Fantastic! Already a fan of the author Lore was no exception. Immediately drawn in, from the very first page I can't wait for this to come out in the New Year.

When my sample of the first 6 chapters came to an end, I was so sad, I just kept trying to turn the page on my kindle. If you love Greek mythology this is definitely something to look forward to, I know I am!

i read the chapter sampler and i will literally cry if i dont get this book like... the mc fights... old friends like cas.... the oercy jackson implications im so excited about this i think i would cry if i dont get the full arc

This was only the preview, but even through limited pages I was engaged and excited to read more. Alexandra Bracken has a knack for grabbing her reader's attention early on, this was no different.

Reading the first six chapters of the book, I feel the potential for character arc and plot the next seven days our characters have to live thru.

The characters, so far, are written good, and as I've said has much potential arcs. Lore as a character has a strong overall presence and I'm honestly interested how this story will go for her. Six chapters and I am already rooting for her! I honestly hope they won't pull the "gay sidekick just for fun" and as a narrative device so that the readers can understand all throughout the novel, and give them the rightful arc they deserve.

As for the plot, it was not that easy to understand the terms of Agon at first but Bracken's writing and voice has made it flow naturally to piece the parts. The backstory is starting to present itself too, which is good for a standalone novel.

Moreover, I know people have reservations about authors not telling the story right as it is in the "canon," but if the canon happens in the story, the "what if"s that led to the premise of this book won't happen. So generally, I'm okay and I am here with some twisting of canon here and there to serve the plot.

Also, having read Alexandra Bracken's novels since, I was not surprised at the feminist themes and the approach and presentation of it, and honestly? I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. But I generally didn't feel anything particular about it.

Overall, an enjoyable start to a book, cut off just right to be interested and curious about characters and the plot.

I read the first 6 chapters of this book and really enjoyed them. I have always loved Greek mythology and this new take on the gods and their descendants intrigues me. In the first 6 chapters you meet the main character Lore and she is fascinating, her will to fight and survive as well as care for others. I look forward to reading the rest of the book when I have access to it so I can see how the story develops.

Read the first six chapters as a sampler and am very much looking forward to reading the rest of the book. It is difficult to rate a work with so little to go on, so I will submit a final review on Goodreads once I have read the entire story, which I absolutely plan to do. The excerpt was very intriguing - modern day gods and goddesses living in our world, and a scrappy young heroine, a boxer that happens to be the last descendent of Perseus, It is definitely an intriguing world with snappy writing that shows a lot of promise.

Thank you to Disney_Hyperion and Netgalley for the sampler of this upcoming book!

I did not realize that this was just a chapter sampler not a full book when I put in my request. That being said, from what I did read, I am definitely intrigued to read more of this book. I love books about mythology and so I am excited to see where this story goes. Rating so far, 4 stars. That could change however based on what I think of the rest of the book.

The prologue of this novel confused me a little. I know that it is supposed to be starting from the middle of an event and will trace back through the previous events through the novel, but not a single thing in the prologue really made sense to me. But starting to read through the beginning chapters, I could easily tell that I would really enjoy Lore as a character. Having the first chapter be her kicking some sexist man-butt was really entertaining; I loved how it was intense action from the very start, and it does not lull by the time the chapter is over, it only progresses, and starts to weave more of the world-building information into the story, which I'm sure will explain the prologue down the line. I find it really interesting how Bracken combined Greek mythology and modern times, similar to the Percy Jackson series, but with a feminine protagonist. I have a feeling that the Greek mythology background will be the only thing that the Percy Jackson series and this novel will share. I'm very excited to see where Bracken will take this new and unique story once it is released!

What an intriguing excerpt! I can’t wait for the whole book...Alexandra Bracken is such a talented writer and I’m so eager to see her vision for the full book

This review is only for the sampler and not the full book but I can say that I am definitely intrigued by the world that is built into this story and want to know more. There were some things dropped early in the book that has me curious just how big the world this story is going to be. I do plan on purchasing the book when it publishes and look forward to Lore’s story growing in front of my eyes.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this chapter sampler in exchange for an honest review. The rating is strictly based off the first couple chapters of the book.

This chapter sample of Lore had me begging for more. As a fan of Greek mythology, I was intrigued by the thought of an adult Percy Jackson book. I was not disappointed. This is the first I’ve read by Alexandra Bracken but i would not only read more but also buy this book on release. I cannot wait for more.

I absolutely love this premise and writing style! Nine gods live in mortal bodies, and every seven years it is possible to kill them and take their powers for one's own. Families named after ancient Greek heroes have become hunters of these gods, fighting one another to ensure the gods are reborn into one of their own people.

Lore is the last member of one such family, and she's walked away from that life...until Athena's current incarnation comes to her for help and offers to help her avenge her family's murders.

Fast-paced and beautifully written, this book is perfect for teen and adult fans of Percy Jackson.

*Review is for an excerpt of the first six chapters, provided by Netgalley.

Thank you for providing me with a sampler of Lore by Alexandra Bracken. It's a bit hard to provide a rating solely based on a brief sampler, but from what I read, I enjoyed the book and would definitely read more when the book is released early next year.

This was the sampler that I received from Netgalley, so thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this.

4.5 stars
This is a very short intro to the characters, the world, and what this book will be about, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I cannot wait for the book to dive more into Lore, the heroine, and the hero who is possible maybe Castor. I was a little bit confused at first and it definitely takes a little time to understand Lore's background and how Medusa relates to the story. This six-chapter sampler enticed me to want to read this even more.

I’ve read a few of this author’s books, and they’ve been a mixture of hits and misses for me. Being intrigued by Greek mythology since middle school, the description called out to me. This review is based on a six chapter sampler I received from NetGalley.

