This was pretty good! I thought the concept was very original and intriguing. Greek mythology can make for very fun stories and from this little demo I got, it seems like this book is very exciting. Becuase I only got to read the first few chapters, I can't say much about the characters. However, from what I could tell, I liked Lore and Miles. I didn't get to see Castor barely at all, but he seemed like an intriguing character. The only thing I really didn't like was the humor. It seemed sort of cheap and the banter between characters wasn't that great. Other than that, I enjoyed this demo. I think I would definitely read the full version.

Note: I was only able to get an excerpt for the book, which was 6 chapters in total.

I have always had a deep love for Greek Mythology. Lore can be described as a Greek Mythology Hunger Games where descendants of Greek heroes run around the city trying to kill other ancient gods in order to steal power for themselves. The one piece that I am loving the most is that we get to learn more about the women and their roles. This sampler provides the character's story and world building that will leave you wanting more.

Note: I was only able to get an excerpt for the book.

I've always loved mythology, and what I've read so far had me intrigued. It's a fresh take on the retelling of the old myths. It has a bit of Percy Jackson vibe to it, but with the potential to be darker (hello, kick-ass female heroine).

Speaking of heroines, Lore, our main character, suffered through terrible losses at her age. She is angsty, but not in that super emo way. Instead, she channels this angst and rage into her fighting, which I love. It is also the pain of her losses, which grounds her, and makes her care deeply for the people in her life.

I also absolutely adored her friend, Miles, who I think is the perfect sidekick with just the right amount of sass and humor to balance out Lore.

The chapters I've read were well-written. I do wish the backstory was developed more concretely. I don't know if it was just me, but I had to go over them a few times to piece the storyline together, and there are still gaps that still have me confused.

Overall, this book had me excited for its release so I can finally finish the reading it.

I absolutely loved what I read about Lore so far with these six chapters! I really loved the Hunger Games feel combined with Greek Mythology. I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on this book in January!

Ahhh I wish I had known this was merely a sampler before I requested it. But it did just enough to make me want to go out and buy the book so I knew how the remainder of the story went.

Lore has an interesting premise and based on what I've read from the chapter sampler, I'm intrigued. The excerpt contains a mix of introducing the story's characters and worldbuilding, which provides just enough information to allow one to get invested in the story. I was fortunate to also receive an e-ARC of the entire novel from Disney Publishing and NetGalley, so I'm excited to able to continue reading the story.

Interesting sneak peek! Definitely different compared to what the author had written before. It was atmospheric and the writing was raw and almost lyrical. This was completely unique and I think this could be a best seller!

Super interesting sneak peek! The world-building reminds me quite a bit of The Wicked + The Divine and now I’m super curious to see how Bracken is going to develop that throughout the novel. Lore seems like a really complex character and like she has quite the journey ahead of her. I can’t wait to read the full novel!

The second I heard about this book it shot up on my TBR. I just can't seem to say no to mythological retellings. And the fact that this is such a gorgeous cover AND about Medusa?? Sign me UP.

So of course I set out to read what I could in anticipation. Because we all deserve an early birthday gift. (Did I mention this book comes out the day before my birthday?). So I got to reading, and right off the bat, I'm invested. There are few things I love more in stories than ones that toss you into action and expect you to pick up a weapon yourself and start hacking for information.

This book did that and introduced a Greek God killing week. Or as Miles said, "The Olympics, but with more murder." It was exciting, to say the least. And the fact that this book is going to be almost 500 pages, I'm even more ready to bring on the Greek God fights. I want to read all the slashing, the backstabbing, and death (wow am I morbid or what?). But I also want to see how everything ties together with Lore. I have exceedingly high hopes for this.

My excitement aside, the only thing that I read in the short 65 pages I read that could *possibly* dampen my love for this book, is the lack of explanation (so far). If the characters and people don't get explained enough to me, I'll go through this book in a confusing mush, but I have hope. Gotta real the readers in with the first 100 pages, and THEN you can give insight. Right Bracken? Right? I'm giving you lots of credit! Can't wait!

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This chapter sampler has me very excited for the real book when it comes out. I’ve always loved Greek myths and can’t wait to see what happens to Lore in this book.

I was given a sneak peak of this book through NetGalley.

WOW! I was already excited to read this book, but now I am on edge. I was able to read the first couple chapters and the world building is already amazing. I was worried I would be a little lost, but as you keep reading it gets clearer and clearer. It seems to be a very unique spin on Mythology with the different houses from different times. I don't want to give anything away, but I couldn't put it down and was sucked into the story right away.

