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kryan1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Trafficking, Torture, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Murder, Grief, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Terminal illness, Cancer, and Homophobia
lyderz_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“If there were once heroes, they are all gone now. Only the monsters remain.”
Lore is about a brutal tournament set in modern day New York, where every seven years the gods are cast down into mortal vessels and hunted by the descendants of mythic heroes. If a god dies by the hand of a hunter, that hunter gains godly powers but also has to take the old god’s place in the tournament. God, imposter, hunter, messenger, unblooded: they may be pitted against each other but all of them are really fighting to break a cycle of pain and owning up to the fact that they can’t blame the Fates for their own choices and mistakes.
As you can imagine this book is bloody, action packed, and infused with Greek Mythology every step of the way. It tackles a loss of morality in the midst of a ruthless struggle for power, glory, revenge, and survival. It felt very dark and mature for YA, Alexandra Bracken doesn’t hold back on traumatic situations and backstories. There’s this feeling of almost constant disillusionment, there are small betrayals sewn throughout the narrative, and a couple of big ones too. These characters seriously couldn’t catch a break and there were so many mini cliffhangers at the end of most of the chapters that kept the pages turning.
I had super high expectations for this book because I absolutely love The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken. I also really enjoy books inspired by mythology so I was excited going into this. I don’t want to say that it let me down, because I did enjoy it, but there were a few reasons why this book wasn’t quite a five star read for me. Firstly, this book is so full of action and yet it still managed to drag on. It also felt repetitive at parts, especially in Lore’s inner monologue. And let’s talk about Lore.. I understand that this is her epic, and it all amounts to a beautiful journey in the end.. but she frustrated me and I felt emotionally disconnected from her for most of the book. Maybe that just means that I’m heartless, because she goes through some pretty horrific things, but I didn’t really feel for her until the latter half. Also, I wish this book had multiple POVs because a lot happens “off screen” and I adore the side characters!! I wanted to get inside their head and dive deeper into their layers, because we only get to glimpse their complexities. Okay, enough of the negative stuff, let's get back to the important stuff… that being: the romance.
I absolutely loved the subtle romance in this book, which I wasn’t expecting. It’s pretty much a slow burn childhood best friends to lovers, it is so pure, sweet and tender on the surface with a hint of angst and heartache. I’m all for that kind of morally grey, emotionally inhibited, bad boy type that is so typical in YA but it was so refreshing that this book broke away from that trope and gave us a love interest that is just so fundamentally good. He’s pure hearted, sweet, tender, self-conscious, and a healer right to his core (while still being super powerful… and hot). I’m not saying he single handedly made me believe in love, but it’s a possibility. Also, we get to glimpse a super sweet side romance as well!
Lastly, this book had reluctant allies teaming up out of necessity… which is literally the perfect recipe for a chaotic found family. I’m a sucker for found family so that alone was enough to keep me invested in this story, I just wish there was a bit more character depth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit
meloanpmc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This story is essentially The Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson meets Scythe. It’s one of those books that you can’t put down, but once you finish it, you realize that it wasn’t that great. The suspense keeps you reading and helps you forget a lot of the inconsistencies, but after the (subpar) resolution, you’re left wondering why you were so enthralled.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
dez_blair's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, and Torture
Minor: Cancer, Rape, and Sexual assault
stardustandrockets's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Torture
Minor: Cancer
infinitegoldenfloors's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Murder, Sexism, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
ashleyreads88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
This is no Percy Jackson, Lore is dark and gritty. There were so many twists in this book, without spoiling anything page 363. The twists kept reading this book exciting to read. I loved the mythology aspect of it and felt that it was well researched. I loved the relationships, especially the relationship between Lore and Miles, Lore and Castor, and then eventually other characters are introduced and I loved Lore's relationship with those characters, some of whom are from her past. There are flashbacks in this book and those were clearly marked. The flashbacks were necessary and provided great insight into Lore's past. In the edition that I have, there was an annotated chapter at the end of the book and that was so fun to read. I loved this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat and I could see myself rereading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, Death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
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