Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Lore

4.25

this was FUN!! I loved reading a book that talks about the ruthless and brutality of the Greek gods/goddesses and I loved discussing the misogyny that they had (side eyeing Athena).

I really enjoyed the premise and plot, and all the characters. some parts felt a bit confusing and the writing was a bit hard to follow at times (main reason it didn't get five stars).

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kryan1's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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lyderz_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“If there were once heroes, they are all gone now. Only the monsters remain.”

Lore is about a brutal tournament set in modern day New York, where every seven years the gods are cast down into mortal vessels and hunted by the descendants of mythic heroes. If a god dies by the hand of a hunter, that hunter gains godly powers but also has to take the old god’s place in the tournament. God, imposter, hunter, messenger, unblooded: they may be pitted against each other but all of them are really fighting to break a cycle of pain and owning up to the fact that they can’t blame the Fates for their own choices and mistakes.

As you can imagine this book is bloody, action packed, and infused with Greek Mythology every step of the way. It tackles a loss of morality in the midst of a ruthless struggle for power, glory, revenge, and survival. It felt very dark and mature for YA, Alexandra Bracken doesn’t hold back on traumatic situations and backstories. There’s this feeling of almost constant disillusionment, there are small betrayals sewn throughout the narrative, and a couple of big ones too. These characters seriously couldn’t catch a break and there were so many mini cliffhangers at the end of most of the chapters that kept the pages turning.

I had super high expectations for this book because I absolutely love The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken. I also really enjoy books inspired by mythology so I was excited going into this. I don’t want to say that it let me down, because I did enjoy it, but there were a few reasons why this book wasn’t quite a five star read for me. Firstly, this book is so full of action and yet it still managed to drag on. It also felt repetitive at parts, especially in Lore’s inner monologue. And let’s talk about Lore.. I understand that this is her epic, and it all amounts to a beautiful journey in the end.. but she frustrated me and I felt emotionally disconnected from her for most of the book. Maybe that just means that I’m heartless, because she goes through some pretty horrific things, but I didn’t really feel for her until the latter half. Also, I wish this book had multiple POVs because a lot happens “off screen” and I adore the side characters!! I wanted to get inside their head and dive deeper into their layers, because we only get to glimpse their complexities. Okay, enough of the negative stuff, let's get back to the important stuff… that being: the romance.

I absolutely loved the subtle romance in this book, which I wasn’t expecting. It’s pretty much a slow burn childhood best friends to lovers, it is so pure, sweet and tender on the surface with a hint of angst and heartache. I’m all for that kind of morally grey, emotionally inhibited, bad boy type that is so typical in YA but it was so refreshing that this book broke away from that trope and gave us a love interest that is just so fundamentally good. He’s pure hearted, sweet, tender, self-conscious, and a healer right to his core (while still being super powerful… and hot). I’m not saying he single handedly made me believe in love, but it’s a possibility. Also, we get to glimpse a super sweet side romance as well!

Lastly, this book had reluctant allies teaming up out of necessity… which is literally the perfect recipe for a chaotic found family. I’m a sucker for found family so that alone was enough to keep me invested in this story, I just wish there was a bit more character depth.

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meloanpmc's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This story is essentially The Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson meets Scythe. It’s one of those books that you can’t put down, but once you finish it, you realize that it wasn’t that great. The suspense keeps you reading and helps you forget a lot of the inconsistencies, but after the (subpar) resolution, you’re left wondering why you were so enthralled.

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dez_blair's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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stardustandrockets's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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infinitegoldenfloors's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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