This was my first Alexandra bracken book and it was interesting. As a stand-alone that had a ton of world building to accomplish I felt the first half dragged with explaining the world and the vast amount of characters. It was clunky and failed to establish the necessary chemistry between many of the characters. Some of it felt robotic. Also was not expecting the level of violence but this is definitely a heavy well researched book of Greek
Mythology so maybe I should’ve. I’ve seen it described as a hunger games meets Greek mythology and I’ll agree. The descriptions are very detailed as well so I even get dirty while reading it as there’s plenty of blood and gore here. I think the concept was great and I loved the feminist touch to the Greek stories. It was definitely out of my usual reading zone even though it did have romance elements. It was an enjoyable read that kept me interested.

I loved this book! The plot was fantastic and so original. I went in thinking this was going to be a Medusa retelling based on the cover, but it wasn't and it exceeded every expectation! I loved Lore and the supporting characters, and everything about them was fantastic. There was great character development, and a friends to lovers trope that I loved. I'm not usually a fan of friends to lovers because even though it's the opposite of instalove, I feel like we don't get to see the growth of emotions between the characters because they knew each other before, and it was finally culminating. This didn't feel that way and I was rooting for them the entire time. I'm sad it's a standalone because I want more, but the ending was satisfying and trying to make a sequel wouldn't have felt right.

I was provided an ARc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! Despite being a touch on the side of too long, it kept my interest the entire time. Everytime my attention started to stray, Bracken threw in some morsel of information or a twist to peak my interest and get me re-energized and back into the story. If you are a lover of Greek Mythology, you are going to really enjoy this YA standalone.

This follows Melora aka Lore who has renounced her part in the Agon as the last surving member of her bloodline. As the Agon begins again she is reunited with her best friend whom she believed to be dead in the last Agon and she finds herself pulled back into a life she wanted nothing to do with. As fragile alliances are formed and Lore struggles to keep those she cares about safe until the end of the Agon she can't help but remember the heinous crimes done to her in the past and the person she used to be.

This book has it all, a complex plot, non-stop action, great references to Greek Mythology (which I love), and great characters. Each time I thought I had the plot figured out the author threw us another twist to keep things interesting. I really enjoyed the take on the original mythology and gods she choose to use and the creation of the Agon as punishment for their meddling and destruction in the human world. I also appreciated seeing a strong female lead who called out some of the misogynistic tendencies we've seen in these stories of old. It was nice to see the old ways challenged and the God of War bested by the same "little girl". I also loved the other characters. Castor, Van and Miles all kept Lore grounded and they never compromised themselves for the Agon. I really appreciated the inner turmoil Lore faced throughout the book regarding revenge, killing other, returning to the Agon, and ending the Agon completely. She constantly struggled with her feelings and we actually got to see it on the page. I really enjoyed her growth throughout the book.

I believe this is intended for a YA audience, but much like the Greek myths it is pretty violent and dark at times. There is alot of violence and death in this book, which is inline with the subject matter. It is no worse than The Hunger Games or the actual Greek myths so if you are OK with reading those I would say you'll be OK with this.

I loved this and if you have loved Bracken's other books or like mythology I really think you'll love this too! So why not 5 stars? I'd give it 4.5 if I could. It is a touch on the long side, but it is worth it. The ending is a bit open ended. I won't spoil it but I would have liked a bit more of a conclusion about what happened. An epilogue would have been nice to wrap things up completely, and perhaps there is one in final version. I'll have to check when it comes out in a few days. I'll be buying a copy of this for myself for sure!

This book had it all, love and heartbreak, hope and despair, strength and weakness, friendship and betrayals. I laughed and I cried, but most of all I was once once again in awe of Alexandra Bracken’s writing. I had pretty high hopes going into the book, as I’ve read and adored pretty much every book the author has previously published, and let me tell you this story did not disappoint! It blew any expectations I had right out of the water. Both the plot and the characters kept me completely entranced, putting a refreshing and creative twist on mythology and ancient gods.

Books with Greek mythology can often be very daunting to me, so much history and so many names I will never be able to pronounce, let alone remember, but I LOVED this book and it’s mix of modern day times with a mythological twist. The main character, Lore, is an absolute LEGEND (no pun intended haha). She’s strong, fights like a boss and has an iconic sense of sarcasm, can I be her please?! Something I really admired was how realistic the characters were, they made mistakes and were far from perfect, all fighting their own demons while striving to be better. Even the relationships in the book, while being absolutely ADORABLE, were filled with ups and downs. Am I jealous of fictional characters and their love lives? Yes, yes I am. Did I mention that, like many of Bracken’s books, we get an ethnically diverse group of main characters AND a lgtbq+ rep? Have I been obsessing over pretty much all of the characters since I read about them? Yes!

This book covered some heavy topics (warnings at the end of review!) and had many good messages to go along with them. Although of course it was in woven into a fictional story, sexual harassment and rape is a reality in our world today and something that has affected women and men all across the world. Even the less heavy topics like gender inequality were wrote in a way that could easily be applied to today’s society. It was all covered in a realistic way, and helped to shed light on the different things people face and the emotions that can go with them.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and will probably be thinking about it for the next few weeks. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s previously enjoyed Bracken’s writing, or anyone looking for a thrilling new YA book to read. I’d especially recommend to readers who like Greek mythology and are looking for a fresh perspective on the gods.

*warnings: some language (swearing), attempted rape, violence, gore, death*

Huge thank you to Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book!!

Initial Thoughts

I was so excited to get an ARC of this book on NetGalley. I loved the Passenger series by Alexandra Bracken and also love Greek Mythology. I started it right away.

Some Things I Liked

Mythology in modern NYC. I loved the nods to both contrasting elements. I loved the rich history and myths woven into the story as well as the backdrop of NYC and all it’s familiarity.
The opening scene. I loved the drama of the fighting in the opening scene. It really grabbed my attention.
The romance. I thought it was subtle and I actually really liked that about it. This isn’t a story of romance. It’s an epic tale of a hero’s quest to save the world from gods gone wild and there was a bonus sprinkle of romance.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

Density of the world building. The first 30% of this novel was HEAVY with concepts, names, and world building and it was a struggle to keep up. Despite having a robust glossary, I found myself constantly confused for the first 150 or so pages. Once I passed that hump, I really enjoyed the story, but it was a struggle to get into.

Series Value

As much as I love the world here, I don’t think there is much series value given the way the story ended. I will, however, say that I like Alexandra Bracken’s writing style. Despite the information dump at the beginning of the story, I would recommend this as well as her other books and I’d keep reading what she writes in the future.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. It was a race to the finish and this was the last book I read in 2020. I literally finished at 11:56pm and this was the book that pushed me over the 100k page mark in GoodReads. I’m glad I read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken – if you enjoyed the writing style in Lore try Alexandra Bracken’s time travel duology.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan – if you liked the idea of Greek Mythology mixed with the modern world, look no further than this epic series.

overall, this was a pretty good story. i really liked the characters and how everyone worked together, even if they didn’t 100% trust each other. but, there were some parts that i just was so confused, since i think i just read this so quickly. but, i still really liked it. and the greek mythology part of this book was honestly so cool, and the friendship and romance was so amazing. i do wish though, we got told a lot of the info about the family death and gods upfront, since it would be a lot less confusing.

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Hyperion publishing, and Alexandra Bracken for providing me with an eARC of this book. This is an honest review, all opinions ae my own.

I'm such a sucker for Greek mythology and I've read and loved everything by Alexandra Bracken that I've read, so it's no surprise that I ate this book up. The world created was so interesting and I loved seeing how gritty and realistic a lot of this book felt.

I felt like I was a part of all the action scenes, everything was so vivid in the descriptions and I loved that.

Lore was such a great MC for this world. I feel like she really held her own as best she could and realized some moments she needed to accept help. She was stubborn in her own way, but true to herself until the very end and I loved that about her.

This book was fantastic and I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

OMG- Greek Mythology/ Percy Jackson world of bloodlines plus a Hunger Games type set up? Count me in. I nearly chose this for our YA Round table group but didn’t get to read it in time. I regret that now so much. I may add it this Spring and bump something else. It’s a 5-star read IMO. Every seven years there is a war called an Agon, people in the bloodlines of ancient Greek heroes have the opportunity to kill and steal the powers of gods during a seven-day hunt. Nine greek gods have to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by other descendent houses to achieve immortality and power. After the last Agon, Lore took off and as the new one begins, she is drawn back in. Her longtime friend and a Goddess need her help.

4.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this and Disney Worldwide Publishing. I am actually mad with myself. I received this copy a few months ago and I sat on it. I think, partly, the number of chapters intimidated me. Boy, was I mistaken. I voraciously plowed through these chapters; once I started, I was hooked and couldn't put it down.

I've always been intrigued by Greek Mythology and this book brings it to the present century a la Hunger Games style. Every 7 years there is a war of types called an Agon, Nine greek gods have to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by other descendent houses to achieve immortality and power.

Lore fled this lifestyle after the last Agon and as the new Agon begins, she is drawn back in. Two unlikely participants seek her help; Castor, a longtime friend thought to be dead and Athena the Goddess herself. Now they are fighting to survive.

I absolutely loved this story and its original take with Greek mythology. It was refreshing. I was enthralled at the bravery of our female heroin, Lore. You definitely should pick this book up, you won't be disappointed.

I don't get to read a lot of YA, so I always cross my fingers that when I do, it will be a treat. And this did not disappoint. Very gritty, but Lore was an incredible protagonist and this was a very engaging read. If you are a fan of Greek mythology (or, heck, even if you aren't) you will get a kick out the twists in this story. These are not the same gods and goddesses you came to love-to-hate in Percy Jackson.

Lore has lived a rough life and as you dig more and more into her back story you are torn between wanting to throttle her and comfort her, but she has a good heart. Many of the secondary characters are well-developed, as well, and they are necessary to the story.

All in all, a good read. I thought some of the romance was unnecessary, but it wasn't terribly distracting.

Seven years ago, Lore Perseous fled the world of the Agon, a deadly competition where the Greek gods must walk the earth as mortals, hunted by those descended from the ancient bloodlines who are eager to kill a god and seize their immortality and divine power. In the last Agon, Lore’s family was brutally murdered, leaving Lore desperate and alone. For years, she’s refused to believe that she can seek revenge against the man—now a god—to blame for their deaths. Yet with the next hunt beginning in her home town of New York City, Lore is forced back into the world she thought she’d never face again to help two participants: her childhood best friend Castor who was believed to be dead and a perilously-wounded Athena, one of the last few original gods. The goddess presents a dangerous deal: if Lore binds her fate to Athena’s and rejoins the hunt, the goddess will avenge Lore’s family’s deaths. But with time ticking and enemies around every corner, Lore and her friends must work together to stop the rise of a new god set on destroying humanity or watch as their beloved city crumbles to ruin.

This book left me speechless. Alexandra Bracken’s brilliant writing combined with a premise as intense as The Hunger Games packed with Greek mythology references creates a masterpiece that everyone needs to behold. The entire book is so full of heart and passion that you can feel it in every word and every bit of Lore’s character. And speaking of Lore, she is a wonderful character who teeters between being a hero or a villain because nothing is as straightforward as it seems. The ending was the best that I’ve read in a while and left me thoroughly satisfied. With heart-pounding moments and a slow-burn romance, this book is perfect for any lovers of high-stakes fantasy novels.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change.)

I have been keeping my eye on Lore for the last few months as I’m a sucker for Greek mythology and am so grateful to have received an advance copy for my honest review.

