Hello! January 5th sure is the day for new relases, as here’s my second review of the day. **And as always, the work to support the Black community is not done, whether there is media coverage for it or not, so here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources. You can also visit the description of this video by booktuber Jess Owens, which has links to several additional resources about global events.**
2020 really was the year for publishers and booksellers to move conferences and panels to a virtual setting. While nothing can really compare to gathering physically in one place with a bunch of other book nerds to hear authors gush about their books and books they love, virtual conventions and panels have allowed for a lot more accessibility for those who previously could not attend. The virtual conventions I’ve been able to attend this past year were the Social Distance Book Fest (which was created and run entirely by creators on YouTube), BookCon, and YALLFEST / YALLWRITE. I also entered to win various copies of books from these events, and I was able to get early copies of books through NetGalley and physically mailed to me. Lore by Alexandra Bracken, a new YA urban fantasy centering Greek mythology, was one such book that showed up at my door in the middle of December. I had heard a bit of early buzz about it, and was curious to pick it up – plus I really love standalone fantasy novels so I can have a pretty definite conclusion at the end of the book. I immediately became immersed in the story, and can’t wait to talk about it.
Every seven years, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals for seven days as a part of the Agon, punishment for a past rebellion. They are hunted by the descendents of ancient bloodlines – if the god falls victim, the mortal will seize their divine power and immortality, only to be forced to complete themselves in seven years. Lore Perseous turned her back on the hunt after her family was brutally murdered by one of the false gods ascended to power. Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, she finds herself pulled back into the world of the Agon by Castor, her childhood friend she presumed to be dead, and Athena, the wounded goddess who shows up on Lore’s doorstep. She is promised revenge on the man who murdered her family, but Lore’s alliance comes at a deadly cost, and at the end of seven days it may not be enough to save humanity.
I had heard of Alexandra Bracken before, particularly The Darkest Minds series, but I’ve never picked up any of her books. I didn’t know what to expect going in – I knew it was urban fantasy set in New York (which as a New Yorker I always love to see books set in the city) and Greek mythology was involved. I won’t say that you need to be super familiar with the Greek myths in order to follow the story, but it will be a little extra special if you are. The story really explored themes of grief, love, trust, and betrayal, was action packed for a book that takes place over one week, and I genuinely didn’t know what was going to happen next or if our cast of character was going to make it out unharmed. I really enjoyed exploring Lore’s story – of how all she’d ever known when she was little was the hunt, how she feels guilty for telling her parents she hated them the night before they died, and struggles with feeling like everything bad that’s ever happened has been her fault. Miles was an absolutely perfect sidekick, and I loved how he was just completely on board with their mission and shot down anyone who tried to tell him he wasn’t knowledgable about the hunt. His knowledge about New York City, his loyalty, and his courage were truly more valuable than anyone gave him credit for. And Castor – I’ll keep it vague to avoid spoilers but I loved seeing him grow so much more into his power as the week progressed when he realized he could use them to protect the ones he loved. He struggles with several things – not knowing the full story around his powers and how they came about, feeling like he’s always starting at a disadvantage when compared to everyone else, and dealing with Lore coming back into his life after he thought she had been dead (granted she thought the same of him, so there’s that). Castor remained humble, lovable, loyal, and so very protective throughout the entire Agon, and they truly could not have accomplished what they did without his help.
When it comes to high action books, as in books where I’m not sure what the outcome is going to be or who is going to make it out alive, I tend to find myself skipping lines to ease myself of the heartache early or allow myself to be relieved. Which ultimately means I lose some of the story during my read – however, I do go back and reread those books, and already knowing what is going to happen, I can let indulge myself in all the prose and finally have the full scope of the story. That was definitely the case with Lore, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy in a few weeks so I can truly enjoy the book for what it was. I thought this was a wonderful book by Bracken, and while I’m not entirely sure I’ll go back and read her backlist, I’ll definitely keep an eye out for any new releases she has in the future. Lore is set to be released on January 5th, 2021 (which is the day this post goes live, if everything goes well), so please join me in wishing it a happy book birthday, and if you’re in the mood for Greek gods roaming New York City trying to avoid being murdered, maybe pick up a copy of your very own. *Thank you to YALLWRITE and the publisher, Disney-Hyperion for the copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
There is a note about the book from Alexandra Bracken’s website, which I will include here: (Please Note: Given the darkness of the source material, this book contains more mature content than my past work in the form of more graphic depictions of violence and discussion/mention of sexual assault, and therefore may not be the right fit for all readers.)
Places to find Lore:
Bookshop
Amazon
Goodreads
Alexandra Bracken’s site
Disney Books
Thoughts About Things 