DNF AT 20% very confusing plot. Opening very info dumpy and the characters unlikeable. I feel like I’ve got to a stage in my reading now where I can pretty much tell by the 20% mark if I’m going to really dislike a book and this one just isn’t pulling me in.

I think this is a unique and really interesting retelling of the Greek myths. I liked the premise of the Gods walking on the earth and that they can be killed by the desendents of heroes.
Most of the time I liked the characters. I found Lore to be a little too typical YA female protagonist at times, rushing into battle without really considering anything, however I could put up with that. Castor's ascension felt a little convenient, but again, I understand why its in there as a plot device, so could deal with that.
I would have liked to have known more about what had happened in past Agon's, as I'm still unclear how long this had been happening for as some new gods seemed to be fairly young however had got their power from killing old gods, which almost suggest to me that old gods weren't being killed until fairly recently. Maybe I missed something.
It was a fast paced, enjoyable read, and I'm excited to see more people enjoy it.

A fascinating and fresh take on Greek mythology, set in the modern day.

As punishment for their behaviour, seven Olympian gods are cursed by Zeus to becomes mortal for seven days, every seven years, during which time they can be hunted by the descendants of Greek heroes and killed. Kill a god, and you take their power - but become a target yourself. After a devastating personal tragedy at the end of the last Agon, Lore has vowed to leave the worlds of gods and hunters behind, only to be dragged straight back in by a goddess on her deathbed and a promise of revenge.

Moments from many different myths are woven throughout Lore, making it a great read for classics fans. I really liked the way the new gods influenced their families fortunes during the seven years they were immortal, making everything from vaccines to successful Hollywood films. A lot of thought had gone into the role these gods could play in a modern world.

Lore was a great protagonist, who overcomes many internal obstacles over the course of the novel. Bracken has created a male-dominated world of restrictions, rules and violence, in which women are not allowed to run their households, or supposed to kill gods and ascend, but the plot has plenty of feminist undertones.

A small note of warning - there is a lot of violence in this story, so if that's something you would rather not read, this story won't be for you.

I was provided with an advanced copy of Lore for review via NetGalley.

It took me a little while to get my head around the Ancient Greek references and I found myself googling some of the Greek words. Once I’d done that it started to make a little more sense. Because it took me a little while to understand what was going on I didn’t feel like I’d really got to know the characters well and it wasn’t until halfway through the book that I started to settle into the story. Which was a little too late for me. However, that being said, it was a great premise and I think it would make a great series giving the opportunity to explore the background of some of the characters more fully. For anyone who enjoys YA fantasy and is interested in Greek Mythology this is a great read.

This is easily one of the best books I've read in 2020. It is delicious. I cannot rate it highly enough, Alexandra Bracken's world-creating skills are absolutely breath-taking, and she has done a fantastic job of breathing life into mythological characters. I want to say it's like Percy Jackson meets the Hunger Games, but I believe it is even better than that. Melora and Castor's relationship/friendship is simply divine, and I love the brilliant power play between Athena and the other gods. This really is an exceptional book. I really hope there is another.

On the surface, this should have been a favourite for me, given that I love Greek mythology and the tournament format. Unfortunately, I found this to be a predominantly dull read with some pretty predictable plot contrivances and relationships that felt forced.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First off; this book is longer than you think it is. You need more time than you think you do to read it.

Secondly; I'm afraid I didn't like it that much.

I found it really hard to keep up with who everyone is and how they're connected. There's a dramatis personae at the back, but since it wasn't listed at the front, I didn't know it was there so I couldn't refer to it. Everyone is related in confusing ways, and it often took me a while to figure out who someone is.

Apart from that, I felt that the story wasn't that well explained. Is each family going after a particular god, or any god that crosses their path? If the point is for the families to kill the gods and obtain their powers, why does (spoiler) make such a big deal about not having all the powers of the god he killed? Why is the backstory so confused and what happened to the missing gods and families?

The writing isn't bad, though. Descriptions are very vivid, and there's some fantastic ideas in here. The cover is amazing, really eye catching. I just wish that it had been developed better overall.

