Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

7 reviews

taliatalksbooks's review

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dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner was just as good, if not better, than I expected it to be. I tried not to let all the praise surrounding the book skew my reading experience, but I can now say it was definitely well earned (not to mention how much I LOVE the cover). Historical fiction is not a favorite genre of mine, but I loved the way this story was discovered through researching the past and filling in the pieces. I think this was a really clever framework and it made the women of this story feel as though they were interacting, even if they never could have possibly met. I love a story with a good vigilante character, and this book certainly delivered. If you haven’t had a chance to read this historical fiction gem, definitely add it to your TBR. 

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sallytiffany's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I really enjoyed this. A lot of complex storylines all meeting together in a very satisfying turn of events, the history and storyline was really well done. It was captivating. 

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franticfreya's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0


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becca_w_'s review

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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kbairbooks's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I swear I have been reading so many dark books recently and it’s messing with me a little bit so I’m gonna try and pick up some lighter things for a little bit to lift me out of this mood. This story was told from three different perspectives and had three different narrators and I enjoyed that it was a dark feminist dual timeline story about betrayal and murder and coming to terms with Feelings and the important things in life and the people that matter but also damn that plot twist at the end

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embersonthehearth's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Not great, not awful. Easy to read, but the writing is not the best.
The story develops in two streams: past and present.
The past one is interesting, however it could take place anywhere at anytime. There is nothing that makes it relevant to the place and location.
The present one is just bad. The protagonist is unbearable even though we're supposed to be rooting for her, and the things she goes through are just plain ridiculous. Bored housewife meets Indiana Jones, but if he was a complete idiot.

The worst part is that the concept of the book is, if not unique, very interesting. Pity the story wasn't better developed.

I can see why the book is popular though, it's chick lit (which I actually like). It's easy to read, you want to know what happens next, and the characters are mostly women. For what it is, it's ok. Just don't sell it as an historical mystery.

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eve_reads's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

Overall Thoughts:
 ⁕ I like that this is a feminist text but that the main female character does not start out as a strong, independent, kick-butt woman. I like that she is co-dependent and vulnerable and that the reader gets to see how difficult and messy it is to grow out of that.

 ⁕ My biggest complaint about this book is that it is too short. I would have loved more time with the characters, more time to build-up to the main conflicts.

 ⁕ This book is advertised as magical realism but there's really only one small reference to potential magic at the end. I also wish this was more developed. 

To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online
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