You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Lore was not what I wanted it to be, but that’s not the book’s fault.
I love a mythology retelling or reimagining, and that’s what I thought Lore would be. Instead, it was a giant game of hide and seek with a couple of Greek gods and multiple McGuffins. This was more of a thriller through a filter of mythology instead of what I was hoping it would be.
I think that part of the problem was the pacing. I found the first ~60-70% to be kinda boring. Once we got to the climax it definitely became more interesting, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time given to the resolution for that climax to feel impactful. Part of that is because this book takes place over seven days, and that’s not very long, but there’s a lot of exposition and expository monologues.
Another issue I had was with the romance subplot. I did not feel any chemistry between the two love interests until the very end of the book. The pining between two secondary characters was more compelling for me. Honestly, Miles and Van are the two most interesting characters and we don’t spend nearly enough time getting to know them.
All in all, this book was fine. It did what it set out to do, I’m just not convinced that what it set out to do was particularly interesting. 3.5 stars.
I love a mythology retelling or reimagining, and that’s what I thought Lore would be. Instead, it was a giant game of hide and seek with a couple of Greek gods and multiple McGuffins. This was more of a thriller through a filter of mythology instead of what I was hoping it would be.
I think that part of the problem was the pacing. I found the first ~60-70% to be kinda boring. Once we got to the climax it definitely became more interesting, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time given to the resolution for that climax to feel impactful. Part of that is because this book takes place over seven days, and that’s not very long, but there’s a lot of exposition and expository monologues.
Another issue I had was with the romance subplot. I did not feel any chemistry between the two love interests until the very end of the book. The pining between two secondary characters was more compelling for me. Honestly, Miles and Van are the two most interesting characters and we don’t spend nearly enough time getting to know them.
All in all, this book was fine. It did what it set out to do, I’m just not convinced that what it set out to do was particularly interesting. 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual violence, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
lqvekanthony's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
ivegotyourpaperback's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This was a fun ‘what if’-scenario of a book posing questions like:
- what if Zeus was was once betrayed by the gods? (only some of them, not the whole pantheon)
- What if in retaliation he made them mortal for a week every 7 years to be hunted?
- What if the decedents of epic hero’s were the hunters?
- What if he never got bored of seeing the gods being hunted and this went on for thousands(?) of years?
- What if the Gods and Goddesses never thought to exterminate the hunters in the 7 years between each Agon when they have their power again?
- What if it’s taken this long for a hunter to finally go “bugger this, I’m done. Peace out, bitches ✌️”?
- What if the Agon is always held in a different city, but it’s not clear how said city is chosen?
There is quite a large cast of characters in the book and I was very grateful to the author for including both a guide of the different Hunter lines and a full character list.
I liked the discussion about Medusa, her transformation, and the way she’s viewed in history as either a monster or a victim. Most importantly I liked that Lore called Athena out on her BS re the role she played in that myth.
While the story was enjoyable enough there were a number of things that I felt weren’t explained/ didn’t make sense. I found it best set these aside and not think too much about them while reading.
At the end though, I was super bummed that Zeus never showed up, which seems out of character for the King of the Gods. The Gods are known for their interference in the lives of humans. It seems odd that he or the other gods from the pantheon (those who aren’t members of the Agon) wouldn’t treat this like their favourite sporting match and choose sides to root for (a La the Trojan War).
I don’t think the romance was necessary. It didn’t really add anything to the story. Castor and Lore could have just been best friends and the plot still would have worked.
As the story is set in New York City you’ll probably get a lot more enjoyment out of it if you’re from NYC (or are familiar with the city). At times the story felt like part love letter to this iconic location.
This was a great example of a book with a fabulous premise, but just a ‘meh’ execution.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Rape, and Sexual assault
Implication of groomingwadebittleston's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
jacq_benoit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness
grace_reads13's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and War
anhe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Completely different to what I expected. Greek myths and deities reimagined in our modern world. I liked the world that was created and the little hints and jokes to myths. At times I was confused and wondering whether I had missed some important information. You find out about the world and it's history and rules throughout the book so the first about 100 pages I had no idea what was going on and felt very confused. As a mystery it was good and you got to know bits and pieces of the backstory every now and again.
It was much more violent than I expected. There are a lot of graphic fight scenes and deaths.
The ending felt a bit rushed and abrupt.
It was much more violent than I expected. There are a lot of graphic fight scenes and deaths.
The ending felt a bit rushed and abrupt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Grief and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault
cllaireisabella's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: War
Minor: Rape
cassy_smith's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Really enjoyed the start of the book. The story drew me in right away. However that draw didn’t stay. While the book always kept my attention while reading, I forgot about it when I put the book done. I didn’t need to know what happened to these characters. Still a solid, fun read. Kinda if about the last few chapters though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Body horror
elntastic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Chronic illness