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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
J’ai lu Lore avec quelques appréhensions car les retours que j’avais eu n’étaient pas positifs.
Et bien j’ai été très surprise !
J’ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Lore, toute la complexité qu’elle représente, notamment avec sa culpabilité, son angoisse de toujours bien faire les choses.
Et alors les clins d’œils à Athena et son amour des cités c’était
Et bien j’ai été très surprise !
J’ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Lore, toute la complexité qu’elle représente, notamment avec sa culpabilité, son angoisse de toujours bien faire les choses.
Et alors les clins d’œils à Athena et son amour des cités c’était
this was a fantastic read! I loved all the plot twists and the characters were very well written.
{2.5 stars}
Reading Lore was like watching a Marvel action film. Flashy, action-based, gusty-ballsy-hot heroine, plot twists right and left, snappy banter/dialogue, lots of explosions and deaths and betrayals, all at a lightning speed. It was like Bracken was writing a screenplay disguised as a novel, hoping to get picked up into the next superhero blockbuster.
This book has been compared to a mashup of the Hunger Games series, and the Percy Jackson series. I have never read either series (and am proud to admit that I have never so much as picked up a Hunger games book or film) but having read synopsis of both, I know enough to know that that Lore is in the same vein, and that none of it is for me.
Retellings - of fairytales, biblical tales, mythologies, classic novels or fantasy stories - are a recent trend, one that I'm normally very interested in. But out of all the mythologies, the only pantheon I really struggle to find interest in is Greek mythology. Frustratingly in this current trend of myth retellings, Greek is pretty much the only one authors seem to be writing in large numbers. Why can’t these authors use other gods and myths and beasts? Celtic gods, Roman gods, Egyptian gods, gods from Persia or Phoenicia or Norse gods or Hindu gods or simply retelling other types of stories? There are other stories to tell. So already this book club pick and I were off to a shaky start.
Like I said above, I have never read, seen or in any way experienced The Hunger Games. (I know right! Pretty impressive considering how in your face these books have been.) This book has been compared to that, and I can say that neither are for me. The whole games-hunt-death thing just isn't the trope for, clearly. This book is like watching a vaguely interesting but ultimately simplistic action flick on fast forward. Fast, easy, and numbing. I’ll sit down and knock out 50 pages in one quick swoop, hardly noticing time go by, but then walk away feeling bored and unsatisfied, without any urge to touch the book again for days.
I don’t really know what makes something adult vs YA but whatever it is, you can just tell… and this for me feels very YA. I have tried, many times, to like YA. And in about 90% of the cases, I have failed. This was one of those times. I tried, I really did. I normally like badass female characters, but I just could not like Lore. Despite her mistakes and her temper, she was too perfect. Even when she was wrong, she somehow did everything exactly amazingly. This angry, teenager girl somehow beat everyone all the time. Despite having no clue what she was doing, everyone just blindingly followed her with hardly a question. The story was long and confusing with more twists that the Labyrinth that inspired it. Characters juggled alliances like circus balls, no one had a particularly deep character development, and I'm still not sure I understood everything that happened.
At the end of the day, I rate books based on how much I enjoyed being immersed in the world it creates, how strong my book hangover was after finishing, how desperate I was to ignore the world and just curl up with it. This book was a quick read once I made myself read it, but I just felt no desire to tuck into its pages. I did not like the world building. Lore is not someone I'd be friends with (even though we were clearly meant to love her). The Greek gods game-hunt concept was not interesting to me. I was not invested in the outcome (and still not even sure what it was). I feel like the book was all dialogue and no description, and that the author constantly modified the story as she went along to suit her needs. It didn't feel cohesive or satisfying, it just felt jumbled and blinding. So, I can't really give higher than a 2/2.5 star.
Reading Lore was like watching a Marvel action film. Flashy, action-based, gusty-ballsy-hot heroine, plot twists right and left, snappy banter/dialogue, lots of explosions and deaths and betrayals, all at a lightning speed. It was like Bracken was writing a screenplay disguised as a novel, hoping to get picked up into the next superhero blockbuster.
This book has been compared to a mashup of the Hunger Games series, and the Percy Jackson series. I have never read either series (and am proud to admit that I have never so much as picked up a Hunger games book or film) but having read synopsis of both, I know enough to know that that Lore is in the same vein, and that none of it is for me.
