Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for their deaths. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost.
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Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Alexandra Bracken for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to the world of gods and goddesses and mortals and mythology and madness. It is such a wild ride from end to end.

Lore is an appearingly average 17-year-old just trying to figure out the next step in life when mayhem falls into her lap. She has a house, a “job”, and a friend that cares deeply for her. When life is a mess, this truly is all you can ask for.

Castor, a blast from her past, is such a mess of a boy. He disappeared years ago after being the one true constant in Lore’s life, and reappears now with all of his baggage in tow.

The relationship between these two characters is so dynamic. It rocks a massive friends to lovers situation, and is so slow burn while exploding off the page all at the same time. I found myself digging for more just to see where these two would go.

The cast of side characters was massive, but never confusing. Miles, the dorky roommate, Van, the kind of aggressive assistant, Athena, the..... something, Iro, the long lost friend, and all of the other named and nameless people shuffle around the plot, really building up the storyline. While there were a lot of characters, each one felt dramatically important.

The plot itself is a whirlwind adventure through New York in a Hunger Games meets Greek mythology storyline. While I felt each of these other stories within Lore, I never felt like I wasn’t reading something unique. I was drawn into Lore’s completely real struggles of living up to your family, missing those you have lost, and figuring out what to do in life, with just a fantastical twist.

While the book was very character-focused, I did love all of the action. It never slowed down or lagged, but just kept getting more and more intense and fantastic. This book was the perfect fantasy adventure and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to live in its pages.

After reading the sampler, I could not WAIT for the full book. Lore is set in modern-day New York where Greek gods and the descendants of heroes like Perseus and Achilles still exist. Every 7 years, the Agon happens--a Hunger Games-esque battle between gods and hunters--the descendants of Greek heroes. Gods take on mortal form (with their powers still intact) and must escape being killed by rival hunters. If you kill a god, you take their powers, thus leaving only a few original gods at the beginning of the book. We follow one of the last of the Perseus bloodline--Lore--as she enters into another Agon. She's tried her best to leave the world of hunters and gods behind her, but a wounded god showing up on her doorstep pulls her right back in.

It's no surprise to anyone that knows me that I'm a sucker for mythology of any kind, especially Greek. This incredibly unique and fresh take on modern mythology is exactly what we need--both in quarantine and for the mythology world. Darker than Percy Jackson, Lore takes on questions of what humanity and morality mean and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. It's quite confusing at first to keep track of all of the bloodlines, new and old gods, and what the Agon actually is. Don't be disheartened, it gets easier the further along you get.

This is a great book for young adults and adults alike who want to scratch that mythology itch and want a fresh new take on the world of modern gods.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review from NetGalley.

<i>Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This is the easiest 5 stars I’ve given to a YA book in ages.

When I first read the ARC chapter sampler, I was definitely intrigued; but I did not anticipate to love this as much as I did. As soon as I got approved to read the book it shot to the top of my TBR.

Lore reminded me of early 2010-2015 YA books. It felt nostalgic but incredibly original at the same time. It’s so easy to have bad tropes or cliche plots ruin things in YA for me, but this reminded me just how much fun this genre can be.

Lore is a heroine for the ages. I absolutely adored her spirit and originality. The plot and twists kept me on my toes and had me guessing until the very end. From the characters to the Greek mythology references and storyline, I found nothing predicable or a rip-off in any way.

I know this is a stand-alone and I love that it ended the way it did, but I’m PRAYING we get a prequel or another standalone in this world. There’s so much potential for more! I truly hope this isn’t the end or the last we see of this world and characters.

I think a ton of people are going to love this book when it drops next year, and it’s so deserving of all the praise. With my TBR being as long as it is I rarely reread books, but I seriously cannot wait to reread this one.

Truly I can’t recommend this book enough!

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<i> ARC chapter sampler from NetGalley</i>

January 2021 needs to get here immediately. After reading this I can confidently say that this book just jumped to the top of my most anticipated books for 2021. Alexandra Bracken is back and I could not be more excited!

WOW this book was amazing. I love Alexandra Bracken's writing style and her + greek mythology is a perfect paring. I've already pre-ordered a finished copy. My only complaint: WHY IS IT A STANDALONE?

