Stunning photo by @acourtofbooksandcoffee
Hello Fairy Friends!
It’s day 1 of our Lore Readalong – are you excited? I know I am!
Before we jump in, how’re you? I hope your March reading is going well so far! Have you come across any new favourites recently? Let me know!
For today’s section of the Readalong, we’ll be reading from the Prologue to Chapter 10. Grab some snacks, get cosy, and dive on into this new adventure! When you’ve finished reading this section, you can join me back here in the comments to chat all about it!
Please be warned, the following will include spoilers for Lore by Alexandra Bracken, from the Prologue to Chapter 10! Read only if youβve finished those chapters!
-!SPOILERS!-
What a way to start a book!
We’re thrown straight into the action with this one in a scene reminiscent of Fight Club, with our protagonist Lore competing in an underground Fight tournament. It looks like a standard day in Lore’s life, until Castor – her childhood friend who has been presumed dead for years – arrives with an ominous message...”he’s looking for something”.
Mysterious, huh?
As if the day wasn’t weird enough already, Lore returns home to find a wounded Athena on her doorstep. It’s the beginning of the Agon, a time where all the Gods are given mortal bodies and are in danger of being murdered by those wanting to become a new God. A perfect time to bind your life to a God, right?
Wrong, but Lore does it anyway in a pact fuelled by revenge and glory.
But why has Athena come to Lore specifically? Being singled out by one of the original Gods – and the one known for her strategy skills, no less – seems a huge weight to carry. I’m not sure I’d want it!
Life now tied to a wounded Athena’s survival, Lore sets out to find Castor again, knowing his knowledge of healing could help. Only when she arrives, things seem a little…off.
What’s going on?
Blending into the crowd, Lore finds herself in amongst a ceremony of sorts. But all idle questions are stopped short when Castor walks in…
…and he’s the new Apollo?! How can that possibly be?! He would have been a child during the last Agon, and was hardly viewed as a talented fighter amongst the group. It should have been impossible – and yet here he is.
Why was this kept quiet?! Why has Lore spent the last few years believing him dead when all along, he’s been in with the most powerful of beings?
And so we have a very dramatic start to the book! A whirlwind of fights, break-ins, Gods, and oaths, we’re thrown right into high stakes. Will there be any repercussions of Lore binding her life to Athena’s? We know Lore has a general dislike for this side of her life – but can she really avoid being pulled back in entirely?
I suppose we’ll find out soon!
With that plot twist and a whole host of questions in mind, we’re well and truly in the middle of it already! Lore now knows two of the Gods – but can either help her get what she wants? And what is it she truly wants? We know very little of her past at the moment…why do you think she has tried to cut ties with this side of her life?
There’s so much mystery and mayhem already, I’m intrigued! Do let me know your thoughts and first impressions of the book down in the comments below, and I’ll be back tomorrow for part two! I can’t wait!
Love,
Ashleigh
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Hello Ashleigh, hello everyone! And happy international women’s day~
I have to say I was pretty anxious about this book. I’ve studied ancient Greek in high school, and even tho it’s been a while (let’s face it ?) I still consider myself rather knowledgeable about Greek mythology and history. Thus I feared this would be a “whatever” representation of Greek myths, like in many blockbuster movies, instead it’s been very accurate so far!
I can’t wait to keep reading, things are already getting interesting ?
Hi! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying it so far! I had the same hesitation – also a Greek myth fan and have studied it! But I agree with you, and it’s interesting to see what she does with the myths π
Since youΒ΄ve studied Greek Myth, I was wondering if you might have come across some valuable sources about the origin of some Greek stories and mythΒ΄s coming from North Africa. IΒ΄ve heard some stpories about Atlas being originally from Morocco and Medusa originally from Libya.
OMG, I’m so excited to share my new favorite (new to me anyway): Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson! I just finished it before starting Lore and it was just so many different flavors of wonderful!
