Well this chapter sampler certainly has me intrigued, but also a little confused. I love mythology and always look forward to new takes and interpretations so when I saw this book, combined with the beautiful cover, and the fact that Alexandra Bracken wrote I knew I had to give it a try.

The sampler introduces us to the main character Lore and does an excellent job in showing us her personality as well as some of the things that have made her into who she is today. We get a brief history of the novel's world and the beginning of (what seems to be) the main conflict. It's a very interesting premise and even without much to go on it seems like the stakes will be quite high which I personally enjoy as a reader. I also very much enjoyed the other characters we have been introduced to so far. I thought they were interesting and, maybe more importantly, incredibly charming. I already feel protective of them which is impressive.

I don't want to make any judgements based on so little of the book but I do want to say that so far some aspects are quite confusing. In a way, we're thrown into the middle of a story and we don't really get much plot explanation/exposition until near the end of the sampler. That's still only about 6 chapters of the book as a whole but it still felt like a fair bit to read without a better understanding of the world. I felt like I was supposed to care about certain characters/aspects but because we hadn't actually seen much of them yet I found that tough. The story relies on readers knowing something about Greek Mythology while also completely turning it on it's head. I'm very excited to read more of this but I think if you're going to be subverting something then there needs to be more world building.

All in all, I would give the sample of the book so far a 3/3.5 but I am very eager to read the whole book and delve deeper into this world. I have every faith that the book as a whole is going to deliver. Fingers crossed that I can get my hands on the full book once it's posted here!

I was provided with this digital Chapter Sampler by NetGalley.

This book instantly hits the ground running and doesn't stop through at the first four chapters, only slowing down in the final chapter the reader is given to get into the backstory more in-depth. So far it definitely has my interest piqued and I'll be anxiously awaiting the actual complete ARC.

From just a short sampler, I'm already hooked! The story was immediately engaging and the world-building so far is done well. I haven't read Greek mythology YA since Percy Jackson so I was already so excited to read Lore. The premise is original, the characters vivid, and I can't wait to see what comes next.
Full review will be available on my Goodreads once I read the entire book.

An interesting premise, wish there had been more than just the sample provided.

I found the authors take on the mythology to be refreshing and entertaining. Looking forward to getting to finish it.

**I received this sample from netgalley in exchange for a review**

THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON THE FIRST SIX CHAPTERS

The old gods must die to allow the new to rise.†

Alexandra Bracken is an auto-buy author for me. I had Lore pre-ordered before the cover reveal. I was equal parts excited and horrified to get approved for this sampler (horror because now I have to wait).

The Queen has done it again. With just six chapters, I only have a vague understanding of what is happening and I'm already hooked. I am loving Lore, the protagonist, so far. I am loving her best friend/roommate, Miles. I am loving her childhood friend/blast-from-the-past, Castor. I am even loving the villain and I can't wait to learn more about him. He seems perfectly wicked, which is totally my brand.

I was already highly anticipating this book, even more so now. I needs it!

***I will adjust rating/review accordingly once I get able to read more than the first six chapters.***


†check against final text

Incredibly interesting premise and enjoyable writing style - I can't wait to see more of this book when it's published next year, and it's definitely one of my most anticipated releases of 2021!

When I wished for this title, it was for the whole book and not a sampler. I only mention this because I purposely don't read samplers, I'm WAY too impatient of a person to enjoy them. But since this wish was granted, I felt obligated to read the sampler. It was good! Not amazing, and I'll honestly probably forget a lot of what I read before the book releases, which might be a good thing. It didn't make me desperate to finish the book, but it did pique my interest. So this is one I'll be waiting to finish when it's available at my library.

I've been a fan of this author since I was a teen, so I'm super excited to try out her newest release. Seems very intriguing; can't wait for the full book...

This was just a sampler but very excited for the final copy! I am a sucked for Greek mythology so this is right up my alley!

For fans who have outgrown the Percy Jackson series comes a mythological adventure novel geared towards young adults.

I was offered the opportunity to read this chapter sampler of Lore, free of charge from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
I sat down to browse a couple pages, and next thing I knew I was looking for the next page, which wasn't there!! I've added this book to my 'watch for' list, and you should be too!!

Alexandra Bracken does it once again with stunning character development and amazing descriptions. One thing I loved about her Darkest Minds and Passenger series is her ability to develop characters and allow the reader to empathize with them in a matter of pages. The reader can easily become invested in the characters, which makes the story that much more enjoyable as we want to know what happens next. I'm excited to discover what will happen next.

OMG! What an opener!!!

This is exactly the kind of modern Olympian story I never knew I always wanted!

I’m half Greek and my middle name is Athina, so I’ve always has an affinity with the Greek Gods and the mythology. I was obsessed with it as a child - an obsession that was fuelled by Battlestar Galactica in recent years.

But this! I am so eager for this! I Cannot wait to read the rest of it!

Thank you Alexandra Bracken, Disney-Hyperion, and NetGalley for a chapter sampler of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra Bracken has never been afraid to give us the stories that she wants to tell.

Time-traveling pirates? You got it.

Kids with powers over-throwing the government? You got it.

And now; the Greek Gods being hunted for sport.

This is only the first five chapters of the book - as it's a sampler - so naturally, I get to the end of my little copy and I'm experiencing more from it and there is nothing left and I just want to know what's happening next because the chapter ended on a perfect cliffhanger.

This is one of Bracken's books that I'm going to HAVE to buy a physical copy of and highlight things to make a chart of which family belongs to what branch so things make sense because she's clearly put a lot of time into them.

I loved Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds trilogy, and when I saw Lore, I knew I wanted to read it. Greek mythology? Yes, please. Everything about the premise of this sounds intriguing.

Unfortunately, this was just a chapter sampler and I wasn't able to get into it due to the brevity.

That being said, I hope for the chance to read the entire book as I'm sure it'll be amazing.

I totally made the mistake of downloading this excerpt from Lore because this just made me want the release day be tommorow! I love Greek mythology and this unique twist is only making me fall more in love with it. The unique twist on the mythology is what makes this novel stand out from the rest. Having the gods and goddesses that were punished by Zeus, the king of Gods, battle for their lives every seven years is outstanding but here comes the intriguing part... if a descendant of a very powerful bloodline manages to kill the god, he/she gets the powers of that being. I mean, what an impressive concept! The amount of detail that went into this novel clearly stand out in the excerpt I read. I was given enough information to understand this world while not being overloaded with it. Everything made sense and not one thing was out of place.

Like I said before, can't the release day be tomorrow? I don't think I'll be able to last untill next year to find out more about Lore, Athena (literally my favorite Greek goddess!), Miles, and Castor even though I don't read much about him.

I've heard so much about this novel, and I'm so excited I got the opportunity to read the sampler. Although, this is a bit of a tease for a Greek lover like me!

I think this will be a great read for those of us who grew up with Percy Jackson, loved him, and now want something more mature. I haven't read anything else by Alexandra Bracken, but I'll have to pick up a book by her soon as I love her writing style. I'm excited to read the rest of the book!

This sample was just enough of the story to have me impatiently waiting until January. I love anything to do with Ancient Greek mythology anyway but the way this had been written, I cannot fully express how eager I am to read the full thing!

“A new age was in reach, waiting to be seized by one strong enough to dare.”

'Lore' is bloody and brutal and ingenious! Bracken writes with such strength of character and fleshes out some brilliant characters. Having done a bit of research I can see that Bracken has experience with YA (The Darkest Minds). What I read in this 6 chapter sampler was a sophisticated, passionate older story that has strong elements of YA but has a charm to it in the way it is written that can appeal to a much wider audience. I am thrilled to have read this and January cannot come quickly enough.

4.5 Stars

I am very excited for this book to come out, I’ve already been hearing about it all over Bookstagram for months, so when I saw a 6 chapter sample on Net Galley I jumped on the opportunity knowing I was most likely just going to make the wait worse for myself. This story has a very promising premise. Young girl going up against others families and Greek Gods in a ongoing struggle for power and survival that has taken place once every 7 years for centuries? Like all Percy Jackson kids, I was sold on the mention of Greek Gods. The fact that the plot has to take place within 1 week guarantees an action-packed story.

As excited as I am for the rest of this book, I think they made a mistake keeping it in the YA genre in order to appear to Braken’s established fan base. To keep this in the YA genre with a battle only taking place once every 7 years required a set up with so many holes in it I will be using it as a colander next time I cook pasta. Lore is a somewhere older than 18 but younger than 21 year old girl who participates in underground fights for money and living in a New York Brownstone willed to her by a deceased older woman she lived with after her family was murdered. This older woman knew nothing about Lore’s family history and we have no idea how Lore came to live with this woman. At the time of the story she lives with her best friend Miles who we also have no idea how she met, also thinks she's just a normal girl, and is totally not exactly like Simon from City of Bones. So we have a heroine who is a maximum of 21, making her 14 at most at the time of the last Agon - which I would hope was too young to participate. Yet despite having been very young at the time of her parents death and not having any contact with a fellow “Hunter” since her families death, she somehow knows all the traditions and history of the Agon. She doesn’t have a job apart from fighting once a week, doesn’t go to school, and doesn’t date, we don’t hear about any hobbies besides fight training, so presumably she spends 100% of her time working out? This is incredible knowledge retention for a pre-teen and dedication to training for a tradition she claims to want no part in. I think every issue with this book could have been fixed by making Lore 16+ at the time of her families murder.

Premise: 5 stars
Execution: 3 stars

Lore is brutal and seeped in blood and brutality that we often forget is the backbone of Greek mythology and seriously can’t wait to read more.

This is for fans of Percy Jackson that maybe wish the fighting was a little less of a duel and a little more of a 300-style fist fight. The prologue hooked me quick. Bracken brings us a really unique take on mythology that is incredible tense and action-packed. It also appears to be set within a week, and I love when there’s a time limit for a book – it really ups the ante. I’m so intrigued to learn more about the ancient houses and the secret hunter society that is integrated into our own. Plus, I already read three quotes that I love, which bodes well for the rest of the story.

I am grateful for Disney-Hyperion for approving me for the chapter sampler, and I hope I’m lucky enough to read an ARC of LORE – I can’t wait to dive even deeper into this world.