Retellings - of fairytales, biblical tales, mythologies, classic novels or fantasy stories - are a recent trend, one that I'm normally very interested in. But out of all the mythologies, the only pantheon I really struggle to find interest in is Greek mythology. Frustratingly in this current trend of myth retellings, Greek is pretty much the only one authors seem to be writing in large numbers. Why can’t these authors use other gods and myths and beasts? Celtic gods, Roman gods, Egyptian gods, gods from Persia or Phoenicia or Norse gods or Hindu gods or simply retelling other types of stories? There are other stories to tell. So already this book club pick and I were off to a shaky start.
Like I said above, I have never read, seen or in any way experienced The Hunger Games. (I know right! Pretty impressive considering how in your face these books have been.) This book has been compared to that, and I can say that neither are for me. The whole games-hunt-death thing just isn't the trope for, clearly. This book is like watching a vaguely interesting but ultimately simplistic action flick on fast forward. Fast, easy, and numbing. I’ll sit down and knock out 50 pages in one quick swoop, hardly noticing time go by, but then walk away feeling bored and unsatisfied, without any urge to touch the book again for days.
I don’t really know what makes something adult vs YA but whatever it is, you can just tell… and this for me feels very YA. I have tried, many times, to like YA. And in about 90% of the cases, I have failed. This was one of those times. I tried, I really did. I normally like badass female characters, but I just could not like Lore. Despite her mistakes and her temper, she was too perfect. Even when she was wrong, she somehow did everything exactly amazingly. This angry, teenager girl somehow beat everyone all the time. Despite having no clue what she was doing, everyone just blindingly followed her with hardly a question. The story was long and confusing with more twists that the Labyrinth that inspired it. Characters juggled alliances like circus balls, no one had a particularly deep character development, and I'm still not sure I understood everything that happened.
At the end of the day, I rate books based on how much I enjoyed being immersed in the world it creates, how strong my book hangover was after finishing, how desperate I was to ignore the world and just curl up with it. This book was a quick read once I made myself read it, but I just felt no desire to tuck into its pages. I did not like the world building. Lore is not someone I'd be friends with (even though we were clearly meant to love her). The Greek gods game-hunt concept was not interesting to me. I was not invested in the outcome (and still not even sure what it was). I feel like the book was all dialogue and no description, and that the author constantly modified the story as she went along to suit her needs. It didn't feel cohesive or satisfying, it just felt jumbled and blinding. So, I can't really give higher than a 2/2.5 star.
Grade: A
A bit slow & confusing at first - maybe because I’ve never read a fantasy standalone before - but after the first 50-70 pages I FLEW THROUGH IT AND I LOVED IT!!! Already sad about saying goodbye to Lore and Castor and Miles and Van :(
A bit slow & confusing at first - maybe because I’ve never read a fantasy standalone before - but after the first 50-70 pages I FLEW THROUGH IT AND I LOVED IT!!! Already sad about saying goodbye to Lore and Castor and Miles and Van :(
*Thanks to Disney Publishing + NetGalley for the ARC!*
Y'all! A solid 4 to 4.5 star read for me. Another reviewer calls this the urban Hunger Games with Greek Gods as tributes and that's spot on. The premise is really interesting, and the pacing sets it up in a way that allows you to learn what's going on without feeling like it's going too slow. Characters are all dimensional and there are a couple hints and red herrings throughout to keep you from getting too comfortable with thinking you've got it all figured out.
I loved all of the mythology woven through the story, it added something to the story without overshadowing the character's and their story.
Lore was a badass, to survive everything she'd gone through, and I was shocked at her ending. Hiding behind spoilers now!
I hope that the ending we saw *was* the total and final resolution for this story - even if the agon continues, I don't think it's a world we ever need to revisit. Our characters got what they wanted - freedom, each other - and while I've seen others call for another book, I say let them have their happy ending!!!
Y'all! A solid 4 to 4.5 star read for me. Another reviewer calls this the urban Hunger Games with Greek Gods as tributes and that's spot on. The premise is really interesting, and the pacing sets it up in a way that allows you to learn what's going on without feeling like it's going too slow. Characters are all dimensional and there are a couple hints and red herrings throughout to keep you from getting too comfortable with thinking you've got it all figured out.
I loved all of the mythology woven through the story, it added something to the story without overshadowing the character's and their story.
Lore was a badass, to survive everything she'd gone through, and I was shocked at her ending. Hiding behind spoilers now!
