Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Lost Apothecary

This has been on my TBR for over a year, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it but it definitely didn't live up to the hype that I'd given it. The book has three perspectives, two in the past and one in present day. While I did enjoy watching their stories becoming more intertwined as the book went on, I felt that their stories wrapped up quite quickly and I found them to be disappointing.

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brickwall27's review

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It was slow and not intriguing I put it down and never thought of it again

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cheyarsen's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book! A lot more than I thought I was going to, based on the rating. I love the fact that it took us through the POVs of Caroline, Eliza and Nella and how it tied each of these women together, despite not really having anything in common.

I especially love how the end tied it all together with Caroline realizing that she found Eliza’s tincture bottle, it really just brought it all full circle.

Overall a fun read and would definitely recommend!

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alentz94's review

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mysterious sad medium-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

3.0

Over all I found the book kind of... boring? That may not be the right word but over all I came away with a very "meh" feeling.

Caroline's thoughts were frustrating to me. So much revolved around these "giant" secrets she was keeping and I just don't feel like any of it except her true discovery was huge.

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freetobme's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Enjoyable, quick read. I had no issue following the stories from the 3 characters. I didn’t appreciate that magic potions were glorified, nor the making and disguising of poisons.

However, in the end the apothecary has a change of heart and stops making and dispensing poisons.

I did find several sentences and paragraphs to record and reflect on.

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wizardingwisteria's review against another edition

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dark inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.75

This was my first audio book and I'm glad it was. I loved the fact that each character had their own dedicated narrator. The narrators were fantastic. Each voice fit each character perfectly.

As someone with a BA in history and conflicted feelings about grad school I related to Caroline quite a bit, especially during and after her historical investigation. I found all three women to be compelling in their own ways. The relationships that blossom in this book are fantastic. The side characters are also great. (I had a massive crush on Gainer the entire time).

I took the .25 off because, while the ending was overall satisfying, I didn't totally love it. There is a moment where it seems like

Caroline is going to get back together with her (dumbass) husband. Thankfully they didn't, but I didn't like how close that call was.

Aside from her relationship,

I didn't understand why Caroline threw the glass bottle back into the river. If she planned on writing her dissertation on the apothecary, then that bottle is an incredibly valuable artifact that would greatly help her research. She had pieced the story together. She understood the significance of that bottle. And she tossed it?

I feel like the author sacrificed an authentic moment for a plot point that served as symbolic representation for Caroline in the end.

Overall a great read with a mostly satisfying ending. I could see myself listening to this one more time.

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kabaoyang's review

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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