Review: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars | It is always a joy to have a new Alexandra Bracken book! Her latest is Lore, which is a standalone fantasy novel that focuses on Greek mythology and is set in New York City (two of my favorite things). It's centered around an event called the Agon, in which the nine Greek gods are forced to become mortals every seven years and are hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines who can then kill them and gain their powers. For years, Lore Perseous has turned her back on that world and hidden herself away after the brutal deaths of her family. But when the next hunt comes to her city, two participants find her: her childhood friend Castor, whom she believed to be dead, and the wounded goddess Athena. She can't ignore either of them and from that moment, it's go go go. Because it's a standalone, the action starts immediately and the entire book had a high stakes feeling from start to finish. 

I loved the way Bracken interpreted Greek mythology, pulling in the gods and the rival families (you can guess where Lore is from, right?) and gave it a modern twist by setting it in the present and NYC. From the beginning, Lore was a heroine who intrigued me. I wanted to know her backstory and everything that led her to this moment of joining the fight after years of isolation. I admired her courage and unwillingness to follow the rules dictated by the society she was a part of. The build up of her story completely paid off and the secondary characters who join her only built upon that. Friends from her past and present quickly played a huge role and I'm always a fan of watching unique individuals come together to form an unlikely crew (Bracken is so good at this!). Overall Lore was a super fun, well-written book with lots of twists and turns that kept me on my toes. 

Do I recommend? Absolutely! It's out as of yesterday so definitely pick it up. 

***
pub 1/5/21 by Disney-Hyperion
Young Adult - Fantasy - Mythology
Received ARC from pub for review
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