Description
Product description
Review
—Amazon Book Review
“Lore kept me awake far too many nights, needing to know what would happen in this ruthless battle between hunters, impostors, and gods. A brilliant and breathless twist on classic mythology!”
–Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Lunar Chronicles
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“An epic from start to finish. Bracken deftly weaves a rich tapestry of new mythology steeped in ancient, time-honored legend–a story of power and old wounds and love, all anchored by a protagonist that I cheered from the instant she appeared, fists ready and heart brave, on the page. A tale worth passing down.”
–Marie Lu, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Warcross
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About the Author
“Epic from start to finish.” –Marie Lu, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Warcross
“A brilliant and breathless twist on classic mythology!” –Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Lunar Chronicles
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals. They are hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory after her family was murdered by a rival line. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.
Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek her out: Castor, a childhood friend Lore believed to be dead, and Athena, one of the last of the original gods, now gravely wounded.
The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and a way to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to rejoin the hunt, binding her fate to Athena’s, will come at a deadly cost–and it may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.
From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love, and redemption.
AimForMagic –
For a book of this length (I do love me a near 500pager) this book felt twice as long. And took me quite the time and effort to work through. But, I didn’t consider abandoning it. However, there were a lot of events, like big world Changing cataclysmic events, that were used as plot drivers and really brushed aside in this book, and I can’t help but wonder – if this is happening every seven years, surely a pattern has emerged to the unblooded?I can dig these Greek myth based books. In fact, I just picked up another one. I’d have liked the structure to be a bit more fluid, time and events jump in places that had me stopping to clarify, but no biggy. The story was fine and I enjoyed reading it, even though I wasn’t pulled in like I would have preferred.So, Lore. Three stars and a new mild interest in reading some myths so I can appreciate more of the references.
Amazon Customer –
Like a hunger games with the Greek myths come to life but with more heart. Lore is a great central character who rallies the other characters around her without ever really taking a proper dominant lead. This reluctance for power or true leadership serves her right to the end. Her reconciliation between her past and what she wants for her future is ultimately satisfying.
Julianne Hamilton –
I enjoyed the characters, their struggle and the story. It was a really enjoyable urban fantasy book. Even though my Greek mythology knowledge isn’t great, I was still able to follow along with the story easily.
Ebony –
This was the first novel I’ve ever read by this author and I can confirm that it was such a fun, fast-paced adventure from start to finish.The writing was so incredible and just pure perfection! I loved the aspect of Greek mythology and urban fantasy being mixed together. It made the storyline something new and very intriguing to read because of the brutality and dangerousness that had me hooked on all the mystery, action and scheming.I would’ve liked another character POV since it could’ve helped to lessen the information dumped randomly especially the overload that occurred in the first chapter. Beside those minor points, I really enjoyed reading how the unpredictable plot unfolded especially the biggest twist of methodical manipulation which shocked me and had me guessing everything that had previously happened from the start.The characters were all well-written, fierce and amusing.Although this isn’t a story of romance, the little sprinkle slowly became a favourite aspect within this novel for me. It was a childhood friends to lovers romance that was cute, sweet and tender. How the relationship evolved was truly adorable and I loved every little moment shared.The happy ending had my crying with tears of joy after the emotional rollercoaster had come to an end.Overall, really enjoyed this mythological novel that showcased a unique side of Greek mythology! and HIGHLY RECOMMEND to fantasy lovers!
Tash –
Lore is marketed as the love child between Greek Mythology and Hunger Games, and boy it did not disappoint. It is dark and gritty and the modern urban vibe just made the whole read more immersive because I wasn’t trying to wrap my head around fantasy/foreign concepts. Seeing the characters go through their internal conflicts, whilst also battling their external conflicts didn’t lessen their own suffering, if anything it made me realise how resilient these characters were.Couldn’t put this book down, I loved the unique spin on the characters that surprisingly still felt really authentic. Phenomenal writing, so much so that I went out and got more Alexandra Bracken books!
melster –
I made it to 41 pages in before dropping this book, hard. I’m not religious per se but I found it profoundly disrespectful to its subject matter of the Greek gods. It’s like taking Jesus Christ and putting him in a bad urban fantasy and going on about his ripped abs and love of lasagna. Just ugh. The Greek gods were real once to millions of people and while there have been and always will be fictional treatments of gods, there is a way to do it which is respectful to the culture it came from, and a way that is just BAD. I’m a big reader of both ancient and modern literature. To contrast, I loved Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, I think it understood the base subject matter and did a great modern riff on the epics. But Alexandra Bracken isn’t anywhere in Riordan’s league. She needs to go to Greece, look at what’s there and develop some respect before she writes more of this drivel.
Patrice –
Really enjoyed this book, it only took me 2 days to finish. I loved the world of modern NYC mixed with the Greek Mythology.
Marguerite Gibson –
3 Stars.Fun read and interesting interpretation of the Greek mythology. Good characterization and some real tear-jerker moments. Felt there were a few plot moments that dragged, but generally well paced.This book was good, but unfortunately didn’t blow me away.
