Lore by Alexandra Bracken

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.
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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.

Synopsis from Goodreads

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PERSONAL REVIEW

I'm a massive fan of Alexandra Bracken, having been first introduced to her Darkest Minds series, but equally in love with her Passenger duology. I find her writing approachable, entertaining, and engaging and was thrilled that Lore was published so early in January so I could make it my first book of the year. 

Amazing Story 
When I first listened to Bracken talk about this story on Instagram, I was interested, but wasn't really sure where this story would go. I've read a lot of Greek mythology (retellings and true history), so I assumed Lore would be another retelling. Absolutely not the case! Instead, Lore proved to be a completely original story that just happens to include Greek mythology. Taking place over seven days, we are thrust into Lore's life during an incredibly intense week while also gaining an understanding of her traumatic past. It's equally heartbreaking and heartwarming as the story reaches the end. 

Adore These Characters
I absolutely loved Lore, Castor, Van and Miles! Individually they are wonderful characters, with the majority of time being spent learning about Lore's past. (I'm hoping that Bracken decides to write some short stories in this world in the future!) While the story is told from Lore's perspective, it's still very easy to fall in love with the different relationships the characters have with each other. The friends to lovers relationship between Lore and Castor, the brotherly connection between Van and Castor, and the force that is Miles, are all wonderful to read. Bracken has done a great job creating characters that are easy to fall in love with. 

No Knowledge of Gods Needed 
I really want to make it clear that this is not a retelling of any Greek myth or myths and that you honestly don't need any previous knowledge of Greek myths or gods to enjoy this story. Bracken does an excellent job of building a contemporary fantasy world that anyone can step into and enjoy the journey. While there are gods (new and old), their backstories are either blatantly mentioned or interwoven into the story so that it's easy to understand. Plus, the gods are so intense, we spend more time worried about Lore and her friends' survival than we do pondering the ancient history of the deities themselves.

I would highly recommend his book to anyone who has enjoyed other Bracken novels, to those who enjoy contemporary YA fantasy, or to anyone looking for an engaging and intense fantasy novel. I'm so happy Lore was my first book of 2021. It was a fabulous way to start the year (especially with all the chaos the first 7 days have proven to be) and I'm hoping it's an omen that more good things are coming! 

FINAL RATING: 5/5

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