I found myself appreciating how brutal this story is. Once I started learning about Ancient Greek history, I realized how much bloodshed was a part of the culture and worship. I feel like a bloody competition between great Houses and the Gods creates a perfect vibe to encapsulate Ancient Greece.
Right now, I’m playing skip rope with that line between wanting to participate in the Agon and getting the heck out! I understand why Lore left, but when she speaks about honor and kleos, I feel the urge to participate in this bloody event.
I’m smitten with Athena and Castor right now. I love the alien nature of Athena. I need more of those laughs, and I can’t wait for her to start dropping some wisdom! Castor also seems interesting as heck. I’m curious to see how he ended up as Apollo and if/how he’s going to save house Achilles.
Pardon me while I start tomorrow’s reading a little early…
Mistborn! Such a fab choice! I’ve read the first book and loved it, can’t wait to continue on with the series! Have you read them all?
The temptation of honour and kleos is shown so well through Lore, especially with her trying to pull away from it! And glad to hear you’re loving the two Gods – isn’t their dynamic so interesting?! I love seeing original God vs new God.
I hope you enjoy part 2! π
This is my 2nd time participating in a readalong despite being a fairyloot member for a year now! I was eagerly awaiting the upload of this as soon as I had finished chapter 10! This book has me completely hooked and I can not wait to continue reading. I absolutely adore Lore and I am really intrigued as to why Athena has chosen her of all people to seek in her time of need. Also I just want to mention my growing love for Miles too.
I’m so glad to hear you’re hooked already! It’s definitely one that grabs the attention immediately with how fast paced it is! I do have to admit a love for Miles too – he’s my favourite so far π
The beginning of the book completely hooked me too! The beginning with the fight scene gave us a really good look at Lore’s character: She’s a competent fighter, she is okay with hurting others, and she’s trying to distract herself from past trauma. At the same time, her relationship with Miles is really cute and shows her warmer/caring side. I’m just a bit worried about Miles, he’s too soft and nice for such a brutal world.
Castor is also interesting, I want to know more about how he came to claim Apollo’s powers! And I like that he’s the softer one -and the healer- whereas Lore is the hardened fighter; it’s a nice way to switch the gender norms a bit.
In general, I’m getting lots of feminist vibes from this book and I love that! Lore is very aware of the problems of her society with regard to the roles of women, and is openly against that. Maybe that is also one reason why she is trying to distance herself from them. In addition to the constant violence, which affected her too when her family was murdered. It is very understandable why she’d want to get away from that.
Athena is…. scary so far. But I love that there are hints about the revolution against Zeus being more than it seemed. There’s probably lots for both Lore and Athena to unpack over the course of this book!
I hope I didn’t write too much, this is my first readalong, and I’m super excited to share my thoughts and also to see what you all think π
No need to worry about writing too much – we love hearing your thoughts! π
I agree – I love seeing the subversion of gender norms with Lore and Castor. I think it works really well too, as you said, with the questioning of their society and how people are treated usually. I think there’s a lot to come with this!
And there’s so much mystery to their backgrounds still! I don’t know about you, but I’m interested to see their full stories after getting to know their characters more. It seems like they’ve been through so much already!
I hope you love part 2, and can’t wait to hear your thoughts if you share again! π
Oh yes, I defenitely want to know their stories! They seem to have experienced quite a lot, and there are tons of open questions!
Agreed! That was quite a start!
Is anyone else getting Shadowhunters TMI-vibes? An NYC girl comes home to literally find her family skeletons on her doorstep…
This hierarchy seems much more brutal than TMI though, especially for women.
I can see that! It could be why I’m feeling nostalgic over a book I’ve never read aha!
The hierarchy, yeesh! Not a great place for many. I’m intrigued to see how the plot plays out while in a system like that!
This book had such an exciting opening few chapters, it really pulled me in! There is a lot to get your head around, but I think the author did a pretty good job of explaining everything. I want to know how Castor became a god! And what Wrath’s evil plan is! I have so many questions and I’m really excited to keep reading.
