BLOG TOUR Lore by Alexandra Bracken

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the LORE Paperback by Alexandra Bracken Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: LORE

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Paperback Pub. Date: January 3, 2023

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 480

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/LOREPaperback

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love, and redemption.

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals. They are hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.

Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory after her family was murdered by a rival line. 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 her out: Castor, a childhood friend Lore believed to be dead, and Athena, one of the last of the original gods, now gravely wounded.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and a way to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to rejoin the hunt, binding her fate to Athena's, will come at a deadly cost—and it may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

Take the LORE quiz to see which house you belong to!

Check out my review of Lore by Alexandra Bracken here!

Check out this excerpt from the book:

LIVING LINES  

THE HOUSE OF KADMOS — The Kadmides Bearers of the mark of the serpent  Exalted by Wrath, Ares reborn 

THE HOUSE OF ODYSSEUS — The Odysseides Bearers of the mark of the Trojan horse Exalted by Heartkeeper, Aphrodite reborn 

THE HOUSE OF THESEUS — The Theseides Bearers of the mark of the Minotaur 

THE HOUSE OF ACHILLES — The Achillides  Bearers of the mark of the warrior  

THE HOUSE OF PERSEUS — The Perseides Bearers of the mark of the Gorgon Exalted by Tidebringer, Poseidon reborn

DEAD LINES 

THE HOUSE OF MELEAGER — The Meleagrides  Bearers of the mark of the Calydonian boar 

THE HOUSE OF BELLEROPHON — The Bellerophonides  Bearers of the mark of Pegasus 

THE HOUSE OF JASON — The Jasonides Bearers of the mark of the ram 

THE HOUSE OF HERAKLES — The Heraklides  Bearers of the mark of the Nemean lion  Exalted by the Reveler, Dionysus reborn

The lord of sky stood bright against the fall of twilight and spoke: Hear me, blooded heirs of those proud men who ventured into the darkness to slay those monsters and kings past. I call you to a final agon to 

win your own lasting glory. Nine gods have betrayed me and now demand cruel revenge. For seven days at the turn of seven 

years will they walk as mortal so you men, and all your heirs henceforth, may break your own fated path and turn your thread of life to immortal gold. Reveal your strength and skills and I will reward you with the mantle  

and the deathless power of the god whose blood stains your bold blade. For this chance I ask much. Gather at the navel of the known world and begin your hunt when the day is born. So it shall be until that final day when one remains who is remade whole. 

Zeus at Olympia,  translated by Kreon of the Odysseides

He woke to the feeling of rough ground beneath him and the stench of mortal blood. His body was slower to recover than his mind. Unwelcome sensations burned  through him as his skin tightened like newly fired clay. 

The dew of the grass seeped into the back of his thin blue robe, and he felt the  dirt splattered on his bare legs and feet. A humiliating shiver passed through him,  sweeping from scalp to heel. For the first time in seven years, he caught a chill. 

The mortal blood that flowed through him was like sludge compared to the  liquid sunlight of the ichor that had burned away all traces of his mortality and  released him back into the world. For seven years, he had swept through lands near  and far, stoked the vicious hearts of killers, nurtured the embers of conflicts into  flames. He had been rage itself. 

To feel the boundaries of a body again . . . to be poured back into this weak  vessel . . . it was torment enough to make him pity the old gods. They had lived  this atrocity two hundred and twelve times over. 

He would not. This would be his final taste of mortality. 

His senses were dulled, but he recognized the city and its grand park. The  smell of mowed grass mingling with faint sewage. The sound of traffic in the near  distance. The electric, restless feel of its veins deep beneath the street. 

The corners of his mouth stretched up awkwardly, forced to remember how  to smile. It had been his city once, in his mortal life; the streets had offered him  riches, and the greedy had sold him pieces of power. Manhattan had once knelt  before him, and would again.

He rolled, shifting into a crouch. When he was certain of his limbs, he rose  slowly to his full height. 

Dark blood flowed in rivers around him. A young girl, her mask ripped from  her face, stared at him with unseeing eyes from the edge of the crater. A knife was  still buried in her throat. A man’s head, severed from his body, bore the mask of a  horse. A dagger was balanced in a limp hand that was missing fingers. 

There was a faint shuffle of footsteps to his right. He reached for a sword that  was no longer at his side. Three figures stepped out from beneath the shadow of  the nearby trees. They crossed the paved trail between them, their faces hidden by  bronze masks that each bore the visage of a serpent. 

His mortal bloodline. The House of Kadmos. They had come to collect him,  their new god. 

He stretched his neck until it cracked, watching their approach. The hunt ers were awed, and it pleased him. His predecessor, the last new Ares, had been  unworthy to hold the mantle of the god of war. It had been an unspeakable pleasure  to kill him and claim his birthright seven years ago. 

The tallest of the three hunters stepped forward. Belen. The new god watched,  amused, as the young man plucked the arrows from the bodies in a ruthless harvest. A shame that his only surviving offspring had been born a bastard. He could  not be the heir of Aristos Kadmou, the mortal the new god had once been. Still,  his lips curved, and he welcomed the glow of pride at the sight of the young man. Belen lifted his mask and lowered his gaze respectfully. The god reached up,  feeling along the lines of his face. The boy’s was so much like his own now. The  scarred husk of decades had been peeled away from the god when he had ascended,  leaving him young again. In his prime, forever. 

“Most honored of us all,” Belen said, kneeling. He offered the new god a rolled  bundle from the bag at his hip—a crimson silk tunic to replace the hideous sky-blue  one he wore now. “We welcome you and offer the blood of your enemies in tribute  to your name, as a sign of our undying loyalty. We are here to protect you with  our lives until the time comes for you to be reborn again in power.” 

The words were gravel in the new god’s throat. “Beyond that.” “Yes, my lord,” Belen said.

More hunters approached from behind Belen, all cloaked in a hunter’s black.  They dragged a figure also wearing a tunic of sky blue. 

“Bring him to me,” he told Belen. 

Two black SUVs, their lights off, approached from the nearby street and drove  over the grass to reach them. The Kadmides then began their work. They unrolled  tarps on Central Park’s grass and rolled the dead hunters onto them. They over turned the soil. Replaced the bloodied grass. Loaded the brutalized carcasses into  the trunk of yet another SUV pulling up behind them. 

This same ritual, he knew, was being performed by the other bloodlines across  the park. 

The captive lashed out again as he was drawn forward, battering the nearest  hunters with his skull like a rabid animal. They had cut the tendons of his ankles  to prevent him from using his heightened speed to escape. Good. 

The hunters forced him to his knees. The new god reached down to rip the  hood off his head. 

Gold eyes burned as they glared up at him, the sparks of power there swirling  with fury. Blood poured from a wound at his forehead, staining his once-luminous  skin and tunic. 

“Your last useful power has been taken from you,” the new god said. He  clutched a fistful of the old god’s curling brown hair and wrenched his head back,  forcing his gaze up. 

“I know what you desire, Godkiller,” the old god said in the ancient tongue.  “And you will never find it.” 

He’d only needed to know that it hadn’t been destroyed. The new god’s rage  was its own kind of euphoria. He brought the razor-sharp edge of his blade to the  old god’s soft mortal flesh. 

The new god smiled. 

“Trickster. Messenger. Traveler. Thief,” the new god said. Then he slammed the  blade through the ridged bones of the prisoner’s spine. “Nothing.” Blood burst from the wound. The new god drank deep the sight of the old god’s  fear—that pain, that disbelief—as his power faded. A shame the new god could  not add it to his own.

“It’s the way of things, is it not?” the new god said. He leaned down, watching  as the last flare of life left the old god’s eyes. “The way of your father, and his father  before him. The old gods must die to allow the new to rise.” 

The park was silent around them, save for the wet sounds of the new god’s  sawing blade, and the invigorating crack as he finally separated the head from its  body. The new god thrust the head of Hermes high enough for his followers to see. 

The hunters hissed in pleasure, banging their fists against their chests. The new  god took one final look at it before tossing the head onto the nearest tarp with the  other remains. Come morning, there would be no sign of the eight gods who had  appeared like lightning within the boundaries of Central Park, or those hunters who  had fallen in their attempts to kill them. 

The city thrummed around him, aching with barely constrained chaos. It sang  to him a song of coming terror. He understood that longing—to be unleashed. “I am Wrath.” The new god knelt, dipping his fingers into the bloody mud. “I  am your master.” He dragged them down over his cheeks. “I am your glory.” The hunters around him lifted their masks to do the same, smearing the damp  earth across their eager faces. 

A new age was in reach, waiting to be seized by one strong enough to dare. “Now,” the new god said, “we begin.”

About Alexandra Bracken:

Alexandra Bracken was born in Phoenix, Arizona. The daughter of a Star Wars collector, she grew up going to an endless string of Star Wars conventions and toy fairs, which helped spark her imagination and a deep love of reading. After graduating high school, she attended The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where she double majored in English and History. She sold her first book, Brightly Woven, as a senior in college, and later moved to New York City to work in children's book publishing, first as an editorial assistant, then in marketing. After six years, she took the plunge and decided to write full time. She now lives in Arizona with her tiny pup, Tennyson, in a house that's constantly overflowing with books. 

Alex is a #1 New York Times bestselling and USA TODAY bestselling author. Her work is available across the world in over 15 languages. 

Sign up for Alexandra’s newsletter!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a paperback of LORE, US Only.

Ends January 17^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

12/19/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
12/20/2022	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
12/21/2022	onemused	IG Review
12/22/2022	brittreadsalattebooks	IG Post
12/23/2022	Bookswithachanceof	Review/IG Post
12/24/2022	@jael_and_jenessa_reads	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

12/25/2022	The Girl Who Reads	Review/IG Post
12/26/2022	@brittyoreads	IG Review
12/27/2022	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
12/28/2022	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
12/29/2022	Dazzled by books	Review/IG Post
12/30/2022	Lisa Loves Literature	Review/IG Post
12/31/2022	ThePaperbackBruncher	IG & TikTok Spotlight

Week Three:

1/1/2023	Library of Becca	Review/IG Post
1/2/2023	@booksrn_rashi	IG Review
1/3/2023	Emily Ashlyn	Facebook & IG Review
1/4/2023	@more.books.yes.please	IG Review
1/5/2023	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
1/6/2023	Becky on Books	Review/IG Post
1/7/2023	forthenovellovers	Review

Week Four:

1/8/2023	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Review/IG Post
1/9/2023	Thindbooks Blog	Review/IG Post
1/10/2023	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
1/11/2023	Nagma | TakeALookAtMyBookshelf	IG Review
1/12/2023	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
1/13/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review

REVIEW Fangs & Fennel (The Venom Trilogy Book 2) by Shannon Mayer

Fangs and Fennel (The Venom Trilogy Book 2) 

by Shannon Mayer
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Release Date: January 10, 2017
Format: Audiobook (Borrowed through Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: 47North

Check out my review of the first book, Venom and Vanilla

Get your copy of the book on Bookshop.org

Get your copy of the audiobook on Libro.fm

Get your copy of the book on Book Depository

*Please note - this post contains affiliate links, from which we may earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase
 

The first book in Shannon Mayer’s The Venom Trilogy, Venom and Vanilla, focused on Alena’s transition into the world of being a “super-duper”, and what that meant for her future. She also faced one of her first major challenges in defeating Achilles, one of the heroes straight out of Greek legend. Now, in the second book Fangs and Fennel, another hero (this time a full-blown demigod) stands between Alena and her dreams of a happily ever after filled with her family, her friends, and her bakery. Will she be able to embrace who (and what) she has become, or will she lose everything she cares about in the process?

One of my favorite parts of this book is how much heart and personality it has. While Theseus and Hera are undoubtedly the main antagonists of the series, Roger (Alena’s ex-husband) is a secondary pain in the butt that you can’t help but hate (along with his gold-digging “girlfriend” Barbie). I cheered when things continually went wrong for him. Delivering villains you can get behind hating is just as important as delivering likable characters, and Ms. Mayer did all that and more. In addition to hating on Roger, I was also quite pleased by the other relationships that Alena developed throughout the series; from her budding romance with Remo to her deep friendship with Dahlia. There are also familial relationships with her brother and her badass grandma Ya-Ya (I love the badass grandma archetype). While Alena is certainly at the center of things, her bonds are what give her the strength to get through it and it was heartwarming to see and read about.  

In addition to the vibes the book gives off, I also love all the fantastical and mythological elements that the author incorporated. More Greek Gods are revealed in this book, and readers already met some of them in the first book (*hint hint*).  I’m quite happy that some of the more minor members of the Pantheon got their time to shine in Fangs and Fennel, and that Ms. Mayer didn’t fall prey to focusing solely on Zeus like many other books do. Don’t get me wrong, he still features quite prominently in this book but he is not the star of the show.  

Overall, Fangs and Fennel was a fun and entertaining urban fantasy read. Not quite a five-star read, but definitely enjoyable and good at filling time. Audiobook narrator Saskia Maaraveld did a great job with her performance. I’m looking forward to finishing the final book in the trilogy, Hisses and Honey soon so I can see how the story ends for Alena and her friends. 

About the Author

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I was born into a family of Star Wars nuts. I have a lot of siblings (somewhere I lost count but I think there was more than could be numbered on one hand) and being one of the young padawans I was subjected to Star Wars marathons, on a regular basis. If you've read any of my books you'll see there is often a reference to said movies as a small homage to my upbringing. May the force be with you and all that jazz.

I started writing when I realized I didn't want to grow up not believing in magic, or not believing in creatures everyone else said didn't exist. That being said, I have never seen a fairy, unicorn or dragon. I had a neighbour who swore they fed the leprechauns in their garden, but I never caught the little buggers no matter how long I lay in wait. (And consequently had to help the neighbours plant new flowers to replace those I killed waiting for the leprechauns to show their faces.)

Along the way, I found my husband who is the rock that keeps me from floating away into my dreams, and we have a little boy who is the centre of our world. Living on a farm keeps us busy (as if the writing wasn't enough) and I have more than my share of stories about wrestling with cows, helping birth calves and ending up in the creek during the process, falling in the mud (we'll call it mud but we all know that on a farm, mud is rarely mud) and chasing escaped livestock in the hopes the four legged convicts don't make it to the highway.

I've taken up archery, and the goal is to move into horseback archery in time (you know, when I can hit the target on a consistent basis) and when no one is looking, I love to bake (this doesn't happen often as it's hard to keep the sweet treats in stock with two boys in the house.)

As to what's coming next for me? More stories (since those never stop inside my head, I might as well share them with all of you!) and more adventures. Pretty much, when the fancy strikes, I'll jump on it. Leap before you look I'm sure that motto was created for me.

Or was that . . . think big and dream bigger, ready, set, pull the trigger . . . yeah. That one is a good one too. But only if you have a gun. And are hunting elephants. Which is not cool because of so many reasons. Let's stick with the first one with an addendum.

Leap before you look and let your dreams carry you on their wings. And that, my friends, is me in a nutshell.

Check out the author's website

Check out the author's Goodreads page

Check out the author's Twitter

REVIEW Stone Heart (Dark Olympus #0.5) by Katee Robert

Stone Heart (Dark Olympus #0.5) by Katee Robert
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: March 1, 2022
Format: eBook (Courtesy of Author's Newsletter)
Publisher: Trinkets and Tales LLC 

Katee Robert’s Stone Heart was an entertaining prequel novella to the Dark Olympus series. I really enjoyed her take on Medusa and Calypso’s individual backgrounds. There was also just enough world-building for readers who haven’t read the other books to become familiar with Olympus, and some of the less flashy power players in Olympus make an appearance. I personally need more Athena content asap.  If a sapphic love story where one is an assassin sent to kill the other, but it turns into a case of “I was supposed to kill but now I have feelings for you” sounds like something you enjoy then I would highly recommend Stone Heart. 

CONTENT WARNINGS (Courtesy of the Author): Attempted Murder, Drugging, Assault (Historical, Off-Page), Explicit Sex

TAGS (Courtesy of the Author): Was supposed to murder you but having regrets, wlw romance, plus sized heroine, big lesbian himbo energy, Medusa is good at murder and bad at everything else, Calypso is bad at feelings and good at everything else, soft only for you, Odysseus slander at all times, insta-love, scarred and tattooed heroine

About the Author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

 

Katee is represented by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Katee Robert Author Website

Connect with the Author on Instagram

Connect with the Author on Twitter

ARC REVIEW: The Valkyrie's Daughter (The Helheim Prophecy #1) by Tiana Warner

The Valkyrie's Daughter (The Helheim Prophecy #1) by Tiana Warner
Rating: 4 Stars

Release Date: July 26, 2022

Format: eARC

Publisher: Entangled Teen

*Note: The original title of this book was The Helheim Princess, which featured a different cover (featured below)

Check out the book on Bookshop.org

Check out the book on Libro.fm

Check out the book on Book Depository

*Please note - this post contains affiliate links, from which we may earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase

“You’re the most talented rider I’ve ever seen, stable girl.” Mariam nudged her and smiled. “Yggdrasil threw you the most powerful horse to ever exist. Now what are you going to do with him?”

Sigrid had dreamed of being a Valkyrie since she was a little girl, but that dream would always be just out of reach since her bonded horse Hestur has no wings. After seeing a prophecy where she is riding one of the most legendary horses of all time, Sleipnir, Sigrid resolves to take fate into her own hands. Readers who pick up Tiana Warner’s The Helheim Princess can expect great characters, lots of action, and an exciting story inspired by norse myth.

As a fan of Norse mythology, I absolutely had to read this book after seeing the blurb. I appreciated how the author brought in some more obscure figures from the myths (like Ratatosk) instead of just focusing on the most popular ones like Loki or Odin or Thor. It’s always a lot of fun to be surprised by a story, and Ms. Warner did exactly that. Her slight changes to the versions of the myths that I’m familiar with served the story well, and it still honored the heart of the tales.

I’m a sucker for an underdog story, and Sigrid is the type of character who just makes you want to root for her. I wanted her to prove all the stuck-up Valkyries wrong from the very first page. You don’t need a flying horse to be a badass female warrior. Hestur is awesome and he’s the fastest horse on land (outside of Sleipnir) even without wings. I really enjoyed her journey and the character development over the course of the story.

For those in search of books with more diverse characters, the culture of The Helheim Princess is very LGBTQ friendly (the author is part of the community too). Sigrid is queer/lesbian (her love interest is a girl) and its quite common for Valkyries to have wives. The relationship between Sigrid and Mariam is a very sweet sapphic romance suitable for young adult readers.

Altogether, The Helheim Princess by Tiana Warner is an exciting, action-packed, sapphic young adult fantasy romance. I would happily recommend it to fans of mythology or those who love reading stories with strong female lead characters. Can’t wait to read the next book in The Helheim Prophecy series, and find out what’s next for Sigrid.

Thank you to the author, Entangled Teen and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of the book at no cost to myself. I appreciate the opportunity immensely! Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed The Helheim Princess. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.

About the Book

Teenage stable hand Sigrid wants to become one of the mighty and fearless valkyries. But with only a wingless gelding as her bonded pair, there's no chance in Hel of that happening.

When a vision shows Sigrid leading a valkyrie charge on the legendary eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, a greater destiny becomes possible. Determined to fulfill it, she makes an alliance with an enemy valkyrie who has nothing to lose, who seems to have an agenda all her own, and who leaves Sigrid more than a little flustered.

Together, they cross the nine worlds, battling night elves, riding sea serpents, and hurtling into fire to learn the truth about Sigrid's birthright. An unexpected but powerful friendship forms, and Sigrid hopes even something more.

In the deepest realms of the cosmos, Sigrid must decide between a destined fate or a chosen path.

About the Author

Tiana Warner is an LGBTQ+ author from British Columbia, Canada, best known for her critically acclaimed, #1 Amazon bestselling series, Mermaids of Eriana Kwai. Her forthcoming YA sapphic fantasy novel, The Valkyrie's Daughter, launches soon with Entangled Teen.

Aside from writing stories, Tiana is a former programmer with a Computer Science degree, a lifelong horseback rider, and an outdoor enthusiast who loves to explore BC with her hyperactive rescue mutt, Joey. Contact her at tiana [at] tianawarner.com.