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A review by zainaalkanan
Lore by Alexandra Bracken
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It took me NEARLY 7 DAYS TO READ THIS WHOLE 500 PAGE BOOK? This is horrible because I couldn't even read a full 100 pages in a day like I usually do I had to stop at the beginning of every chapter to collect myself and try to understand what the hell just happened.
It's not a bad book just long and pointless and there is NO REST AT ALL. It's like it keeps going from one weird plot point to the next with so much action happening. I cannot tell you what the plot was and yet so much happened.
One thing about this book is Lore, the main character, is a good character. She's really fun to follow even though she is a hypocrite sometimes, she doesn't do stupid ish for the most part at least and is very strong willed and admirable.
I do not like the half-baked feminism she was trying to push throughout the story. I did not understand why Medusa is on a shield and why that is super important to the story and why this was the theme the author wanted to go with when she's barely mentioned in the whole book.
The rest of the characters however I'm mostly impartial to, like they just exist man I don't know, EXCEPT CASTOR. Castor or castor oil as I like to call him for having a stupid name is such a pathetic person in the story. If the goal of his character was to make him random convenient tool for the author whenever she needs something to fill the gaps she succeeded I mean he is a "healer" which means all the main characters are invincible. Oh woooww. I just disliked him for the ways he trudges up the main character's past whenever he disapproves of her choices, it's just as manipulative as anything that Athena did in the story and toward the end he doesn't show much remorse or that he's changed at all and the main character always forgives him easily because she thinks that he has a point.
Supposedly Castor oil and Evander are best friends and cousins but the relationship between them was lukewarm of casual acquaintances at best. The author really should have worked a bit more on strengthening any of the relationships in this book.
Another thing this book did well are the villains, ooh they were so infuriating, I just wish the plot was simpler I was stressed until the literal last page and it had very little pay off.
ANYWAY LASTLY, this book asks you to suspend your disbelief so hard. I get that it's a fantasy with gods and stuff and is unrealistic but it's set in NY and it's not like the gods are invisible to the mortals or anything. How were they fighting in well known tourist places in the city that are so filled with people at all times of day and justify that no one saw them by just saying "it's night no one was there" it's NEW YORK there must've been someone there, if just a homeless person on the park bench. You really have to believe that people walk past blood on the floor or people with mortal wounds and severe injuries and guns and other weapons and dressed weird and THERE WAS SO MUCH. I get that it's probably not the weirdest thing New Yorkers have seen probably in that week but it's too much things and it piles up and CIVILIANS DIE and yet it's like everyone is blind to them.
Anyway good book, frustrating love interest, main character was strong-willed (loved that), too many random people die you're told to move on quick and not care, happy ending that doesn't really make sense I mean how did the powers go? whatever though as long as the main character is happy. That's it that's the summary. 3 stars because confusing and also if I only liked 2 things about a long book like this then definitely not worth a 4 or 5. Just good enough for 3.
It's not a bad book just long and pointless and there is NO REST AT ALL. It's like it keeps going from one weird plot point to the next with so much action happening. I cannot tell you what the plot was and yet so much happened.
One thing about this book is Lore, the main character, is a good character. She's really fun to follow even though she is a hypocrite sometimes, she doesn't do stupid ish for the most part at least and is very strong willed and admirable.
I do not like the half-baked feminism she was trying to push throughout the story. I did not understand why Medusa is on a shield and why that is super important to the story and why this was the theme the author wanted to go with when she's barely mentioned in the whole book.
The rest of the characters however I'm mostly impartial to, like they just exist man I don't know, EXCEPT CASTOR. Castor or castor oil as I like to call him for having a stupid name is such a pathetic person in the story. If the goal of his character was to make him random convenient tool for the author whenever she needs something to fill the gaps she succeeded I mean he is a "healer" which means all the main characters are invincible. Oh woooww. I just disliked him for the ways he trudges up the main character's past whenever he disapproves of her choices, it's just as manipulative as anything that Athena did in the story and toward the end he doesn't show much remorse or that he's changed at all and the main character always forgives him easily because she thinks that he has a point.
Supposedly Castor oil and Evander are best friends and cousins but the relationship between them was lukewarm of casual acquaintances at best. The author really should have worked a bit more on strengthening any of the relationships in this book.
Another thing this book did well are the villains, ooh they were so infuriating, I just wish the plot was simpler I was stressed until the literal last page and it had very little pay off.
ANYWAY LASTLY, this book asks you to suspend your disbelief so hard. I get that it's a fantasy with gods and stuff and is unrealistic but it's set in NY and it's not like the gods are invisible to the mortals or anything. How were they fighting in well known tourist places in the city that are so filled with people at all times of day and justify that no one saw them by just saying "it's night no one was there" it's NEW YORK there must've been someone there, if just a homeless person on the park bench. You really have to believe that people walk past blood on the floor or people with mortal wounds and severe injuries and guns and other weapons and dressed weird and THERE WAS SO MUCH. I get that it's probably not the weirdest thing New Yorkers have seen probably in that week but it's too much things and it piles up and CIVILIANS DIE and yet it's like everyone is blind to them.
Anyway good book, frustrating love interest, main character was strong-willed (loved that), too many random people die you're told to move on quick and not care, happy ending that doesn't really make sense I mean how did the powers go? whatever though as long as the main character is happy. That's it that's the summary. 3 stars because confusing and also if I only liked 2 things about a long book like this then definitely not worth a 4 or 5. Just good enough for 3.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Torture, Blood, and Death of parent