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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was the book club book for the month to read.
Not my chosen genre but I enjoy reading books I normally wouldn’t choose!!
I expected it to be completely witchy and set in the old times but liked the modern vs old chapters.
BUT I found it slow and boring tbh, but again, it’s not my desired genre so that may well be why..
I did like the stories collaborating and a happy end for Eliza but just felt bored and wanting the story to be quicker
Not my chosen genre but I enjoy reading books I normally wouldn’t choose!!
I expected it to be completely witchy and set in the old times but liked the modern vs old chapters.
BUT I found it slow and boring tbh, but again, it’s not my desired genre so that may well be why..
I did like the stories collaborating and a happy end for Eliza but just felt bored and wanting the story to be quicker
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was enjoyable and I liked the historical mystery vibe. But the parallels between the main character's life and the lives of the historical figures she was researching were heavy-handed and there were some completely avoidable unrealistic plot points that irked me, like the character just deciding on a whim to apply to a graduate program at Cambridge that starts in 6 months and completing the application in one night. And her decision at the end to keep a 200-year-old secret and toss an amazing artifact into the Thames was overly sentimental and deeply unrelatable.
Not my usual genre but I did really enjoy this book!
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
[b:The Lost Apothecary|53288434|The Lost Apothecary|Sarah Penner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593013000l/53288434._SY75_.jpg|74516135] by [a:Sarah Penner|19788573|Sarah Penner|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1582667763p2/19788573.jpg] is a book I saw available as a Book of the Month pick, and once I read the synopsis, I was set on reading it. Before I did, however, I got to watch a virtual event with Penner that had me even more excited to read it. There isn't anything much better than getting to see an author, get an idea of their personality, and then read their book, right? I am the first to say no there isn't. I enjoyed all 3 viewpoints in the story which are the apothecary Nella, our modern-day finder of the vial Caroline, and Nella's patron Eliza. HOWEVER, I would have taken only Nella and Eliza in a second. For one, Nella's job is absolutely fascinating, and her backstory was just as much, and I was also quite taken with Eliza's backstory as well. Caroline's POV got a little boring and weird for me at times, and I would have loved for her to have a different storyline from what she did.
There is a hint of magical realism to the story, but the majority of it felt very real. We do in fact have historical fiction here as well since being an apothecary is a very real job that existed both in the past and still exists today. I was a huge fan of the audiobook, which is narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony & Lauren Irwin. You have no idea how happy it made me to have a narrator for each viewpoint, and I loved every single one of them. I loved the ending of The Lost Apothecary, and all roads lead to something very interesting and satisfying. A huge standout here is definitely Penner's storytelling abilities. I loved the tone she set for this book, and her writing was (perfectly) descriptive and very engaging, plus I love how the cover actually did it justice which doesn't *always* happen. I think this was such a promising debut and I have a sneaking suspicion that we will be seeing a lot more of Penner.
There is a hint of magical realism to the story, but the majority of it felt very real. We do in fact have historical fiction here as well since being an apothecary is a very real job that existed both in the past and still exists today. I was a huge fan of the audiobook, which is narrated by Lorna Bennett, Lauren Anthony & Lauren Irwin. You have no idea how happy it made me to have a narrator for each viewpoint, and I loved every single one of them. I loved the ending of The Lost Apothecary, and all roads lead to something very interesting and satisfying. A huge standout here is definitely Penner's storytelling abilities. I loved the tone she set for this book, and her writing was (perfectly) descriptive and very engaging, plus I love how the cover actually did it justice which doesn't *always* happen. I think this was such a promising debut and I have a sneaking suspicion that we will be seeing a lot more of Penner.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
I loved this book! It was a great read, and I loved the story. Without giving too much detail, the storyline was fantastic, and the twist and turns was beautifully written. Granted, I have read enough stories to anticipate the next course of events, but how it was written still made the book hard to put down! This book was worth the read!
fast-paced