A really intriguing chapter sampler- the prologue especially sets up the rest of the book, and made me want to read more. It gives you little tidbits about the world, just enough to really capture my attention.

This is one of my big hype books for 2021. When I received the alert that I was approved for the galley, I was ecstatic. And then Netgalley emailed to say that there was an error and I was actually only approved for a chapter sampler rather than the actual book. Cue the sadness. Nevertheless, thank you to Netgalley, Alexandra, and Disney-Hyperion for the chance to get a taste of Lore before its release.

The sampler gives us a good idea of the story, the first six chapters really set up the scene and gives some background info as well. In short – I don’t think that my hype has been misplaced.

Those first six chapters left me intrigued and wanting so much more. I did some poking around and found a book subscription box that is including this as their January book and wasted no time signing back up for it.

Lore is based on Greek Mythology in a modern day setting, with some added twists…such as a week-long event every seven years that gives people the opportunity to murder the Gods and take their place and immortality. The Purge? The Hunger Games? Battle Royale? Sure, all of that and more.

Lore is our main character, who has ties to the world although she has tried to forsake it. We all know that you can’t forsake your destiny. As the next Hunt is about to begin, she finds Athena on her doorstep near death and begging for help in exchange for information about Lore’s murdered family.

I MEAN, COME ON. If the cover wasn’t enough, and the synopsis on the back wasn’t enough, and the six chapter sampler wasn’t enough, what will convince you to read this book?

This book was just disappointing. I'm so sad Alexandra's writing has gotten this bad. The story was predictable, the characters felt like empty shells of YA tropes and overall it was a waste of time.

Q: How the heck do you rate a chapter sampler?
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I’m intrigued and I’m mad that I can’t finish the story! Hopefully I can get a copy from my library soon.
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Thank you NetGally for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. Releases Jan 5th, 2021!!

Lore is a descendant of the house of Perseus and spends her time anticipating the Agon, a hunt of the Greek Gods that occurs every 7 years. In the meantime, she spends time with her friend Miles and makes some extra cash in the underground boxing ring in NYC. Lore is not interested in the Agon, however, whether she wants to participate or not has been left in the hands of Athena and someone she thought was long gone.

Somehow the world-building worked for me, which is surprising because most often I find this part of fantasy novels to be quite boring. However, Bracken made it work and she kept the storyline moving quickly and the addition of Athena's character helped a lot with that. Lore however is your typical YA heroine - broken childhood, unyielding strength, out for revenge etc. This makes her feel one-dimensional and I wish there was a bit more depth to her character.

Overall I believe a lot of readers will enjoy this novel, for me however I needed a bit more from Lore in order to keep me interested and connected. This sample will probably be my last stop as I don't think I will pick it up to continue.

I was lucky enough to receive the chapter sampler of Lore from Netgalley for an honest review. I have been waiting for Lore to come out for awhile, I have loved Alexandra Bracken's books in the past and was very excited when I received this sampler. It did not disappoint! As soon as the book begins your are thrown into action and asking more and more questions as the book goes on. Lore and Miles so far are relatable characters and the world building has been fun to read about. It makes me want to look up more background information on the Greek Gods. After reading just 6 chapters, I can not wait to finally get the full book and be able to read more!

Thank you so much for that excerpt !! I'm really happy that I won't have to wait much more for the rest of it because so far I loved it ! I'll post a full review on Goodreads then.

It was too cruel to just read the sampler. Thankfully I was able to receive the full version shortly after completing the six chapters. The book was that good! The six chapters set up the story of Melora and her quest to take back her family name, while also ending the Agon, which ruled for centuries.

I already started liking the characters that were introduced. Castor in his born again new form and Athena in her godly like stature, even though she's dying. Miles and his ignorant innocence and of course Melora and her hot-blooded personality. It's a good chorus of characters that I believe will set the story at a good flowing pace.

It's typical, but I love that it takes place in New York. If godly things were going to be happening somewhere, why not New York? The author could have set the location in Greece (being that it is greek mythology inspired book), but I think New York is better. It makes you wonder if NY has all of the hidden in plain sight locations, that are easily looked over.

So far I loved the book and I think readers will enjoy it too.

This sampler pack was very enjoyable, and greatly increased my excitement to read the full novel! Can't wait for it's release!