Book Review: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Lore

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Mythology, Fantasy

Pages: 480

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"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 Perseus 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."

My Rating: 2.5/5

This was just ok for me. I did enjoy the story and I was interested in what was happening at the moment. But this isn't a story that is going to hold any interest for me in the future. It won't really take up space in my memory. The gods were interestingly fleshed out and the story touched on a myriad of topics, not sure that all of them were handled in the way that I enjoyed, but they were handled. Overall just fine.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Passenger
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Series: Passenger Series (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction
Pages: 489
Publisher: Hyperion
Year Published: 2016
First Line: "As they ascended, retreating farther from winding trails that marked the way to nearby villages, the world opened to him in its purest form: silent, ancient and mysterious."

"Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has travelled not just miles but years from home. And she's inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she's never heard off. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods- a powerful family in the colonies- and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas' passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them- whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveller who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever."

My Rating: 3/5

So when I first started watching booktube this year (I know where have I been) this book was all the rage. It came out and everyone was talking about Alexandra Bracken and her past series. They also talked about the cover, which let's be real is really beautiful. They weren't wrong there. This being said, I don't really watch reviews because I like to go into a book as blind as possible. So little did I know that this book does not have some of the best ratings. I found this read to be a solid mah. It was okay. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. It was just kind of there. I found myself reading it and hoping that it would get better as I continued to read, but then I just realized the only thing gripping my attention was getting to the end. I also found that the characters were difficult to cheer forward and I struggled to build an attachment towards them. This first installment just wasn't for me and while others found the ending redeeming, I found that it stopped short for my liking. All of this being said, I don't see myself picking up the sequel which is set to release next year, although if I stumbled across it in my travels I may attempt to pick it up.

A reminder that these are my own personal opinions and I encourage you to make your own by reading this book.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

So this book was huge on booktube when it came out as well as bookstagram. And I found myself intrigued by the idea of time travel as well as the beautiful cover (no shame). As I started it I found myself interested in the first two chapters but loosing interest throughout as the writing style just didn't seem to flow for me. I found myself skimming pages to get through the story and really reading as quickly as I could to get it over with. As time passed I honestly didn't feel like reading because I knew I had to finish this book. It was a solid ok read for me. There were parts that I really enjoyed. Like exploring different places and different times from the perspectives of a man of colour and a woman. I also thought that the family history of all the families was interesting. This being said, it didn't make up for my disinterest in the characters and my dislike of the romance in this book. 

Characters:
Etta: I find that Etta wasn't that interesting of a character to follow. I liked that we got to see the families pasts from her perspective as she knew nothing about time travel, but as the story went on I found that her instant love with Nicholas just didn't do it for me. I thought that it was a weak relationship and not well built. She also annoyed me with her thoughts, but this doesn't mean I wasn't surprised when we thought that she died. The turn around on that didn't do much for me though.

Nicholas: I liked him a lot more than Etta, I think that throwing in the idea of a man of colour in certain time periods was an important and daring idea of the authors. That being said, I also found him to be quit annoying. I didn't find myself attached to him, and don't care to continue the story about him or Etta.

Sophia: She was just kind of there in my mind. Even with the ending involving her I didn't really care, wasn't really surprised. Especially not when she was stupid enough to pair up with the Thorns. Mah.

Rose: Not really a character I enjoyed. Thought she was a bit to cold as a mother all in all.

Alice: The only character I really enjoyed. She was pleasant and fun. 

Hall: I liked his character and demeanour with the crew. As well as the idea of not going along with something you believe is wrong.

Cyrus: Who doesn't power? Obviously the villain. Obviously doesn't take no for an answer. But power over your one true love, doesn't really make alot of sense to me. Didn't fear him that much, but thought we would run into him during the time travelling that Etta and Nicholas took part in.


Moments to Remember:
Pg.  157
"'...I wanted to ask if you remembered Hall's wife, Anne- what he said of her?'
'I only remember what happened when she passed,' he lied. A long year, in which they had chased Hall from tavern to tavern and hadn't spent a single day on a ship. He'd had no idea a man so large and powerful, who'd fought and survived a thousand battles, could be broken into so many pieces when his lady took ill.
'Liar,' Chase said, not unkindly. 'He said he'd never remarry because he'd never find another lady that fit so neatly at his side. He called her his equal in spirit.'"

Final Line: "'Look lively,' he said. 'We've a journey to make.'"

Thanks for reading,
Sidny