I think teens are going to love it. There is a lot of action, the characters are relatable and the story is pretty well laid out.

#Lore
#MustReadYA
Lore is one of those books that will be worth the wait! I am not a fan of mythology, but Lore grabs your attention all the way until the end. Thank you to Disney-Hyperion for the E-arc copy of this novel. I found myself pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this novel and will be recommending to our young adult readers.

This book exceeded all of my expectations! I heard Bracken describe it as akin to Percy Jackson, and she was correct. The mythology between the two link them. But she has created her own masterpiece of Greek myth. Lore is a gripping story with a strong heroine, which is what we all want to read! I am absolutely obsessed and I cannot wait for my physical copy to come in in January!! 🧿

I'll tell you what, Alexandra Bracken never ceases to amaze me with how well she writes. I may not always entire love the story, but writing wraps me up and has me feeling things throughout the entire span of the novel.

This one in particular was not exactly what I had expected....and that's to say that I guess I didn't even entirely know what to expect other than this was going to be pretty heavy on the Greek mythology. While I'm no expert by any means, I have always had an interest and appreciation for it and I am an AVID reader of Lore Olympus on Webtoon (sorry Castor, I have an unapologetic hate for Apollo from that, lol). So, that being said, even though I personally didn't remember what every god and goddess stood for, or what great deeds each hero had accomplished, I really enjoyed doing my own research as each character arrived on the page. Even if I wouldn't have, there is enough information and context clues that that wouldn't have really been necessary, anyway. I'm just a true librarian to my core and always need to know more, more, more.


The biggest part of this story that I didn't expect was just how fucking VIOLENT it was going to be. Now, I've talked about this a lot with my blogmate, Chelsea, and both of us has said that ever since we've had kids, we can't read the same thing as we used to. This, I think????, was a prime example of this. Since it's in the summary, I'm not spoiling anything by saying her family dies a brutal death. Now, this may sound bad but if It had just been her mom and dad, I think I could have been okay....but no. It was also her two LITTLE SISTERS. Not going to get into it because it makes me sick to my stomach even thinking about but I will just say that the sheer violence that continually crops up in this book is hard to read.

Bracken does not shy away from details and I could vividly picture each death, each cut, each blow. It just got to be a lot for me and that really took a little bit away from the story for me (honestly though I should have known better and prepared, Ancient Greek was savage and we all know it).

Other than that though the only thing that tripped me up was the fact that in my head this wasn't a standalone so I wasn't picturing everything wrapping up so neatly at the end, lol. Also my bad.

ANYWAY, let's get on to the good stuff. The characters. It shouldn't surprise you when I say she wrote an excellent leading lady (Lore), a best friend I wish I had (Miles), and ~the~ love interest (Castor). Also many other great supporting characters, AND villains (hooooo let me tell you that betrayal fucking STUNGGGG), but the mains are my favorite of course. I do wish we could have gotten a little more of Lore and Castor...I don't know...happy interacting in the present??? but I lived. Still many heart-pounding, butterfly inducing moments.

The story, as I said, wraps up neatly by the end and while I at first was like waittttt, this was too easy??? I've been thinking about it more and I'm like nooo, girl. Lore has seen SO MUCH death. She needed an ending like that. I also liked the ongoing mention of the Fates and the talk and dwelling on what people are fated to become and how fate can't be changed and how Lore at the end finally thinks to herself "There was nothing fated. Lore had not been chosen for this; she had chosen to come here herself. Every step she'd made, every mistake, had led her here." I just think that was such a HUGE moment for her to realize that her life DIDN'T have to be ruled by these crazy ass gods/goddesses or the Agon. She made her own decisions and could be the person that she chose to be. Ahhh gives me shivers just thinking about it.

So, overall. I did really enjoy this but sadly my tender heart can't take the violence anymore and I had to take a star off. Totally a personal preference (but it does also make me wonder if this is really being marketing for YA lolll).


Huge thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for allowing me to read an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest feedback.♥

𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

I absolutely loved this. If you enjoy Greek mythology, complex heroine, and a generous serving of adventure and bloodshed, then READ THIS BOOK.

The thing that brings this whole book together is Lore's character. Alexandra Bracken does such an amazing job developing this character, weaving her thoughts into the narrative without manipulating you into feeling a certain way, keeping the narrative wide yet keeping it focused around Lore. Throughout this book I have developed admiration for both this author and this character.
I loved the relationships — Castor, Miles and Van are amazing supporting characters, just as a special note, the relationship between Lore and Castor is everything.

Truly, I could gush for days, but I’m going to cut myself off here and just ask you to please, pick up a copy of this amazing book.

I loved the premise from the moment I read the blurb. I knew that I must read this book. Based on Greek mythology, the premise is that every seven years, the gods come down to earth and are mortal for seven days. During that time they can be killed and whoever kills them, gains their powers. There were places where it was action packed and others, where it was kinda slow, but informative through the backstory. It does leave some questions unanswered, possibly paving the way for a sequel, but I don’t think there are any plans announced. I would like to thank Alexandra Bracken and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun series and full of so much heart, action, and adventure. It was cool take on Greek Mythology and the gods. I loved Lore and her determination. She was an awesome character to read about and her friends and adventure they go on was fun to read and I was constantly on the edge of my seat.

This book was incredible. It was fast paced, but not at the expense of character development or background. The characters (even the protagonist) were likeable. I think it may even be a stand alone- which I didn’t realize still even existed in YA fantasy. If it isn’t, though, I’ll be sure to read the companion novel ASAP!
Lore (Melora) is the last of her bloodline- one of several houses with ties to Ancient Greek heroes. Nearly 1,500 years ago, Zeus punished most of the Olympians by cursing them to become mortal for 7 days every 7 years. Each bloodline of ‘hunters’ tries to kill those gods, with the warrior who strikes the killing blow receiving the power of the god/goddess he killed.
I was worried that, given the setting in New York and the concept that Greek gods were still around, it would be reminiscent of Percy Jackson. In no way was that true, though.
While the violence will keep this off of my teacher read aloud list, I will definitely be purchasing this for my classroom and will recommend it readily.

This is a great novel! I don’t know much about Greek mythology so it took a little while to get into it but once you learn the characters, you will totally be absorbed in! What would our modern world be like if the Greek Gods came to life every 7 years for 7 days?? Highly recommend!

I read the sample of Lore months ago and was on the fence about how Bracken could go. However, this book went above and beyond my expectations as a teacher and enthusiast of Greek mythology.

The plot is woven perfectly within the past and present perspectives while giving nothing away to the reader. I could barely put the book down without feeling the urge to ignore all friends and continue reading until the very end.

This is the first time in a long time that I wasn't left mildly disappointed or wishing something was different by the end of the book. With Lore, there is nothing to change. All that's left is complete satisfaction by the last chapter.

Lore likes to fight after girls death . I liked the characters, descriptions and dialogue. I liked the world building.

Only the most skilled fantasy readers will sink their teeth into this one and that's not me. Of all the YA, epic fantasies make my head dizzy with the number of characters, their alliances and loyalties, and what their motivations are. And this one had exactly all of those things and left me more confused than immersed in mythology because I was quite excited for something in this vein.

Instead the contemporary city setting with all of the ancient mythology mixed over generations in which it's kill-or-be-killed with a love interest who needs to have it explained to him did not give me the patience for the intense world-building. I think it is a combination of the thick writing (over 400 pages) to make my way through and my confusion from the start even with character maps.

Maybe a few warm up books to set the scene first, then pack the punch with Lore's story? So it's an "okay" book FOR ME, not a general overall rating of "okay" for every reader.

Every seven years, the Agon, a competition for ten ancient Greek lineages to murder ten Greek gods and goddesses, occurs. When a god/goddess is killed, the killer takes on their powers, and uses the intervening seven years to bring wealth and prosperity to their family. Lore is the last of lineage. Her parents and two younger sisters were murdered at the end of the last Agon, and since then, Lore has tried to stay out of it. But when a bleeding Athena shows up on Lore's doorstop the first night of the Agon cycle, Lore is unwilling drawn into the scheming and fighting.

I have a feeling my opinion will be in the minority, and as much as I didn't particularly enjoy Lore, I will still order it for my library because (finally) someone wrote Percy Jackson for YA. That said, I've never read Percy Jackson or anything by Rick Riordan. I don't need to read them because they don't need to be convinced to go home with a patron.

