Hey, all!
I just finished Lore, by Alexandra Bracken! It just turned midnight here but hey I'm VERY hyped on sugars from the Skittles I've been snacking on and the absolute high this book gave me. Because seriously, this was the YA urban fantasy I've been waiting for!
NOTE: I received this ARC from Netgalley. This absolutely positively superduper doesn't alter my view of the book in any way. Thank you DisneyBooks and Alexandra Bracken for entrusting little ol' me with this early copy! Lore will be out on the 5th of January everywhere so make sure to keep an eye out for it! Naturally, this review will be spoiler-free.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought 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 out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.
The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost--and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees."
Okay. I just... I need to get my fangirl rambling out of the way before I can write absolutely anything consistent. This book is the perfect blend of ancient Greece and modern New York, old customs and cutting edge technology, old-fashioned issues and diversity. It covers so much in just over 450 pages, that it is clear that this is going to be a hit. It's messed up and twisted and bloody but also funny and endearing and so gosh dang cute sometimes!
I'm a 24-year-old who grew up with Percy Jackson, The Mortal Instrument and The Hunger Games. The 'golden era' of YA where almost anything published was an insta-hit. I see so, so many people compare this book to those three, but imagine this: those three books met, matured a whole lot, and had a murderous love child. And even then, it's difficult to image the complexity that was Lore.
For the sake of minimizing rambling, I'm going to talk about several distinct points that I think truly highlight why this book stood out for me so much this year.
1. Take That, Tropes!
So many authors find a certain comfort in writing tropes that they know are popular. Insta-love, love triangles, the chosen one, the 'I'm a what?!' , the gods being super chill... you know what I mean. Pick up any book and you should be able to name a trope, right? ...Right!? This book did something different. No insta-love, no triangles, no chosen one. The gods are evil, the main character always knew what she was... this was just another (violent) 'chapter' in her life. I truly appreciated being surprised on this level. Although there were some rather expected developments, Bracken truly keeps you on your toes throughout this story.
2. The Characters, Me Likey!
Anyone who's followed me for a while knows I have a weak spot for two things in books: short chapters, and likable characters. Heck, I've read most of the Shadowhunter books purely for the feels the characters bring up.
Every single character in Lore brought something new to the table. Lore herself was a flawed fighter, Castor was such a rock for everyone, Miles brought the laughs and a sense of familiarity, and Van was the careful tech genius.
And don't get me started on the GODS.
I loved seeing that break from the usual convention of gods being approachable and borderline quirky. These gods were dangerous, out for blood, revenge and victory. I loved seeing a feral Artemis and a vulnerable Athena. I loved seeing an Apollo just try his best and an Ares being more than just 'BLOOD GOOD!'. Every character had so many facets, I'm surprised a disco ball didn't just emerge from the pages.
Also: Stable. Ships. You ship em on page 1, you keep shipping em on the last page. That's all I'll say about that.
3. When will you learn, that your acTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!?
Well, Bracken must have found that meme and imprinted it in her mind, because she seemed to have made sure that everything that happened in this ancient Greek battle royale had real-world consequences too. From making sure meetings happened in abandoned buildings to explaining the repercussions of a city-wide blackout, the city of New York was as much a character in this book as Athena or Miles. It even went into little details, such as losing track of a team mate because the city didn't have cameras in a specific area. Lore draws a fantastic interplay between actions and location, such as I have rarely read.
4. Let's Talk About That
Ok, I must say, I had fun with this book from page 1, but there was a moment that I got... concerned. The story started being relatively misogyny-heavy, with a constant pressure on 'male heirs' and making sure men get what they want. This surprised me, but after a while, this becomes very clearly explained, and even more clearly a tool for character development. Bracken was not afraid to talk about things that can be seen as taboo in the YA realm: the idea of possession and attempted r*pe, yes, but she also made the characters vulnerable. Lore wasn't perfect - in fact several times she missed in fights, wasn't brave enough to go through with actions or just plainly never had the upper hand. There was a whole segment about Medusa being seen as a witch, simply because she didn't adhere to beauty standards. This book took these ideas and directly confronted them. I applaud.
Goodness it's almost 1:00 AM now, I could keep talking about this book for a while yet! I'm giving it a 4.5/5 stars! If I had to take away points it would be for the last chapter: it felt a tad rushed. Additionally, one character could have been given a more central role. However I'm also aware that this is an ARC and things may differ in the final version!
Caro