I’m so glad to hear that! π
Isn’t it so interesting, learning about the Gods, new Gods, and the bloodlines? So much to sink our teeth into!
Aha there are so many questions popping to mind – the Gods and their mysterious ways, huh? I hope we find out the answers to your questions soon!
Hello Ashleigh and everyone reading along!
Iβm really liking this story so far!!
One of my favourite characters is definitely Miles, he had me at βchocolate chip Mickey Mouse pancakesβ ??
And his tattoo with the words of his grandmother. (I still can see how she would be licking her finger and pretending to wipe them away while smiling β€οΈ)
Canβt wait to read whatβs next!! See you tomorrow!
Love,
Sandy
Hello! π
I’m thrilled to hear you’re enjoying it so far!
Miles is definitely my favourite too – though incredibly jealous of those pancakes! He seems such a sweet person, it’s lovely to read π
See you tomorrow!
I started reading it today anyway so I thought I’d join in with the readalong!
After being a fan of Rick Riordan’s version of Greek Gods I am quite enjoying Alexandra’s take on them
That tatoo was the last detail I needed to realize that I loved this character! He’s so sweet and caring π
I love his ‘micky mouse’ pancakes, I would totally order those too! I am really excited to see where they take Miles and how he could contribute to the growing group!
I absolutely love this so far! I really like Lore and I’m excited to see how her relationships with Athena and Castor develop. I have a feeling the shield is going to be important at one point especially since it looks like Lore was holding it in her dream. I’m also very curious as to how Castor became a god since he was only 12. It was a really good start and I’m excited to keep reading!
I’m loving this so far! I don’t know much about Greek myths so took me a while to get my head around what was happening but once I have I feel hooked. Was hard to put down.
I really like Lore as a character. Bad ass feminist! Hoping for a bit of romance with Castor. He seems a decent chap (or God) – feels like there are going to be some changes happening to the way they are used to things!
I definitely got Shadowhunters vibes too, especially with Miles as an early Simon…but Lore is such a richly drawn character so far, I’m really intrigued to hear more about her. The story is tantalising, and I can’t wait to see the twisted parts of this society get shaken up!
I just finished the Shadow & Bone trilogy [I know, I’m super late to that!], and I’m LOVING the Grishaverse! I got into it with Six of Crows last year, and fell in love, but didn’t have the other books, so I finally was able to pick it up recently! Leigh Bardugo is quickly becoming a favorite!
That said – like I’m sure quite a few of us are, I’m rusty with my Greek mythology, and my knowledge isn’t exactly extensive, but I DO /LOVE/ mythology, especially Greek, so I’ve been excited to pick this up since I heard about it! I’m squeezing it into the small gap between S&B and my reread of CoG and then reading CoI while I wait for my copy to arrive, and I’m so glad it times up with the readalong!
There’s a lot about the world building/info dumping that’s still a little rough for me [the new vs old gods and the power transfer still isn’t /super/ clear to me], but I’m enjoying this lovely echo of Ancient Greece and that way of life being somewhat “maintained” by the Agon. I’m excited to see how the power transfers and Houses play out this race to find the other version and what it all ends up meaning for Lore in the end! Especially how Cas, Lore, and Miles all “play into” the plot and the Agon!
sooo hi. finally got to sit down after work and slam through these pages! so far i think it’s been… a wild ride. 8D i was super sceptical and confused at first, but i really like the general “idea” of the agon & can’t wait to see where this’ll take lore!
loved athena’s dry wit and way of speaking “i like this mortal, he can stay” <3
not sure what to think of castor yet, but i really hope this isn't gonna get overly romantic – i think it just wouldn't fit that well into how i see lore's character so far. excited for tmrw!
I am LOVING this book so far!!
Miles is so adorable, my favourite character so far, but I can’t help but worry for him in this scary world he’s suddenly found himself thrust into.
I’m interested to find out how Castor became a God – intriguing…..
Looking forward to tomorrow’s chapters ?
