Category: Survival

A Fate Inked in Blood

Saga of the Unfated, Book One

by Danielle L Jensen. Pub Date 2/27/2024

FIVE. GLOWING. STARS. Best enjoyed when you want high adventure and a broken heart.

Publisher’s Synopsis

“Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.”

REVIEW:

One chapter into this book and I knew it was going to break my heart. The writing was absolutely fantastic, the settings incredible, and the emotion seeped into every word. I can’t tell you how much it pains me that I have to wait more than a year for the next one and I can only pray I get a Galley for it, because there is a distinct broken feeling in my chest when I think about it, and I think about it often. It both broke my reading slump and caused another one that could only be served by lighthearted romance, which feels like the exact opposite of this.

This book has mystery, adventure, romance, angst, war. I’m a sucker for a good Viking fantasy, and this was top tier. From the mundane to the magical, it was all described in such great ways. I fell into it so easily and coming up for air was like entering into a completely different world, familiar yet altered in some way. That’s the best part about a really good book.

Freya’s feelings of being trapped and finding her powers, exploring her honor and duty while in fear of assassination and always being a prisoner of her own making were palpable. The relationships she develops feel so very real as does the moments of love and betrayal both in turn. Of course, with as deeply expressed as the other emotions are, the romance and spice was also top tier. The spicy scenes throughout were incredibly hot.

Bjorn is also an awesome character and the will they won’t they continually reached a frantic pitch throughout the book, amping up the tension and the stakes continuously. Honestly, the way he’s described? I don’t know how anyone could resist a warrior Viking with a touch-her-and-die vibe. It was pretty hot—and I’m not just talking about his fire magic.

The end of this story left a bit of a cliffhanger, but one that had a ton of promise for the next book. So excited to see what happens!

Thank you to Netgalley, Danielle L Jensen, and Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

Fantasy Romance Survival

A River of Golden Bones

The Golden Court Book 1

By AK Mulford. Pub Date 12/5/2023

4*s. Best enjoyed when you want some adventure, self discovery, and romance.

Publisher’s Synopsis

“Twins Calla and Briar have spent their entire lives hiding from the powerful sorceress who destroyed their kingdom…and from the humans who don’t know they are Wolves. Each twin has their own purpose in life: Briar’s is to marry the prince of an ally pack and save the Golden Court. Calla’s purpose is to remain a secret, her twin’s shadow . . . the backup plan.

No one knows who Calla truly is except for her childhood friend—and sister’s betrothed—the distractingly handsome Prince Grae. But when Calla and Briar journey out of hiding for Briar’s wedding, all of their well-made plans go awry. The evil sorceress is back with another sleeping curse for the last heir to the Golden Court.

Calla must step out of the shadows to save their sister, their kingdom, and their own legacy. Continuing to hide as a human and denying who she truly is, Calla embarks on a quest across the realm, discovering a whole world she never knew existed. Outside the confines of rigid Wolf society, Calla begins to wonder: who could she be if she dared to try?”

REVIEW

This was my first introduction to AK Mulford in any capacity and I’m going to say this right now, on record: worth the hype.

A big part of this book is self-discovery and breaking from a traditional structure that no longer fits the vision for your life, a thing I feel a lot of people can empathize with these days. That makes this somewhat harder to judge as the change seemed minimal, but it’s also a huge thing that people go through every single day. This helped me understand a little more coming from a voice unlike my own but also honestly the same. The bravery that it takes to live your truth is nothing to joke about, especially when breaking away from a regimented structure as Calla and Grae do here.

The villains were villainous, and the love felt very real. The adventure and experiences of the characters along with the changing internal and external beliefs held therein kept the pace of this. Do I think the acceptance of ones own identity should have happened quicker? Sure. But these things happen when they happen.

Also I LOVED the travelling musicians. The entire feeling of family and home and acceptance was very much THERE—Mulford’s writing made them feel like real people, a real found family. It was such a warm feeling for me as a reader. I loved every moment of it. This book is absolutely packed with feeling, adventure, and beautiful scenery. Villainous villains, brave heroes inside and out, and true desire for change and sanctuary, and a people willing to fight to make those a reality for all.

Thank you to Netgalley, AK Mulford, and Avon Harper Voyager for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

Horror Mystery Survival

People to Follow

By Olivia Worley, Pub date 10/31/2023

4*s. Best enjoyed when you need a good murder mystery.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“A reality show on a remote Caribbean island. Ten teen influencers. One dead body.

Welcome to “In Real Life,” the hot new reality show that forces social media’s reigning kings and queens to unplug for three weeks and “go live” without any filters. IRL is supposed to be the opportunity of a lifetime, watched closely by legions of loyal followers. But for these rising stars–including Elody, an Instagram model with an impulsive streak; Kira, a child star turned fitness influencer; Logan, a disgraced TikTok celeb with a secret; and Max, a YouTuber famous for exposés on his fellow creators–it’s about to turn into a nightmare.

When the production crew fails to show up and one of their own meets a violent end, these nine little influencers find themselves stranded with a dead body and no way to reach the outside world. When they start receiving messages from a mysterious Sponsor threatening to expose their darkest secrets, they realize that they’ve been lured into a deadly game…and one of them might be pulling the strings.

With the body count rising and cameras tracking their every move, the creators must figure out who is trying to get them canceled–like, literally–before their #1 follower strikes again.“

Review:

It’s not often I come across a YA thriller that catches me a little off guard. I didn’t expect this to take the twist it did, but I was happy to be on the ride! In the last two years there have been a lot of influencer survival horror novels, the kind with what basically amount to the MCs being more antihero than hero. I’m a sucker for survival thrillers where isolation or the elements are involved and modern technology is out of reach. I’ve actually devoured three influencer-specific titles like People to Follow within the last six months alone.

All that to say, this is a genre I’m really loving right now and People to Follow was no exception! It takes a lot for an author to hide the twist from me. I usually suspect it early on, but Worley got me off my game with this one.

It has the same general premise as most of its counterparts like The Island or Never Coming Home, except the plot for this is brings in a new element entirely: a reality show where influencers with huge followings unplug for the camera. It has all the elements you would expect with a reality show—people finding themselves on an isolated island with their peers, some of which are decidedly not their friends—with no outside contact with the world. Makes for great TV, right? Except…something here is a little off.

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When a storm delays the film crew, leaving the influencers or “creators” stranded by themselves on the island, that’s bad enough. Then one of the least liked people on the island is found dead the next morning. They discover that not only have all ways off of the island been sabotaged, but someone is watching them through the cameras…and they want to play a game.

Packed with dark secrets and pretty corpses, this one is bound to be the perfect thriller for those who love drama, fear, and big reveals you didn’t see coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced ecopy in exchange for this fair and honest review.

Adventure Fantasy Romance Survival

The Forest Grimm

by Kathryn Purdie. Pub Date 9/19/23

4.5*s. Best enjoyed when you want a dark fantasy with a slightly flawed heroine and a very mysterious narrative.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“”Tell me again, Grandmère, the story of how I die.”

The Midnight Forest. The Fanged Creature. Two fortune-telling cards that spell an untimely death for 17-year-old Clara. Despite the ever-present warning from her fortune-teller grandmother, Clara embarks on a dangerous journey into the deadly Forest Grimm to procure a magical book—Sortes Fortunae, the Book of Fortunes—with the power to reverse the curse on her village and save her mother.

Years ago, when the villagers whispered their deepest desires to the book, its pages revealed how to obtain them. All was well until someone used the book for an evil purpose—to kill another person. Afterward, the branches of the Forest Grimm snatched the book away, the well water in Grimm’s Hollow turned rancid, and the crops died from disease. The villagers tried to make amends with the forest, but every time someone crossed its border, they never returned.