To punish nine gods for their rebellion, Zeus has cursed them to walk the earth every seven years for seven days as mortals, while ancient bloodlines named after heroes from Greek Mythology try to kill them. Whoever kills a god receives that god's powers, but as a result, they are the hunted ones during the next Agon. In twenty-first century NYC, Lore (the last living descendant of the line named after Perseus) has turned her back on the Agon and is trying to live as a mortal. Her family was murdered during the last Agon and she swore she would have nothing to do with it ever again. That is, until Athena--one of the very few original gods left--finds her with a proposition that means Lore gets to avenge her family and maybe end the Agon once and for all.

This book was SO. ADDICTIVE. One of those novels that's been living rent-free in my head since I started it. It's the Hunger Games meets Greek Myth and it's fantastic. It's one of those novels that drops you right into the center of the action and you have to stick with it to figure out exactly what's going on, but it's revealed at such a pace and in such a way that getting to the backstory and the world-building doesn't seem like much of a chore at all. It's a creative interpretation of the original myths, but it's well done and every character in this novel has a personality and complex layers. The old gods (the few originals that haven't been killed by a mortal who's ascended to godhood in their place) all have unique personalities and motivations that make them seem real and I walked away with new perspectives on more than one of them.

The supporting characters and secondary storylines were all well-done too. I enjoyed reading something that didn't include the obligatory love triangle. I also enjoyed that it is planned to be a standalone--I love a good series as much as the next girl but I also have to say that it's an art form to wrap your whole story up in one book, not leave any loose ends, and do so well in storytelling and world-building that even Manhattan feels like a character all on its own.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Murder Olympics are here and I am living for it.

Lore is an incredible YA read for all Greek Mythology fans, filling the step between Middle Grade's Percy Jackson and Adult Fiction's Circe. I read the chapter sampler a few months ago, loved it, and once granted the full book for early reading, I love it even more!

This book captures the brutality of Ancient Grecian mindsets and strategies. It did not shy from death and slaughter, almost made more horrific by the backdrop of modern-day New York City. The clash of archaic customs in a modern world created tension from the outset.

It needs to be stated that, aside from violence, I would place a Trigger Warning for the blatant crimes against women and mentions of sexual assault. Again, this book is truly upfront about topics, including the heavy-handed toxic patriarchy of the conquering "heroism" of Ancient Greek Myth.

Having said that, I adored it. The story is quick, given that it takes place over a week, but still finds the snatches of pause and reprieve between battle. The character portrayals are also wonderful. I adored Lore and her struggle between vengeance and freedom for all that she's suffered. Castor is the sweet bean we all need, and the supporting cast was just as excellent. Athena's portrayal is nuanced and threaded with layers.

The only reason it's not a full five stars is because I wanted just a little more time to decompress and debrief at the conclusion, but this is a fantastic and strong standalone, and I can't wait to have a hardcopy for my shelf.

I was not sure going into this book about how I'd like it as I am such a fan of Greek Mythology, but Alexandra Bracken didn't disappoint me.
Gods and Goddesses battle it out every seven years with a family hunt. Those who end up killing one of the old gods when they are in mortal bodies for a week become the new god for the next hunt. Lore is dragged back into this world and fights her way towards the end of this year's hunt.
This book took me a bit as I read it at the same time as my best friend thanks to both of us receiving Netgalley arcs. When we are both extremely invested in a book, we know it is a winner. First thing we did after reading the ARC was to pre-order our physical copies for our bookshelves as this is one that we will be going to over and over again.
The characters tore at our hearts, especially in the middle when two chapters tore my soul apart one after another. The gods and goddesses were so well written that ones that I usually disliked from original Greek Myths became some of my faves. Just a beautiful book all around.

I think teens are going to love this, but the worldbuilding was just a little too much for this reader. I went in knowing that that could be the case, and unfortunately, it was! Sometimes I love an off-the-wall sounding premise, but the secret societies, the gods and how they all related was a wall of worldbuilding that I just couldn't handle with pandemic brain (and y'all, I know a decent amount about Greek mythology thanks to good ol' Uncle Rick). I'll still recommend it to fans of secret-society fantasies with lots of worldbuilding like Legendborn or Ace of Shades. It wasn't for me.

Book Review for Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

This book has a very intriguing start. I did not get to finish it due to technical issues, but I was very sad that I didn't get to keep reading it.

5/5 stars
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Monsters had fangs, but that was why lionesses were given claws."

The Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson in a world where Greek gods are hunted down and slaughtered by mortals seeking their power.

