She felt her family around her–the soothing touch of them, brushing her cheeks, wrapping around her center. And beyond them, the presence of unseen eyes. there was a point in the book where the MC starts killing some people blah blah, and castors all like "this isnt you lore. youre better than this. dont kill people." which is kinda annoying but like if you wanna be the ethics police, than sure, go be the ethics police. BUT THEN LATER IN THE BOOK, LORE'S IN DANGER AND GETS HURT, AND OF COURSE CASTOR, BEING THE Possessive Male Love Interest™ he is, hes all like "ill kill them." excuse me castor? i thought that killing was wrong? youre allowed to murder anyone who hurts your beloved crush, but said beloved crush cannot take revenge on the people who have caused her harm.

So, overall. I did really enjoy this but sadly my tender heart can’t take the violence anymore and I had to take a star off. Totally a personal preference (but it does also make me wonder if this is really being marketing for YA lolll). It’s not always the truth that survives, but the stories we wish to believe. The legends lie. They smooth over imperfections to tell a good tale, or to instruct us how we should behave, or to assign glory to victors and shame those who falter. Perhaps there were some in Sparta who embodied those myths. Perhaps. But how we are remembered is less important than what we do now.” I really thought A Court of Silver Flames was going to be my worst read of the year, but damn, Lore really has a way of making me seriously question my life choices. There were also so many strong feminist themes about the women who were often forgotten and excluded from Ancient Greek lore, which was something I really enjoyed, especially since I often complain about that exact thing. We always get to hear about Achilles, Perseus, Heracles, Theseus, etc but the women around them are often relegated to mere damsels in distress or play the part of the villain.

Lore is awesome! I adore her and she is a great MC. I mean she fights for a living. If hse ain't cool, then who is? Watching her make choices and solve problems was super satisfying! 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. however, i do think the story could have benefited from dual POVs. castors arc and development is too important to the story for him to just be a side character. i think if he had his own chapters, the world-building might have flowed a bit smoother and not have felt like it was crammed into confusing info dumps via lore. But as the book progressed, things started to drag. I realized around 60% that I was just forcing myself to finish, I've come to the conclusion that this book has more gore than actual action, because while we're told that Lore spent years training for the Agon, and as a result, is very strong and good in battle, we don't really see much of that. There's a lot of build-up to the action scenes but there usually isn't a lot of action. Greek mythology generally confuses me so that's not this book's problem, it's mine. But even so, contributing to my confusion was the writing style of the author.

ill split this into like four parts to make sure i can cover everything. characters, plot, romance, writing.

She has successfully kept herself hidden since the last hunt left her entire family dead, including her two little sisters; murdered by a rival clan. i dont have anything negative to say about this books writing, but i dont have anything positive to say either. it was nothing special. honestly, it was just insanely average. In fact, I do believe this is the kind of story specifically oriented towards a type of reader. Meaning: a young reader, kind of new to the genre - maybe even to reading in general -, is most likely to love the novelty of it in comparison with someone that was there when the first Hunger Games book was published. I’m giving this a 4 stars 🌟 right now. I think I missed something. 🤔 There is a lot a lot of gruesome killing in the book for a YA book. But I still don’t see where Medusa actually came into the book through anyone 🤔. Brilliant cover though!

During the Agon, nine Greek Gods are forced to walk the Earth as mortals, all the while being hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines. Plot: The story was so good! It never dragged, and wasn't predictable. The Greek Mythology was really interesting, and I thought the twist on it was fun and new. I have to admit: The premise is hopeful: Banished nine Greek gods who are vulnerable enough to be drifted from their powers at each seven year for seven days long fighting against descendants of Greek heroes who are adamant to take their lives!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. Gil – Recently passed away, but the one who became a family with Lore and Miles these last few years.

Overall, my experience with this book was the same as the action of sitting in a boat in the middle of a lake with no paddles and no wind to carry me anywhere. Sometimes the braver thing is to accept help when you've been made to believe you shouldn't need it.” For centuries, Zeus has punished the gods with a game called the Agon, which turns them mortal for one week, and at the mercy of being hunted by those with godly ambitions. Only a handful of the original Greek gods remain, the rest replaced by the mortals who killed them and ascended. Maybe I was expecting more. Maybe story telling style, exaggerated violence, too much triggering subjects cut my living cords and exhausted me lot to enjoy the entire journey. It’s okay to want good things […] and to believe that you deserve a good life."Overall, I really liked this unique spin on Greek mythos, and I really enjoyed how this author intertwined this story in a modern day setting. I think it was a solid standalone, and I was very impressed with the characters, so many of the themes, and the central discussions of found family and second chances, and the constant reminder that there is no “right way” to heal from trauma and grief. Also, I will always love a good reclaiming of Medusa and her whole entire monster story. Be still, my Circe loving heart. But I really enjoyed Lore and Castor’s relationship. I loved the Van and Miles and truly were amazing side characters.There are too many things allured me about this including tempting storyline and incredible cover! But you know the feeling something bothers you and you cannot put your finger on it. Yes, something totally bothered me about this book. Its been 7yrs since Lore fled the Agon, seven years since her family died and seven years since she started a normal life. But now as the Agon approaches, Castor her friend whom she long gave up for dead, and the Greek goddess Athena seek out her help. With a new shot at revenge for her family, Lore enters the Agon to finally settle the score and prevent great loss. Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods. This book has interesting and intriguing plot line but the execution of the idea and overloading of action scenes make you roll your eyes! Too much happening in a short time period! You just get agitated at each second with too many triggering, ultra depressing subjects including terminal illness, gory, bloodshed for fight scenes, extreme violence, rape, sexual assault, slavery etc. another thing that was great about this story was the antagonist plotline. i DESPISE books with weak villains, but i didnt feel that at all. there were a few antagonists in this story, but theres one in particular who, i felt, was written very well.