In Lore, Alexandra Bracken creates an amazing world where every seven years, people in the bloodlines of ancient Greek heroes have the opportunity to kill and steal the powers of gods during a seven-day hunt. Lore, the main character, is the last of her bloodline and is trying to leave the world of Greek mythology by living in a townhouse in New York City. However, she’s dragged back in during the coming cycle as Athena appears on her doorstep injured.

This 500-page book is action-packed from cover to cover. In addition to that, all of the main characters are absolutely amazing. Castor, Lore’s childhood friend, is definitely my new literary boyfriend. Miles, Lore’s roommate and best friend, is full of wit and is hilarious. Athena is a badass like always.

Lore is a truly loveable main character, being extremely confident in her abilities. She has some Rose Hathaway vibes from The Vampire Academy series, which I’m all for.

In general, anyone who is a fan of books like The Shadows Between Us, Throne of Glass, Sorcery of Thorns, and Crescent City will thoroughly enjoy this book. If you’re looking for a YA fantasy book that’s a standalone and full of action that’ll keep you glued to your seat, look no further than Lore. Be sure to check it out when it hits shelves next week on January 5!

Thanks to Netgalley, Disney Books, and Alexandra Bracken for the opportunity to read and review this book. For all YA fantasy fans, this is a must-read.

3 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. Here is that review:

When I originally requested the arc for this book, I did not realize I was requesting the chapter sampler (it was not labeled as such originally). I tore through the chapter sampler just in time to learn that I had been approved for the full book; I was thrilled!

While I found the chapter sampler entertaining and the beginning - plot, characters, and concept alike - quite promising, that all fell apart for me when I moved on to the rest of the novel. For me, this was so slow. As a person who teaches children's and young adult literature and great myths and legends at the college level, this mashup should have been almost tailor made. Instead, the lengthy descriptions of every thought and movement felt like I was experiencing the world through the eyes of a preteen reimagining their first crush. I wanted a different pacing experience, especially for the genre.

I know there is a lot of love for this one, and I am glad. I wanted to love it, but it just dragged for me. Because of the concept, I'll still recommend it to students and carefully considered others, but, sadly, this was not my favorite.

This book right here is what Percy Jackson would be like if it had a kickass female lead.
We follow Lore, an 18-year-old teenage girl as she gets pulled back into her ancestral world. Lore comes from a long line of people descended from the gods and heroes of Greek myth. Every seven years these bloodlines, or houses, come together to fight in the Agon, a battle lasting a little more than a week in which anyone can claim the life of a god or powerful figurehead of a bloodline and gain complete power. Things are different this time around, Lore is the last of her bloodline as her entire family, including her little sisters were killed off. Lore plans to get revenge over the power-hungry man responsible for killing her family, along with the help of a friend she thought had died when they were kids- turns out he’s now a god.
This book is filled with epic battle scenes, betrayal, love, loss, and the darkly lush world of greek mythology.

—
I loved every bit of this book. I adored lore as a character, she's tough as nails, headstrong, and courageous as hell. Castor is still the shy nerdy kid, but in the body of Captain America, he’s incredibly compassionate and impulsive. Our side characters were also great in their own right, I loved the banter between the two.
I really enjoyed how these characters interacted with other gods in the story.

I honestly can’t pick a single bad thing about this novel, I was immediately pulled in and wish I could’ve finished it faster than I did, it was such a fun action-packed story that took you away from reality for just a moment.

I highly enjoyed this book and couldn’t recommend it enough.

5 stars.

**ARC provided by Disney Publishing Worldwide via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So I guess I am too "old school" to have fully enjoyed this book. I was so intrigued by the cover. I love reading books on mythology. (One of my favorites is Circe by Madeline Miller). I thought this would be a retelling of an ancient myth, but it was not. The author took the names of Greek gods but then created a story of the Agon, a punishment set forth for the gods rebelling and threw in a bunch of twenty-something year olds. Every 7 years the gods are made to walk the earth as mortals and are hunted by descendants (mortals) of the ancients bloodlines. It was a lot of fighting and really had no back story of the ancient gods. I actually found it a bit confusing about the gods being gods, and then mortals and then other people killing them and then they become gods, but not "real" gods. It was more about a group of young kids who were trying not to die. Not what I thought it would be and it was just ok for me. I received a complimentary e-book.

