A very intriguing start, but the beginning does seem a bit sudden and rushed. The setup is promising, with many things that will grow into more important plots later on.

I was already intrigued by Lore, but the chapter sampler has catapulted the book to the top of my anticipated 2021 releases! Even from such a small snippet, the world building is excellently explained and easy to navigate. I have a good sense of the background, the characters, and how things work in that world. I'm so impressed by the reimagining of the Greek mythology and the idea of a Agon! This book is definitely not for the faint at heart–it's violent and gory–but I am absolutely excited for this new book by Alexandra Bracken!

This book is right at the top of my highly anticipated reads! A new adult novel that hits the ground running, this is sure to drag me into yet another Greek-mythology obsessed period. Not for the easily disturbed, the plot centers around a murderous competition, and it doesn’t seem the Bracken has censored any violence out. Overall, I’m totally amped to read the full book in 2021!

I have some difficulty with Bracken's writing. It just reads hard and I never get a good grip on what the characters are doing or the geography of the scene. I did enjoy the story and the plot though. It's an interesting concept and I would love to read more of it. 

I think this book could have benefitted from a first-person POV, especially where the world-building is concerned. I mainly want to read more to find out what happened to Castor.  You can bet there's a really good romance that'll happen between Lore and Castor. Also, who doesn't love Greek Gods? Let's say I'm like 75% interested in reading further.

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!

even though this was just a chapter sampler, i am so excited for this book's release this fall! when the summary and cover excited, it made me initially interested in the book and this sneak-peak did not dissapoint. this modern world of mortals and gods playing a sick game of cat-and-mouse is so engaging and i can't want to see more of lore's story in the future!

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.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this chapter sampler

Alexandra Bracken never fails to deliver a good book. I chose to read this sampler because she’s one of my favorite writers and it didn’t disappoint me. I can’t wait for the book to come out so I can answer all the questions this sampler gave me.

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.