Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, 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 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.

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Review

Lore has been on my radar for quite a long time. The cover is so simple, elegant and stunning that it was impossible to avoid purchasing it. That said, the synopsis was a bit hazy. For some reason, I couldn’t wrap my brain around the whole concept. I would pick it up and set it back down again. Finally, I put it as a July TBR candidate, the TBR wheel chose it for me, and I suppose you could say that reading the novel came down to fate.

At the start of Lore, I found it challenging to understand what was happening. I felt immediately thrown into the book, the action began, and I tried to stay afloat while processing it. Essentially, Lore is the main character and reluctantly takes part in the “Agon,” a hunt in which ancient Greek gods and goddesses must roam the earth as mortals as punishment for a previous rebellion. Lore was raised as a hunter, belonging to Perseus’ bloodline (Perseus, the slayer of Medusa). Athena, the goddess of war, is the one pulling her into the hunt. She has some crucial intel and makes an offer to Lore.

The setting takes place in modern times and makes for a curious read. It was a point that I was highly skeptical of enjoying, but for some reason, it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. In reflection, I wonder if I might have enjoyed it more if set in centuries earlier, but I’ll never know.

There were elements I enjoyed. Greek mythology is such a fascinating field. I’m always eager to learn more about this topic. A net positive is that I learned more about the myths and tales of Medusa, Perseus, and Athena. For example, I didn’t know why Medusa became a gorgon.

In Lore, there just wasn’t enough of what I wanted and too much of what I didn’t. In other words, I wanted so much more Greek mythology and world-building and fewer action-packed scenes. I craved background information on the various bloodlines and a greater understanding of the hunt, its origin, and what happened during earlier rounds. Therefore, this resulted in a very rushed feeling with an overall lack of depth. I did enjoy the story, but it felt like it was published a decade or more ago – I was surprised to learn that it was published in 2021. The characters needed more depth to them and fell flat. But overall, I enjoyed the story and conclusion but had several issues with it along the way.

I recommend this to those interested in a fast-paced, action-packed YA Fantasy with Greek mythology elements intertwined.

Content Warnings

Feelings

• Fast-paced
• Adventurous

Themes

• War
• Power
• Corruption
• Family
• Friendship
• Mythology

Rating

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Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Hi Mich. It’s Gabe.

After burning out in her corporate marketing career, Michelle Amato has built a thriving freelance business as a graphic designer. So what if her love life is nonexistent? She’s perfectly fine being the black sheep of her marriage-obsessed Puerto Rican-Italian family. Besides, the only guy who ever made her want happily-ever-after disappeared thirteen years ago.

It’s been a long time. Gabriel Aguilar left the Bronx at eighteen to escape his parents’ demanding expectations, but it also meant saying goodbye to Michelle, his best friend and longtime crush. Now, he’s the successful co-owner of LA’s hottest celebrity gym, with an investor who insists on opening a New York City location. It’s the last place Gabe wants to go, but when Michelle is unexpectedly brought on board to spearhead the new marketing campaign, everything Gabe’s been running from catches up with him.

I’ve missed you.Michelle is torn between holding Gabe at arm’s length or picking up right where they left off—in her bed. As they work on the campaign, old feelings resurface, and their reunion takes a sexy turn. Facing mounting pressure from their families—who think they’re dating—and growing uncertainty about their futures, can they resolve their past mistakes, or is it only a matter of time before Gabe says adiós again?

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Review

Second chance romance, friends to lovers, and so much fun!

Two main characters I love: Gabe (gym owner; Peurto Rican/Mexican heritage) and Michelle (freelancer and web designer; Peurto Rico/Italian heritage). Gabe is set to start a new gym in NYC and his business partner unknowingly reaches out to Michelle who has a very complicated past with Gabe.

What I really enjoyed most about this book was just how much fun it was to read and how witty it was! I feel like I just flew through it. I adored both characters, who had backstory’s that had depth to them and truly showed how influential their past has been for both of them, separately and together.

It’s well written, it’s funny, it’s intense – a little too much for me at times haha but it was fun to read, overall!

Content Warnings

Feelings

• Fun
• Passionate
• Emotional
• Lighthearted
• Funny

Themes

• Romance: friends to lovers, second chance romance
• Family
• Pursuing one’s passion
• Confronting the past

Rating

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