Alexandra Bracken took Greek mythology to the Hunger Games in Lore and it was everything I had hoped it would be.
From the Blurb:
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 pushes 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.
In the middle of New York, there is a girl named Lore who has felt more heartbreak in her life than any teenager should. She was once a part of a world full of gods as a descendent of Perseus. Her family was one of the last of the bloodline. When they were all horribly murdered, leaving Lore alone, she decided to leave that brutal world forever.
I’m a reader who enjoys character-driven stories so of course I found Lore to be the most captivating part of this story. When we meet her it’s painfully obvious how grief has taken hold of her life. It weighs her down but it also drives her will to live.
Every seven years the nine Greek gods become mortal for an entire week; this is known as the Agon. The descendants then hunt these gods in the hopes that they can murder them and take all of their power to become the new god. When the time has come for the Agon, Lore is pulled back into its world by not only an old friend, but by a god she least expected would need her help.
Athena is one of the last original gods left and she seeks out Lore during the Agon. Lore is ready to decline an alliance with her until Athena offers something Lore simply can’t refuse. Once she officially binds herself with the god the deathly hunt truly begins.
Alexandra Bracken knows how to capture her readers and keep them on the edge of their seats. There were so many twists and turns! Plus, the world-building, on top of everything, else was brilliant.
There is a lot of information dumped throughout the book, though. Pairing it with the fast-paced action it was sometimes hard to keep up with. For readers that aren’t too familiar with Greek mythology, I think it might be harder to grasp the plot than readers who have a bit of knowledge already. Still, it was very enjoyable.
I have actually missed the YA era of Hunger Games, and Lore brought back all the thrilling memories of reading those stories. There is a lot more diversity in this book than what we got back in that era which I was happy to see.
All of the characters in Lore are fun and played a role in the overall plot. They instantly captured my heart. I wasn’t expecting to find the found family trope in this book but it was the highlight of the story and absolutely fitted into the telling of it.
Overall, I enjoyed Lore. There was a lot of action and a bit of romance, but the Greek mythology and characters were the best parts of the story. It was a bit bloodier than I thought it’d be, but that wasn’t a negative for me.
I was happily surprised that this wasn’t going to be a series. The ending felt final but I think if Alexandra Bracken wanted to expand on this world then she could. I’m glad the plot wasn’t dragged out and ended the way it did.
If you’re a fan of Hunger Games or Percy Jackson then definitely pick up this book when it releases on January 5th!
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