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ltsang08's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Classism, Murder, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Torture, Physical abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Death, Bullying, Animal death, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Animal cruelty
bookishwondergoth's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a nice, easy to read historical fiction novel inspired by the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box. Both the story and the prose are nothing spectacular but I still had a fun time. It also has one of the most truly hateable out and out villains I’ve read in a while.
For a book so focused around the black market trade of antiquities, I was a bit disappointed that the role of the British Empire in plundering Greece artifacts was never really raised. There was very little nuance in relation to this subject which threw me out of the book a bit. I think it would have been a more interesting read to have that kind of topic included.
I really enjoyed the side characters (Lady Latimer being a particular favourite).
Overall glad I read this. Recommended to those looking for a nicely paced, ambiguously supernatural historical mystery.
For a book so focused around the black market trade of antiquities, I was a bit disappointed that the role of the British Empire in plundering Greece artifacts was never really raised. There was very little nuance in relation to this subject which threw me out of the book a bit. I think it would have been a more interesting read to have that kind of topic included.
I really enjoyed the side characters (Lady Latimer being a particular favourite).
Overall glad I read this. Recommended to those looking for a nicely paced, ambiguously supernatural historical mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Gore, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Minor: Kidnapping, War, and Homophobia
Instances of sexism, misogyny and homophobia etc. are in-world and consistent with the time period. They are also challenged, addresses or overcome. Also with regard to the animal death:mpbookreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
doodeedoda's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.5
ngl as an archeology graduate the description of how the pithos was dated was... something.
taking a sample from the vase to do a 'stratigraphy analysis'? a stratigraphy analysis on an out-of-context vase?? and then to be like "it predates history itself"??? yeah bs.
taking a sample from the vase to do a 'stratigraphy analysis'? a stratigraphy analysis on an out-of-context vase?? and then to be like "it predates history itself"??? yeah bs.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
currant7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
POV: third person
Main characters: Pandora Blake and Edward Lawrence
Pandora (Dora for short) is an orphaned girl whose uncle (Hezekiah) took her under his care and continued with their family business of selling antiques. She aspires to continue with the antique shop and add her jewelry design drawings to the business. Little does she know that her uncle had other things in mind when a precious cargo arrived at their shop one fateful day that would affect Dora and the people around her.
The world-building was sufficient and suitable. The places, people, and clothing depicted the 1780s well. There was enough research on antiquities and the society that governs them.
The characters were relatable, and the connection between Dora and Edward (Lawrence) - their shared trauma and thus their attraction was subtle but fitted perfectly.
This book is more character-driven than a plot one. Things moved more because each character's actions later constituted dire consequences - i.e., Uncle Hezekiah's injury and bad luck.
Overall, I found Pandora slower than expected, but I understood the reason for this much better after everything. There were many clues and hints sprinkled throughout the book that later culminated in an ending I did not see coming. Granted that it seems so "lucky" for Dora, BUT I get it. The twists and revelations were executed well at the end. Sometimes, bad things do come back to "bite back" the evil ones. I appreciate how much research the author did to create the story, and it made me love the book a lot more! (Please read through the author's notes at the end of the book, and you will see why.)
Recommended for its:
- myths and mythology reimagination
- mystery and intrigue
Trigger Warning: death of a beloved animal, parents, and sibling, child abuse, domestic violence/abuse
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
death of a beloved animal, parents, and sibling, child abuse, domestic violence/abuseemma3674's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Great book, took some time to get interesting but very unputdownable towards the end, loved the story and the mystery involved
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
grex_ronnie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
2.5
Avrei preferito mettere un 2, ma aggiungo anche un 0.5 in quanto l’ idea della trama è buona. Un bel mistero, dei bei intrecci per risolverlo, ma… il resto non va bene.