Wow, this story started strong! I have been in a bit of a slump for a while but this book immediately pulled me into the story. Although I’m still very confused, I’m also very intrigued. A lot of snippets of information about Lore and Caster and their backgrounds have been given but I can’t tie it all together. I think the author did really well with giving the information for the story. Giving us just enough info so we can largely understand what’s going on, but keeping us enough in the dark so you want to read onnnnnn.
At this point I have no idea how this story is going to continue and what will happen, so we’ll just have to see what happens tomorrow. I can’t wait!
OMG!! from the very first moment when Castor takes off the mask at the ring I knew it… I just knew and said: these two are going to be going to be endgame… and I’m so down for it!!
From just a brief read of these 10 chapters I am so invested in the world A.B has created and I’m so excited to find out more about Lore and Castor, and of course how did he become the new Apollo, because… like in the previous Agon he must have been like 12 or so… And yes, why not, I’m also shipping hard Cas and Lore and want to know more hehehe π
Also, I LOVE miles!
see u tomorrow xxx
Iβve been looking forward to this book for so so long and Iβm super excited to take part in the readalong! Iβm loving the kind of Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games vibes of this book – the premise is just so interesting and I just know itβs going to be so epic already.
The ways the families treat women is archaic and I love that Lore is already so over it and sheβs only been back in the game for like five minutes. Iβm so intrigued to see how the heck Castor became the new Apollo and to see him and Lore interact more because that flashback to how they met was weirdly adorable for a chapter that included beating the new kids with freaking wooden poles.
Also Miles is adorable and he needs to be protected. Anyone who orders food that likely to cause tooth decay is worthy of my love.
Iβm so excited to keep reading tomorrow!!
This book pulled me in right away with all the action at the beginning. I also like the characters, especially Lore and Miles, which is always a big factor in how much I like a book. I feel like we have the right amount of info so far, I’m curious about the past and excited to see what happens next.
My answer to recent new favorite question would be Legendborn. I read it a month ago and loved it.
I’m loving the book so far, it had me hooked from chapter 1!
I already know I’m going to love Athena and I want to give a shout out to Miles for being the most ride or die friend out there.
Can’t wait for tomorrow’s chapters!
Girl who in their right mind wouldn’t love Athena?!
Yesss Miles is so adorable ? such a good friend. I really hope he doesn’t get hurt. Or even worse die
I love how these chapters are short. I like to end my reading at the end of chapters and sometimes if they are too long I kinda lost interest (oops) so it’s got my attention so far, esp since it seems it jump into the drama unfolding
And I love Castor already!! We see him as Apollo and it seems like his wants to use his powers for help everyone around him, which is so fitting for the role of Apollo. Now the question is how did he manage to get those powers hmmm…
Hi everyone! Happy March!
I’m very intrigued by Lore so far, though admittedly finding parts of the set up a bit under-explained and confusing (this may in part be due to my playing catchup at 2am!)
That said I like the characters (especially Miles! What a cute!), and the Greek Mythology aspect. It kind of reminds me of The Wicked + The Divine meets Red Rising meets… I don’t know. Game of Thrones? The Purge? ?
Only real negative, besides being slightly unsure about what exactly is going on, is the sheer amount of ellipses. But I’m pretty sure that’s just a personal thing!
Hi everyone, hi Ashleigh! I hope you are all doing well during these times! It is currently 9:22 pm where I am in the US, so I hope this post still counts towards the original days of the readalong.
The beginning definitely pulled me in! It was an amazing start and jumped right into the action! I love the way Alexandra Bracken is slowly giving us backstory and detailing the Greek mythology!
What is Wrath, the new Ares, looking for precisely? What does he want with Tidebreaker? Also, how did Castor become the new Apollo?
So far, this story is very intriguing! It feels like a mash-up of the Hunger Games and Percy Jackson.
I can’t wait to read more tomorrow!
My thoughts so far have been “I have no idea what’s going on exactly but I’m here for it.” to “I have an idea about what’s going on but now there’s more going on so actually what is going on here!?”
I did kind of guess that Castor had to have been a God. I didn’t really know why other than the way he was described when we first meet him. I’m interested to see how this whole thing plays out!
I love it! I donΒ΄t like slow starting books, but this one begins in the middle of all the action. There are enough things happening to keep wanting to read further. So many questions! I didnΒ΄t expect to enjoy it so much as I am. So, really excited for the next few chapters!
oh my gosh, I was not expecting the book to pull me in so quickly! Absolutely hooked – I may have ended up reading wayyyyy past chapter 10 because it’s just so good! I love Lore’s character, and Athena is fun too. Miles is just a sweetheart and I LOVEEEEEE Cas… basically I just love the whole cast hahaha. Can’t wait to keep reading!
Hi everyone!
Well, this was definitely a strong and interesting start! This whole Agon and hunting business sounds quite brutal.
I like Lore and Miles so far, don’t know what to make of Athena and Castor yet.
I’m quite curious about Castor, especially since Lore couldn’t picture him as killing Apollo. I wonder if he did it to save someone or for other serious reasons?
Also I wonder if Lore will be able to defend Athena, and whether Athena will be able to kill that person they talked about? And if Lore’s parents really were killed in the circumstances we know at the moment, or something else was there too?
Too many questions, can’t wait to continue!
I have a feeling Castor is going to be my favorite character π
Unfortunately, and maybe since I am re-reading Ruin and Rising and A Discovery of Witches right now, as well, I am having a harder time getting into this novel. I am not entirely hooked at this point, but I definitely can see myself starting to enjoy this more once we learn more about Castor and the relationship between Lore and Athena.
I am loving this so far! So glad I joined in on the read along!
This has been so exciting. At first I was a little nervous about reading Lore after the Percy Jackson series but by the time Greek myths started to get involved I was totally stuck in this world.. I love have Athena can stay just be oblivious to allies and almost murder people in the first second. Lore is having to deal with almost the Agon and regular life. Miles is really smart for a “Unblood” as Van puts it. And I hope to read more of these summaries because they are such a joy to read.
Hi everybody
I am trying to catch up to the readalong hoping to catch up today.
I love the book so far I love how we star with action right away and I love Lore and how she is trying to be tough even when she is scared and I also love to finding out more about her past and what made her this tough.
I cant wait to see what Athena will do all the wisdom and strategies she will bestow upon us hehe
Even thou we don’t know Castor I love the idea of him trying to be a good god not a bad one cant wait to see how his character will develop if it at all will
Ok I must continue reading on to catch up to all of you in the readalong hehe
Hi everyone ??
I’m late as always, but now I’m here
And I love that book so far.
Miles is definitely my favourite character. And I’m super currious of Castor.
I’ll keep reading to catch up ?
I liked the beginning of the book. Also Lore, Miles and Athena are symphatic characters and I’m looking forward to read more of the book and learn more about the characters.
Hello everyone! Iβm off to a rather late start – but that just means I get to binge read more until Iβm up to date!! xD
So far, I am incredibly intrigued! Iβm a huge fan of Greek mythology, so Iβm always simultaneously very hyped and very anxious to read books inspired by it, but I can gladly say that Iβm really enjoying Alexandra Brackenβs take on a modern interpretation of it!
I already really like Lore (those fighting scenes were INTENSE, but we stan badass mcβs!!) and little Miles already has my heart – he must be protected at all costs! Iβm still a bit wary of Castor but I am already dying to find out more!! π
I thought this was a really good introduction. I didn’t see Castor as being Apollo at all and thought that Lore would have been able to tell during that fight. I think it’s an interesting mix of greek mythology in a very modern setting. Really curious to know how everything will pan out.
Wahhh I’m super later and trying to catch up with you guys. The beginning was so brutal α(Μββΰ±ͺβββ΅α) what a start. I did not expect the story to be like this and it intrigued me. I keep thiking about the Lore Olympus characters while reading hehe β( ΰ² _ΰ² )βI love Athena and Lore.