Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
A beautiful stand alone story about, what I feel, is finding yourself and appreciating where you came from and how that propels you to where you are going as well as breaking cycles. Such a beautiful story full of deep meaning, self acceptance, self actualization and just enough action to keep you on your toes. This was truly an enjoyable read that brought mythology to modern day and I cannot recommend it more!
Melora Perseous is a young woman with a tragic past and dark secrets. Part of a historied family with links to Greek gods and goddesses, she dreads the seven-year cycle called the Agon, a period during which the gods walk the earth for seven days as mortals. Hunted by descendants of ancient bloodlines, if the gods are killed (and quite a few have been), their slayer seizes their power and their immortality. But gods aren't the only ones at risk during the Agon. Entire bloodlines are at risk of being wiped out by gods, old and new, who are fearful of having their power wrested from them. Lore came back home one night at the end of the last Agon and found her parents and younger sisters brutally murdered. She's been on the run, so to speak, ever since. And the participants of the Agon seemed to leave her alone. But recently, the man who was like an adoptive father to her, Gil, passed away, and now she and her roommate, the ever chipper Miles, are fending for themselves, getting by on assets that Gil left them. Since it's been a while since anyone has come looking for Lore, she's surprised when the goddess Athena shows up grievously wounded on her doorstep, a short time after her long missing friend Castor shows up at her sparring match in an underground club. How long will it be before Wrath (Ares), Aristos Kadmou, the man she thinks killed her family, comes looking for her and something he believes is in her possession?
Set in a very different sort of New York City, thanks to the gods flooding and smashing things, Lore is an engaging YA dark fantasy from the author of the NY Times bestselling author Bracken. She confidently weaves a novel mythos out of some of the Greek legends. The novel has been called the Hunger Games meets Greek Mythology and, in some respects, that's not far off the mark. Some of the old gods are far wilier than one believes but also, perhaps more weary than their hunters think they are. I read this book in less than a day, curious to see if some of my guesses about characters and events were correct.
I've also had a chance to listen to some of the audiobook, narrated by Fryda Wolff, who captures the propulsive nature of the story in her voicing.
I received a paper advance review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Set in a very different sort of New York City, thanks to the gods flooding and smashing things, Lore is an engaging YA dark fantasy from the author of the NY Times bestselling author Bracken. She confidently weaves a novel mythos out of some of the Greek legends. The novel has been called the Hunger Games meets Greek Mythology and, in some respects, that's not far off the mark. Some of the old gods are far wilier than one believes but also, perhaps more weary than their hunters think they are. I read this book in less than a day, curious to see if some of my guesses about characters and events were correct.
I've also had a chance to listen to some of the audiobook, narrated by Fryda Wolff, who captures the propulsive nature of the story in her voicing.
I received a paper advance review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
I have to be honest, it took me a bit to get into this. The beginning is by no means bad, it just lulled a few times. About 40% in, it started to kick up and really get going. But the last 45%? I’m pretty sure my jaw was open the whole time. Now? I’m sitting here, just having finished, a few tears running down my cheeks. That was a FANTASTIC ending.
My true rating is a 4.5/5.
This book follows Lore, a young woman who’s family was deceased. When an old friend enters back into her life, she’s thrust into a world she thought she could leave behind. When both worlds collide, she’s fated to make decision that could not only affect her old world but her new world too.
I love Greek Mythology, so when I heard about this I got so excited. While it took me a minute to get into, I actually enjoyed the content. The world/family building was so well done. It took a little bit to keep them all separate and figure out The Who’s who, but once you did this flowed beautifully. The pacing, for the most part, is great. I enjoyed the arc of each main character. It felt like genuine growth and learning. Each one understood what they needed to do and it helped them grow as people. The romance? Perfection. That slow burn friends to lovers is one of my favorites. Alexandra did a fantastic job with this. It’s beautifully woven throughout the story and action.
While I warn there’s a few TWs for mentions of rape and death, all and all this is a great book.
I have to be honest, it took me a bit to get into this. The beginning is by no means bad, it just lulled a few times. About 40% in, it started to kick up and really get going. But the last 45%? I’m pretty sure my jaw was open the whole time. Now? I’m sitting here, just having finished, a few tears running down my cheeks. That was a FANTASTIC ending.
My true rating is a 4.5/5.
This book follows Lore, a young woman who’s family was deceased. When an old friend enters back into her life, she’s thrust into a world she thought she could leave behind. When both worlds collide, she’s fated to make decision that could not only affect her old world but her new world too.
I love Greek Mythology, so when I heard about this I got so excited. While it took me a minute to get into, I actually enjoyed the content. The world/family building was so well done. It took a little bit to keep them all separate and figure out The Who’s who, but once you did this flowed beautifully. The pacing, for the most part, is great. I enjoyed the arc of each main character. It felt like genuine growth and learning. Each one understood what they needed to do and it helped them grow as people. The romance? Perfection. That slow burn friends to lovers is one of my favorites. Alexandra did a fantastic job with this. It’s beautifully woven throughout the story and action.
While I warn there’s a few TWs for mentions of rape and death, all and all this is a great book.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
thank you to netgalley and disney hyperion for an advanced copy of this book! :^)
this review does NOT contain spoilers.
"the hunger games meet percy jackson" is the most used word salad used to market/sell this book and honestly.... it was not one that was appealing to me, so i went into this with low expectations - color me very happily surprised!! I'm not a fan of battle royale style media and not a fan of when YA books piggy back off others, so if you're like that you'll be very happy to know this isn't a true battle royale (or at least, does it in such a fun way it won't feel like one) and it didn't feel like [insert any popular YA series here]. it's one of the few YA homages to greek mythology that doesn't hold back any punches either - this book is VIOLENT, full of morally complicated characters and dark themes. miraculously, despite all of that, it never once felt like it was trying hard to be edgy.
what is hiding behind the generic YA cover and "you've heard of XYZ, not get ready for ABC!" style marketing is a surprisingly inventive world where the real villain is the inherent trauma of being a woman in a sexually violent world, and how we let that trauma shape us. for that reason, i wish the secondary female characters outside of lore herself had felt more meaningful or had more satisfying character arcs. it's a real pity that alexandra bracken is able to talk about misogyny and sexual violence in a way that doesn't feel corny or overbearing and makes lore such a loveable narrator, only to let the rest of the book be overtaken by male characters and a romance subplot - although, admittedly, i *really* loved the narrator and her romantic lead!! all in all, it felt mature in a way that teen me definitely would have appreciated.
the first 10% of this book can be incredibly hard to get into - a lot of names are thrown at you fast, but it's not info-dumpy. you are thrown into lore's world and she as a narrator expects you to just be able to keep up. and i guess this should be expected, but this book references greek mythos... a lot. it gets into some pretty niche shit, and although i'd say I'm like fairly versed in it, there were a few things that i had to look up to fully understand. the last 10% of this book is also challenging - there are a few plot twists i didn't personally love, the risks and motives of the characters felt like they were constantly shifting so it was hard to get your bearings, and i was hoping for a harder-hitting ending but the remaining 80% of this book is probably the most fun I've had reading YA in years. the pacing is incredible, i was rooting for the characters, and the stakes always felt incredibly high.
i definitely think this is going to be a Big Thing in the book community and I'm extremely excited to see everyone's reactions when it's officially released!! :^)
this review does NOT contain spoilers.
"the hunger games meet percy jackson" is the most used word salad used to market/sell this book and honestly.... it was not one that was appealing to me, so i went into this with low expectations - color me very happily surprised!! I'm not a fan of battle royale style media and not a fan of when YA books piggy back off others, so if you're like that you'll be very happy to know this isn't a true battle royale (or at least, does it in such a fun way it won't feel like one) and it didn't feel like [insert any popular YA series here]. it's one of the few YA homages to greek mythology that doesn't hold back any punches either - this book is VIOLENT, full of morally complicated characters and dark themes. miraculously, despite all of that, it never once felt like it was trying hard to be edgy.
what is hiding behind the generic YA cover and "you've heard of XYZ, not get ready for ABC!" style marketing is a surprisingly inventive world where the real villain is the inherent trauma of being a woman in a sexually violent world, and how we let that trauma shape us. for that reason, i wish the secondary female characters outside of lore herself had felt more meaningful or had more satisfying character arcs. it's a real pity that alexandra bracken is able to talk about misogyny and sexual violence in a way that doesn't feel corny or overbearing and makes lore such a loveable narrator, only to let the rest of the book be overtaken by male characters and a romance subplot - although, admittedly, i *really* loved the narrator and her romantic lead!! all in all, it felt mature in a way that teen me definitely would have appreciated.
the first 10% of this book can be incredibly hard to get into - a lot of names are thrown at you fast, but it's not info-dumpy. you are thrown into lore's world and she as a narrator expects you to just be able to keep up. and i guess this should be expected, but this book references greek mythos... a lot. it gets into some pretty niche shit, and although i'd say I'm like fairly versed in it, there were a few things that i had to look up to fully understand. the last 10% of this book is also challenging - there are a few plot twists i didn't personally love, the risks and motives of the characters felt like they were constantly shifting so it was hard to get your bearings, and i was hoping for a harder-hitting ending but the remaining 80% of this book is probably the most fun I've had reading YA in years. the pacing is incredible, i was rooting for the characters, and the stakes always felt incredibly high.
i definitely think this is going to be a Big Thing in the book community and I'm extremely excited to see everyone's reactions when it's officially released!! :^)
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated