Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Released: January 5th, 2021
Received: Own

Lore, written by Alexandra Bracken, is one of those novels that everybody on the planet seemed to be talking about for a few months now. Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit, but not by as much as you’d expect.

It’s been seven years since the last Agon – a time when the Greek gods and goddesses are forced into mortal forms – and hunted. The new Agon is about to happen, and while Lore had the best intentions of sitting this one out (by hiding), she’s getting pulled back into the world she thought she had left behind.

Lore Perseous had left this world after the death of her family. Yet it’s their memory that will pull her back. That, and the surprise appearance from a friend she thought well and truly lost. Now she’s about to set that world on fire.

“Sometimes the braver thing is to accept help when you’ve been made to believe you shouldn’t need it.”

As a huge sucker for all things mythology, I just knew that I was going to have to set aside some time to read Lore. The fact that it’s been hyped so much just made me all the more eager to read it. So, did it live up to that hype? I’d argue that it did.

Lore’s story is compelling and fast-paced, merging ideas from mythology with the modern world in such a fascinating way. I love the idea of a world where gods hit the earth in a cyclical pattern (reminds me of The Wicked + The Divine), and how they’re forced to interact with the mortal world.

Or rather, how the mortal world hunts them for their power. It actually makes a twisted sort of sense, as it is so easy to picture people doing exactly that. There are many elements in this tale that do hit close to home, such as the treatment of women in this middle world that knows about gods and goddesses.

“I was born knowing how to do three things – how to breathe, how to dream, and how to love you.”

One of the things I enjoyed about Lore is that it is a rare standalone novel. Lore’s adventures were grand and epic, but they ended with the book. She got to have her story, and there’s no need to worry about what will happen next. And no need to worry about the power scale getting out of hand, something that is worth being worried about, when godly powers get brought into the mix.

Overall, I really did enjoy Lore. It wasn’t quite the book I was expecting, but that’s not a bad thing. It was fun and passionate, and had a solid moral backbone with I had not even thought to anticipate. It made for an intense and memorable read.