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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i love a tragic retelling of a greco-roman woman’s life, but this story is tragedy unlike any i’ve read before. amara is such an interesting & complex character. she does things throughout the book that immediately make you want to condemn her actions, but then you understand. amara is a woman trying to survive. i also thought what happened to cressa & dido was incredibly heartbreaking. these poor women deserve much better. i also appreciate that the author did not allow cressa’s death to fade into the background but rather wove in the grief surrounding her death throughout the rest of the story. i only took issue with the pacing of the story, especially towards the end when amara got sold. it also took a second for me to get into the story. other than that this was a thoroughly enjoyable read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Alcohol
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
It will take me awhile to process all the emotions this book put me through. I highly recommend that everyone read it.
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Do you ever read a book and just think… this is amazing. This author has clearly researched every tiny detail, taken care to preserve a voice that fits the historical period and yet written something so entirely new.
Because this is that.
There is an exploration of gender dynamics, of trauma, of the impact of slavery on someone’s mental and emotional state in this novel, and none of it feels out of place. There’s so many things to praise in here that I’d run out of space, so all I’m going to say is this is PERFECT. I’ve read so many disappointing historical novels recently that this amazing book was such a relief. It’s so well done and so well written.
1000/10
Because this is that.
There is an exploration of gender dynamics, of trauma, of the impact of slavery on someone’s mental and emotional state in this novel, and none of it feels out of place. There’s so many things to praise in here that I’d run out of space, so all I’m going to say is this is PERFECT. I’ve read so many disappointing historical novels recently that this amazing book was such a relief. It’s so well done and so well written.
1000/10
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content I didn't feel comfortable reading.
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Wolf Den is an incredible historical fiction novel. I loved reading this! I enjoyed the setting of Ancient Rome and appreciate how Harper brings nuance to a time in history that can often time be romanticized. I love our main character, Amara, and how tenacious she is. I’ve read about the next two books and know that her life gets more complicated, but I’m so glad that she was able to obtain her freedom. The pacing of this book was fantastic - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I also love the characters and their relationships/banter. It BROKE me when Dido died, but I felt that coming for a long time. She just felt portrayed as a sacrificial lamb. I think moving forward, Amara will be more unstable. I’m also sensing some kind of tension with Philos? We will have to seee….. either way, while I enjoyed reading this, it was very emotionally heavy. The characters have so much trauma that it’s difficult to step into their world.
Might be a little while before I read the next two books - still, an amazing experience! 4.5/5 stars for me
Might be a little while before I read the next two books - still, an amazing experience! 4.5/5 stars for me