Lore – Alexandra Bracken

Once again, I want to give a huge thanks for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Now, where do I even begin? This book was…unbelievable, to say the least. It’s probably my new favorite book. Lore is a unique story that includes Greek mythology, and, as someone who’s never been into Greek mythology, this really surprised me.

Luckily for me, I had already read the first six chapters of this book through Netgalley, as an excerpt. This little sneak peak on the book made me so ready to dive right in, and let me tell you, I was hooked. 

Plot

The plot for this book was so creative and unique. I don’t even know where to begin. Well, let me explain the idea first. 

As punishment for a rebellion that happened long into the past, Zeus punishes nice Greek gods, and they are forces to walk the earth as mortals for seven days, every seven years. They are hunted by descendants of ancient bloodlines, and once killed, the hunter gains the power of the god, including their immortality. So begins the Agon. 

Lore Perseous, our main character, fled the Agon seven years ago when her family was murdered. Lore had pushed away thoughts and feelings of the brutal world, and revenge for the murderer of her family for seven years, but, as the new Agon begins in New York City, a childhood friend who she believed dead, and an ancient goddess find her for help. 

Lore is offered the chance to leave the Agon for good by taking a deal with the goddess to kill their mutual enemy, but Lore’s decision to take the deal may not be enough to end the Agon for good. 

Can we just talk about how amazing the storyline is? I’m sorry, but I’ve never read anything remotely similar to it, and I was so surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Hunters are literally running around New York City to become immortal gods! Like, how incredible is that? 

Characters

Let’s start with Lore. Lore is such a mysterious and powerful character. I really loved her. She was just an easy character to fall into the rhythm of, and it was cool to see her take on everything. Her love for New York City makes me smile too, I mean, who doesn’t love a character that loves their home? Along with that, her not wanting to actually take the power from the gods, but help people instead just makes her that much better a character. She’s a genuinely beautiful, good-souled character that deserved the world, but unfortunately, had a lot of dark things done to her. 

Castor Achilleos. My favorite! He’s just so adorable!! Castor is another super powerful character, not just in terms of literal power, but just overall. He has a huge influence on everyone. Castor was another character that was really easy to follow, and it was clear that he was good hearted from the moment he entered the novel. His character development is another thing that I have to mention. He grows into a completely different person from the beginning of the book to the end. He’s stronger, more powerful, more intelligent, just overall, more well-rounded. I always love a good character development. 

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

Let’s talk about Miles. Miles is just a little baby character like he’s just so cute! I want to protect him from the world and make him happy, but I also want him to go out and be a big strong guy who can hold his own ground. Miles’ affect on everyone in the group was kind of really adorable. He made everyone come out of their own shells, and he made the story just…better. He was just a really funny and welcome addition. Along with all of that, his knowledge of the city just makes him that much more important. Without Miles, I doubt the crew could have gotten very far, and for an “Unblooded” that means a lot. 

Evander was another character in the crew, but I have to say I didn’t like him until his robot bird came out of knowhere. I mean it was a pretty cool, what can I say? Also, his relationship development with Miles? Adorable! Literally so cute. 

I also have to mention the best friends to lovers trope in the book. It just made the book wholesome. Like come on, they were the perfect match from the beginning and it was clear it was going to happen, and it was so so worth it.

Setting

This book takes place in New York City, and it was honestly the best place for it happen. Big city where our main character knows where everything is? Perfect. Along with that, Central Park and many tourist attractions were mentioned so it was pretty easy to visualize too. 

Writing

I’ve never read an Alexandra Bracken book before, but I really loved it. The writing style was unique and it was a refreshing change. It was also really clear and easy to read. This book is a genuinely fun read, and it’s super high on details…but not in a bad way. 

There’s also the way that Lore’s backstory was introduced. Instead of getting everything at the beginning, there were chapters scattered throughout the entire book, and we find out more and more about what happened that night and why she is the way she is while also following the story. I actually loved the way that this was written. It was really cool to see Lore’s backstory as she also progressed in the present. 

In Conclusion…

This book is definitely one of my new favorites. All I can say is, you have to read this. It’s got romance, a tragic backstory, greek mythology, betrayals, plot twists, everything you need in an incredible story. The writing was so unique and different than anything I’ve read before, and it was a feel-good book that made me laugh, cry, and get goosebumps all over!

Rating: 5/5⭐