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sauljr7's review
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
Trigger warning: rape
Lore was an interesting read to say the least booktok loves lore but it was hard for me to get invested until the last 100 or so pages the multiple twist were wonderful and it was more inclusive than other books I’ve read
Lore was an interesting read to say the least booktok loves lore but it was hard for me to get invested until the last 100 or so pages the multiple twist were wonderful and it was more inclusive than other books I’ve read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, and Suicide attempt
theoceaneyedgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Gore, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Cursing, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
justagirlwithabook's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Oh, how I was hoping to really enjoy this one!
I've got a lot of mixed feelings.For starters, I've been in a "mythological retellings" kind of mood for a couple of weeks now (which has been wonderful!), and while grasping for more myth-based stories, this one was recommended to me to try out (and I had discovered that I'd put in on my TBR prior to its publishing). So, I went to Barnes & Noble and grabbed a copy right before getting snowed in for a week.
The premise is entirely intriguing. The idea is that there are 'houses' fighting for powers from the gods, and every 7 years, an Agon arises where gods become mortal. Members of these houses then try to kill the gods to obtain their power, and, in a way, become the 'new' gods (who are then of course potential prey when the next Agon happens).
Intriguing, but also confusing, right? I'll try to explain the details of how it works further because it's a bit complicated. I found myself going to Goodreads to read reviews that might help me 'get it' better because the book wasn't doing as great of a job as it should've. I was only really fully comfortable with the inner workings of the system by the time I was nearly done with the book.
So, here's how it works, if you are (or were) confused like I was:
- This book takes place in our modern time.
- Descendants of great warriors and heroes of mythological legend have formed houses (which have, in theory, been in existence since the heroes themselves). These houses are named after their great ancestors. So, think of these as Hunger Games districts or factions. We have the Odysseides (The House of Odysseus), Achillides (The House of Achilles), Theseides (House of Theseus), and so forth. There are 9 houses in all. The number doesn't really matter, just know that there are a lot of houses.
- Some of these houses have been basically hunted into extinction. Some have only a couple descendants remaining. Some of them aren't seen as 'worthy' enough to even really play along in this Agon cycle (i.e. 'The Hunger Games') because they're so weak (not a lot of descendants left, not a lot of resources to really keep playing in the game, etc.). That also doesn't really matter to the plot, because there are really only a handful of houses that are key players that you'll read about.
- The main character, Lore, is one of these 'last people standing' from The House of Perseus (they'd been nearly hunted to extinction, and then for a time it was just her immediate family left, but then they were killed -but Lore survived and went into hiding).
- On the separate end of things, we have gods and goddesses that, long ago, made Zeus angry. So he started this Agon cycle (i.e. The Hunger Games) and threw these gods and goddesses into the game. So, once every 7 years, they become mortal. During the cycle, any mortal who kills them will gain their powers and become the 'new' god or goddess. (They use language in the book like 'the new Ares' or 'the False Ares' - because Ares was killed and a new person took on his powers.)
- If a god/goddess lasts through the Agon without getting killed, good job. They're free for another 7 years. If a mortal kills them, they're gone, and that mortal then becomes like the god/goddess they killed at the end of the Agon and takes on full god/goddess powers. Until the next Agon, when they become mortal again and have to keep themselves alive.
- The heads of the houses are ones who often get the 'privilege' of killing a god/goddess to get their powers. People in the houses that fight for their faction are called 'hunters' and they basically just try to do everything they can for the head of their house to get god/goddess powers. IF the head of their house gets those powers, a lot of times that head of the house, as the 'new' god/goddess, will align themselves with their old house and protect them in various ways. Not always, but most of the time.
So, here's how that plays into the overall storyline:
In the book, we have our main character Lore who is the last living MORTAL descendent of her house. There is one other descendant BUT that descendant killed Poseidon and got his powers (and then she named herself 'Tidebringer'). Lore has been in hiding since the last Agon when her entire family was murdered. We start the book with a new Agon cycle about to start in New York, and Lore wants to do whatever she can to take revenge on the person that she thinks killed her family, the head of a rival house who took on the powers of Ares (he renamed himself 'Wrath').
What I liked:
- I liked the incorporation of mythology (but wanted more)
- I liked the side characters more than anyone else - sort of quirky, etc. Some of these side characters were actual gods/goddesses (that had still somehow not been killed since the start of the whole thing), and I liked them as well because they retained the characteristics of who they were and what made them them.
- Mostly liked the pace - there seemed to be enough going on to keep me interested.
What I didn't like:
- I didn't like the fact that there wasn't enough world-building and explanation for me to fully understand the gist of what the heck was happening fairly quickly. I had to sort of figure it out as I went to get a better understanding of things (and even did some Googling and looking at other Goodreads reviews hoping that someone would explain to me how this all worked in a way that was simpler to understand). By the time I got about 2/3 of the way through, I felt more comfortable with it, but it would've done me a lot more good to have figured it out sooner. I'm a librarian for 7th and 8th graders and don't imagine seeing any of them, even the ones who love mythology, following along with the story very well. I think YAs would have a hard time figuring it all out.
- It was really violent and gory. I personally don't care about that but I think it might be a bit much for some of our YAs on the younger end of the scale.
- The ending was really abrupt and didn't provide much of an explanation. Sure, we could probably guess at what had happened to explain the ending, but an epilogue would've helped. Either way, it came to a swift end.
- There were moments of disconnect where a scene was playing out and Bracken would throw in a description of something happening that, up to that point, hadn't even been introduced to the reader. So as a reader, I did a lot of 'Wait, where'd that come from?" in my imagination. For example, in one scene Lore and Athena are going through some stores in the aftermath of a flood, checking out the landscape, etc., and ultimately end up on a roof. They're talking, yada yada, and then there's a line that says something like, 'Athena drank the water from her bottle and threw the bottle to the side.' Up to that point, didn't even realize that was a thing. Surprise water bottle in the scene! I had to go back and reread to see if there had a been a part when they'd picked up groceries or water or something? Nope. No mention of it. The bottle appeared and disappeared just as quickly. In another scene, Lore tells her friends she's going to go up and take a shower and take a nap. Next page over, she goes up the stairs and just climbs straight into bed in her gross clothes and then when she wakes up, she changes into a clean shirt and moves on. Huh?
Long story short:
Could it have been better executed? Absolutely.
Was it a great story? It was okay. I didn't hate it once I got past my frustration and understood it better (by the time I was more than halfway through).
Would I recommend it? Well, did you like The Hunger Games? Do you want to read something similar but even more violent and gory and with some mythology thrown in there to make it feel a little different and unique? If not, pass. If so, this might be even more enjoyable for you than it was for me (not saying I didn't enjoy it, just have a lot of mixed feelings). Not sure? Check it out from your local library before investing in your own copy.
I've got a lot of mixed feelings.For starters, I've been in a "mythological retellings" kind of mood for a couple of weeks now (which has been wonderful!), and while grasping for more myth-based stories, this one was recommended to me to try out (and I had discovered that I'd put in on my TBR prior to its publishing). So, I went to Barnes & Noble and grabbed a copy right before getting snowed in for a week.
The premise is entirely intriguing. The idea is that there are 'houses' fighting for powers from the gods, and every 7 years, an Agon arises where gods become mortal. Members of these houses then try to kill the gods to obtain their power, and, in a way, become the 'new' gods (who are then of course potential prey when the next Agon happens).
Intriguing, but also confusing, right? I'll try to explain the details of how it works further because it's a bit complicated. I found myself going to Goodreads to read reviews that might help me 'get it' better because the book wasn't doing as great of a job as it should've. I was only really fully comfortable with the inner workings of the system by the time I was nearly done with the book.
So, here's how it works, if you are (or were) confused like I was:
- This book takes place in our modern time.
- Descendants of great warriors and heroes of mythological legend have formed houses (which have, in theory, been in existence since the heroes themselves). These houses are named after their great ancestors. So, think of these as Hunger Games districts or factions. We have the Odysseides (The House of Odysseus), Achillides (The House of Achilles), Theseides (House of Theseus), and so forth. There are 9 houses in all. The number doesn't really matter, just know that there are a lot of houses.
- Some of these houses have been basically hunted into extinction. Some have only a couple descendants remaining. Some of them aren't seen as 'worthy' enough to even really play along in this Agon cycle (i.e. 'The Hunger Games') because they're so weak (not a lot of descendants left, not a lot of resources to really keep playing in the game, etc.). That also doesn't really matter to the plot, because there are really only a handful of houses that are key players that you'll read about.
- The main character, Lore, is one of these 'last people standing' from The House of Perseus (they'd been nearly hunted to extinction, and then for a time it was just her immediate family left, but then they were killed -but Lore survived and went into hiding).
- On the separate end of things, we have gods and goddesses that, long ago, made Zeus angry. So he started this Agon cycle (i.e. The Hunger Games) and threw these gods and goddesses into the game. So, once every 7 years, they become mortal. During the cycle, any mortal who kills them will gain their powers and become the 'new' god or goddess. (They use language in the book like 'the new Ares' or 'the False Ares' - because Ares was killed and a new person took on his powers.)
- If a god/goddess lasts through the Agon without getting killed, good job. They're free for another 7 years. If a mortal kills them, they're gone, and that mortal then becomes like the god/goddess they killed at the end of the Agon and takes on full god/goddess powers. Until the next Agon, when they become mortal again and have to keep themselves alive.
- The heads of the houses are ones who often get the 'privilege' of killing a god/goddess to get their powers. People in the houses that fight for their faction are called 'hunters' and they basically just try to do everything they can for the head of their house to get god/goddess powers. IF the head of their house gets those powers, a lot of times that head of the house, as the 'new' god/goddess, will align themselves with their old house and protect them in various ways. Not always, but most of the time.
So, here's how that plays into the overall storyline:
In the book, we have our main character Lore who is the last living MORTAL descendent of her house. There is one other descendant BUT that descendant killed Poseidon and got his powers (and then she named herself 'Tidebringer'). Lore has been in hiding since the last Agon when her entire family was murdered. We start the book with a new Agon cycle about to start in New York, and Lore wants to do whatever she can to take revenge on the person that she thinks killed her family, the head of a rival house who took on the powers of Ares (he renamed himself 'Wrath').
What I liked:
- I liked the incorporation of mythology (but wanted more)
- I liked the side characters more than anyone else - sort of quirky, etc. Some of these side characters were actual gods/goddesses (that had still somehow not been killed since the start of the whole thing), and I liked them as well because they retained the characteristics of who they were and what made them them.
- Mostly liked the pace - there seemed to be enough going on to keep me interested.
What I didn't like:
- I didn't like the fact that there wasn't enough world-building and explanation for me to fully understand the gist of what the heck was happening fairly quickly. I had to sort of figure it out as I went to get a better understanding of things (and even did some Googling and looking at other Goodreads reviews hoping that someone would explain to me how this all worked in a way that was simpler to understand). By the time I got about 2/3 of the way through, I felt more comfortable with it, but it would've done me a lot more good to have figured it out sooner. I'm a librarian for 7th and 8th graders and don't imagine seeing any of them, even the ones who love mythology, following along with the story very well. I think YAs would have a hard time figuring it all out.
- It was really violent and gory. I personally don't care about that but I think it might be a bit much for some of our YAs on the younger end of the scale.
- The ending was really abrupt and didn't provide much of an explanation. Sure, we could probably guess at what had happened to explain the ending, but an epilogue would've helped. Either way, it came to a swift end.
- There were moments of disconnect where a scene was playing out and Bracken would throw in a description of something happening that, up to that point, hadn't even been introduced to the reader. So as a reader, I did a lot of 'Wait, where'd that come from?" in my imagination. For example, in one scene Lore and Athena are going through some stores in the aftermath of a flood, checking out the landscape, etc., and ultimately end up on a roof. They're talking, yada yada, and then there's a line that says something like, 'Athena drank the water from her bottle and threw the bottle to the side.' Up to that point, didn't even realize that was a thing. Surprise water bottle in the scene! I had to go back and reread to see if there had a been a part when they'd picked up groceries or water or something? Nope. No mention of it. The bottle appeared and disappeared just as quickly. In another scene, Lore tells her friends she's going to go up and take a shower and take a nap. Next page over, she goes up the stairs and just climbs straight into bed in her gross clothes and then when she wakes up, she changes into a clean shirt and moves on. Huh?
Long story short:
Could it have been better executed? Absolutely.
Was it a great story? It was okay. I didn't hate it once I got past my frustration and understood it better (by the time I was more than halfway through).
Would I recommend it? Well, did you like The Hunger Games? Do you want to read something similar but even more violent and gory and with some mythology thrown in there to make it feel a little different and unique? If not, pass. If so, this might be even more enjoyable for you than it was for me (not saying I didn't enjoy it, just have a lot of mixed feelings). Not sure? Check it out from your local library before investing in your own copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
yodareads12's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I, sadly, did not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I've always loved reading about Greek mythology and was extremely excited to read this book. I really struggled getting into it.
Now, I've heard people who don't know a lot of Greek mythology have a hard time following it. I personally didn't have that issue, but I can see where it could cause problems. I've loved studying it since I was a young girl, and this book just fell flat. There were a lot of characters and historical aspects that I didn't feel were right to all of the Greek history I've read.
As far as what the story is about. A bunch of Greek gods were punished for something and forced into this week long battle every 7 years. They become mortal and have to fight the descendants of the great Greek heroes. If they are killed, their power is transferred to whoever killed them and they are no more.
Honestly, a really great idea of a story and there was so much potential! But, in the end, it just didn't match up. There were some really good moments, but overall not a fan.
If you've never read Alexandra Bracken's books before, please don't let this book put you off! Her Darkest Minds series is amazing and I loved all of those books! She's a great author, this one book just wasn't her best.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
_forestofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If you enjoyed The Hunger Games and Red Rising, you will likely enjoy this. I think the plot is not as tight as the other too and the pacing isn't great. It was not the book for me, but I would recommend it to people who enjoy battle and strategy with Greek myths and romance.
There were one or two more things I didn't love. Specifically the end battle which was not as epic as I expected. The two major twists which were totally predictable to me, and the fact that Lore could not shut up about how pretty Cas was every second they were together.
I liked it, but won't be re-reading it.
There were one or two more things I didn't love. Specifically the end battle which was not as epic as I expected. The two major twists which were totally predictable to me, and the fact that Lore could not shut up about how pretty Cas was every second they were together.
I liked it, but won't be re-reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Bullying
baechael's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was able to get a physical copy of this book through my job as a bookseller, though I am very grateful to Edelweiss and Netgalley for giving me access to the ebook version of it as well. That being said, all opinions are my own and I was not paid for this review.
If you must know anything about me it is that one of my absolute favorite fantasy sub-genres is “based on mythology” fantasy. It would be hard to find a mythology-based fantasy book that I didn’t enjoy. So with that being said, I absolutely loved Lore!! (Which I pronounced Lor-ay, I don’t know if that’s the way the author intended it to be pronounced but I figured it would be close enough to the Greek pronunciation to be correct.)
In it we follow Lore, who (after the brutal murder of her family) is the last living in the ancient line of the Perseides and is determined to stay out of the Agon, a week-long fight every seven years to kill and gain the powers of nine ancient Greek gods. Unfortunately, she finds a wounded Athena on her doorstep and is very quickly brought back into the game she tried to stay away from. Not only that, but her childhood best friend is now a god and a new Ares wants something from her.
I completely flew through this book! I loved the modern take on the Greek gods, and it was refreshing (though gruesome) to see the brutality of the ancient gods in a modern setting. I feel like the natures of ancient gods get watered down in modern retellings and it added just a bit more bite to see their more dangerous personalities. The ones where they don’t care about humans because they themselves don’t actually have any humanity. The Agon was an interesting setting and since I’ve read quite a few books set in New York City it added a little bit of *spice* and a new lens to view the city. The themes of friendship and family were really heartwarming, especially because this book is much more grisly than you may think. There are also some really sweet background romances going on which I absolutely loved! (I may have squealed a couple times.)
If you were, or still are, a fan of Percy Jackson or The Hunger Games but want something a little more grown-up I would definitely check this book out. Fans of Madeline Miller would find this a fun read as well.
If you must know anything about me it is that one of my absolute favorite fantasy sub-genres is “based on mythology” fantasy. It would be hard to find a mythology-based fantasy book that I didn’t enjoy. So with that being said, I absolutely loved Lore!! (Which I pronounced Lor-ay, I don’t know if that’s the way the author intended it to be pronounced but I figured it would be close enough to the Greek pronunciation to be correct.)
In it we follow Lore, who (after the brutal murder of her family) is the last living in the ancient line of the Perseides and is determined to stay out of the Agon, a week-long fight every seven years to kill and gain the powers of nine ancient Greek gods. Unfortunately, she finds a wounded Athena on her doorstep and is very quickly brought back into the game she tried to stay away from. Not only that, but her childhood best friend is now a god and a new Ares wants something from her.
I completely flew through this book! I loved the modern take on the Greek gods, and it was refreshing (though gruesome) to see the brutality of the ancient gods in a modern setting. I feel like the natures of ancient gods get watered down in modern retellings and it added just a bit more bite to see their more dangerous personalities. The ones where they don’t care about humans because they themselves don’t actually have any humanity. The Agon was an interesting setting and since I’ve read quite a few books set in New York City it added a little bit of *spice* and a new lens to view the city. The themes of friendship and family were really heartwarming, especially because this book is much more grisly than you may think. There are also some really sweet background romances going on which I absolutely loved! (I may have squealed a couple times.)
If you were, or still are, a fan of Percy Jackson or The Hunger Games but want something a little more grown-up I would definitely check this book out. Fans of Madeline Miller would find this a fun read as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Gore, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing and Physical abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Chronic illness, and Sexual assault
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