Britt’s Book Blurbs –
I usually find standalone fantasy novels difficult. The level of worldbuilding in a series, the part that I love most about the fantasy genre, is rarely possible in one book. However, Lore has a lot of factors working in its favour to make this a standout in standalone fantasy novels. First, the contemporary setting eased some of the worldbuilding pressure – Alexandra Bracken didn’t have to describe an entirely new world, social structure, or hierarchy. Instead, Bracken focused that energy on painting a picture of generations of families pitted against each other in a world of violence and tragedy. Second, instead of a new form of magic or fantastical creatures to try to explain, Bracken took advantage of the well-established and well-known set of legends and beings in Greek mythology. These choices helped to keep the worldbuilding simple, allowing the story itself to be complex and engaging.“It’s not always the truth that survives, but the stories we wish to believe. The legends lie. They smooth over imperfections to tell a good tale, or to instruct us how we should behave, or to assign glory to victors and shame those who falter. Perhaps there were some in Sparta who embodied those myths. Perhaps. But how we are remembered is less important than what we do now.”I loved how straightforward the narrative appeared while slowly becoming more twisty and uncertain over time. I was drawn in quickly, totally invested in this completely unbelievable competition and the people (and gods) involved. Thankfully, the range of emotions each character experienced and the fact that the story was allowed to get as dark as it did helped make the unbelievable much more believable.Van and Miles were the keys to my enjoyment of this story. Lore and Castor were so enmeshed in the stories they were taught as children, the fate they believed was not only deserved but wanted; if they were the only focus here, the story could have quickly become very dark but monotonous. Instead, Van and Miles provided levity and a refreshing perspective on what is a genuinely insane proposal. Training your children from an early age to grow up to kill others to gain the powers of gods is abusive and wrong and only possible when you are in a long line of people who have been brainwashed over generations to believe the same bullshit. Somehow, Van seems to be the only one who understands this. He provides the support necessary to protect those he loves, but he has no desire to fight, compete, or win. Even better, Miles is a brand new perspective on the entire situation, which allows him to have a sense of humour while participating in what must seem like a game. His intelligence and sense of self contribute significantly to the plot and to helping the other characters develop into better and more interesting people as the story continues.Don’t let them pull you back in, Castor had warned her. There’s nothing but shadows for you here now.But he didn’t understand what Lore finally did. Monsters lived in the shadows. To hunt them, you couldn’t be afraid to follow. And the only way to destroy them was to have the sharper teeth and the darker heart.I think Lore worked perfectly as a standalone fantasy novel, and I truly enjoyed the story, the characters, and the choices Bracken made to make this so easy to read. Although, I wouldn’t turn down a Van and Miles spin-off…
Autumn –
Dark, bloody, strange and elemental, I loved Lore!
Title: LoreAuthor: Alexandra BrackenAge Group: Teen/Young Adult/New AdultGenre: Fantasy/HorrorSeries: Lore, book oneStar Rating: 4 out of 5 StarsI bought this book and reviewed it.Trigger Warning: * Rape, mentions of rape off-page, graphic violence, blood and gore, kidnapping, gaslighting, murder, sex, and abuse. If any of these topics are sensitive to you, I would suggest not reading this book! Your mental health always matters. *Alexandra Bracken stole my heart with her sci-fi trilogy, The Darkest Minds, and later with her second series, which began with Passenger. So, when I found out she was writing a brand-new book, I was over the moon excited about it. I ordered it with my Christmas money, given to me by my mother-in-law. I’d been hearing from my Booktok and Discord friends about Lore, and I was curious. So, I decided once I was finished with A Heart So Fierce and Broken and Yolk, that I would dive in. This book… I finished it over a month ago and frankly, I’m still chewing on it. I really feel like this book should not have been marketed to the young adult sector; this book would definitely be shelved in the new adult or adult section of the store. I loved it, definitely, but I will say that this book is not for everyone; it contains very sensitive material. Nonetheless, I’ve been seeing comparisons to the Percy Jackson series, and I would say that those are accurate. Nonetheless, this book needs to come with a trigger warning, if only so people know what they’re getting into. Regardless, this story was dark, bloody, and surprisingly hopeful. I’m not sure if this is a series or not, but I’ll wait and see. Bracken has penned another knockout, and this is definitely one of my favorite novels of 2021.Perseous Lore has spent the majority life pursuing one thing and one thing only: vengeance for her fallen family and friends. At seventeen, she is out of the game, as they say. Every seven years, a powerful and mythical tournament called The Agon takes place, and in it, demigods from powerful and magical bloodlines fight for ultimate supremacy. If the demigods take the gods’ power and succeed in slaying them, they become the new god. When a mysterious new god named Wrath shows up, Lore becomes even more obsessed with revenge. When the last of the old gods, Athena, offers to ally with her in pursuit of revenge, Lore reluctantly agrees, but only to avenge her fallen family. But in Lore’s pursuit of a childhood friend, she finds dark and dangerous secrets, hidden within the ancient tradition of The Agon. When she begins to dig deeper into the dark and violent roots of her past and the reasons her family died, Lore realizes that it’s more than her life at stake in this war: plunging back into her bloody past may cost her more than she can possibly give…I’ll be honest: I finished this book a little more than a month ago. And I had mixed feelings about it because BookTok has long been buzzing about it, the good and the bad. I couldn’t take my curiosity anymore, so as soon as I was finished with A Heart so Fierce and Broken and A Vow So Bold and Deadly, I plunged in, unsure of what to expect. The prose was beautiful, and the pacing was instant. I read this book over the course of a week and a half, and I will admit, there were times that it was hard to get through. At times, it was very triggering; I had to read another book alongside it to just not be depressed. Nonetheless, I liked it. But I really think this should have been marketed as new adult or even adult; there was pretty graphic violence from the start. And that wasn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but people need to know what they’re getting into. To call this the dark and bloody adult sequel to Percy Jackson would be in my opinion a fair assessment. I was captivated by Lore, and her dark, bloody quest for vengeance. At times, this book was very difficult to get through: death, blood and gore await the reader on every tautly written page. I wanted to love this book, and I did, somewhat, but there definitely needs to be a trigger warning so people know what they’re getting into. Next on deck: A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas and A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer!