I’m so intrigued about this story already! I can’t wait to get my hands on this book and see where this story is going to go. It already has so much potential! Would recommend putting this one on your radar!

When I heard Alexandra Bracken's new book would have Greek mythology in an urban setting, I was sold. At the time I was approved I didn't know this was a chapter sampler (they've been corrected since) However the sampler sounds really promising and Lore is a force to reckon with, I already love her. I really can't wait to read more!

I never predict that anything I read is going to come out at 5 stars, but this just managed to slide itself onto my 2021 most anticipated list. In fact, I didn't read the whole sampler because I already know I'm going to love it and I want to savor it.

I already know and love Alexandra Bracken's writing style, so I'm not surprised that I enjoyed it. Lore is already such a strong character and I love her. I'm super intrigued by the world. I'm a big fan of Greek Mythology and I just know this is going to hit the spot for me. Is it January yet?!

I am so excited to read the entire book. I enjoyed this sampler and a glimpse into the world. It was well paced, well-written, and had excellent characters.

When I read the premise for Alexandra Bracken's upcoming release Lore, i knew it was going to be a winner in my book. After waiting and checking for updates for the release I was over the moon when Netgalley had a sampler of Lore.

Lore is another new take on Greek Mythology and it's Bracken's turn to interpret the gods & goddesses in her own way. From the sampler i can tell that this is going to be a potential five star read.

Do not doubt i will be preordering this book and highly recommending to all my friends who're fans of mythology and retakes on mythology. The sampler has just got me even more incredibly excited for this release. (I have my fingers crossed that i will be granted for a full ARC of this story as i don't know how i can be expected to wait until January for it's release!)

I WANT MORE!

I have been craving a greek mythology book recently and this totally fulfilled that craving, except for the fact that I cannot wait for the full book to be released!! Even after just a few chapters, I am completely drawn into this story. Not to mention, this urban fantasy is set in New York City, which I miss dearly since I decided not to head back to the city this semester for school Essentially, this book is the book of my dreams at the moment and I was incredibly sad to reach the last page of this chapter sampler!

I can tell there is going to be a crazy adventure ahead and hopefully some amazing romance!I've said it once and I'll say it again, I want more! I can't wait for the release!

Lore is one of my most anticipated books for next year, and I absolutely loved this sneak peek! It's definitely an interesting take on Greek mythology and in a few chapters, I was drawn into the story and managed to get a basic idea of the background and the magic system involved. This short excerpt was more than enough to get me hooked and I can hardly wait to read the entire book. It has been a few years since I've read a book by Alexandra Bracken and I'm really looking forward to it! Four months to go!

Every seven years, nine of the gods and goddesses of ancient Greek mythology are made mortal for a week to be hunted for their power. Whoever slays a god during the Agon inherits their power and immortality, and ancient bloodlines have long competed for the most power. After the deaths of her family, Lore walked away from the world of hunters and set out to live the rest of her life in hiding. But the Agon has come to New York City again, and the first night brings two grisly surprises. The first is a friend from her old life, Castor, who she believed long dead, and the second is the gravely wounded goddess Athena, who promises to avenge Lore’s family in exchange for her help. I received a free advance chapter sampler through NetGalley from the publishers at Disney-Hyperion. Trigger warnings: parent/family death, death, decapitation, severe injury, violence/fighting, blood.

There was some mix-up in labeling on NetGalley because I never would have requested a chapter sampler on purpose, having no personal use for them. If I want to read a book, I don’t need a sample chapter to persuade me, and I’m only going to be irritated at not having the rest of the book on hand, which is precisely what happened. I’m all or nothing like that. (Nothing against people who read and love them though–I’m happy they work for you!) There’s also no clear way to review this, since there’s no chance for anything to develop. All I have are first impressions, and first impressions aren’t always that charitable.

I didn’t love this. I hate the term info-dump because it’s often confused with exposition, which is a necessary part of novels, but that’s how I felt in these first few chapters: like information about the Agon, the hunter families, and Lore’s past was being dumped on us with no chance to acclimate or get to know the characters, and that the narrative was skating through present action in favor of more conversations about those things. There’s an abundance of blood and violence in these first chapters, so if that’s setting the tone for the rest of the book, I’d be wary going into it if you’re bothered by that sort of thing.

Everyone seems like a stock character at this point. Lore is physically strong but emotionally messy and seems to have trouble connecting with people, Castor is the mysterious and handsome love interest with history, and her best friend fulfills the LGBTQ+ and POC checkboxes without venturing much outside those lines. I’m hopeful that they’d all get more development in a full novel, but that’s the problem with only reading a sample. Plenty of books start with tropes, but in this case, there’s no way to say whether they progress beyond that. Based on a first glimpse, it seems like a fine book with an interesting take on Greek mythology, but I’m not in a rush to get to it.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Loved this teaser and can't wait for the rest to be out!!! I'm not sure how I will be able to wain until January! I love this author and have read lots of her books.

