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val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Blood, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Violence, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief
Minor: Genocide
lurille's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I loved almost everything about this book. It was such an easy read and the adventure was only a week long. The pace was to my utmost taste as well. Some holes were answered just as quick as I question if there will ever be an answer for them, while some were not i.e., I still am quite unsure why and how the Agon really started for it feels like the book greatly lacked an explanation for it—I wanted to know more, I wanted a more in-depth knowledge about the root cause of the Agon, as well as information about the gods and goddesses present in the story.
There were so much opportunities to create a deeper world on each characters—particularly Castor. I loved him ever since I first met his character, therefore, my expectations were high on the explanation of how he became agod when he was once a sick boy who's on the verge of dying and then all things happened, he suddenly became the false Apollo . I waited for a long time to know the explanation behind what really happened, yet I was only given a fraction of what I had expected.
Nevertheless, I loved how diverse the characters were, especially having an LGBTQIA+ couple. I also had few gasps as I read the plot twist and honestly, nothing could have made me ready from it.
Overall, it was good primarily because it's my cup of tea—gods and goddesses, female heroine, gays and all. I'm in for these tags haha.
There were so much opportunities to create a deeper world on each characters—particularly Castor. I loved him ever since I first met his character, therefore, my expectations were high on the explanation of how he became a
Nevertheless, I loved how diverse the characters were, especially having an LGBTQIA+ couple. I also had few gasps as I read the plot twist and honestly, nothing could have made me ready from it.
Overall, it was good primarily because it's my cup of tea—gods and goddesses, female heroine, gays and all. I'm in for these tags haha.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Gore, Torture, Blood, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Gaslighting, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse
darquedreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This one was captivating enough to keep me reading until the end, but it definitely had its problems. I feel like it lacked more back story and explanation for the agon and the history of the gods and why the hunters were hunting them. I wanted more about hunters killing the gods and ascending with their power and more explanation about the bloodlines. There were several moments of confusion to be had during the story.
For the most part, I enjoyed the characters, but there were also a lot of moments of "ugh, really?" Lore seemed strong and capable through most of the story, but also had her fair share of unlikable attributes. And, there was just no chemistry between the "romantiship" (yes, I'm making it a word) characters. The feelings felt forced, like, "oh, this is a fantasy ya, we need a little romance."
I also wish there had been more to the plot and the hunt itself. This story could have been a duology so we could have gotten the back story we needed, along with the plot we were promised. Though, I enjoyed the gore and the shocking moments, I felt like there wasn't enough story flow, and there were too many predictable and eye rolling moments.
The ending was pretty lack luster as well. It felt like someone said, "oh no, if we don't wrap this up now, we'll need another book," and then decided to be done with it. We had almost 500 pages in this thing, and had like one chapter for "resolution" which left a few issues unresolved and unexplained.
I just wanted, and expected, more. In the moment, Lore kept my interest, but now that I finished it, I feel disappointed. The excitement and hype while reading was fleeting and I'm left with missing what drew me in.
For the most part, I enjoyed the characters, but there were also a lot of moments of "ugh, really?" Lore seemed strong and capable through most of the story, but also had her fair share of unlikable attributes. And, there was just no chemistry between the "romantiship" (yes, I'm making it a word) characters. The feelings felt forced, like, "oh, this is a fantasy ya, we need a little romance."
I also wish there had been more to the plot and the hunt itself. This story could have been a duology so we could have gotten the back story we needed, along with the plot we were promised. Though, I enjoyed the gore and the shocking moments, I felt like there wasn't enough story flow, and there were too many predictable and eye rolling moments.
The ending was pretty lack luster as well. It felt like someone said, "oh no, if we don't wrap this up now, we'll need another book," and then decided to be done with it. We had almost 500 pages in this thing, and had like one chapter for "resolution" which left a few issues unresolved and unexplained.
I just wanted, and expected, more. In the moment, Lore kept my interest, but now that I finished it, I feel disappointed. The excitement and hype while reading was fleeting and I'm left with missing what drew me in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Grief and Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Cancer
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Lore was not what I wanted it to be, but that’s not the book’s fault.
I love a mythology retelling or reimagining, and that’s what I thought Lore would be. Instead, it was a giant game of hide and seek with a couple of Greek gods and multiple McGuffins. This was more of a thriller through a filter of mythology instead of what I was hoping it would be.
I think that part of the problem was the pacing. I found the first ~60-70% to be kinda boring. Once we got to the climax it definitely became more interesting, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time given to the resolution for that climax to feel impactful. Part of that is because this book takes place over seven days, and that’s not very long, but there’s a lot of exposition and expository monologues.
Another issue I had was with the romance subplot. I did not feel any chemistry between the two love interests until the very end of the book. The pining between two secondary characters was more compelling for me. Honestly, Miles and Van are the two most interesting characters and we don’t spend nearly enough time getting to know them.
