Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper

34 reviews

motherofbears's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? No

4.75

Devastatingly beautiful and sad. You can tell a lot of care went into the research for this book, you get a view into what life was like for slaves in Pompeii (often terrible). I couldn’t put it down and read most of it over a couple days.

I took away a tiny bit because the ending felt a little tied up with a bow, but knowing this is book one of a trilogy makes me hopeful for more development in the future.

This is historical fiction at it’s most literary. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

leahkarge's review

slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ok7a's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death and Suicide

Minor: Body shaming, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Alcohol

withlivjones's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

What a start to what I’m sure will be  a stellar trilogy! I initially wasn’t sure that this book would be my thing, but my am I glad to be wrong! 

Elodie Harper does a fantastic job of conjuring up ancient Pompeii, from the lavish parties of high society to the desperation of its poorest inhabitants. The setting is so vivid and exciting and draws you right into the plot. 

Amara is a brilliantly-written protagonist, with a certain amount of complexity and morally-greyness to her that makes her point of view so compelling. Her main priority is protecting herself, but she is forced to question how much she is willing to lose in order to gain some power: her morals? her dignity? friends and first loves? 

There are so many other characters who are very well-written as well, from the loveable to the absolutely terrible excuses for a human being (*cough*felix*cough*). The female characters in particular are more diverse than most books I’ve read, and the complex relationships between them show both female solidarity and rivalry in a society where women have no power. 

I loved this book and I cannot wait to read the next instalment in the trilogy! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Trafficking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

fe_aye's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book is a great insight to the life of slaves in Pompeii and the friendships of women in those times. The characters are wonderful and real and every single one is complex with their own independent things going on and following each of them throughout this story was amazing to see. I loved the relationships and the characters and the way they interacted. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

nwara's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

This book made so unnecessarily emotional
I loved it, it made me feel the pain, relief and insecurity of the characters 
I somehow could get a feel of what being a prostitute at that time was
It was a tale of womanhood and love both platonic and romantic

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

daisymayl's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

anne_shouseofdreams's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death of parent

Minor: Abortion

ribsgd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? No

3.75

Really empathised with the MC, Amara, but the story is very slow. Lots of world and character building but not a lot of story until the very end, although this is the first in a trilogy.

Definitely worth a read, albeit not a necessarily happy one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism

sinceraly's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

a bit of a slow start, but the prose of this book is something so different from any other modern greek/roman setting I've read, and when this book finally gathered it's bearings about a 3rd of the way in it had me hooked.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol