Review: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Lore by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This comes out on January 5th, 2021.  If you like Greek Mythology you need to check this out. Also if you liked The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner this is a good one to check out as it is action packed!

I loved this!  Despite being a touch on the side of too long, it kept my interest the entire time.  Everytime my attention started to stray, Bracken threw in some morsel of information or a twist to peak my interest and get me re-energized and back into the story.  If you are a lover of Greek Mythology, you are going to really enjoy this YA standalone.   

This follows Melora aka Lore who has renounced her part in the Agon as the last surving member of her bloodline.  As the Agon begins again she is reunited with her best friend whom she believed to be dead in the last Agon and she finds herself pulled back into a life she wanted nothing to do with.  As fragile alliances are formed and Lore struggles to keep those she cares about safe until the end of the Agon she can't help but remember the heinous crimes done to her in the past and the person she used to be.

This book has it all, a complex plot, non-stop action, great references to Greek Mythology (which I love), and great characters.  Each time I thought I had the plot figured out the author threw us another twist to keep things interesting.  I really enjoyed the take on the original mythology and gods she choose to use and the creation of the Agon as punishment for their meddling and destruction in the human world.  I also appreciated seeing a strong female lead who called out some of the misogynistic tendencies we've seen in these stories of old.  It was nice to see the old ways challenged and the God of War bested by the same "little girl".  I also loved the other characters.  Castor, Van and Miles all kept Lore grounded and they never compromised themselves for the Agon.  I really appreciated the inner turmoil Lore faced throughout the book regarding revenge, killing other, returning to the Agon, and ending the Agon completely.  She constantly struggled with her feelings and we actually got to see it on the page.  I really enjoyed her growth throughout the book.

I believe this is intended for a YA audience, but much like the Greek myths it is pretty violent and dark at times.  There is alot of violence and death in this book, which is inline with the subject matter.  It is no worse than The Hunger Games or the actual Greek myths so if you are OK with reading those I would say you'll be OK with this.  

I loved this and if you have loved Bracken's other books or like mythology I really think you'll love this too!  So why not 5 stars?  I'd give it 4.5 if I could.  It is a touch on the long side, but it is worth it.  The ending is a bit open ended.  I won't spoil it but I would have liked a bit more of a conclusion about what happened.  An epilogue would have been nice to wrap things up completely, and perhaps there is one in final version.  I'll have to check when it comes out in a few days.  I'll be buying a copy of this for myself for sure!

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