Lore (2021 original; edició 2021)

At first, I was really enthralled by the cover, which resembles a marble-looking Medusa. As I started reading, I soon became frustrated with the book. There was such an information dump in the beginning and so much going on, it was more of a chore to read than something I enjoyed. If you do not have any previous knowledge of Greek mythology, good luck understanding. This book has taken me an entire month to read rather than days with others. I liked the idea because I thought it was re-telling, but was disappointed with the results. I never did keep up with the other families that didn't have much of an impact on the characters, and only focused on the main ones (Miles, Cas, Lore, Van, and Athena).

The flashbacks were a nice addition and I appreciated them greatly as they somewhat expanded on each character a little more each time. Overall, the ending wasn't as bad as I anticipated it to be, but left me somewhat unsatisfied. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys Greek mythology and is around the age of 12-15. =) ( )

So I guess I am too "old school" to have fully enjoyed this book. I was so intrigued by the cover. I love reading books on mythology. (One of my favorites is Circe by Madeline Miller). I thought this would be a retelling of an ancient myth, but it was not. The author took the names of Greek gods but then created a story of the Agon, a punishment set forth for the gods rebelling and threw in a bunch of twenty-something year olds. Every 7 years the gods are made to walk the earth as mortals and are hunted by descendants (mortals) of the ancients bloodlines. It was a lot of fighting and really had no back story of the ancient gods. I actually found it a bit confusing about the gods being gods, and then mortals and then other people killing them and then they become gods, but not "real" gods. It was more about a group of young kids who were trying not to die. Not what I thought it would be and it was just ok for me. I received a complimentary e-book. ( )

Netgalley was kind enough to loan me an early release copy of Lore by Alexandra Bracken. I haven't read this author even though I have one series a teacher requested for the Hutch library. I wanted to see what her writing is like so that I know which students would enjoy reading her works. I would list this novel as fantasy and appealing to later 7th grade graders to high school readers. Of course, if it interests you no matter your age, go for it!

Lore's normal life she's lived for seven years comes to an end. It's the Agon again. Every seven years, nine gods have to walk the earth and battle descendents of the other ancient bloodlines. There's a list in the book to keep up with who is who. Lore lost her family in the last Agon and just wants to pass it by. While participating in a fight for money, she sees Cas, whom she thought had died seven years ago. This event is one catalyst for her to join the Agon. She questions how he could be alive and discovers that he's the new Apollo. When the gods are killed, the person who kills them can ascend to become the new god. The question remains, how? Cas couldn't have killed Apollo. Lore needs to make sure he doesn't die in this Agon. Lore thought she could escape it and leave the losses behind her, but maybe she needs to face those losses and fighting the Agon would bring who she is back instead of hiding in a normal life.

The novel really isn't about the Agon, it's about the main character, Lore. Loss consumes her. She lost her family, Cas and the man who took her in, Gil. Gil left her his home and money. He also provided shelter to Miles, who becomes Lore's best friend. She's found stability in these last seven years and doesn't really want to participate in the violent chaos. Her consuming anger has been relegated to fighting for money. She's never learned to control her anger; this anger and her training from childhood to fight will help Lore ensure Cas survives. She can't lose him again. The other catalyst that pulls Lore into the seven day Agon is the appearance of Athena, who arrives severely injured at Lore's door. They form an alliance--if one dies, the other dies. With Cas comes another person they used to train with, Van, and plans begin to be made. Can they trust the god? Lore believes they can. Lore needs to control her anger, fight smart, survive, and make sure Cas survives. They have seven days.

The novel has flashbacks so that you learn about Lore, her family, and her relationship with Cas as well as what happened that made her run away. Everyone wants the aegis, which had been with Lore's family before another bloodline had it and then it was stolen during the last Agon. Many think Lore knows where it is--only few can wield it. Her family can. Would the power of the aegis end the Agon? Her family is dead, so no one knows if she knows where it is. In the end, everyone wants the Agon to end. The new Ares, Wrath, is determined to end it and be the one god standing. Others want to end it because of the brutality. Supposedly, there is a poem with the aegis that tells how. As the novel advances, they make discoveries about different people and make plans; there are fights and healing and surprises and broken alliances and a tiny bit of romance.

There's a lot going on. I didn't really keep up with the different families because all that matters is what happens to our main people: Lore, Athena, Cas, Van, and Miles (the only "mortal"). I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel and went to bed late each night. I love that this novel is a standalone! I thought the ending was appropriate and supported the character arc. If you liked Percy Jackson and want something much higher level, try this. ( )

mythology and alexandra bracken. that's all i need to know