I let myself go into this book mostly blind and I’m so glad I did! It’s a great different take on Greek Mythology in modern times.

The story starts off quick and we learn more about Lore, her past, and being the last of the blood line originating from Perseus and the rivalries and relationships between the other houses.

While intense at times, there’s also some humorous moments. One of my favorite characters is her roommate Miles. It’s also not surprising to me that the people of New York don’t really pay much attention to random people wearing masks around the city. So what a perfect place for strange goings on to happen.

Alexandra created a beautiful story and I loved the mix of Greek within which helped me to get lost in the story even more.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm not sure what I expected, but this wasn't it! I really enjoyed The Darkest Minds trilogy, and I was expecting another dystopia/science fiction sort of book. Instead, this book was an interesting combination of tough, super fighter heroine and mythology.

Every seven years, nine Greek Gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, and it's open season on them - somewhat of a Hunger Games for gods. Lore, our heroine, is the last survivor of the Perseus line, and she is trying her best to stay out of the whole thing. Meanwhile, she is using her serious fighting skills to support herself as a fighter. Much to her surprise, one of her childhood friends, Castor, finds her and she is pulled into helping him.

It does take awhile to get a handle on this book. My own memory of the Greek gods was not exactly up to speed, but it helped to do a quick search and refresh myself. You also have to keep straight who is now in the person of each god - once someone kills one of the gods, they assume those powers.

Once you've got a handle on all this, things speed up dramatically. Warfare, treachery, love - it's all there! Just hang on for a wild ride!

- received as an ARC - Oh my GOD. First of all, the cover? STUNNING. Not going to lie, it took me a while to get into this book because of the intricate world building woven throughout the chapters. I really, really thought I would DNF it just because I couldn’t get into it. After I understood what was going on, I became attached to Lore. She’s an amazing female character who is relatable from the very beginning - driven by goals and a need for survival. The Greek mythology is amazing and THE PLOT TWISTS. DEAR GOD. I was originally going to give it 4/5, but the plot twists gained it an extra star as I couldn’t put it down once I got over my initial hump. Ugh. Beautiful.

I would also LOVE to teach this. I think it'd work AMAZING for lit circles.

The first few chapters I was totally confused. I was thrown into this world where characters were popping up left and right and I didnt really have any clue to what was happening. But luckily that was only for a few chapters at the start. Afterwards I was completely enthralled by the world, by the competition, and by the characters. The character development was fantastic during the book and I loved to see how every character had their own internal conflicts to deal with as well. My only complaint I guess was that I kinda needed more answers to having the point of Agon to even begin with.

If Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games had a baby, Lore, would be that baby. And boy she is as amazing of a baby as you would expect. Filled with gods, lethal teenage mortal, power hungry men and the young girls who we love to see defeat them. Action packed with a small side of romance Lore is a book you won’t be able to put down.

The books follows Lore, a 17yr old living in New 6 York. But there is something special about her, she is the last living mortal descendant of Perseus. Her family was one of 7 tied to the immortal punishment of the gods who betrayed Zeus. Every seven years for seven days the descendants of Greek hero’s get to hunt the gods, taking over their power when they kill one.

Lore has spent the last 7 years trying to leave that world behind but when she finds a wounded goddess on her doorstep who offers her vengeance for her family she finds herself pulled back into the world of hunt.to not only find revenge for her family but to save her friends and the world from the power hungry newly made gods.

I loved getting swept up in this fast paced book. The characters are fun and varied and show a small level of diversity (given they are all Greek descendants). I enjoyed reading about tough girls who don't back down and are ready to smash the patriarchy that has defined so much of their lives. I had not read any of Alexandra Brackens other work but after reading Lore I will definitely be looking into her other works.

Lore is my first Alexandra Bracken novel and I was so excited to read such a hyped author plus Greek mythology. To be honest, I haven't read a good Greek mythology inspired book in what feels like forever. I can't even think of one off the top of my head that I loved. And while I enjoyed the Greek mythology aspects of Lore, this one unfortunately didn't make it into my top. Reading the summary, I loved the idea of the Agon and the idea of Greek gods and goddesses coming to life. While I enjoyed this aspect immensely, I felt, especially at the beginning, that I needed to be consulting the reference tables.

