And because she knew the limit of the story and its parameters, it allowed the plot to flow in beautiful way and keep a steady pace throughout. I think what truly made this book great is that, rather than being drawn out into a three or more book series, this was a standalone and it allowed Bracken to say what she wanted to say and have a complete story. You could tell how much thought and purpose went into the story, how there was enough explanation of the myths to those who aren’t familiar as well as little tidbits and jokes to those who are, all working together and making a story that simply clicked. It went hand in hand with how well she wrote and crafted the story, making the world of Greek mythology her own yet still managing to respect the original myths and actually exploring what these gods and these stories actually represent, especially in a modern day lens. So I firstly thank Bracken for actually using the right narrative for this story. I loved that it was in third person, which I so desperately needed it to be, and it allowed the reader to really understand the story as it played out and really see how the world worked from a true outsider perspective, rather than having everything come through Lore’s lens and personal monologues.

I’ve always known that Bracken was a great writer, thanks to her Darkest Minds series and Passenger duology, but I felt like you could really tell how much she’s grown since her first book came out. The first thing that really sold me on this book was how it was a story more or less about Greek mythology being real and having its own place in our world, though it’s unbeknownst to majority of the world’s population, but what really drove it home was the narrative and overall writing. All my boxes were checked off and more, and I’m beyond happy to be delivering a beautifully glowing review of Lore.

Everything I’ve been complaining about in 2020 books, everything I’d wished to see done differently, she did right. And thank every single god above that she delivered. I’m no stranger to Alexandra Bracken as an author as I’ve been reading her stories for a good handful of years now, so I expected a lot from this new standalone. And Lore blew that out of the water and gave me everything I’d been missing. That’s all I needed one, single new release that would simply be good. We all know that 2020 was a pretty shitty year for books and all I could hope for in 2021 is just one good book.

Lore alexandra bracken series