Don’t blink – there’s a ton of information to digest in these early chapters and loads of backstory, rules, and characters to keep straight. I had to go back and re-read some sections just to get a grasp on what was going on – it feels like an info dump at times and can be overwhelming.

With so few chapters, I don’t have a good feel yet for the characters, but Lore comes across as a strong protagonist with a tragic past, and her friendship with Miles is a plus. The Agon is kind of like a Hunger Games where descendants of the ancient bloodlines can kill gods and steal their power and immortality. If that’s what the bulk of this story focuses on, it may change my review.

With world-building that’s intricate and intriguing, but also confusing, I’m unsure if I’ll continue with this book – I’ll probably look at other reviews before making that decision.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a great retelling of Greek mythological characters. I’m hooked and I can’t wait to read the rest of story.

<b><i>“You can gain immortality by becoming a god, but you can also gain it through glory. Kleos is the honor that comes from becoming a legend—someone others keep alive through stories and songs. Your body can die, but your name will live forever.”</b></i>

<i>I received an excerpt of Lore from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Lore is the newest standalone contemporary fantasy novel by the author of The Darkest Minds, Alexandra Bracken. The book will be released on January 5th 2021. In this fantastical new book, the story is described as “sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love, and redemption” which takes place in New York City. The main character of the story is Lore Perseous, one of the last surviving family members from the House of Perseus. Lore is a young girl that has avoided the Agon, a ritual that is held every seven years for seven days where nine gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals to be hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines so the bloodlines can ascend as new gods themselves.

Before I start my review I would like to say that I’m very thankful that I was given the chance to review the first six chapters of the book through NetGalley. I’ve never read any books by Alexandra Bracken so this is a truly blind review.

<b><i>“For seven days, every seven years, the gods walk on earth as mortals. If you can kill one, you become a new god and take their power and immortality”</b></i>

Lore’s family is one of the nine bloodlines of Hunters that participates in these rituals and during the last Agon her whole family is slaughtered by a rival bloodline. Since Lore lost her family, she turned her back from her old life and the promise of eternal glory from the hunt. She doesn’t want the immortality or the divine powers from ascension, her only motivation is to avenge her family and kill the head of her rival bloodline.

One day, Lore’s best friend, who she thought was long dead, Castor, shows up to warn her that the one who subsumed Ares (Aristos Kadmoud) is out hunting for her. Not only that, the goddess Athena, one of the few surviving old gods, lay bloody near her doorstep. With the return of her best friend and the help of the wounded goddess Athena, she is then pulled back into her old life as she realizes that this is the best chance she has of claiming vengeance on the ones that murdered her family.

The premise of gods being slaughtered by mortals who seek ascension into godhood is a interesting twist on Greek mythology, all in an urban setting. The plot of the book starts off running and the author provides context for the setting as the story progresses. There were many instances where the author gives such context in a overwhelming way. This makes the author’s world building feel inaccessible for the reader, as many of the names and terms that are introduced are a burden to remember. Specifically, I found it difficult to remember the names of the characters, as many of the characters have names similar to their house names but different (i.e. Kadmoud and Kadmos, Perseous and Perseus). A neat feature but needlessly tedious for the reader.

We are introduced to a few characters that will later play a big part in the story besides Lore. One of those characters is Miles, Lore’s best friend, Miles is a Korean American queer character that lives in the building Lore tends to. There’s also the ever mysterious dead friend that came to back to life, Castor; and Athena, the goddess of war.

Looking at the cover with medusa front and center, I wondered how this plays into the story. It is later explained in story that the medusa is referring to the legendary weapon Lore’s family owns. A shield called the Aegis that used to be held by Athena, bearing a head of the gorgon Medusa. There is also this snippet of conversation between Lore and Athena where Athena calls Lore ‘little gorgon’ that may or may not be foreshadowing something.

<b><i>“The Spartan . . . they called you,” Athena breathed. “Little Gorgon . . . I searched for you . . . chose you . . . knowing that skill . . . knowing that you are no longer one of the hunters. . . . But you have . . . never been weak . . . never powerless.”</b></i>

My verdict after I finished reading all six chapters, I’ve decided that I will continue reading the book after it is released. These six chapters is solid in peaking my interest to crave reading more of the story. I highly recommend this book to readers that is a big fan of YA fantasy inspired by greek mythology looking for a new unique twist in the prose of gods and goddesses. I’m definitely putting this book on my radar for 2021 anticipated new releases.

Thank you for reading!

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This post will be quite short, unfortunately, I was not accepted to read the book but was accepted to read about a 100 pages of the chapter sample, and boy did it build my expectations for the rest of the book…..

Lore starts of very strong, straight into action and murder, then it takes a small step back and starts to introduce the main characters to us. Lore is obviously one of them, Miles her best friend and we will be able yo meet some gods as well. I mean if you love mythology and Greek culture I think this will be straight up on the top of your reading list.

The characters seem to be interesting and like-able as far as I read the book, I am really interested to see how the book will evolve into the story and what will happen next. As well as, I feel like I have to mention this stunning cover… Just beautiful. I can’t wait to hold a physical copy in my hands.

Honestly cannot wait for a pre-order link to appear for this book, I even told my sister to keep her eyes open and to inform me as soon as she sees one available.

All in all, what I have read so far is very promising. It will have some very strong characters. The pot line seems to be very promising as well and I am just hoping that we will have some amazingly good villains as well. I am a sucker for a good villain.

Thank you for reading, I will do a proper review of the book once read.

This was an exciting and interesting beginning of a book I'm sure I would enjoy! Alexandra Bracken is a favorite author of mine, so I can't wait to read the entire book!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I LOVED THIS!!! 5 STARS!!! . The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing.