Lore

by Alexandra Bracken
young adult | fantasy | published January 2021

MY RATING: ★★★★★

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LORE Synopsis

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, 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 in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. 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 out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

Lore Book Review

It’s been a while since I’ve read fantasy, and although I’m not super familiar with Greek mythology, I was fully immersed in Alexandra Bracken’s Lore. It’s filled with powerful characters (and strong female protagonists!!), breathtaking magic, and epic adventure.

What stood out to me the most about Lore was the seamless and ingenious combination of the immortal and mortal worlds. Lore takes place in modern-day New York City, and the constant mentions of technology and NYC landmarks don’t let you forget that. The technology—mechanisms like drones, iPhone location tracking, and facial recognition—is actually used to enhance the plot, which I loved.

Lore is Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games. You get your fix of bloodthirsty Greek gods and their endless eras of drama, and you also get your action-packed competition.

The Agon is the book’s original competition that forces Greek gods to head down to Earth as mortals. For one week, hunters attempt to kill a god to take their powers, therefore protecting their bloodline and attaining kleos, AKA eternal glory.

Since I’m not a regular fantasy reader, I did get caught up in trying to follow and remember all of the gods and the intricacies of the made-up worlds. Still, I blew through Lore in 2 days because at its core, it’s a page-turner.

It’s also a darker page turner. Although Lore is a young adult fantasy novel, it has deeper and darker themes and quite a bit of violence. That’s certainly to be expected when the entire plot revolves around a battle royale game that forces Greek gods to descend to their deaths. I appreciated the dark elements and the messed up family histories. Everyone has a grudge or is seeking revenge, and the characters’ fierce personalities make for great dialogue and development.

The book also has its share of twists, turns and betrayals so I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Alexandra Bracken. Lore is a book I won’t soon forget, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a brilliant world to escape to.

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