Scan barcode
darquedreamer's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Grief and Blood
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Cancer
wadebittleston's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
annaparente's review against another edition
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny
cassy_smith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Sexism, Death, Violence, Suicide, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death of parent, Pedophilia, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Body horror
elntastic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
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
sophie1_xox's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Violence, Gore, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Murder, and Sexual violence
withlivjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I think that Lore is a wonderfully developed protagonist with a lot of flaws but who nevertheless manages to be very likeable through her love of New York and her attachment to those she loves. Miles is your typical quirky best friend and I love the fact that his knowledge of the mortal realm helps massively within the plot. I also loved witnessing the development of his relationship with Van, and I would honestly jump at reading the exact same book again but told from either of their POVs. Aristos Kadmou - or Wrath - is an absolutely terrifying villain that exemplifies what happens when you give power to the wrong kind of person. The one character I didn’t really connect with was Castor, his characterisation was a little inconsistent for me and by the end he kind of came across as a golden retriever boy with no flaws to use as a character arc. That said, I still really enjoyed the romance between him and Lore.
The plot twists are really what gives this book its oomph. They just keep coming and each one hit me like a truck, but at the same time they’re done in a clever way and actually serve a purpose rather than just being there for shock factor. The unreliable nature of Lore’s POV and how information is revealed very slowly adds to the fact that you honestly can’t fully trust any of the characters, not even the protagonist.
Overall, this is an action-packed book for mythology-lovers. I don’t know if I’d call it YA, and I think it might be better suited to older teenagers due to certain content in the story, as well as the complexity of the worldbuilding and how deeply it dives into Greek mythology - prior knowledge of a fair amount of mythology is definitely recommended in order to understand all the references and discussions.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Death, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol and Gun violence
blissofalife's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Classism, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Rape, Child death, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, and War
Minor: Vomit, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Cursing, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Cancer
daniisrevding's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Torture, Rape, Misogyny, Vomit, Murder, and Cancer
remuslibrary's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, and Sexism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Cancer