The Agon--a hunt that occurs every seven years where nine of the Greek gods become mortal, vulnerable. Hunters attempt to find them and kill them as the one who kills a god gains their powers. This was the world Lore grew up in...at least until her whole family was brutally slaughtered. After hiding and trying to stay out of the upcoming Agon, Lore is drawn back into the hunt when two interesting players seek her out: a friend who should be dead and goddess on the verge of dying. Making a deal with the goddess and binding her fate to hers, Lore re-enters the game, aware that this year's Agon is the deadliest of them all.

I was captivated as soon as I read the first page. This book was unpredictable, riveting, and left me hanging onto every word. Never boring and never slowing its pace, Lore had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page.

"'Surprise?' she said, because Lore had never met a situation she couldn’t make even more painfully awkward."

Lore is such an epic main character. She is fierce, determined, and stubborn; however, she cares deeply for those close to her and is actually a very kind person. Struggling with the ghosts of her past and the horrors of the present, Lore wrestles with figuring out exactly who she is and who she is meant to be. I was rooting for her from the first page and I definitely got drawn into the story thanks to her.

Castor is another great character! I can't say much about him without spoiling things, but he is sweet and charming! Like Lore, he is a talented fighter who also has a very kind and gentle heart. The other characters (Miles, Athena, Van, etc.) are super interesting! Miles is hilarious and had me laughing out loud!

The plot itself was the most mesmerizing part of the book in my opinion. The concept of various houses trying to outdo each other by killing gods and taking their powers during a week-long hunt is darkly fascinating. Lore's fight to protect her friends and to keep an evil god from rising to an even higher level of power was intense, and I was constantly going back and forth between shock, horror, and joy. To call this book an emotional roller-coaster would be an understatement!

Needless to say, I loved this book whole-heartedly! I'd definitely recommend it to other readers! If you love The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, Greek mythology, or just simply an intense and unpredictable read to keep you up until 2 in the morning, this book is for you!

This book hooked me right in from the get-go! A perfect love letter to New York and ancient myths. I loved it! The characters were dynamic, interesting, flawed, gritty, real (yet godly ha!), and funny. The plot had you invested from the beginning and although it was a bit predicable sometimes, it kept you turning the page to see how our favorite characters were going to get out of the pickle they got themselves in. Also, as a New Yorker, I loved how Ms. Bracken really incorporated the city into this book. It really was a character in itself. Highly recommend!

The gorgeous cover for Lore drew my attention right away, and then when I read the synopsis I was even more excited. I don’t have a lot of experience with Greek mythology or novels that pull from that area of literature, but I had never heard of an idea like this before and so I had high hopes for this story. I can confidently say that I was not disappointed. I think that this book has a lot to bring to the table, and not only in terms of entertainment.

The book begins with Lore, the main character, on the first night of the current Agon (the seven-day long event where the Greek gods have their powers subdued as they are made into mortals and hunted by the bloodlines of ancient Greek heroes with the chance of obtaining the power of whichever god they kill). Lore gets confronted by both an old friend whom she thought to be dead since the last Agon with cryptic pleas for help, as well as a gravely wounded Athena who asks for an alliance to take down a common enemy in return for helping shelter her while she heals up. From there this book explodes into action and the uncovering of secrets. I will say that my only complaint would be that I think the beginning moved a little too fast and it was a bit difficult for me to sort out whose job was what, especially with the new gods names (the mortals who kill one of the original gods then take a new name, which I was slightly confused about right at the beginning), and the House names since I’m not as familiar with the Greek heroes as I am with the gods. This may also just be a personal issue due to my lack of source info knowledge, and once everything lined up in my head I actually had quite a hard time putting this book down. Once the plot starts to really get going, the pacing slows down just enough that events don’t feel rushed , but it stays fast enough that I was never bored and wasn’t ready to stop reading.

Bracken’s characters were a lot of fun to read about. In the beginning I was a little worried that Lore was going to feel a bit flat for me, but there’s such an intense transformation that she goes through during the story that by the time I got to the last page I was scolding myself for ever worrying about that in the first place. My favorite character was definitely Miles, though, as he is my favorite “best friend” character type. He’s funny without being loud and boisterous, and he has an intense sense of loyalty and affection for those he cares about. And then there are the gods. Bracken did a great job creating these powerful, overbearing entities that felt otherworldly while still having their own separate personalities.

I haven’t read anything by Bracken before, but I found it quite easy to fall into her writing style. It almost reminds me a bit of V. E. Schwab’s style, at least in the sense of how smoothly it reads. What I found to be most impressive about her writing was how she was able to create twists for the characters and the reader, as well as twists that were only for the reader. What I mean by that is since she wrote in first-person from Lore’s perspective, we get to be inside Lore’s mind. However, there are secrets that she is keeping from other characters and memories that she doesn’t want to touch, and so she ends up knowing information that doesn’t get revealed to the reader until later in the book, when she’s forced to confront said memories/secrets. I’ve always enjoyed when authors use this technique, as I just find it rather crafty.

Even though the story is set in New York City and it’s pulling heavily from Greek mythology, Bracken still had to do quite a bit of world-building in order to pull everything together and give the Agon a rich historical background. There are politics within and between the different Houses, as well as the deep influential hold that some of them have on the world due to whichever god’s power they may have access to. I found all of this really fascinating, and I loved the little tidbits that seemed to naturally fall into dialogue. What I think I loved the most was how Bracken made a hard push to create a conversation around feminism in this story. The Agon and the Houses involved are structured around the tradition of a strict patriarchy. Honor won in battle is the main measure of a person’s worth, women are not allowed to take a god’s life and ascend and must present the kill to a male member of the bloodline (most likely the archon), and often times young girls are sequestered away and groomed to be sold off/promised as bridal bargaining chips at a very young age. This all helps make up the world that Lore grew up in, and it’s also what causes great anger in her and other characters that are treated as lesser for one reason or another. There are several points made about toxic masculinity, and how a character with a chronic mortal illness is seen as “weak” and “useless” because he isn’t strong enough to keep up with the other warriors-training, or another character that simply does not want to be a fighter but instead makes himself very useful in other ways is seen as an embarrassment to his family. Yet both of these characters show strength in other ways and are incredibly important in helping Lore. Throughout the story Lore actively pushes against the suppression of women in the Agon, but there is a particular section that I really found powerful where the ancient Greek myths and women’s roles in those stories is heavily discussed. I just really appreciated how Bracken kept this theme woven through the entire story and how she made sure to highlight several different topics within feminism.

I usually am the type of person to complain that standalone fantasy novels should’ve been longer or at least a duology, but this is a rare occasion where I actually think this book is just fine on it’s own without added backstory or an extension of other plotlines. I am truly very excited for this book to be published because I think it’s one that so many people are going to enjoy. You’ve got a fast-paced plot, Greek mythology, a strong leading lady and prominent themes of feminism all wrapped into a unique premise creating an addicting and entertaining story. I hope you’re ready to pick up your copies on January 5, 2021, because this book truly is one heck of a ride!

This review is scheduled to be posted on my blog, Instagram, and Goodreads on Friday Nov. 13th (links to all three social media accounts below).

This book is the perfect amalgamation of Percy Jackson and the Hunger Games. We take the atmosphere of New York, toss in a bunch of highly-trained warriors who want to kill the Greek gods, and just let them run wild! This book was a wild ride filled with rich Greek mythology, betrayals, combat, love, and redemption. Clear your schedules because once you pick this book up, you're not going to want to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'd but this book at a solid 3.5/5 stars, but I rounded up to 4. I really struggled to get into it - the beginning is very exposition heavy and there are so many names. It would have helped if I had any knowledge of Greek mythology. I felt like I was constantly looking up the gods and what they were the god of. I had to do a lot of back and forth like that and it pulled me out of the story. (I found out after I finished reading that there is a handy character guide at the end of the book).

HOWEVER, that being said, once I started to figure out who the characters were and learn a bit of the Greek mythology I was absolutely hooked. I've seen this book described as a Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games and that seems very accurate. I would also add that it has a bit of a Survivor aspect to it with shifting alliances and power moves made by opposing sides. The second half of the book was just one shocking plot twist after another for me.

I also loved the characters. I wish they could have had more development, but this book takes place over the span of seven days, so I understand how I wouldn't get the same character development from these characters that I would from characters in a series of books. Despite the short time frame, we got a great childhood friends-to-lovers romance and some beautiful friendships with the main characters. I especially loved Athena's character arc.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm very excited to be able to recommend it to people (especially readers that I know take a special interest in Greek mythology).

Lore quickly became my favourite book of the year. Fast paced, and high stakes made this book so easy to get into. I loved the urban setting with Greek mythology characters.
Lore is a hunter who left the game years ago after the murder of her family. When someone walks back into her world, as the new god Apollo, she has to decide if she’s in or out.

Such a fantastic book, I loved every second and was so sad to find out it was a standalone. I wanted more of this world, it was so fun to be in

I liked this book quite a bit. Bracken gave a new and interesting take on figures from mythology, and did a great job of writing fully realized characters. I find these books can often be predictable, but I found myself engaged in a story where I couldn’t necessarily see what was coming.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of Lore! I'd been waiting for this book forever and I still can't believe that I was lucky enough to read it early.

Lore is set in modern-day New York and features greek gods, bloodthirsty warriors, humans, hunters and so much more. Every seven years, greek gods are forced to walk on earth as mortals for a week. They are then chased by hunters who wish to claim their power and emerge as a new god. Thanks to the hunt, most of the original gods have been replaced. Lore, our protagonist, wants nothing to do with the hunt but gets pulled back into it thanks to Athena who needs Lore's help and offers her a deal she can't resist.

And trust me, the book does live up to this synopsis. The book slows a little just for a chapter or two but picks up again. As someone who devours, fast-paced, and action-packed books, I loved this one. I think it's very much a plot-driven book and keeps you guessing constantly. I'm usually good at predicting where stories are heading but Lore honestly surprised me so much.

Lore is an amazing heroine: she's flawed, impulsive, forgiving, bold, vocal, and empathetic. But above all, she's a fighter and won't stop until she rests her case! She has a very tragic backstory and I just wanted to hug her so many times throughout the book honestly. I think another character who really stole the show was Athena - who was just as clever and cunning as I'd imagined her to be! Her dynamic with Lore is so interesting.

The flashback chapters really packed a punch! I loved seeing how Lore and Castor's friendship started and evolved over the years. By the end of the book, I was absolutely rooting for this duo! And there's another very interesting couple in the book and I wish we'd gotten more of them? I'm so so curious about them honestly!

I really wish we'd gotten more bonding moments between the main gang! I think that's one place where I was just a little teeny bit disappointed but that was probably because I had black betty gang level of expectations when it came to the found family aspect of the book. (But I don't think this squad can be topped)

The story really comes together in the end and everything is resolved which makes sense as it's a standalone! But I wouldn't mind reading more about these characters in the future as there's scope! (Especially more about Lore and Castor's history, we love a good childhood friends to lovers romance!)

I loved Bracken's twist on greek mythology, I loved the way Medusa was represented in the book and I absolutely love the cover even more after reading the story and realizing what this whole story stood for! Trust me, folks, you really don't want to miss out on this one!

Thanks to netgalley for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading and loving Bracken's previous series, I was so excited to read this new one. A mix of Percy Jackson and the Hunger Games, this urban fantasy has an interesting plot. Although it had a slow start and depended a bit heavily on reader background knowledge of Greek mythology, it picked up around the 30% mark and then I couldn't put it down. Definitely a slow start and a slow burn - this sweeping fantasy builds with enough suspense and mystery to keep you moving rapidly though the chapters.

My main gripe is that the main characters nearly died several times (which is an epic myth thing so I guess I shouldn't complain). It just felt a little silly for them to nearly die so often and then of course there was someone who could magically heal them. It took some of the suspense away as I never really feared for their lives.

Overall though I really enjoyed this urban fantasy and would recommend for anyone who loves Greek mythology!

Lore by Alexandra Bracken immediately captured my attention, pulled me in, and would not let me go. Bracken has taken Greek mythology to a whole different level. Pulling in myths and legends I was not familiar with. The story is unique, the characters likable, and world well developed and thought through.

Every seven years, for seven days, nine Greek gods become mortal and are hunted by warriors from the ancient bloodlines. The hunt is called the Agon and is their punishment for mistreating the followers of other religions. Lore Perseous is the only remaining member of her family line. As a child she dreamed of becoming a great hunter and ending the Agon but events that occurred following the last Agon has changed all of that. She believed she had escaped that life, she believed that she was free, she was wrong. Her desire for revenge, her need to seek vengeance for her family has drawn her back to the hunt. Will Lore find a way to end the Agon?

This story is well written. You do not need to have a deep understand of mythology to follow along; Bracken does a great job of providing explanation. I highly recommend.