It took me over a week to read Lore. This is extremely rare for me. There were definitely aspects of the story that I enjoyed, but either I didn't pay enough attention when I was reading or it jumps around too much, but I'd realize, "Wait, what? Where did [person/event/god/goddess/family/event] go/come from/etc.?" Additionally, the jumps in time didn't flow well with the rest of the book, and the prologue juxtaposed to the first chapter is EXTREMELY confusing. I'm hoping that that won't deter teens from continuing to read it.

I have made a habit recently of reading mythology books that are geared toward teenagers because they are so action packed. Lore is an excellent addition to this canon.

Melora Perseous is a descendant of Perseus, the hero that slayed Medusa. As a descendant of a hero, she is bound to participate in the Agon: the event that turns the Greek gods to mortals, allowing them to be hunted and killed, and for the mortal that kills them to become the new god. In the last hunt, her family was murdered by a rival line. She vowed to get away from this world. Instead, she gets pulled back in by her childhood friend, Castor, and the goddess Athena, one of the last original gods in the Agon.

This book is plotted so carefully - information is revealed to the reader sparingly, increasing the mystery of the the Agon and of Lore's history as each page turns. Lore is a wonderful character, who grows and changes over the course of the book as her world shatters and is rebuilt around her.

This book is a little more mature than a lot of the other YA mythology books, but I highly recommend it!

I loved The Darkest Minds so I had high expectations for Bracken's new novel. It started out really strong and I will say that it is action packed. The scenes are beautifully described and I could easily see this book being made into a movie. There was a good amount of back story, with flashbacks to the characters' younger years, but the story was so complicated that I often found myself confused. I'm not sure that I even totally understood the ending. I would have liked some more classic mythology in there, too. Bracken referenced the old gods throughout the book but I would to have liked to see their mythology more interwoven. Although this book is long, and I felt like it dragged at the end, I still think a lot of readers will enjoy it.

This book is excellent. It is well written, the story is exciting and interesting, and the characters are well developed. I recommend it for anyone who loves Greek history.

Not bad. Glad it’s a stand alone. Lots of good mythology woven in the storyline. It was somewhat predicted at times , but I still enjoyed the journey. I think the characters lived up to their “destinies”.

I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters, which was a shame. There were many to pick from. Lacking that connection is what kept me distances from the story I think. I always felt like I was outside looking in from a window instead of in the thick of the action.

The pacing was quick overall. It was certainly action packed and the plot was driven by it. There were a few times that it lulled a bit, however. The “preachy” moments were a little to 2020 for me, but I guess that’s just where we are now. I’m all for a strong female lead, but some parts just felt like salt in an open wound. Irritable and too much of a statement. I just want a good story that lets me connect the dots; I don’t need the lines drawn for me.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and any mythology fan would like it. It’s a fresh take on a popular genre.

This new vision of the Greek gods and heroes is an imaginative, pulse-pounding tale for the 21st century. Drawing on a deep knowledge of the old gods and new knowledge of pretty much every action-adventure-quest video game out there, Alexandra Bracken has created a dangerous world where the players breathe loyalty and betrayal. The fact that the protagonist is a young woman who *kicks ass* makes this even more appealing.

The ass-kicking isn’t all that’s special about Lore, though. She’s got very human feelings and morals, believing that doing good for others is far more important than power. Like any good hero, she struggles with the concept of power throughout the story, and nearly perishes while trying to defend the city at the end.

This will appeal to readers who enjoy fast-paced action-adventure blended with mythology. Well done.

So disappointed. The teaser I first received made it seem like this story of mythological gods and goddesses was set in modern NYC, so much so that I thought NYC was going to not only be the setting but almost a character, too. I'm almost 25% through the book, and the city hasn't been mentioned since the beginning of the story. Not only is the interesting juxtaposition between NYC and gods and goddesses missing, but I've become so confused as to whose house is whose that I've lost interest in what's happening to all of them.

I feel like the excerpt teaser was equivalent to a movie trailer, especially one that showed all the good parts already and left the reader/viewer with nothing new to explore. This was a DNF for me at 24%.

Percy Jackson is one of my FAVORITE series so I loved this book. This book is exciting and engaging and I am so excited I got a chance to read it first. That cover is AWESOME!