Now, left with no alternative, Clara and her close friend, Axel—who is fated never to be with her—have set their minds to defying fate and daring to accomplish what no one else has been able to before. But the forest—alive with dark, deadly twists on some of our most well-known fairy tales—has a mind of its own.“

Review:

First of all, super excited that this will be a duology. The epilogue left me wanting more, and I’m glad that Purdie is planning to give that to us.

I wouldn’t say that The Forest Grimm is necessarily a fairytale retelling, it’s more of a dark original version mash up. It has all of the same ingredients that a normal fairytale would have. It has magic, conflict, an evil force that is wreaking havoc, a rescue of sorts, and love (chivalric, familial, or romantic—this has all three). If mainstream fairytales were a birthday cake, this one is far more of a black forest. A deep decadent chocolate with tart bursts of cherry. If you find that mouth watering, sink your teeth into this one.

Fate and magic are woven deeply into the village of Grimm’s Hallow, a cursed place that was once full of light and magic…until someone took advantage of that magic to kill. Now, the forest surrounding Grimm’s Hallow has pulled back the roots of its magic that once nourished it, sometimes stealing villagers in the night and killing or maiming those who try to enter it to find the Lost. Every few months, there is a lottery that determines the next person who may try to enter the forest to save the lost villagers and find the magic book that was once used as a weapon, and reverse the curse.

Clara’s mother was the first to be Lost three years before. Her grandmother, a seer, has already foreseen Clara’s early death in her cards. She’s prepared to die if it means she can get into the forest and trade her life for her mother’s. When she tries to cheat at the next lottery and her friend, Axel, is chosen instead, Clara is determined to go with him into the forest. But the forest is forbidding and foreboding, and Clara only finds a way into it through happenstance. Axel and Clara steal into the forest to find both Clara’s mother and Axel’s Lost fiancée, Ella. When they are joined by Clara’s best friend and Ella’s sister, Henni, the three travel deeper into the vicious woods protected only thinly by a loophole in the forest’s magic in the shape of a red rampion flower.

As they travel through, they find that the very forest moves in the night when they are asleep, and the Lost have become much more than just Lost—the magic has had a very profound affect over their bodies and minds, dangerous shadows of who they once were. They have been twisted into dark versions of the fairytales that we as the audience know well (Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, a bit of Little Red Riding Hood), becoming people and creatures that make you look sideways at some of the Disney movies or fairytale books we grew up with.

What’s more, there are secrets amongst the group that will have a profound effect on the outcome of their journey. The heavy hint here is romance, but whether that romance will manifest or is doomed from the beginning is yet to seen—to you, because you haven’t read it. But also to me, because I can see this story completely changing with a second book on the way.

Overall, I thought this book was a fantastic dark survival fantasy, which I’m all about. Have you even READ my reviews before? If not, hint: survival thrillers/fantasy are my jam. I can’t wait to see what Purdie has in store for us in the second book. I’ll need a special edition of this one on my shelf.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Kathryn Purdie for the advanced copy in exchange for this early and honest review.

Horror Mystery Survival

Hemlock Island

by Kelley Armstrong. Pub Date 9/12/23

4.5*s. Best enjoyed when you need a delicious survival horror thriller–which should be ALWAYS!

Publisher’s Synopsis

“Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who’ve fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out…and failed.

When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop.

There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it… But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they’re trapped with someone—or something—that doesn’t want them leaving the island alive.”

REVIEW:

Set on an island in Lake Superior, Hemlock Island is a supernatural thriller that throws together murder mystery, greed, betrayal, revenge, and the occult into a delicious and perfectly baked hotdish perfect for anyone who loves a good horror novel. It felt very much in the same vein as Riley Sager and Grady Hendrix’s novels – big fan! Strained relationships and betrayal star alongside severed arms, hex circles, and bone windchimes, creating an atmospheric survival horror that really makes you wonder if they’re ever going to get off of that island.

Being from the Duluth area, Lake Superior has always been prominently featured in my life and memories. It made it that much easier to imagine a secluded island with a single isolated house surrounded by the cold waters of the largest of the Great Lakes, and to know exactly how cold that water can be. The smells and atmosphere are honestly unmatched, and I would love to read more stories that feature the setting.

The twists and turns in this story were great. The mystery kept me turning page after page, absorbing each gory and mysterious detail. The mystery was kept largely mysterious, the gore was properly gory, and the is-it-or-is-it-not-a-murderer was like a constant pull. It felt like I was in a macabre Edgar Allen Poe story of a girl who is slowly pulling a bucket out of a dark well, overtaken by some force with an unknowable name that has existed since time immemorial. The conclusion was also extremely satisfying, with equal parts “that checks” and “holy shit” which you don’t always get with stories like this. I’m not going to say I found it fair, but life rarely is and the perfection of horror like this is that it is tied up, even if the bow isn’t the prettiest. The satisfaction is that it’s there, fair, and was a bloody good time.

Overall, Hemlock Island is a great read and Kelley Armstrong is an author you need to have on your watch list if you don’t already. I was a fan of her YA back in the day, but I’m so ready for more adult horror!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy in exchange for this review. I really loved it and can’t wait to see what Armstrong has for us next!

Adventure Fantasy Survival

Brittle

by Beth Overmyer, Pub Date 8/15/23

3.5*s. Best Enjoyed when you need a break from reality.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“After the murder of her father – which no one but her believes happened – Verve just wants to hold her family together and take on the role of provider. Unfortunately, a cruel fae lord believes she knows the location of an ancient magical weapon and steals her away to Letorheas, realm of the fairies. The fae lord seems to want something from Verve that goes beyond the weapon, something that many doubt she can provide. Verve must find a way to navigate the strangeness of Letorheas and embrace a destiny more intertwined with the fae than she would like to believe.”

Review:

Brittle was a surprising novel. I’m not sure if there will be another installment, but I enjoyed reading it and finished it in a few short days.

Verve has always tried to be the responsible middle child, and has also always been close to her father, who is away at war. However, when he returns in the middle of the night to talk to her and tells her that there is a secret hidden war being fought and not to trust anyone, not even those she knows without verifying who they are, she’s a little stunned. He tells her he will explain and to meet her at a neighboring farm. When she follows his instructions, she finds herself face to face with her father’s dead body in the barn, which disappears before she can bring anyone else to the spot.

Soon, strange events begin to happen, and neighbors and family become…something else. And when Verve is taken far from home and into another realm entirely, it appears that the secrets that her father imparted upon her may reveal a dangerous, fae-killing weapon at the center of a tremendous power struggle.

As she works out a way to escape this strange land and strange, ever changing mansion she finds herself in, she realizes that her captor may be interesting in more than just the secrets that Verve is hiding. Fae fall in love quickly, and it seems he is no exception. But he’s not the only one interested in her and what she’s hiding, and she soon finds herself stuck between warring factions.

She may be the key to victory for either side, but her survival and family mean far more to her. She must keep her head in the game and her heart far away if she’s going to come out on top…but that may be harder than she thought.

This was a totally different fae romantasy than I am used to. The romance was not the prominent theme, and it was far more on the lore and the fight than it was on matters of the heart. There’s actually a bit of a coerced marriage scenario stuffed in here that is thankfully mutually beneficial. For that reason, this one’s not super high on my romance scale, but for a dark fantasy story, it’s very well done!

Thank you to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the advanced copy of Brittle in exchange for this fair and honest review.

Horror Survival

The Last Witness

by Claire McFall. 3*s

Best enjoyed on the beach. *smirk*

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Heather agrees to go camping with Dougie and his friends because she’s desperate to get closer to him, and a secluded beach sounds like the perfect place. But the trip takes a sinister turn that brings Heather’s plans to a violent end.

One by one, the group begins to vanish.

A year later, Heather knows she’s just lucky to be alive. And now, people are asking for answers, or else she will be the one to take the blame. But the truth about what happened on that trip is far more terrifying than anyone knows…”

Review:

This book had so many twists and turns. It jumps between present day and the past to the events that landed Heather in a mental hospital. It’s a thrill ride of supernatural proportions, with twist after interesting twist. Heather is lucky she’s alive…but not for the reasons we’re lead to think.

