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keirr_a's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ckappen's review against another edition
slow-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
It’s definitely a slow moving book. I can’t say it’s bad, but it doesn’t feel like much happened. I’m not sure if this is basically a giant prologue for the next book in the series, or if the whole series will move this slowly. It isn’t a book that made me want to sit and read it the whole way through. It was more of an “oh I really need to keep reading that book because it’s going to be returned to the library soon”. Easy to read and easy to put down.
crawffff's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
gtpeanutpie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sophierachel's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
What an immersive and sad read this was! It totally took me back to the time when I visited Pompeii, giving the city its take on life, slavery, women, sex workers and happiness. I remember visiting the ruins of Pompeii and also its pleasure houses. Now I know how it probably went on there and that breaks my heart. Still don’t know whether to continue this series, but it was a good read.
sapphirestuart's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
mrswhiteinthelibrary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Elodie Harper crafts an incredible story about women forgotten by history, specifically prostitutes in Pompeii in the years before the fateful eruption of Mt Vesuvius. While that historical detail looms over the story, it is quick to put it aside the way the unsuspecting characters would surely, caught up in the drama and trials of surviving, always chasing the carrot, or pipe dream, of their freedom. Harper gives us an incredible heroine in Amara, at once hardened and slyly intelligent and optimistic and determined, never able to settle for what horrors life has brought her. She forms a deep friendship with her fellow prostitutes, all of whom are trapped and tragic as she is. Their bonds of sisterhood form the beating heart of the story, and Harper's writing brings the skills she has as a journalist to this ancient setting to make it feel as urgent and timely as a headline. While it lacks the poetry of someone like Madeline Miller or beauty of Maggie O'Farrell's, Harper's rough around the edges style perfectly suits her subject, and her focus on humanizing the long dehumanized, making the historical real and present is as admirable as any of her peers.
megs2kool's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
5.0
jensnow's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-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
3.25