Alexandra Bracken took Greek mythology to the 'Hunger Games' in 'Lore' and it was everything I had hoped it would be.

In the middle of New York, there is a girl named Lore who has felt more heartbreak in her life than any teenager should. She was once a part of a world full of gods as a descendent of Perseus. Her family was one of the last of the bloodline. When they were all horribly murdered, leaving Lore alone, she decided to leave that brutal world forever.

I’m a reader who enjoys character-driven stories so of course I found Lore to be the most captivating part of this story. When we meet her it’s painfully obvious how grief has taken hold of her life. It weighs her down but it also drives her will to live.

Every seven years the nine Greek gods become mortal for an entire week; this is known as the Agon. The descendants then hunt these gods in the hopes that they can murder them and take all of their power to become the new god. When the time has come for the Agon, Lore is pulled back into its world by not only an old friend, but by a god she least expected would need her help.

Athena is one of the last original gods left and she seeks out Lore during the Agon. Lore is ready to decline an alliance with her until Athena offers something Lore simply can’t refuse. Once she officially binds herself with the god the deathly hunt truly begins.

Alexandra Bracken knows how to capture her readers and keep them on the edge of their seats. There were so many twists and turns! Plus, the world-building, on top of everything, else was brilliant.

There is a lot of information dumped throughout the book, though. Pairing it with the fast-paced action it was sometimes hard to keep up with. For readers that aren’t too familiar with Greek mythology, I think it might be harder to grasp the plot than readers who have a bit of knowledge already. Still, it was very enjoyable.

I have actually missed the YA era of 'Hunger Games', and 'Lore' brought back all the thrilling memories of reading those stories. There is a lot more diversity in this book than what we got back in that era which I was happy to see.

All of the characters in 'Lore' are fun and played a role in the overall plot. They instantly captured my heart. I wasn’t expecting to find the found family trope in this book but it was the highlight of the story and absolutely fitted into the telling of it.

Overall, I enjoyed 'Lore'. There was a lot of action and a bit of romance, but the Greek mythology and characters were the best parts of the story. It was a bit bloodier than I thought it’d be, but that wasn’t a negative for me.

I was happily surprised that this wasn’t going to be a series. The ending felt final but I think if Alexandra Bracken wanted to expand on this world then she could. I’m glad the plot wasn’t dragged out and ended the way it did.

If you’re a fan of 'Hunger Games' or 'Percy Jackson' then definitely pick up this book when it releases on January 5th!

As I mentioned in my review of the chapter sampler, I had only read one other Alexandra Bracken book (The Darkest Minds) and my comment on the improvement of characterization and overall writing still stands.

The seems to be a massive learning curve in the worldbuilding. My statement on the information dump of the first few chapters is also still true, though I understand the need for it if a reader is not already familiar with Greek mythology on an intimate level, and as the story progresses, every bit of information given at the beginning becomes useful and necessary. However, this does make the beginning of the book drag a bit and it took me until 40% of the way through to really start to enjoy the story without getting caught up in family lineages and the names of gods. Sticking with the story past the immediate difficulties was absolutely worth it.

I also saw growth in Bracken's ability to write subtlety and nuance into both the plot and character motivations. I can truly say I did not see most of this story coming, and I had expected to predict the plot fairly well, so I was surprised and delighted to find out that I was wrong, and very pleased with how cleverly it was pulled off. Someday when I re-read this book, I'll enjoy it even more knowing what's coming.

Ancient deities in a modern day setting can be hard to pull off, but using obvious technology (texting and location sharing on smartphones) was really smart. No magical abilities needed, just common sense.

Having the protagonists be adults instead of teenagers was refreshing for a YA novel. The age of our characters and the levels of profanity, violence, and overall stakes were balanced well. And this book is violent - exactly what’s needed for a story centered around a killing competition.

The pairings in this book follow two of my favorite tropes:
* childhood friends to lovers
* reluctant and stoic about their feelings yet fiercely protective of each other

And although our main characters obviously take precedent, the supporting cast and antagonists all got their fair share of time to shine on the page as well.

Overall, an immensely enjoyable standalone that is worth all the excitement and hype surrounding it.

Every seven years nine Greek gods take part in the Agon as punishment for rebelling against their father. Forced to walk the earth as mortals for a time, they are hunted by descendents of their siblings lines. If caught and killed, their executioner takes on the power of the slain god and serves in the Agon until they meet their own end.

The story we follow is Lore's, descendent of Perseus, who having been trained for the hunt as a child walked away from it all after her family was murdered by another line. But getting out isn't quite so easy, and Lore finds herself dragged back to the fight when not one but two gods seek her help to survive the dawn of the new Agon.

This was good. And I think it probably deserves a higher star rating than I'm giving it but my experience was tainted slightly when I first began reading this with a messed up copy of the ebook ARC, which confused the story for me. My second attempt with a clean copy went much better but I couldn't quite fully shake that initial impression. This is new take on Greek mythology, and it reminded me slightly of the Olympus Bound series (which I love). If you or your kids were folks who enjoyed Percy Jackson but are ready to graduate from a MG Greek mythology novel to a full YA one, this should fit the bill. It'll be out in January.

I love love love that this was a contemporary urban fantasy because honestly that is not at all what I was expecting. Bracken knocked this out of the park. I've recently become more interested in mythology and she expertly weaves it into her story without boring you to death with ALL of it.

I loved Lore - she was fierce and strong and I couldn't have asked for a better heroine.

The plot was interesting and captivating and once I hit the midway point in this book, I couldn't put it down!

Thank you so much for an early copy!

Title: Lore
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Pub. Date: January 5, 2021
Rating: 5

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I did not expect to tear up and cry during this book.

I find that there are very few books that purely resonate with me. I can count on one hand how many books have just truly spoken to me and have made me feel seen – even though I’ve suffered none of the things the characters have.

I honestly can’t explain it, other than the authors magical ability to tell such a moving and engaging book that I’m transported into it wholly.

I knew going into this book that I was bound to really enjoy it. I’ve enjoyed Alex’s books in the past and I’m a sucker for Greek Mythology and fresh takes on Greek Mythology. So, I knew that this book would be a great and fun read regardless. I didn’t expect to have it become an instant favorite. I didn’t expect to fall so in love with the characters that when Cas says Lore’s name and this one line that it would shatter me.
Jfc, if I guy ever said that to me and meant it – I’d marry him on the spot.
Fuck, now I’m thinking about it again and I want to cry, because I want that.

Despite everything – all the horrible, traumatizing, terrible shit both Lore and Castor go through – I fucking want their relationship. Well, my own version, but I want that friendship, the trust, the love and the absolute completion knowing that someone loves you for who you are wholly.

Alex knocked it out of the park with this book. While it’s action packed and the plot races forward and it never stops, it’s very much a character driven book. It’s about figuring out who you are, who you want to be, do you let the past define you, or do you strive to live every moment to the fullest? Do you let fear cloud your emotions, or do you face it head on and let yourself be loved? Do you create your own purgatory, or do you seek redemption and come out the other side a better person?

Lore goes through some shit. That’s putting it lightly. Her life hasn’t been easy and it hasn’t exactly been truthful, but she’s carved out a home and a life for herself. She doesn’t readily acknowledge her past, she’s out, but it only takes one visit from a long thought dead friend to turn her life upside down. Suddenly back in the middle of a war she wants no part in, she’s faced with moments of her past that she’d buried.

Lore is a badass, but she’s not without her scars – physical and mental. Her journey in this book is heartwarming but also heartbreaking. Having to come to terms with the actions of a child, to release the guilt that had been weighing her down so long and to come out the other side much stronger – it’s inspiring. It’s not an easy journey by any stretch and Alex definitely puts her characters through the wringer. Their journeys are long and tough and not without pain – but necessary. And the way she writes the journeys, portrays them – it puts you right there with the characters. You end up feeling what they feel, you get caught up in the emotions (hence my crying at one line). She wraps you up in their lives until you forget your own, and then you finish the book and “now what?”
I actually kind of feel like I’m missing a part of myself right now.

Then there’s Castor…and like, (I don’t really want to draw this comparison, but it so works) if you’re a lover of Percy Jackson, you’re going to love Castor. They’re not really the same characters, but that near fatalistic urge to protect the ones they love…yeah, Castor has that. Plus, the whole, “we were kind of shoved together as children, faced some shit, our feelings grew and changed until we were adults and some more shit happened, so we got together” thing. But Castor – like Lore – has been through shit. He’s got his own hardships that ostracized him from his people. He wasn’t like everyone else and therefore was picked on. Then later he’s dealing with a bout of amnesia and some power issues all while trying to figure out who he is, his feelings, what he’s willing to do or not do. He’s just wonderful and I’d kill to have a guy like that in my life.

Together Lore and Cas are just perfect. They have their flaws, but they complete each other wonderfully. And the ending of the book – I loved it. I love them.
As for the rest of the group – I love Miles and how almost chill he was with everything. I kind of wish he was in the book a little bit more, but that’s okay. I’d gladly read a whole book featuring him. Give me his day to day life. I love his relationship with Lore and how they both kind of mother each other, but in different ways. Though, he’s arguably the more responsible one. I enjoyed Evander “Van” and would also gladly read more about him. I feel his role – while important – was kind of small, and after that one scene before final battle shit goes down…I just want to see him happy.

I think I mentioned it somewhere at the beginning of this review – but I loved the world. I loved the fresh take on the Greek Gods and the whole concept of the Families and the Agon. The passing of power, the potential for God’s deaths and reincarnation of power – the whole idea that it’s a form of punishment. I really liked how the lore was used and how the Families weren’t just derived from the Greek Gods, but also legendary heroes. The way Alex wove it all together to create this action packed, character driven story is just incredible. It feels like the lore you know, it feels familiar, but it’s in a whole new light.

I will say that I’m a little tired of NYC always sort of being the de facto Olympus of the Modern World – which okay, the Agon does travel from city to city across the planet – but, like, other cities exist. It’s a relatively small complaint that mainly stem from my lack of interest in NYC and how everything is set there, but it would be interesting to see Greek Mythology set in like, DC or something. But I will say that I love how the city was utilized and Alex transports you right into it. I’ve only been to NYC twice, so apart from what I’ve seen in pictures, TV or Movies, I barely know what stuff looks like. That being said, I felt like I was there, running through the streets. It was easy to imagine everything – it all came to life in my mind.

I think Alex outdid herself with this book. I knew I wanted to read it the moment she announced that she was working on a secret Greek Mythology project. Then watching her Instagram Stories as she progressively wrote it, revised it, wrote it again and now to have read a finished result. I know this is a book that I can and will reread over and over. I loved it so much, I loved the characters and the world, and then how it ended.

Overall, this is immediately a new favorite. It resonated with me and I just loved it. I would get sucked in, and when I had to put it down for whatever reason, it wasn’t far from my thoughts. Even if I had to sit it down for a day or two, it was so easy to come back to it, to get lost in it again. I cannot recommend this book enough, so when it comes out January 5, 2021 – make sure you pick up your copy.
There’s also a pre-order incentive as well as some exclusive editions and ways to get signed copies – so make sure you check that out! I know I’ll be ordering a copy!