Spoiler
I genuinely felt - even up to the ending of the story when she was cleaving the planet in halve to let the sea fire go there rather than kill more people - that she was going to turn and lose her fucking mind with the newly gained power. There were so many times throughout where, even as she was growing, it was clear she could snap. And then... she just didn't. She made the choice to do otherwise, and it was a really nice moment and ending for them.I hope that the ending we saw *was* the total and final resolution for this story - even if the agon continues, I don't think it's a world we ever need to revisit. Our characters got what they wanted - freedom, each other - and while I've seen others call for another book, I say let them have their happy ending!!!
adventurous
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Pedophilia
You know I really enjoyed this, I was kinda scared that I wouldn’t but I really did. I thought it was good from start to finish, it was filled with plenty of action, twists and turns.
A little long/wordy, but great nonetheless! I loved the Greek mythology and how modern and old came together.
J’ai abandonné après 250 pages…
Impossible de réussir à m’attacher aux personnages et de m’intéresser à l’intrigue.
Tant pis pour moi mais je n’arrive pas à continuer
Impossible de réussir à m’attacher aux personnages et de m’intéresser à l’intrigue.
Tant pis pour moi mais je n’arrive pas à continuer
A very cool concept - 'greek god battle royale', where human hunters (descendants of the original Greek heroes) are able to take a god's power by killing and usurping them.
I've seen people compare it to an adult version of Percy Jackson, which I think is fair, in that it is a darker, bleaker and more violent 'Greek gods in modern day' story. As a result, we end up meeting versions of our beloved gods that are bleak, exhausted, jaded, and angry (literally, everyone is angry in this book, all the time - Lore is angry, Philip is angry, Athena is angry, Artemis is angry, Wrath is... angry. A whole lot of angry people duking it out). I feel like the pervading backround scenery to this book would be dark and thunderous clouds and torrential rain... which does actually happen at a couple of points.
I thought it was a bit overwritten in places, especially in the exaggerated dramatic descriptions of each fresh bout of rage or near-breakdown that was coursing through Lore's body, etc. That felt a bit overdone and, I hesitate to say, noticeably a result of an inexperienced writer.
I've seen a few people say the characters felt a bit flat, and I'd agree. There wasn't much to really care about beyond Lore... and the main villain was a pretty 1D mysoginistic power-hungry asshole. With hints of paedophilia thrown in. Yikes.
I also had a few persistant worldbuilding gripes that were never really answered (like why more gods hadn't been killed in the 1500+ years of the Agon but were suddenly now dropping like flies? Or why gods didn't just kill all hunters between Agons whilst they were immortal?). But ultimately I think they were the result of setting this in the modern day, which dragged it down IMO. Perhaps setting the story in a fantasy version of Ancient Greece might have allowed the whole 'greek gods battle royale' concept to really flourish.
All in all, a very cool concept a little let down by the setting and slightly flat characters.
I've seen people compare it to an adult version of Percy Jackson, which I think is fair, in that it is a darker, bleaker and more violent 'Greek gods in modern day' story. As a result, we end up meeting versions of our beloved gods that are bleak, exhausted, jaded, and angry (literally, everyone is angry in this book, all the time - Lore is angry, Philip is angry, Athena is angry, Artemis is angry, Wrath is... angry. A whole lot of angry people duking it out). I feel like the pervading backround scenery to this book would be dark and thunderous clouds and torrential rain... which does actually happen at a couple of points.
I thought it was a bit overwritten in places, especially in the exaggerated dramatic descriptions of each fresh bout of rage or near-breakdown that was coursing through Lore's body, etc. That felt a bit overdone and, I hesitate to say, noticeably a result of an inexperienced writer.
I've seen a few people say the characters felt a bit flat, and I'd agree. There wasn't much to really care about beyond Lore... and the main villain was a pretty 1D mysoginistic power-hungry asshole. With hints of paedophilia thrown in. Yikes.
I also had a few persistant worldbuilding gripes that were never really answered (like why more gods hadn't been killed in the 1500+ years of the Agon but were suddenly now dropping like flies? Or why gods didn't just kill all hunters between Agons whilst they were immortal?). But ultimately I think they were the result of setting this in the modern day, which dragged it down IMO. Perhaps setting the story in a fantasy version of Ancient Greece might have allowed the whole 'greek gods battle royale' concept to really flourish.
All in all, a very cool concept a little let down by the setting and slightly flat characters.