the world today –capitalism, social injustices, and morality. I feel a current moving thru these pages, pivoting on a complex plot and intriguing characters. Readers will want answers, and I cannot wait to start my 2021 reading year witnessing this book’s ascent.

Review live on: https://www.thepagewalker.com/2020/11/sample-review-lore-by-alexandra-bracken.html
November 30, 2020; 7:30AM CST

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this excerpt!

I am often tired of books in which the mortals fight the gods...its been done and I generally do not enjoy it. But I was curious enough about this one to try an excerpt.

I liked the writing and the concept seems solid. Lore is interesting enough as a character and the gods have me curious as well.

I'm holding judgment until I can read further. But so far I am intrigued.

I received a chapter sample from net galley before the release of this book. I didn't realize it was only a sample, so now I just can't wait for Jan 2021 to come so I can get a copy of the full book! Love Greek mythology, and can't wait to see how this one plays out.