Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Pandora

Susan Stokes-Chapman certainly brings something different to the Greek retelling trend with Pandora, blending mythology with historical realism in this Georgian-style mystery. The characters were complex, the plot was fun and I found myself not wanting to put the book down once I reached the last hundred or so pages (I will never be recovered enough to talk about Hermes). Having said that, I don't think it really needed to be 400 pages long in the first place: the prose was dense and relatively slow-moving for the most part and... there just wasn't the same lyrical beauty of Circe or Ariadne (sorry). All in all though, this was a fun read and a rather refreshing take on what's fast-becoming an over-saturated genre.

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currant7's review against another edition

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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

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sarahs89's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book didn’t work for me, possibly because I was expecting more Greek mythology and less historical fiction.. possibly because it’s slow and the characters did nothing to compel me to them so I just was not invested.

The idea behind the book is interesting but the pacing is off with a lot of chapters of characters just being and then a lot of info dumping.

One of the more interesting plot lines around the pithos and if it is indeed cursed was never really resolved or delved into deep enough for my liking.

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renettereads's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

A beautifully written and delicate story about Dora Blake, an aspiring jewellery maker in 1799 London. Her parents, antiquarians who died when Dora was only a young girl, left her orphaned and in the care of her uncle. As Dora watches her family’s shop fall to disrepute, she tries and fails to sell her jewellery designs. When she turns to Greece as inspiration for a new set of drawings, Pandora tries to remember the stories her mother tells her and ends up discovering something her uncle tries to hide from her.

Firstly, this was beautifully narrated and I instantly fell in love with Dora and her little magpie. As someone who has fallen hard for Greek mythology, this was the perfect blend of historical fiction and fantasy and so lyrically written. It’s definitely a quieter story that relies more on atmosphere than plot, but that’s not to say it’s lacking. Well-paced and satisfying, I wouldn’t mind actually picking up a paperback of this some time to read as well.

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booksemmahasread's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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rollaroyce's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

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grex_ronnie's review against another edition

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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.

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fortunavhs's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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