Review: Lore: Tales of Myth and Legend Retold

Synopsis:

A collection of six folklore retellings that will twist your mind and claim your heart.

SHIMMER: A heartbroken boy rescues a mermaid… but is it too late to save her?

BETWEEN is about a girl, a genie, and a ton of bad decisions.

SUNSET MOON: Eloise doesn’t believe in Native American magic–until the dreamcatcher spiders spin her down an unknown path.

THE MAKER: An incapacitated young man bent on revenge builds a creature to do it for him.

A BEAUTIFUL MOURNING: The story of a Maya goddess torn between duty and love, and the ultimate sacrifice she must make to achieve true happiness.

THE BARRICADES: When a human girl risks everything to save the life of an Eternal prince, will their feelings for each other change the world they know, or tear it apart?

Review:

Series: N/A

Release Date: 21 March, 2014

Publisher: Sweet Biscuit Publishing, LLC
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology

ASIN: B00J6064O6

Edition: eBook

Rating: ★★★★☆

Review Written: 19 September, 2014

Originally this was supposed to be part of a tour for the anthology, however due to life and other personal reasons, it never made it up during the tour. My apologies to the authors involved and the host, I am rather scatterbrained and sometimes even with reminders forget things.

A charming little anthology, Lore gives readers a fresh take on six different mythologies from around the world. From the familiar mermaids (who are nothing like what Disney's little Mermaid shows thank you) to Maya Goddesses, this collection of tales spans the tests of time to bring in newly imagined ways that their stories can be told. In "Shimmer", we're introduced to the idea of mermaids existing on land, living near the coast, but as their lives on land grow longer, the ability to transform and swim in their supernatural form is fading away. This charming tale shows that love cannot quite conquer all, or at least not romantic love anyways.

"Between" is a story of sadness. The protagonist finds herself trapped between two worlds, the young woman whom she is and the 'aristocrat' her mother so desperately wants her to be in her high school world. Torn between the love of a girlfriend and the love of her neglectful parent, she chooses to forgo her lover for the faint affection she believes she'll receive. A myriad of bad decisions later, one vengeful genie, and the loss of the affection she never had, things seem to be on the up for the girl despite everything else.

While I've only highlighted two of the stories, the entire set are a wonderfully, rare group of writing that highlights how particularly beautiful mythology can be retold, and retold well. I highly recommend anyone who loves their myths and legends to pick up this book and give it a read.