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jacreadsbooks98 's review for:
Lore
by Alexandra Bracken
On the surface, Lore was seemingly everything I love within a fantasy novel: a kick-ass heroine trying to find herself within the reality that was given to her, magic and death defying action scenes, and a noble, lovable love interest. While this book did deliver on all of those things, there were a few things I just couldn't wrap my mind around.
First, the language of this book was just too convoluted. It was extremely hard to follow at times, especially in passages of action, and I found myself having to reread sequences a few times over just to understand how someone got from point A to point B. Every once in a while, the dialogue itself was confusing as I couldn't necessarily understand the point or even who was speaking.
Second, the insane amount of times "the city" was used as a metaphor. I understood a bit more in the end with Athena's story line how that was relevant, but instead of seamlessly integrating the city as a symbol or allusion to Lore's character arc, it felt very forced, especially given that we didn't have the transition of Athena's character until the very end, when it all fell into place (which in of itself wasn't a very clear moment either). Instead, I kept an on going inside joke with myself with how many times Lore would compare something or herself to the city.
Third, I didn't end Lore with all of the answers I was looking for, most importantly being why the Agon had really started in the first place. There were hints and tiny explanations along the way, but I had hoped for a concrete resolution. What will become of Lore and Castor? Is the Agon truly over? Did they really just have to ask nicely? The ending seemed all too easy for the 400+ pages it took to get there.
Overall, I did enjoy this book for the sake of its story. I loved the idea of having the ancient gods portrayed in a new way, outside of how we've come to know them through the Percy Jackson series (Love you Rick Riordan). I thought it was a very unique and interesting perspective on what can happen to people who wield power through force and fear, as well as the plight of women within these rigid societies. There were many great instances of analyzing a woman's role in her world, whatever that may be, and how one can rise to break those barriers that hold her or succumb to them. I do wish this would have been explored a bit more rather than being thrown in the middle for a brief moment, because it was powerful and it was great. Despite all my complaints, it was still a cool journey, and I'm glad booktok made me buy it.
First, the language of this book was just too convoluted. It was extremely hard to follow at times, especially in passages of action, and I found myself having to reread sequences a few times over just to understand how someone got from point A to point B. Every once in a while, the dialogue itself was confusing as I couldn't necessarily understand the point or even who was speaking.
Second, the insane amount of times "the city" was used as a metaphor. I understood a bit more in the end with Athena's story line how that was relevant, but instead of seamlessly integrating the city as a symbol or allusion to Lore's character arc, it felt very forced, especially given that we didn't have the transition of Athena's character until the very end, when it all fell into place (which in of itself wasn't a very clear moment either). Instead, I kept an on going inside joke with myself with how many times Lore would compare something or herself to the city.
Third, I didn't end Lore with all of the answers I was looking for, most importantly being why the Agon had really started in the first place. There were hints and tiny explanations along the way, but I had hoped for a concrete resolution. What will become of Lore and Castor? Is the Agon truly over? Did they really just have to ask nicely? The ending seemed all too easy for the 400+ pages it took to get there.
Overall, I did enjoy this book for the sake of its story. I loved the idea of having the ancient gods portrayed in a new way, outside of how we've come to know them through the Percy Jackson series (Love you Rick Riordan). I thought it was a very unique and interesting perspective on what can happen to people who wield power through force and fear, as well as the plight of women within these rigid societies. There were many great instances of analyzing a woman's role in her world, whatever that may be, and how one can rise to break those barriers that hold her or succumb to them. I do wish this would have been explored a bit more rather than being thrown in the middle for a brief moment, because it was powerful and it was great. Despite all my complaints, it was still a cool journey, and I'm glad booktok made me buy it.