It's been a while since the Young Adult genre got a fresh take on Greek mythology and boy oh boy, did Alexandra Bracken deliver.

This was only a chapter sampler, but readers are already given a great feel for the world and the magic system. Bracken does an excellent job weaving the starting scenes of the plot with explanations of the magic system. She doesn't fall into the trap of extended info-dumping and exposition that a lot of YA fantasy tends to. The rules that define the world are digestible while maintaining uniqueness.

Lore is a main character that readers want to know more about and root for. We meet her in underground fighting ring, where she pummels a jerk before the plot takes off at a run. I was immediately taken with the story, not only wanting to see the direction the plot was going, but also better understand the ~lore~ (pun full intended) behind the story.

The other characters readers are introduced to are vivid and interesting. Best friend and sidekick, Miles, is quickly likable and adorable. Castor, despite being only on about 5 pages, is, I imagine, going to be the love interest. Who isn't a sucker for a handsome, back-from-the-dead, childhood friend?

I think both young and adult readers will enjoy this book. It's set up to be a fast-paced ride that readers will not want to get off. I was a little shocked to read that this would be a standalone, but I'm excited to see what Bracken can do with that sort of constraint. I cannot wait to see where the story is taken, what with the high stakes oath Lore takes at the end of this sampler.

I will not be giving it a star rating on Goodreads until I've read the book in it's entirety (hint, hint to any Disney-Hyperion employee reading this blog post... I would love to be gifted an ARC of this in its entirety I pinky promise I would post a review promptly and tell all my friends and acquaintances to preorder).

Can't wait to read more of this story!
Alexandra Bracken is an amazing storyteller with an amazing world-building!

Unfortunately, I got lost almost immediately. I even went back and reread it the next night, and I'm still hopelessly lost. We get almost no information into what's going on or why, and the plot just starts flying. I was not a fan

This book had me hooked from the first few sentences. I love the concept of the Hunt, I love Lore, I love grumpy, bleeding Athena on Lore’s floor.

These few chapters gave me chills. I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2021. I don’t even need to read the whole book to know that. Greek retellings hold a very special place in my heart and this is a take I’ve never seen and am already obsessed with. The childhood love/best friend back from the dead is one of my favorite tropes so I can’t wait to see more of Castor when I get my hands on the finished book.

I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can bask in all of its glory.

I really enjoyed reading this chapter sampler. The characters were interesting and fleshed out and I loved the modern setting. It creates this great contrast with what we know from the Ancient Greek gods. I'm definitely interested in reading this book when it comes out and it might have become my most anticipated release of 2021.

Every seven years, nine gods--both old and new--walk the Earth in mortal bodies for seven days as punishment for a failed rebellion against Zeus. If they are killed by a hunter, they forfeit their immortality. During the last Agon, Lore's entire family was brutally murdered by a rival family and since then, she has turned her back on the hunt. But now as the next hunt dawns on New York City, it seems that the hunt will find her as two participants seek her help--one, a childhood friend and the other a gravely wounded goddess.

I binge-read this chapter sampler from Disney-Hyperion and it was packed with such amazing writing and so much action! Plus, the mythology of it is so fun and so solid. We are eased into the world-building with classical language, which I felt was so appropriate, and I doubt that we have heard the last of it. I do also have to say--not that I mind, personally--that there is definitely a lot of blood and violence. Lore herself is a boxer, plus the injuries that Athena shows up with. And again, I'm sure this is just the beginning.

So if you are a mythology-lover, don't mind blood and gore, want something fast-paced, BIPOC-inclusive, and probably more, then put this one on your radar! I recommend it!

I liked what I read thus far!!! I absolutely adore Greco-Roman inspired worlds, and this definitely satisfies my craving. But I need more than just a short sampler!!! :(((( Hopefully that'll release soon, so I can provide a full review!

AH! What the hell? Just when things were getting <em>good</em>!!! I've only really ever had one experience reading Alexandra Bracken novels and that's her <em>Passenger</em> series. While many people know her for <em>The Darkest Minds</em>, I only had access to the audiobook by the time I sat down to read. I hated the narrator so much that I haven't picked it up since. That said, considering how much I <em>adored</em> her <em>Passenger</em> novels, the second I saw her with a Greek Mythology--which I love--book coming out, I jumped on it <em>so </em>quickly.

I honestly don't know what exactly I was expecting when I picked up the sampler from NetGalley, though I can admit that the level of violence within this novel was <em>not</em> it. It was, admittedly, somewhat off putting the degree of blood and gore that came about in such a short period of time. I'm no horror fanatic, so I don't really care for stuff like that.

That said, it also doesn't really phase me much. I watched Game of Thrones, after all.

<b>Those edge of your seat moments</b>

Despite shocking me with violence, <em>Lore</em> is the kind of book that really pulls you in. You spend the majority of your time reading with your nose almost touching the pages, that's how engrossed you are. I cannot even begin to express how in love I have fallen with these characters. The funniest thing about it is that the characters I <em>love</em> are the ones I've barely even seen. Lore, herself, is a solid main character. She's nowhere near garnered the love that the two men in her life have gotten from me, but still!

There's really never a dull moment with this book. Granted, I've only read the first six chapters, but I just about cried when I realized I'd reached the end of the sample. I nearly went out and bought the book that very second, only to remember that it's not even out yet!

In other words, let me just say, 2021 could <em>not</em> come fast enough.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

LORE, if I had to describe it in pop culture terms, would be the young adult version of Percy Jackson meets Shadowhunters, but with a healthy dose of Game of Thrones-esque violence. Murder! Rage! Despair! Family trauma! You get them all in one delicious package with Alexandra Bracken’s newest book set to be released on January 5, 2021.

“I am Wrath.” The new god knelt, dipping his fingers into the bloody mud. “I am your master.” He dragged them down over his cheeks. “I am your glory.”

“Now,” the new god said, “we begin.”

Gods were untouchable. But what if they…weren’t? What if humans could become gods through death through the Agon, a punishment Zeus set upon nine gods who rebelled against him thousands of years ago.

Cursed to walk the earth as mortals every seven years, the gods are picked off one by one throughout the decades. If a hunter from a dynasty of godkillers manages to slay them, the hunter steals the god’s immortality. Now, only Athena and Artemis remain, which brings us to the beginning of the book, when Lore, the last of the House of Perseus, finds Athena bleeding out on her doorstep, begging for help.

I received an ARC sampler from Netgalley, and I gobbled it so fast, so furiously. LORE is probably the most fascinating rendition of Greek mythology to come out in a long time, and I was impressed by Bracken’s diversity in characters. Miles, a friend of Lore, is gay and South Korean, and as gay Asians are absolutely underrepresented in writing, I can’t wait to see where the author takes him.

The cover art is gorgeous. Majors kudos are also given to Bracken, who spices up the milquetoast world of white-washed greek mythology with BIPOC characters and an elevated storyline.

I’m so happy I picked this baby up on Netgalley, and I’m excited to read whole 480 page book once it’s released. It’s a big baby for sure, but no doubt worth the wait and read.

For now, check out Lore’s synopsis on Goodreads.

At first I was confused as to what was going on and what I was reading but the more I read the more I fell in love with this story. Lore is a strong main character and her personality shines through from the very first chapter. I love the concept of the Agos and the gods fighting against the hunters. The concept is innovative and so fascinating. I adore the way Bracken has flawlessly brought Ancient Greece to New York and I cannot wait to see what happens next. I would love to read the full version and review it on my blog and all my other social media accounts.

Lore belongs to an old, now-dead bloodline that participates in the Agon, an event that occurs once every 7 years where the old gods of Olympus are forced to materialize in mortal form and walk the earth for 7 days. Hunters from the remaining bloodlines track down the old gods and attempt to kill them in order to gain their power. After her bloodline died off thanks to one of the new gods, Lore attempted to put that world behind her and live in hiding, until one day Athena turns up at her doorstep and offers a chance for revenge.
The New York City setting created a nice playground for gods and hunters, and I found myself enjoying thinking of old Greek gods in a modern setting. The plot set-up was well-paced and had me hooked quickly, and the world-building, while not the most subtle (Lore found herself having to explain the details of the Agon to her best friend, who was there when Lore found Athena, which is not a plot device I personally enjoy for world-building) answered my questions and made everything clearer, which contributed to my excitement for the rest of the book. The idea of a high-stakes game for godly power is extremely appealing to me, and truly unique.
Lore had some more "witty" dialogue that felt a bit forced (she is a strong and independent woman on her own, so I felt that she didn't need to have the typical try-hard banter that a lot of heroines seem to have in fantasy,) but as a character she is promising. I'm hoping that she explores her trauma and strength more throughout the book, and feel as though she truly is a good heroine, someone I want to root for.
While this is only an excerpt from the novel, this was definitely a promising start, and I'm excited to read it once it gets published!