La scrittura è semplice, quasi poco editata, lascia molto a desiderare soprattutto dato che si rifà ad un parlato storico. I dialoghi a volte non sono credibili, sanno di moderno. I personaggi hanno mentalità del tutto moderne, le loro azioni sono spesso e volentieri date dall’ “istinto” ma in realtà è semplice bisogno di trama.
Le relazioni sono poco approfondite, hanno tutti i cliché del caso, simile ad una fan fiction basica.
È un primo tentativo, ma ancora troppo scialbo. Si poteva fare di meglio con la trama che si aveva in mente.
La scrittura è semplice, quasi poco editata, lascia molto a desiderare soprattutto dato che si rifà ad un parlato storico. I dialoghi a volte non sono credibili, sanno di moderno. I personaggi hanno mentalità del tutto moderne, le loro azioni sono spesso e volentieri date dall’ “istinto” ma in realtà è semplice bisogno di trama.
Le relazioni sono poco approfondite, hanno tutti i cliché del caso, simile ad una fan fiction basica.
È un primo tentativo, ma ancora troppo scialbo. Si poteva fare di meglio con la trama che si aveva in mente.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, and Death
nicoles_reading_corner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Physical abuse, Gore, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Blood
ballgownsandbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This... was an interesting one. It was definitely a compelling read, more and more so as it went along; the historical setting was delightfully detailed (disturbingly graphic at times, even); the writing itself was good; and Dora was easy to root for!
However - I'm not sure I can quite say I loved it. One one level, I think this book was just trying to do too much. The Author's Note says it was born out of several separate ideas that Susan Stokes-Chapman decided to put together, and I think it shows. This book is over 400 pages - it's not short - so it really shouldn't feel rushed or underdeveloped! But, several of the elements felt oddly disjointed or abrupt.
The romance, in particular, felt incredibly rushed and came totally out of nowhere: I spent almost the whole book convinced they were just going to end up as friends, and would have been completely satisfied with that - so the last-minute escalation (and a steep escalation at that) that showed up with no warning at all threw me completely off, which is not what you want at the 92%-mark!
Edward's backstory, while alluded to vaguely at several points, also felt underdeveloped and like it was just glossed over, shoehorned in at the end just for the sake of it, without the appropriate weight for the subject matter. I also felt quite removed from Edward himself, and couldn't fully get behind his perspective, and most of the side characters were pretty one-note too.
The mystery of the box, and the slight speculative element around whether or not myths and Greek gods actually exist, could have been really interesting, and there were really interesting seeds there - but unfortunately, I think overall that thread is let down by the number of other things happening around it, which stop it from being explored as fully as it could have been. The ambiguity of the ending also feels more 'unfinished' than 'deliberate choice'.
However - I'm not sure I can quite say I loved it. One one level, I think this book was just trying to do too much. The Author's Note says it was born out of several separate ideas that Susan Stokes-Chapman decided to put together, and I think it shows. This book is over 400 pages - it's not short - so it really shouldn't feel rushed or underdeveloped! But, several of the elements felt oddly disjointed or abrupt.
The romance, in particular, felt incredibly rushed and came totally out of nowhere: I spent almost the whole book convinced they were just going to end up as friends, and would have been completely satisfied with that - so the last-minute escalation (and a steep escalation at that) that showed up with no warning at all threw me completely off, which is not what you want at the 92%-mark!
Edward's backstory, while alluded to vaguely at several points, also felt underdeveloped and like it was just glossed over, shoehorned in at the end just for the sake of it, without the appropriate weight for the subject matter. I also felt quite removed from Edward himself, and couldn't fully get behind his perspective, and most of the side characters were pretty one-note too.
The mystery of the box, and the slight speculative element around whether or not myths and Greek gods actually exist, could have been really interesting, and there were really interesting seeds there - but unfortunately, I think overall that thread is let down by the number of other things happening around it, which stop it from being explored as fully as it could have been. The ambiguity of the ending also feels more 'unfinished' than 'deliberate choice'.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Murder, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Physical abuse
jamieleepilk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
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