"Lore" by Alexandra Bracken

Lore is a standalone YA urban fantasy novel rooted in Greek mythology. The setting is present-day New York, but our main characters are descendants of the famous Greek heroes (Perseus, Hercules, etc.) who have been sent by Zeus to hunt the Gods of Olympus who angered him around the time of the fall of Rome. Every seven years, the banished gods reside in mortal bodies and can be hunted and killed. Their power then is absorbed by the hunter who kills them. It is sort of an never-ending hunt for power and immortality. 

This book will appeal to the fans of the Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. It is a similar set up with ancient secrets, a quest, dangerous powers and a desire to right past wrongs. A big chunk of the book is dedicated to explaining the Agon (Greek for contest, conflict or struggle), and I must say, Bracken did it brilliantly. The book never felt like an info-dump. In fact, I kept reading because I wanted to know more about the world and the mythology behind it.

Our main character Lore is a hunter from the house of Perseus whose entire family has been killed by a rival house. She was able to escape the slaughter and for the past seven years has lived with the "unblooded" (i.e., normal humans who are not part of this secret world). However, she is yanked back into the Agon when an injured goddess Athena shows up on her doorstep one day.

This book is non-stop action. So if you like quest stories with many twists and turns, this one is for you. I personally find that even though I enjoy them while reading them, I quickly forget the plot soon afterwards. The book is also not without its flaws. I felt that the whole transition of power and immortality from gods to hunters is not well explained. I kept wondering what happens to the essence of they slain gods - do they just disappear? I was also confused why Lore was being compared to the Gorgon. In Greek mythology, Perseus is the one who kills Medusa the Gorgon, so why would his descendent exhibit her traits? This was never explained. In addition, Zeus' overall intent behind the Agon is not clear. I kept looking for some larger purpose and did not see it.

Overall, an interesting action-packed story. 3 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com