Audio Review: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Narrator: Fryda Wolff
Published by Disney-Hyperion on 2021-01-05
Age Range: 12+
Length: 466 pages
Length: 15 hours and 47 minutes
Listening Speed: 2x
Reviewing Audiobook, Hardcover from My Book Shelf
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2025, 2025 Audiobook Challenge, 2025 Beat the Backlist, 2025 SFF Reading Challenge

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love, and redemption.

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 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 her out: Castor, a childhood friend Lore believed to be dead, and Athena, one of the last of the original gods, now gravely wounded.

The goddess offers 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.

This one has been on my TBR (and physical shelf) for far too long! Lore by Alexandra Bracken is an urban fantasy inspired by Greek mythology. Every seven years, the Agon begins, and this cycle is about to start. The Agon is punishment for a rebellion led by Athena that lasts for one week. During that week, nine of the Greek gods become mortal and walk the earth, hunted by descendants of Greek legends. If one of them kills a god, they become that god and will be hunted in the next cycle. And so it continues every seven years.

Lore Perseous left the Agon and her life behind after a tragedy befell her family, leaving her as the only survivor. She’s tough, can fight, and knows how precious life is. She’s carved out a new life for herself and wants nothing to do with the old one. This will be the first Agon since she left. She has no intentions on hunting or participating…until a ghost from her past stumbles in.

Castor was Lore’s childhood friend, her partner that she trained with. When she saw him last, he was dying of a rare form of cancer. Now he’s healthy and a new god. Lore is left with little choice but to trust her old friend and protect him if she can from those that seek his divinity. Cas is an enigma to her. He never wanted power, so why did he kill a god to become one and, perhaps the better question, how did he do it?

This plot moves at a breakneck speed. I love all the characters, their nuances and flaws, and how they interact with one another. Athena plays a large role in the book, seeking help from Lore at the beginning. The action scenes are phenomenal and bring you right into the thick of the fighting. I loved seeing how the author interwove her story with the myths we know about the Greek gods and the urban setting. Miles is perhaps my favorite addition to the story. He is Lore’s best friend and roommate. He also happens to know nothing about the Agon or its history. He’s a breath of fresh air and an excuse for some interesting info dumping.

Overall, I really enjoyed Lore. The action, the mythology, the romance….all of it. It was a fun read from start to finish. Lore is easy to root for. You want her to win and reach her goals. If you are a fan of urban fantasy, I highly recommend it.

Audiobook Note: While I have a hardback copy of this book (also an ebook 😅), I opted to listen, and I’m so glad I did. This was the first time I’ve listened to Wolff, and I’ll be looking for more from her. She was fantastic. I never struggled to figure out who was talking during dialogue. Her subtle inflections fully immersed me in Lore’s world, and I did not want it to end.

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