It starts simple enough—Heather and her friends plan a camping trip to a remote Scotland beach. She’s super hyped because her friend Dougie, who is also her crush, will be there with them. But so will her best friend’s meat head boyfriend. Things quickly go awry when they find out the meathead brought alcohol and something isn’t exactly right at the beach. When Dougie and Heather stumble across an ancient cairn and an interesting broach from inside, it seems to trigger something that no one is prepared for.

One by one, their friends begin to disappear. At first, it seems like their friend just hitched a ride out, tired of Vince’s meat-headed shit. But then the car stops working, and another of their friends vanishes, and members of their party suddenly start getting sick. Shadows seem to move of their own accord and each new disaster causes further paranoia.

Something is happening. The question is, is it supernatural, or is it human? Is it brought on by the strange tales regarding the beach they are on of pagan worship and blood sacrifice, or is it just the flickers of the fire and quiet isolation of the country that is making them see all that the most macabre things that their imaginations can muster? Or could it be that Dougie and Heather, in taking the broach from the cairn, have set in motion events that are beyond their control?

Heather, now imprisoned in a mental hospital awaiting trial, is one of the last remaining members of the group and the only one who knows the events that occurred on that weekend months ago that is able to talk about it. The other member of their party has been in the hospital in a coma, and is the only person who could save her from begin convicted of the murder of their friends.

As the truth is slowly revealed layer by layer, and the events of the past collide inevitably with the present, we find that the rotten core of it is something far darker and more malicious than we could have imagined.

The twist at the end of this was pretty good. I did enjoy The Last Witness and thought it was a pretty good story. I did not see the ending coming and it made me enjoy it that much more!

Horror Survival

Dead of Winter

by Darcy Coates. Pub Date 7/11/2023

4*s. Best Enjoyed

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she’s hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they’ll be safe as they wait out the storm.

She couldn’t be more wrong.

Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing…only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Eight drops to seven and it becomes clear that someone in the group is killing for sport. “

REVIEW:

I’m sure if you’re a long time lurker—first time caller—you may know that I absolutely LOVE survival thrillers. This was my first Darcy Coates book and it will not be my last. Her writing is fantastic. Granted, I had a feeling I knew exactly what was happening from the beginning, which was later confirmed for me, but she still kept me in suspense on a lot of the events. It also made me want to keep reading. It was a bloody, gory book, and I felt the tension to my marrow, which is exactly what I love about stories like this.

When Christa’s boyfriend finally convinces her to come on a trip with him into the mountains in winter, she is packed up—if not entirely ready–to go. Maybe this is exactly what she needed to shake the ghosts that have haunted her for the last few years. Plus, Kiernan grew up in the area and is the one person she feels she can trust, so coming out of her comfort zone in order to make him happy is important to her. However, when a sudden snowstorm blows in out of nowhere, separating Kiernan and Christa and stranding the tour group in a cabin in the woods, all bets are off. A member of their group is most likely dead and there’s no way to call for help.

They soon have a bigger problem on their hands as members of their group are brutally murdered one by one, their heads impaled on the tree outside of the cabin door and their beheaded bodies are found in shocking places. Suspicions turn inward. Someone in this cabin is picking them off one by one.

As tensions grow and supplies dwindle, the group needs to figure out who the killer is before they all starve to death or end up as gruesome ornaments hanging from the creepy pine outside.

The descriptions are absolutely horrific and the characters are so well thought out that they feel like real people. You also can’t help but root for Christa, who may have made some mistakes in her past, but is definitely a survivor. I highly recommend this story!

Thanks to Netgalley, Darcy Coates, and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced e-book in exchange for this fair and honest review!

Adventure Survival

In the Forest of the Lost and Found

Post author By Lady Nightwolf
Post date July 5, 2021
1 Comment on In the Forest of the Lost and Found

By KD Van Brunt, Pub Date April 8, 2021

3.5* Best Enjoyed when you’re in the need for a story about a city girl surviving the wilderness

Allysa Baylor, the daughter of a world-famous director, wants to go as far away from her family as possible this summer, hopefully to France with her boyfriend. Ever since her mother died in a car accident, she has blamed her troublesome younger sister, Grace, for the accident and has done everything she could to not be around her for longer than necessary. Unfortunately, her famous dad has planned a one week middle of nowhere Canada trip with her, her sister, her brother, and her grandfather. The only thing keeping her on that trip outside of buttering up her dad in order to go across the Atlantic, is her little brother Nick, who she adores. She knows she would be letting him down in a major way if she didn’t go with.

However, when her dad and stepmom aren’t able to make it on the trip, the three siblings are sent with their grandfather to a very remote cabin by float plane, which the siblings are not at all prepared for. When their check-up flight fails to show up halfway through the week, and Alyssa spots a massive almost prehistoric-sized bear on the other side of the lake, they all begin to get concerned. It’s not until their flight back to civilization is a no-show that the family realizes that they may be in far deeper trouble then they ever could have imagined, and when their supplies begin to dwindle, Alyssa realizes that she may be the only one capable of trekking the hundreds of miles of woods in order to find help.

I always enjoy a good survival story. At first, I had no idea where the author was going with this. Alyssa is a mostly cold rich girl with very little in the way of actual character at the beginning—and what character is there is vastly unappealing to me. However, her journey into the wilderness begins to change her and we get a more in-depth view of her past that explains a lot of her aloofness. The survival itself is pretty interesting and intense. There is also the dark, overarching enmity she has with the prehistoric-sized bear tracking her every move that keeps the pace of this one at a good clip.

The ending is very abrupt and super unsatisfying which is why I didn’t give full stars, but the book is still worth it to see the character build-up that Alyssa and her siblings experience during their months of survival in the woods.

Thank you to ARS Fabula and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.

Fantasy Romance Survival

LORE

By Alexandra Bracken. Pub Date: January 5th, 2021

Four and a Half Stars! Best enjoyed when you’re in the mood for some serious vengeance!

The Agon takes, an ancient practice that involves the hunting of old gods, takes place every seven years. During these hunts, differing factions of Hunters track down and kill the gods, the strongest member of their faction absorbing the powers and immortality of the god and becoming a new god who can rule over and bless the members of their faction.

Lore Perseous was only a child during that last Agon, but it changed her life when a rival faction brutality murdered her parents and younger sisters in cold blood in order to wipe out the line of Perseus. Running from her old life, she has learned to live in a world that is a far cry from the one she used to be a part of. She has pushed any notion of revenge from her mind and has developed friendships, like the one with her roommate turned best friend Milo. However, although she is done with the brutal world she left behind, it is not done with her. When her former training partner Castor turns up at one of her underground fights, he drags with him not only the realization that he is not in the grave, but also the pain of the past. Although it’s still not enough for her to consider going back into the family business, the bleeding body of a barely alive and brought-to-mortality Athena shows up on her doorstep and forces her back into a place she wanted to forget forever. With Castor alive and the threat of a new god bent on destroying the entire world and remaking it in his image, Lore must stop the turning tide before it destroys not only the history she hates but the people she has come to care for.

Lore is a driving adventure from page one. The brutal life that Lore Perseous lived in the past is interwoven with the current time, helping readers further understand what the culture of the cult-like groups that make up her family legacy are all about, and why she chose to turn away from it. Although Lore seems to be a hard person, her characterization is well rounded and the revelations of her past shed light on why she feels as she does. It’s an origin story wrapped up in an almost superhero-like tale of a group of people having to use what they can to save the world from an evil god bent on destroying everything they hold dear.

This book has everything. Betrayal, love, ambition, power, mystery, forgiveness, vengeance, redemption, and explosive adventure. Bracken brings us a true feast of the imagination with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Hyperion for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!