For the love of Gods!

Greek mythology meets hunger games in this stunning, fast-paced novel from best-selling author Alexandra Bracken.

From the moment my eyes were drawn to the front cover of this book I just knew I would be drawn into its world and the idea that humans can in-fact become gods.

This story is primarily about the hunt, the need/thirst for power, the thrill of the chase. The stakes are high and the fear is real.

Alexandra does a superb job of bringing the myths to life, mixing what we'd consider fantasy with real life in a modern NYC.

Flawless.

I've never read a book like this and I'm sure I never will again.

I'll admit there were times when I felt it a little too complicated, confusing with certain events and terminology but Bracken did a great job of keeping the momentum going. The pace never slowed and the action did not cease.

And can I applaud her for the feminist focus throughout, showing that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to those over-looked goddesses.

Lore is complex (in a good way), diverse and edgy. This is a book that is definitely going to make an exciting start for books in 2021.

Make sure it is on your to be read list now!

I received this arc for a honest review from Netgalley.

It is very hard for me to review this book because even having finished it in a few days, I still can't decide how I feel about it.

The idea of the book is great and the beginning was extremely promising, I was so excited after reading the first 10%. It was original, intriguing and I couldn't wait to find out more.

However it didn't really went anywhere from there, it felt dragging and with a lot of fillers.

Having said that, I did enjoy the book and don't regret reading it, I will pick up the next book from this author and it was much better than a lot of books I read recently.

I'm sorry to say that this book was just a mess for me.
Which was surprising and disappointing as I had enjoyed Alexandra Bracken's previous works. However, this felt like it was written well below her usual standards.

In terms of the Greek mythology elements, I have a fair amount of prior knowledge of the mythology (as it's an element in stories I enjoy) but I feel like there was an expectation on the reader to have this huge back log of knowledge because NOTHING was explained. Not in terms of the old myths or the new elements the author wove into the story.

I really didn't get on with the writing style here either. I'm not too sure how to describe it, but it just felt very choppy and that certain in-between scenes were missing. Especially when it came to action scenes. For example one of the characters would turn to another character in conversation and yet the last we were told of them they were unconscious in another room...so how are they now just popping up in dialogue.
Little things like this kept coming up which was a bit aggravating to be honest and made it very difficult to visualise sequences.

I really felt that the plot was all over the place, when it came to being 50% through and still nothing was really getting done I just felt like what was the point? How is this all going to wrap up? The characters just seemed to be wandering around New York city trying to find this item then this person and no actual plot developed.

Speaking of the characters I had zero connection to any of them. The first few pages I was really intrigued by our main character Lore. Unfortunately, the character writing was just a let down for me. There was a lot of unknown elements to her past that was constantly referred to in confusing dialogue. Which just made it look like it was trying too hard to be edgy. Very much a case of telling rather than showing.
Aside from that Lore really had no character traits that I could see. Her motivations for her actions were very flimsy. Actually motivations for everyone in the story were very flimsy and weren't really written with conviction, especially concerning who was on who's side and who are we actually fighting here.

This disappointment bled over to the characters of the gods also. Athena is one of the gods that interacts with our main character the most and, again, apart from referencing her grey eyes multiple times there was no essence to her. I've heard the term lily-pad characters before, but this seemed more flimsy than even a cardboard cut out. There was very little included about her lore and mythology which affected her motivations for me as well.

The romance aspect that was continually slow building through the story really felt out of place for me. I usually enjoy when two characters have previous history that the reader doesn't get to see but this just felt forced while at the same time, being flimsy.
Oddly timed flashbacks were over used to demonstrate the history between Lore and Castor, which was way too on the nose for my liking and just seemed like lazy writing. (This also definitely through off pacing) Again this was a surprise for me as I have really enjoyed previous romances that Alexandra has written in previous series. I really don't know how to describe what happened here.

I was so looking forward to a YA release with more Greek mythology that wasn't in the Percy Jackson world but I really don't think I'd recommend this to many people. Certainly if you're new to anything to do with Greek mythology, trying to understand the way the gods were written here would just be a waste of time in my eyes. As you, the reader, have no prior history explained to you. The world building around the gods for this book was just badly done in my opinion. It has such a good premise but this execution was really difficult to get through.
I would definitely recommend picking up any of Alexandra Bracken's other books over this one.

There were a few lines I enjoyed when characters were discussing male misogyny to do with the Greek gods and mythology but that wasn't enough to save the story for me.
I did think there was a problematic element with the mention of rape that really came out of nowhere. Which may require a content warning for some readers.
Perhaps others won't feel the same way about this but because the backstory of rape was just thrown in there and then not mentioned again or discussed it felt like it was just added for shock and effect which bothers me quite a bit in stories.
If you're going to include such a hard hitting and sensitive topic in a story I think it should be afforded the proper respect and discussion.
Yes it was rampant in Greek mythology and many many stories but I think with modern awareness on this topic it should be handled properly.

This book! I don't know where to begin!
It's hunger games in New York with the Greek Gods. I loved it!
I loved that the god's weren't made nice to fit the book or made to comical.
The myths and lores around the God/dess what's well researched and respected.

I love it and wish it was longer

This book, guys.

From the very first page, I was sucked into this Greek-mythology-in-modern-NYC world and I loved every minute of it. Every page was filled with drama, angst, loneliness, twists and turns, betrayals, and swoon-worthy kisses.

Lore was the rage-filled, flawed, hard-headed, strong-willed queen that we need after the hell-hole that is 2020. And Castor is the soft boy of my heart (insert: HE PROTECC, HE ATTACC meme ~but most importantly he [spoiler redacted]). Miles was such an amazing best friend and human, what an ABSOLUTE DELIGHT of a character. Van, oh Van, you're kind of annoying, but I GET IT, OKAY, A+.

This book was action packed, character driven, and brutal. It made me cry! But it was also fun? The dialogue! The romance! The banter! The messy Greek gods!

All in all, I loved this book. I would read literally anything that Alex Bracken wrote. Like, honestly. Be my wife.

3.5 stars

The story is set during the Agon, an event which one character describes as being like the Olympics, but with more murder. Every seven years, the Greek Gods who once rebelled against Zeus for their meddling, are sent to earth and become human for a week. During that week, families of the ancient heroes hunt the now mortal Gods, and those who manage to kill a God, are reborn as one, gaining their power, but also by becoming the prey in the next Agron.

Our main character, Lore, is from one such family, except she wants nothing to do with it. As a child, her whole family were slaughtered by an opposing family as retribution for upsetting tradition. But when the fighting comes to her doorstep and an old friend warns her that her life might be in danger, she finds herself right back in the thick of it.

I have quite mixed feelings about this book. The plot is pretty original, and whilst it is being compared to The Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson, it is not really a copy of either. The mythology aspect of it, is what really captured me, and I think it was done really well, but for me, what let it down was that it was a YA story. I think if this had been an adult fantasy novel, it could have really taken off, and I would have had more of an emotional connection to the story. The romance was very YA-insta-love, and I felt like it was more of a hindrance to the story than anything else. Also, considering the amount of trauma young Lore had experienced, I found myself getting a little annoyed by the laissez-faire attitude to her mental state. She was certainly a strong character, both physically and mentally, and you are told at the beginning that she has been depressed, but once the action starts, her mental health is largely ignored in favour of her getting revenge. A lot of the battle scenes were pretty quick as well, and considering how detailed and hard the training of would-be hunters is, it felt a little unrealistic. There were also a few scenes that seemed to contradict each other, and a number of plot holes, that caused me to lose interest around 30% in, but I did find the story gaining momentum again at around the 60% mark after a few very well done twists.

Overall, I feel like the concept of the story was better than the execution, but I will admit I am probably not the target audience, and I think a lot of the teens who come into my store will genuinely love this one. It's got that early 2010 feel to it, where YA was really taking off as a genre, and it is very imaginative and original, and I am sure many readers will love it.