Lore brings to life a world of old gods meet new gods and killers. A pack of power hungry families deeply entrenched in traditions and patriarchy. It's a world that seems to be removed from time. Set in modern day NYC, the world of Lore feels starkly contrasted with families ruled by male succession. While Lore stands strictly against the old traditions and sexism, the ways powerful men are never held accountable, she's fighting against a system most wish to uphold. I enjoyed Lore's character, the ways she recognizes the injustices.

However, I found myself finding it difficult to get to know Lore. I found myself wondering what drove her, and when by the time I felt like I did understand her, it was a bit too late. I think if I wasn't reviewing this book, I might not have finished it. I enjoyed the histories of betrayals, schemes and manipulations mounded upon each other. But at the same time, I was missing an emotional pull to keep reading, to need to find out what happened to Lore.

Standalone fantasy novels for the win!

I absolutely loved this. A great introduction to Alexandra Bracken and an even better twist on the tried-and-true Greek Mythology YA tropes.

Highly recommend for people looking for an older and edgier Percy Jackson, a great fantasy standalone, or just a quality fantasy read for the holidays.

4/5 Stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Disney publishing worldwide for sending me this arc in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Greek mythology meets the hunger games in the new standalone ‘Lore’ from author Alexandra Bracken. Long ago, nine gods rebelled and as a result the Agon was made. Every seven years those gods would be stripped of their immortality and forced to fight humans desperate to gain immortality and power from their death. Melora, ‘Lore’ is an outcast from the ‘wiped out’ line of Perseides, teams up with the god Athena who showed up on her doorstep. Together they form a tethered bond and search for an end to the Agon.

The description had me very interested and hooked and the beginning of this book had already lived up to my expectations. Although in the middle the pacing became slow and there was a lot of information dumping which was overwhelming and it felt like I was reading and not absorbing anything at all. I’m glad I kept pushing on because the last part of the story definitely made up for it.

Arc provided by the Disney Publishing worldwide via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Stunning book. Lore was a modernization of myth and it is beautifully written. I have read other things by Alexandra Bracken but believe she really did her best work with Lore. She has improved al to as a writer and this book shows it.

This book follows the adventures of Lore as she navigates through the Agon and tries to survive while also seeking to avenge her family’s brutal murders. I was completely lost initially, as Greek mythology is a fairly unfamiliar topic to me so it took me a little while to understand what was going on. Although I really appreciated how Bracken put in the effort to spell out the history and really explain the details of the world she put us in.
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I really admired Lore and her group and the warm and fuzzy messages we got about friendship and loyalty. Although the dialogue was a little cheesy at times, I really connected to everyone and loved how different people played these surprising roles in the fates of their adversaries.
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I thought the ending wrapped everything up decently, but left a little to be desired. I think having a ‘One Year Later’ section or something along those lines would’ve been helpful as the conclusion came together pretty quickly.
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Overall thorough I was captivated by the storyline and the character development we experienced in Lore. Bracken’s writing is refreshing and exciting, and I’m very interested in picking up more of her books now. If you’re a fan of fantasy and especially if you’re a Greek mythology fan, pick up this book. You won’t be disappointed!

I received an ARC of Lore thanks to the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.

My initial thoughts from the summary (very shortly after finishing Circe and jonesing for more Greek mythology) was this was going to be a must-read. Then I was able to review the sampler and it held up to my expectations.

Now I’m honored to review the whole book and I am screaming!

I absolutely love Lore. She is a mortal trapped in a god-filled world and believes her destiny is to achieve infamy. But her world is upended when her family is murdered outside the bounds of the Agon (think Hunger Games-esque stakes with god powers being transferred to the mortal when they kill the god).

The story contained the perfect amount of plot twists to stay interesting but not completely upend the entire plot. Once the plot twist happened I immediately thought ‘yeah, I should have seen that coming’.

The character development was also spot on. There was never a stagnant spot where I wanted to rip my hair out because the character just couldn’t see reason. Really well written plot too!

I think my only complaint is there were parts that I found the language to either be awkward or not specific enough to really give me the full picture. But it was really only noticeable in a few spots and if you just kept going it made total sense. Like landscape changes would be ignored and the reader would have to assume what was happening (such as water rising but not being told it was rising. It was just suddenly higher). But those are easily mended and honestly might just be my preference for wanting to turn my imagination into a movie rather than actually using it to create the picture on my own.

Overall, very good book and I recommend it!

First things first, can we take a second to appreciate the gorgeous cover?! Second I have always been a fan of Greek mythology and was super excited to hear about a book involving a contemporary spin on the ancient Gods/Goddesses and their myths.

This book sucks you in to the world of the Agon as fate brings Lore back into a world she tried so hard to escape. Taking place in contemporary New York City, ancient feuds and cursed Gods both old and new are making the city their battleground. Lore must choose a side and must be careful with who she can trust as the bloodlust of the Agon rages around her.

While this book is YA it steps it up in terms of the fight scenes and gore compared to some other books. There is action, friendship, character development, and a slow burning romance that feels relatable and real. Alexandra Bracken does an amazing job building a complex world that ties in present day NYC with the intricate histories of Greek mythology and the Agon.

There was a lot of information to process regarding the background of the characters and the Agon which can be hard for some people to follow and I may need a second read to fully comprehend it. But definitely enjoyed this read and would give it 4.5 stars!

Content warning for discussions of sexual assault and mention of child brides.

**I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

"Monsters lived in the shadows. To hunt them, you couldn’t be afraid to follow. And the only way to destroy them was to have the sharper teeth and the darker heart."

I knew as soon as I saw the cover of this book with the Gorgon and the title of "Lore," I had to have it. I studied Greek and Roman Mythology in college, so anything about mythology, I love to read. I have read most of the classics, so I understood the different names, Gods, and houses discussed in the novel.

Lore is a story revolving around an event called the Agon. Zeus created the Agon when some of the other Gods tried to overthrow him. As punishment, these Gods become mortal every seven years, and the hunters can kill them and absorb their powers. This cycle goes on indefinitely. Lore, the titular character, is the last remaining member of the House of Perseides. After a rival line, brutally murders her family, she swears to avoid the Agon. That is until an old friend and an injured Goddess show up.

The book is, in essence, mythology with a YA twist (as seen from other reviews, i.e., Percy Jackson). The interesting part is that this takes place in modern times, in New York City no less! There are five parts of the book, City of Gods, Carrying Fire, Deathless, Dark Rivers, and Mortal. I immensely enjoyed the book until the ending of Part 4 and all of Part 5. The book's cadence was quick but evolving and left the reader wondering what was happening and what would happen. Towards the end, I felt like the author was over the book at this point and just wanted it wrapped up. Questions are handed out on a silver platter, whereas before, there was more character work involved.

The book, as a whole, was engaging, exciting, and action-packed. I loved seeing some of my favorite Gods (Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, etc.) in modern-day life. It was also interesting to see how the new Gods would use their power. Was it revenge based, power-based, or was it out of necessity? Character development was helpful with the use of flipping between the present and seven years ago. Another useful source was, I imagine, Ovid, Hesiod, Homer, etc., and their descriptions of gods.

I think for someone not as well versed, the reader is almost thrown to the wolves to figure out who is whom. There were even a few Gods/heroes thrown in that I needed to lookup. I think the ending just ended. It did not feel as satisfying as I thought it would from the excerpt or the book's first four parts. It should be noted there is violence, and the amount and viciousness of it can be offputting.

Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4) as I love mythology and think that the author has a unique concept with the Agon. However, it does fall short with the ending.

Let's take a moment to appreciate this amazing cover, hmmm? This book was not like I was expecting. It was a lot more brutal and bloody than the Percy Jackson type beat I was envisioning. While I found the concept of the Agon, it was insanely hard to understand and keep up with. There was an overwhelming number of characters, but none of them felt particularly gripping. The plot was paced really well, and there were enough twists to keep the story interesting, but it just failed to grab my attention.
Overall, though, this was a wild fantasy adventure with a solid storyline!

This is a awesome book. It is a great book and will be a nice additions to our collection. It is one that should appeal to those that grew up loving Camp Half-blood.

Greek mythology is a theme often requested when I do Reader’s Advisory, so I was thrilled when I read the synopsis for this book on NetGalley. I was even more thrilled when my request was granted, and the book turned out to be just as good as I hoped it would be. This story is not for the faint of heart. It has a very Battle Royale vibe, but with mythical characters. This being the case, the story is action-packed and never boring. The romance in the story does not take center stage, which I am perfectly alright with. It did, however, lend the perfect balance of heartwarming content to counteract the violence. The ending of this book wasn’t entirely unexpected, but there were a couple twists leading up to it kept it fresh and interesting. It wraps up pretty nicely, so I assume this is a standalone, which is great for reader’s who don’t want to commit to a series.

This has to be the start of a series, given the ending and some of the ambiguity at the end.

Set in New York and using the Greek gods at war theme, we get swept up into a septennial war between various houses, all descended from Greek heroes, and there's something in there about killing gods and taking powers and it was all very confusing.... Learning about Lore's backstory helped a little, particularly in explaining the alliances. It was a little difficult buying all the death going unnoticed by those of us not part of the Agon, but that's fiction, right?

Some readers have pointed out the Hunger Games/Percy Jackson vibe and it's definitely there. It's also why I suspect there's another book coming.

eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

*FULL DISCLOSURE* I received an ARC for an honest review.

*SECOND FULL DISCLOSURE* Alexandra Bracken was the author to bring me back into the reading world with her Darkest Minds Series (which I listened to as an audiobook). I literally screamed (not being facetious) when I saw that I got approved for an ARC.

When I saw that Alexandra Bracken was up to bat for yet another book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. And she does not disappoint. I knew from the minute I read, ” He woke to the feeling of rough ground beneath him and the stench of mortal blood” (Bracken 1) I was OBSESSED. It’s cliche to say that you were hooked after reading the first line, but I feel that there’s an exception in this case. It was going to satisfy my Percy Jackson itch. And boy, did it scratch well. If I were to try to describe what reading this book feels like, I would have to say it’s a big bear-hug from Uncle Rick!

The books starts off with a god being born into mortal flesh. I originally thought this book was going to take place in ancient Greece, but I was thrilled to find out it was set in modern times. It quickly cuts into a boxing match between the main character, Lore, and her unnamed opponent. Bracken sets Lore up to be a tough-as-nails, no-nonsense, kick-butt kind of gal that also has a sweet side (think of Darcy Lewis from the Marvel Cinematic Universe), which if I’m being honest, is refreshing in a different gender. Her main hang-up in life is that her entire family is dead because of an event called the Agon. It is a hunt for the gods to get their powers. There are four sides to the Agon, the first is the gods, then Houses of Hunters (all aptly named after people and creatures from greek mythology), which leads into people related to the Houses that choose not to participate in the Agon, and mortals. One of the deities seeks out Lore’s help because they are hurt and need her help with a conflict in the Agon. This war between the Gods and the hunters has been going on for centuries and there is a rumor going around in the hunters’ circles that there is a way to permanently end the Agon and receive a great reward. Lore decides to help the deity in the name of revenge for her family.

Lore’s introduction and entire character also reminds me of the song Raise Hell by Dorothy.


A lot of deeper references are put into this book from greek mythology and history (I guess that is to be expected) but there are references to mortals from greek mythology in the houses. As I got further in the book, I was very grateful for the denoted lineages in the beginning of the book. I found myself flipping back and forth between the story and the lineages constantly in the beginning, which isn’t a bad thing in my case. Although, it did get kind of annoying at times because I would be in the middle of Lore explaining something that I didn’t understand and then I have to go back to the front of the book. There is a hefty amount of world building in this book, but I think that Bracken does it in a way that is fast paced, pointed, and interesting.

Bracken is an expert in purposefully revealing vital information to the reader, but is careful enough to keep the reader guessing as to what she means.

It is honestly so hard to review this book because all I want to type is “omg it’s so good” over and over again. I literally did not want to finish this book, it was so good that I just wanted to daydream all day about the world. (That was not a sarcastic statement, sometimes I could only go a few sentences before having to take a break of a few seconds.)

I can only think of one time when I thought the writing was so clunky that it brought me out of the story.

This is the kind of book that makes you look up from the pages and realize, “shit, nobody else is being effected by this.” And I say that with a lot of love.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken is a love letter to Greek mythology that is beautifully written, and is just as good as, if not better, than Percy Jackson. #sorrynotsorry

A feather fallen from a wing is not lost, Gil had told her, but free.

Alexandra Bracken

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I’ve been a huge fan of Alexandra Bracken since I read The Darkest Minds in 2018, and she is definitely on my list of favorite authors. I have been anticipating Lore since she first started teasing it on her Instagram page, and was so excited to get the opportunity to read it early. As soon as I read the first few chapters I knew without a doubt that this would be a 5 star read, and become my favorite book by the author. Having finished it a few minutes ago, I’m happy to say that I was right. Lore was so damn good, I’m still trying to process it all!


First of all, I loved the plot. Super original and interesting and definitely something any greek mythology fan will enjoy. It’s kind of as if Greek mythology and The Hunger Games had a baby, and it was just so cool and gripping from the very first few pages. The story had so many shocking plot twists and at every turn of a page I felt myself breath a little heavier because I was just so engrossed in the story and felt so in love with all the characters and really wanted them all to succeed.


Characters. They are always my favorite thing about Alex’s stories, and this one was not different at all. I fell in love with Lore, Castor, Miles, Van and Iro and loved getting to know each and every single one of them. I love how Bracken writes her friendships and I love how she always adds the found family trope to her books! The friendship these characters created in the end and the relationship between all of them was such a highlight of the story for me! I loved every minute of it.


Aside from the friendships, the romance was also a highlight for me. Although very much a side plot to the story, (don’t expect this book to be very romance heavy! we do get a lot of moments between the main friendship groups but the story is about Lore, so the romance is definitely just a small part of the story) the two romances in this book were so good! I found myself flipping through the pages, longing for more and more scenes between the couples. They were just so damn cute! I’m a huge fan of best friends to lovers and Lore and Castor definitely delivered on that front. Alex also always manages to give us romances with the softest guys and this one wasn’t different, not to mention the contrast between soft Cas and murder Lore. Love this trope in romance and it was glorious in this book. The second romance (will keep the mystery by not naming the characters!) was one I was hoping would happen since the first time they meet and I was so happy to see it develop! They made such a good side couple, I wouldn’t mind reading about them exclusively as well.

I personally think this is Alexandra Bracken’s best work yet. Her writing was just as great as it always is, the characters were charming and lovable from the start, the book was filled with such a great and gripping plot with great twists and turns that made me want to keep reading to find out what happened next, and the romances and friendships were ones I found myself becoming attached to super early on in the story! Lore is definitely one of my favorite characters and the book is for sure my new favorite by Alex. I could not recommend it enough.

4 stars.

"But he didn't understand what Lore finally did. Monsters lived in the shadows. To hunt them, you couldn't be afraid to follow. And the only way to destroy them was to have the sharper teeth and the darker heart."

Thank you to the publisher (Disney-Hyperion) and NetGalley for providing me with a digitral copy to review!

The Olympians have rebelled against Zeus, so in return they are punished to compete in a tournament to the death. Every seven years, they have seven days to survive while being hunted. If they fail, their killer will gain their powers. By the time we get to our story, hundreds of years later, only a few of the original gods remain. Our main character, Melora, has managed to escape after the murders of her family but gets dragged back into the current cycle. Will she be able to survive and perhaps get revenge for her family along the way?

I really liked this one. This was the first book I've read by Alexandra Bracken, and it was very well written. In particular, I liked the feminist perspective the book takes and how it explored the misogyny in many of the Greek myths. They discuss Athena's punishment of Medusa and how she only ever leads male heroes among other things. The novel also explores themes of revenge and escaping the environment you were born in. I also liked the look into godhood. What does all that immortality and power do to someone? IS there space to leave any humanity?

I will say that I'm not sure I was fully convinced by the end, but I really liked the thought behind it.

You should read this if: You're at all interested in Greek mythology or like a lot of action.

CW for mentions of child marriage and sexual assault and (obviously) lots of violence