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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Amara was living in Greece as the educated daughter of a doctor. All of that changed when her father passed away. Her father left behind debts that her mother couldn’t pay, so her mother sold her to a family to be their slave. However, that did not last long before Amara was transported to Pompeii, where she was sold to Felix, the owner of The Wolf Den brothel. This story focuses on the relationships between Amara and the other girls in the brothel, but with broad themes of slavery, misogyny, and violence. This story was really hard to read at times because women were treated so badly. Nevertheless, I thought the story was well written, and it was interesting to read about life in Pompeii. I started this book while traveling through Italy and visiting Pompeii. Some of the subject matter regarding prostitution and slave culture did align with what I learned during the Pompeii tour.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Disclaimer: I bought an e-copy of this book! Support your authors! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Wolf Den
Author: Elodie Harper
Book Series: Wolf Den Trilogy Book 1
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 3/5
Diversity: Egyptian character
Recommended For...: historical fiction, ancient Rome, ancient Pompeii, adult
Publication Date: May 13, 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction Tragedy
Age Relevance: 18+ (sexual content, cursing, violence, slavery, animal death, sexism, gore, rape, human trafficking, grief, alcohol consumption, abortion, pregnancy, suicide, death)
Explanation of Above: The book focuses on the lives of brothel workers in ancient Pompeii, so the book focuses on slavery and sexual content, including rape. There is cursing in the book and a lot of physical violence, along with some weapon violence. There is blood gore and a dead dogs body is mentioned in the book at one point. There are sexist comments and sexism in the book. Human trafficking is mentioned throughout the book, in the sale of adult and children. There is death and grief in the book, as well as one scene that shows a suicide and a couple of other mentions of suicide. There is alcohol consumption, abortion is mentioned, and there is a pregnancy shown as well.
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 464
Synopsis: Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den...
Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.
But Amara's spirit is far from broken.
By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?
Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.
Review: I really liked this book! I thought that it was a very epically told tragedy and it reads a lot like how drama TV shows are now (which is how you should kinda look at epics and tragedies, it makes the reading much more fun lol). The book is very honest about the horrible conditions that our main character goes through and you really feel for her throughout the book and at the end you’re celebrating how far she’s come. The book was very well written and the world building and character development were absolutely amazing.
The only issue I had with the book is that the beginning is a bit scattered, which makes it a little hard to get into, and the book can be confusing at certain points. Overall though I’m super happy with this book and can’t wait for the rest of the series.
Verdict: It was so good! Highly recommend!
Book: The Wolf Den
Author: Elodie Harper
Book Series: Wolf Den Trilogy Book 1
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 3/5
Diversity: Egyptian character
Recommended For...: historical fiction, ancient Rome, ancient Pompeii, adult
Publication Date: May 13, 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction Tragedy
Age Relevance: 18+ (sexual content, cursing, violence, slavery, animal death, sexism, gore, rape, human trafficking, grief, alcohol consumption, abortion, pregnancy, suicide, death)
Explanation of Above: The book focuses on the lives of brothel workers in ancient Pompeii, so the book focuses on slavery and sexual content, including rape. There is cursing in the book and a lot of physical violence, along with some weapon violence. There is blood gore and a dead dogs body is mentioned in the book at one point. There are sexist comments and sexism in the book. Human trafficking is mentioned throughout the book, in the sale of adult and children. There is death and grief in the book, as well as one scene that shows a suicide and a couple of other mentions of suicide. There is alcohol consumption, abortion is mentioned, and there is a pregnancy shown as well.
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 464
Synopsis: Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den...
Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.
But Amara's spirit is far from broken.
By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?
Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.
Review: I really liked this book! I thought that it was a very epically told tragedy and it reads a lot like how drama TV shows are now (which is how you should kinda look at epics and tragedies, it makes the reading much more fun lol). The book is very honest about the horrible conditions that our main character goes through and you really feel for her throughout the book and at the end you’re celebrating how far she’s come. The book was very well written and the world building and character development were absolutely amazing.
The only issue I had with the book is that the beginning is a bit scattered, which makes it a little hard to get into, and the book can be confusing at certain points. Overall though I’m super happy with this book and can’t wait for the rest of the series.
Verdict: It was so good! Highly recommend!
The premise of the book is captivating and intriguing. I won't lie, I bought the book solely for the synopsis, because I wanted to read the adventure of a woman, an independent, strong one who will climb the chaos to get higher.
And the author delivered, partly.
While I absolutely loved the atmosphere, the plot twists, the way the characters were written, the mention of love amid all the chaos and the drama was disappointing, dull even. I get it, the plot of the book itself was not romance or traditional romance as we know it, but even in that case - Amara had far more chemistry with other characters, not Menander.
It was very confusing for me to read about her attachment and guilt towards him when the book has what? 15 pages of action with Menander? Their romance is far from developed in my opinion. Even if the author pushed him into the plot just for the sake of drama at the end of the book, the execution lacks depth and meaning.
On the other hand, I gasped at the ending. A real cliffhanger that made me cling to my chair as I was finishing the book. It left me with a promise of revenge that I really hope to see in the sequel. Someone said that people who enjoyed "Circe" by Madeline Miller would also love this book.
Please don't let it be like "Circe" :D
And the author delivered, partly.
While I absolutely loved the atmosphere, the plot twists, the way the characters were written, the mention of love amid all the chaos and the drama was disappointing, dull even. I get it, the plot of the book itself was not romance or traditional romance as we know it, but even in that case - Amara had far more chemistry with other characters, not Menander.
It was very confusing for me to read about her attachment and guilt towards him when the book has what? 15 pages of action with Menander? Their romance is far from developed in my opinion. Even if the author pushed him into the plot just for the sake of drama at the end of the book, the execution lacks depth and meaning.
On the other hand, I gasped at the ending. A real cliffhanger that made me cling to my chair as I was finishing the book. It left me with a promise of revenge that I really hope to see in the sequel. Someone said that people who enjoyed "Circe" by Madeline Miller would also love this book.
Please don't let it be like "Circe" :D
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Although at times difficult to read given the violence depicted in ancient Pompeii, this story was interesting in the multiple layers that each character was composed of. The story was not at all what I was expecting, but nevertheless shocking at many times.
It was neither a romance nor about werewolves. My expectations were completely off. Oops!
It was neither a romance nor about werewolves. My expectations were completely off. Oops!