All in all, this book was fine. It did what it set out to do, I’m just not convinced that what it set out to do was particularly interesting. 3.5 stars.
I love a mythology retelling or reimagining, and that’s what I thought Lore would be. Instead, it was a giant game of hide and seek with a couple of Greek gods and multiple McGuffins. This was more of a thriller through a filter of mythology instead of what I was hoping it would be.
I think that part of the problem was the pacing. I found the first ~60-70% to be kinda boring. Once we got to the climax it definitely became more interesting, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time given to the resolution for that climax to feel impactful. Part of that is because this book takes place over seven days, and that’s not very long, but there’s a lot of exposition and expository monologues.
Another issue I had was with the romance subplot. I did not feel any chemistry between the two love interests until the very end of the book. The pining between two secondary characters was more compelling for me. Honestly, Miles and Van are the two most interesting characters and we don’t spend nearly enough time getting to know them.
All in all, this book was fine. It did what it set out to do, I’m just not convinced that what it set out to do was particularly interesting. 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping, War, and Sexual violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
annaparente's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Several years ago, I read The Darkest Minds, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t love it. The premise was great, and I recently flipped through the beginning of the first book, finding that, while it’s compelling, it ultimately falls short. The characters didn’t feel much like real people, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about them. Similarly, I felt the book would have been much more enjoyable to read had it been written in third person rather than first.
Consequently, I was hesitant to buy Lore, knowing I wasn’t a huge fan of Alexandra Bracken’s writing. However, I found myself pleasantly surprised. Lore is everything The Darkest Minds wasn’t. It’s quick-paced, compelling, and well thought-out. The relationships between the characters are much more nuanced, and the characters have complex backgrounds that really play into the plot and their own character development. The third person perspective was a perfect fit for the narrative.
I would recommend Lore, while I would not recommend The Darkest Minds. Regardless, it wasn’t a perfect book. Here are a few of my critiques:
- Miles was so sidelined. He played a pretty significant role in the first third-ish of the book, but after that he just disappeared — literally. I’m pretty sure there’s a whole hundred pages where he isn’t even mentioned. He started out as such a great character and then just devolved into the token mortal: the only character who was wholly tied to the real world.
- The foreshadowing felt really weak. I can’t fully describe it, but it either wasn’t suspenseful enough, or I guessed what would happen before it did.
- Pacing-wise this book falls into the same trap as The Darkest Minds. It’s the same medium pace throughout the book, not picking up when it should. Especially in the end of the book, I thought the punches could have been pulled faster, just one surprise after another. Instead, there was too much empty space between plot points. 30 pages could have been cut.
- It definitely had something to do with the pacing, but the ending left something to be desired.
What I loved and would totally recommend about the book:
- The third person perspective works very well.
- Lore and Cas are the most fleshed out characters in the book, and I adored all the flashbacks with them together. Their friends-to-lovers arc was so predictable but also so wonderful, and I loved following the complexities of their relationship throughout the book.
- Lore’s own battle with her internal conflict was wonderful. The balance between destiny and choice, and grappling with wrong choices made in the past… It was all handled very well. I really appreciated the discussion of sexism in ancient Greek culture/mythology as well. Thematically, a great novel.
- THIS BOOK IS BASICALLY PERCY JACKSON FOR OLDER TEENS. I know you could probably say that about any mythology-based book, but seriously. The amount of research that went into this book to make it mythologically accurate, the setting (NYC!), and the constant action — it was giving off strong Percy vibes for sure.
Overall, this was a very fun read. It definitely seemed like it was trying a little too hard to be something it wasn’t, but I sped through it pretty quickly and I had a good time. It wasn’t perfect, but I wouldn’t not recommend it, you know? Percy Jackson and fantasy fans will enjoy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny
jacq_benoit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Blood, Sexual assault, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness
pagesbycaroline's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Gore, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death
Minor: Gore and Pedophilia
anhe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Completely different to what I expected. Greek myths and deities reimagined in our modern world. I liked the world that was created and the little hints and jokes to myths. At times I was confused and wondering whether I had missed some important information. You find out about the world and it's history and rules throughout the book so the first about 100 pages I had no idea what was going on and felt very confused. As a mystery it was good and you got to know bits and pieces of the backstory every now and again.
It was much more violent than I expected. There are a lot of graphic fight scenes and deaths.
The ending felt a bit rushed and abrupt.
It was much more violent than I expected. There are a lot of graphic fight scenes and deaths.
The ending felt a bit rushed and abrupt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault
hollyheartless's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I will admit I had to pick this book up a couple of times to actually get started with it. Once you get to grips with the history of the characters and the world the characters are experiencing it is really thrilling. I was absolutely hooked. Would definitely recommend if you have the patience for a slow burner to start but when the action hits… it hits
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Death, and Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Terminal illness
elntastic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Torture
Moderate: Child death, Bullying, and Chronic illness