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claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
The Greek pantheon are still alive, and nine of them are being punished. Every seven years, during the Agon, the gods become mortal, and the surviving descendants of some of the most powerful Greek heroes have one week to kill them and thereby gain their power and immortality—but also their curse, their hunted existence. Only three of the original gods remain at the start of this year's Agon: Athena, Artemis, and Hermes. Lore is the last mortal descendant of the House of Perseus, but she left the hunter's life behind after her family—mother, father, and sisters—were murdered at the end of the last Agon. But when her childhood friend and training partner finds her, and Athena turns up, wounded, on her doorstep, Lore is dragged back into the world of her childhood: one of blood and violence and glory.
This felt like a slightly more adult version of Percy Jackson crossed with The Hunger Games, and while it was rather too violent for my taste, it was hard to put down. I'm a sucker for mythology (Greek and otherwise), and I really liked the little details Bracken added that were related to the myths but not essential for the main plot.I am also a sucker for the theme of sacrifice, so I liked how that was tied in as well. I loved a lot of the supporting characters: Miles, Van, and especially Castor.
Happy ending meter (no spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):Happy! (kind of inexplicably so, tbh, but I'm not complaining)
This felt like a slightly more adult version of Percy Jackson crossed with The Hunger Games, and while it was rather too violent for my taste, it was hard to put down. I'm a sucker for mythology (Greek and otherwise), and I really liked the little details Bracken added that were related to the myths but not essential for the main plot.
Happy ending meter (no spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
lyonsdenprojects's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Grief
paulaspityparty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual assault, and Blood
rachrreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
<i>Lore</i> by Alexandra Bracken uses the gods from Greek Mythology in a way I have never seen before. Every seven years the Agon happens. Nine of the Greek gods, as a punishment from Zeus, are made mortal one week every seven years. They are hunted by those who wish to take their place as a god. These mortals are descendants of Greek heroes chosen by Zeus himself.
This book started off so well! Bracken did a great job of immersing you into this world; explaining not only the past of the Agon, but also the past of the main character. Lore, short for Melora, grew up learning to fight alongside Castor Achilleos. She was trained to believe it was an honor to kill the gods and take their power. Although, that was never a possibility for Lore. First off, her family was small, compared to the many other families in the Agon; they had no one to ally with. Secondly, she's a woman and the Agon is very set in it's patriarchy. She would only be able to wound a god and allow their patriarch to take the power.
This all changes when Lore's family is murdered and she is the only one left in her bloodline. Her family was murdered in the last Agon by the new Ares (known as Wrath). Lore runs from the Agon, believing she can leave it behind. She was fairly successful, until Athena shows up at her door bloody and asking for help. Athena offers Lore something she desperately wants; something she is unable to turn down.
The friendship between the main characters was so much fun to read and it didn't feel forced. Their bond was formed so easily, learning to trust each other when it mattered most. Each character had a role to play, no one was just there to fill a void.
This story was amazing! I kept wanting to read more and more. There is suspense and new twists at every turn, but the ending felt so rushed. Bracken spent so much time building the ending up, only for it to be done in a few chapters. This was a disservice to the characters and the story. I felt myself thinking "This is it? It's over?" I am disappointed in the many questions left about the ending and why it had to happen that way.
The ending is the one reason I had to put this as 4 stars instead of 5. Up until the last 100 pages this book was perfect to me. I would have gladly read a 500+ page book if the ending would've been more fleshed out. I will definitely be reading this again, though.
This book started off so well! Bracken did a great job of immersing you into this world; explaining not only the past of the Agon, but also the past of the main character. Lore, short for Melora, grew up learning to fight alongside Castor Achilleos. She was trained to believe it was an honor to kill the gods and take their power. Although, that was never a possibility for Lore. First off, her family was small, compared to the many other families in the Agon; they had no one to ally with. Secondly, she's a woman and the Agon is very set in it's patriarchy. She would only be able to wound a god and allow their patriarch to take the power.
This all changes when Lore's family is murdered and she is the only one left in her bloodline. Her family was murdered in the last Agon by the new Ares (known as Wrath). Lore runs from the Agon, believing she can leave it behind. She was fairly successful, until Athena shows up at her door bloody and asking for help. Athena offers Lore something she desperately wants; something she is unable to turn down.
The friendship between the main characters was so much fun to read and it didn't feel forced. Their bond was formed so easily, learning to trust each other when it mattered most. Each character had a role to play, no one was just there to fill a void.
This story was amazing! I kept wanting to read more and more. There is suspense and new twists at every turn, but the ending felt so rushed. Bracken spent so much time building the ending up, only for it to be done in a few chapters. This was a disservice to the characters and the story. I felt myself thinking "This is it? It's over?" I am disappointed in the many questions left about the ending and why it had to happen that way.
The ending is the one reason I had to put this as 4 stars instead of 5. Up until the last 100 pages this book was perfect to me. I would have gladly read a 500+ page book if the ending would've been more fleshed out. I will definitely be reading this again, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Chronic illness
Arranged marriage mentionjennvreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
dominikag's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Terminal illness
sarahasyouwish's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The concept for this book is a wonderful one, where Greek Gods must battle against hunters and each other for their survival during a competition that takes place every seven years. That and the stunning cover drew me to it. I found the story to be a bit confusing at times with so many different houses and reincarnations of the various gods and their new names. Moreover, I didn’t feel much of a connection with our main character Lore until about halfway through the book when we finally get a bit of her backstory. Once I learned more about her and her motivations, I must admit I found her quite frustrating at times because her actions didn’t always align with her supposed driving force. I was yelling at her to just go ahead and do what she needed to do instead of hesitating. This would have been a much more compelling read for me if I’d had a better connection with the characters and thus felt more invested in the struggles and their outcomes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror and Sexual assault
Minor: Cancer
_forestofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If you enjoyed The Hunger Games and Red Rising, you will likely enjoy this. I think the plot is not as tight as the other too and the pacing isn't great. It was not the book for me, but I would recommend it to people who enjoy battle and strategy with Greek myths and romance.
There were one or two more things I didn't love. Specifically the end battle which was not as epic as I expected. The two major twists which were totally predictable to me, and the fact that Lore could not shut up about how pretty Cas was every second they were together.
I liked it, but won't be re-reading it.
There were one or two more things I didn't love. Specifically the end battle which was not as epic as I expected. The two major twists which were totally predictable to me, and the fact that Lore could not shut up about how pretty Cas was every second they were together.
I liked it, but won't be re-reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Bullying
infinitegoldenfloors's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
cuppacora's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence