Lore

 Synopsis

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals. They are hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.

Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory after her family was murdered by a rival line. For years she's pushed away any thoughts of revenge against the man- now a god- responsible for their deaths.

Yet, as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek her out: Castor, a childhood friend Lore believed to be dead, and Athena, one of the last original golds, now gravely wounded.

The goddess offers Lore an alliance against their mutual enemy and a way to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to rejoin the hunt, binding her fate to Athena's, will come at a deadly cost- and it may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

Loved

• Lore. It's really hard not to cheer for Lore from the very beginning, even when she's tough as nails fighting at a street club the first time we meet her. Lore is fierce and bold, but not bratty or power-hungry-- which is a refreshing mix. We quickly learn that Lore has a huge heart underneath her devil-may-care attitude, and multiple times we see her sacrifice herself for her friends without a second thought. One of my favorite things about Lore is her sarcasm and petulance. I laughed out loud a few times at Lore's thoughts about other people and her sarcastic comments even in the worst situations. She is also very raw in her emotions, but able to process through them throughout the story, and we see some nice development in her character from start to finish.

• The secondary characters. This is the best crew of characters and I'd almost be tempted to join the Agon just to hang out with them. Castor for his constant goodness, selflessness, and belief in others (complemented by his perfect Greek god body ;). Van for his secret selflessness and insecurity underneath a very stoic exterior. And best of all, Miles- the hilarious, witty, and extremely brave best friend who quite nearly walks through Hades itself for Lore and their friends. He is so relatable and lovable and I want him for my best friend!

• The mythology. This is such a fascinating twist on Greek mythology because it combines ancient stories and timeless gods with modern society and present-day New York. This was a very original and well-thought out plot that feels unlike any other mythology-influenced book I've ever read or heard about. It was fascinating to have Athena, Artemis, Hermes and other mythological figures become real people with their own problems, insecurities, and character development. I think Athena is the most interesting character in this story and we see her develop more than anyone else, which is powerful since she's, you know, immortal and unchangeable and all that.

• The action. This was Hunger-Games type action and intensity from page one of the story, and never slows down. The comparison to Hunger Games is quite fitting as all the bloodlines are trying to kill each other, so you never know when you might get assassinated walking down the street, or who is going to betray you when your back is turned. This was a sprint of a story with surprising plot twists, intriguing mysteries, and characters learning about themselves along the way-- which all made for a very fast-paced and fascinating story from the first page.

Didn't Love

• My only complaint about this story is that it's a standalone!! I would completely eat up more of this cast of characters if there was more written about them. Maybe in the future please???

Content

• Language: 
• Strong language: VERY frequent uses of "Sh**," "A**," "A**hole," "Damn," "Hell," and one use of "F***."

• Sexual content: 
• References to affairs and infidelity among bloodlines and gods.
• A few kissing scenes between male-female couple. Tongue mentioned, hands exploring each other, but nothing sexual.
• A kiss between a male-male couple.
• **Many references to sexual assault and rape. Rape is fairly prevalent in this story. 
• One sexual assault scene described in detail- man tears off female's shirt and tries to force her to kiss him, and she fights him.
• Young girls are sold off and "bedded" to keep bloodlines alive.
• Many references to girls being "used," "sold," "bedded," and used for men's desires. Main character fights this culture throughout the book.

• Violence
• Lots of violence in pretty much every chapter.
• Countless deaths through stabbing, beheading, getting shot with arrows, and throats being slit.
• Many fighting scenes with fists, arrows, spears, daggers, etc.
• Lots of innocent people killed and bodies described with blood.
• Woman kills a man by slitting his throat while he is sexually assaulting her.
• Multiple fights ending in appendages getting cut off.
• Lots of bloodthirst- one character even tasting another's blood.
• Some characters killed as sacrifices to gods.
• People killed through getting fried from the inside out or burned by fire.
• One man is cut in half from his torso while his daughter watches.
• Family is murdered before the story begins- two small girls are tortured and their eyes are cut out. Parents are forced to watch and are killed.

Overall Thoughts

This book was everything I had hoped for and sooooo much more. It delivered the interesting element of Greek mythology and the Hunger-Games type action, but what I did not expect was to laugh out loud and even become moved at how the characters developed throughout the story. This had much more heart than I imagined- with characters who are totally relatable and care about each other so fiercely, while each one reconciles with his/her own demons and insecurities. I didn't expect to fall completely in love with these characters and I already miss them after closing the book. This is one of those stories that rises up from the pages and grips you, and doesn't let you go, even after reading the last page. This is definitely worth reading for the action and nod to Greek mythology, but you'll find yourself surprised at how much you care about these characters and how they love, learn, and grow- all while staving off assassinations and staying a step ahead of their enemies. Don't miss this one- especially if you're interested in mythology!