• About

By Hook Or By Book

~ Book Reviews, News, and Other Stuff

By Hook Or By Book

Daily Archives: November 16, 2020

Extreme Denial

16 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by By Hook Or By Book: Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff in Uncategorized

≈ 48 Comments

Tags

Covid-19 Denial, Jodi Doering, South Dakota

3C8E0FFE-0B05-4BE0-8558-F66309AB7F67

South Dakota right now is one of the states who is seeing an enormous surge in not only people testing positive for Covid-19, but also having to be hospitalized and dying. This is due in part to Republican Governor Kristi Noem’s refusal to follow CDC guidelines not encourage mask wearing and social distancing, and encouraging massive crowded events like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. On Twitter this past Saturday, South Dakota registered ER nurse, Jodi Doering, shared some of  her experiences with Covid-19 patients she’s tried to help. Some, desperately ill and dying, continue to insist that they don’t have the virus and the pandemic is a hoax.

The ones who stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real. The ones that scream at you for a magic medicine and that Joe Biden is going to ruin the USA. All while gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm. They tell you there must be some other reason why they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that ‘stuff’ because they don’t have COVID because it’s not real. Yes that really happens.

The following video is of an interview she gave to CNN this morning. What she relates is mind-boggling, sad, and frustrating.

65FCE579-E6F9-4A9B-92CD-8B8EA3503E3C

 

Lore, By Alexandra Bracken ~ 4.0 Stars

16 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by By Hook Or By Book: Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff in Uncategorized

≈ 26 Comments

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Greek Mythology, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, YA Fiction

AAE6B56D-E2DC-4C1D-A62C-BE6A9874C251

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 5th, 2021

480 Pages

Synopsis: 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 Perseous 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 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 finally 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.

Before I start this review, if you’re getting a sense of deja vu, or see that you’ve already written a comment, that’s because this is an updated post I did a few months ago on the chapter sampler of Lore. I apologize for being lazy, but instead of writing out the entire synopsis again, I thought I’d just update my original review now that I’ve had the opportunity to read the entire book.

What do you get when you combine bestselling YA author Alexandra Bracken with Greek gods? A surefire blockbuster is what I’m thinking! Except for Madeline Miller’s phenomenal Circe(2019), once Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series ended, there haven’t been many Greek mythology-based books released, so I had high hopes for Lore. Well, it starts off with a bang and plenty of blood, gore, and even a decapitation. One word of warning, the violence continues throughout the book, including two scenes involving the murder of little girls. These two particular sections relate the murders in the third person, and compared to other parts, aren’t terribly graphic, but they still made me squirm, and may make some readers uncomfortable as well. While the storyline may sound similar to previous series, like Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games, let me assure you that this is completely unique. There are a lot of characters but they’re easily remembered because they each have an integral part to play. The romance is a bit ho-hum, but that’s okay because there’s so much else going on. The pacing is insane, and I flew through this in two days despite it being just under 500 pages. The only reason why I rated this 4 stars is because there are some rough passages, especially in the first fifty or so pages where the reader is being introduced to the history and rules of the Agon. I’ve been a voracious reader of Greek Mythology since I was a child and I consider myself fairly well-versed in the stories and characters involved, but there were a few times I was left confused and frustrated. Thankfully things became clearer the deeper I got into the story. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Lore and unhesitatingly recommend it to my fellow mythology enthusiasts who are looking for a refreshing take on the old legends.

  • By Hook Or By Book: Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff

Archives

November 2020
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« Oct   Dec »

Blog Stats

  • 338,460 hits
Follow By Hook Or By Book on WordPress.com

Blogs I Follow

  • Read Betwixt Words
  • The Psy of Life
  • Bookshelves & Teacups
  • idahobluebird50 Plants, Animals, Cats, Dogs, Mysteries and Chat
  • fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/
  • Tracy the Bookworm
  • BOOKSTAGGER
  • theconfessionsofarandomblogger.wordpress.com/
  • Hit or Miss Books
  • Amani's Reviews
  • @onceuponawishlist
  • Gauri the Dreamer
  • A Naga of the Nusantara
  • Award Winning Books
  • Reader Jones
  • The Traveling Bookworm
  • novels around the world
  • I Heart Fictional People
  • The Write Stuff
  • Jane Lurie Photography
  • Mythaxis Review
  • The Book Bites
  • Literary Liza
  • abigailsbooks.wordpress.com/
  • Page by Page
  • The Masked Bibliophile
  • Dreams And Escapes
  • sugarandscream.wordpress.com/
  • Lines by Leon
  • Lovabull Books
  • Schizanthus Nerd
  • katherinesmits Word Siren
  • Bonkers For The Books
  • Bite! Eat! Repeat!
  • Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
  • Stuart France
  • Tallis Steelyard
  • Jim Webster
  • The Rantings of a Book Addict
  • Books Teacup and Reviews
  • Gulf South Free Press
  • Bantering Books
  • Barb Taub
  • The Introverted Reader 📚
  • Odd Bits About Books
  • Between Pages
  • The Suspected Bibliophile
  • Beach Walk Reflections: Thoughts from thinking while walking
  • The Silent Eye
  • France & Vincent

Member of The Internet Defense League

Follow By Hook Or By Book on WordPress.com

Blogs I Follow

  • Read Betwixt Words
  • The Psy of Life
  • Bookshelves & Teacups
  • idahobluebird50 Plants, Animals, Cats, Dogs, Mysteries and Chat
  • fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/
  • Tracy the Bookworm
  • BOOKSTAGGER
  • theconfessionsofarandomblogger.wordpress.com/
  • Hit or Miss Books
  • Amani's Reviews
  • @onceuponawishlist
  • Gauri the Dreamer
  • A Naga of the Nusantara
  • Award Winning Books
  • Reader Jones
  • The Traveling Bookworm
  • novels around the world
  • I Heart Fictional People
  • The Write Stuff
  • Jane Lurie Photography
November 2020
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« Oct   Dec »

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Read Betwixt Words

Books, Reviews, Recommendations and occasionally Poetry

The Psy of Life

Understanding the psychology that drives our politics

Bookshelves & Teacups

Because paradise is a library

idahobluebird50 Plants, Animals, Cats, Dogs, Mysteries and Chat

Memories of a Senior citizen

fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/

The Journey Home

Tracy the Bookworm

a bookworm detailing all her bookish thoughts

BOOKSTAGGER

Connecting Author to Readers and Readers to Author

theconfessionsofarandomblogger.wordpress.com/

the confessions of a random blogger

Hit or Miss Books

Reviews for children's and adult books.

Amani's Reviews

Here’s where I’ll gush about my favorite books , shows, and other projects!

@onceuponawishlist

all things bookish!!

Gauri the Dreamer

My slice-of-life as child and as parent. Of reading, writing, gardening, and giving back to nature.

A Naga of the Nusantara

Fantasy and sci-fi reviews by a Malaysian book wyrm

Award Winning Books

As decided by me, your favorite raccoon host

Reader Jones

a book blog

The Traveling Bookworm

novels around the world

.com

I Heart Fictional People

Falling in Love One Book at a Time…

The Write Stuff

"Writers Helping Writers" with Marcia Meara & Friends

Jane Lurie Photography

Jane's Lens

Mythaxis Review

art and technology

The Book Bites

Literary Liza

Cozy up and read with me!

abigailsbooks.wordpress.com/

"Books wash away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

Page by Page

Book Reviews with Bianca

The Masked Bibliophile

Books, Novels, Reviews, Poetry

Dreams And Escapes

Moments cherished, memories kept, dreams fulfilled and little things that make everyday a blessing.

sugarandscream.wordpress.com/

Lines by Leon

Leon Stevens is a poet, science fiction author, and composer. Writing updates, humorous blogs, music, and poetry.

Lovabull Books

My journey as a dog mom and book worm...

Schizanthus Nerd

Living the dream one page at a time

katherinesmits Word Siren

Reviewing enchanting reads and discussing all things bookish

Bonkers For The Books

Book reviews and more by Michael David

Bite! Eat! Repeat!

52 Cookbooks. 52 Recipes. A Tasty 2022!

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

READER - WRITER - CURATED RESOURCES - & MORE

Stuart France

Writer

Tallis Steelyard

The jumbled musings of Tallis Steelyard

Jim Webster

Books and Stuff

The Rantings of a Book Addict

Books Teacup and Reviews

Eclectic Mix Book Blog

Gulf South Free Press

Opinion Is The Medium Between Knowledge And Igonrance

Bantering Books

Book Reviews

Barb Taub

Writing & Coffee. Especially coffee.

The Introverted Reader 📚

Forever lost in literature

Odd Bits About Books

Between Pages

Documenting the inspiration I find, Between Pages

The Suspected Bibliophile

rambling book reviews and queer SFF writing

Beach Walk Reflections: Thoughts from thinking while walking

The Silent Eye

A Modern Mystery School

France & Vincent

Writing Magic, Myth and Mystery

Read Betwixt Words

Books, Reviews, Recommendations and occasionally Poetry

The Psy of Life

Understanding the psychology that drives our politics

Bookshelves & Teacups

Because paradise is a library

idahobluebird50 Plants, Animals, Cats, Dogs, Mysteries and Chat

Memories of a Senior citizen

fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/

The Journey Home

Tracy the Bookworm

a bookworm detailing all her bookish thoughts

BOOKSTAGGER

Connecting Author to Readers and Readers to Author

theconfessionsofarandomblogger.wordpress.com/

the confessions of a random blogger

Hit or Miss Books

Reviews for children's and adult books.

Amani's Reviews

Here’s where I’ll gush about my favorite books , shows, and other projects!

@onceuponawishlist

all things bookish!!

Gauri the Dreamer

My slice-of-life as child and as parent. Of reading, writing, gardening, and giving back to nature.

A Naga of the Nusantara

Fantasy and sci-fi reviews by a Malaysian book wyrm

Award Winning Books

As decided by me, your favorite raccoon host

Reader Jones

a book blog

The Traveling Bookworm

novels around the world

.com

I Heart Fictional People

Falling in Love One Book at a Time…

The Write Stuff

"Writers Helping Writers" with Marcia Meara & Friends

Jane Lurie Photography

Jane's Lens

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • By Hook Or By Book
    • Join 6,100 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • By Hook Or By Book
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.