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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
This isn't my usual type of read but itkept me interested and wanting more. The way the author of Sherlock Holmes is written as a prominent character was pretty cool. It's ultimately a mystery fantasy romance. I enjoyed the main character, Gaelan. His story is one of heartbreak.
I really enjoyed the book. It starts slow but then picks up. The author does a great job to immerse you in to the story line that you can’t put the book down. I couldn’t stop thinking about characters and their lives. The book has mystery to it and couple turns that I wasn’t expected. The ending was more surprising , it seems that it left opening for the second book, which I would eagerly await.
This book took me a long time to get through. The writer’s style just maybe isn’t for me. The concept was so intriguing and I really wanted to know how it ended. The last 50-100 pages were probably the best of the entire book. I kind of wish the first 2/3 of the book were condensed, and we got to hear way more after the point where book ended.
I am majorly bummed but this book. I was thoroughly looking forward to reading this book. I can barely remember anything that happened in this book. I was really just going through the motions. Yet, I still had held hope for this book until about a third of the way in then I was just sad but still I tried to stick with the book. The world that the author built was great. In fact, this really could have been a great book if the beginning had not seemed so drawn out and the characters had more life to them.
Entertaining and fun. Not too out there to follow, the plot was cohesive (if at times somewhat predictable). Playful but not very "junior section" feeling.
1 star = I did not like it per GR's rating system.
The Victorian writing style just put me off and I could never get into the book. It wasn't just that as I've enjoyed all the Sherlock Holmes' shorts and other writing set in that era, I thought the writing was stiff and unnatural. I really had to concentrate to follow the book and it wasn't enjoyable at all.
I recieved this book as a free review copy.
The Victorian writing style just put me off and I could never get into the book. It wasn't just that as I've enjoyed all the Sherlock Holmes' shorts and other writing set in that era, I thought the writing was stiff and unnatural. I really had to concentrate to follow the book and it wasn't enjoyable at all.
I recieved this book as a free review copy.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-apothecarys-curse.html
I was absolutely surprised by this book! A good blend of science fiction & fantasy that I started out thinking I wasn't going to really enjoy, and ended up really liking! Spanning numerous centuries I found myself, in the beginning, detached from the present-day happenings & wishing the book spent more time in the 19th century, but as the story progressed I liked how the centuries fit together in Gaelan's story.
Medicine is poison.
Full review will be uploaded to my YT channel shortly. This was my first NetGalley read, simply to try the experience. I look forward to more enjoyable reads like this one.
Medicine is poison.
Full review will be uploaded to my YT channel shortly. This was my first NetGalley read, simply to try the experience. I look forward to more enjoyable reads like this one.
I am new to Barbara Barnett but I enjoyed this book. Basically, you had me at the word Apothecary cause I am always interested in magic and witchy things, but having this book set in Victorian London, just makes it even better. I enjoyed reading this book, but it did start slow, but I promise it's worth keeping on and reading more because the mix of history, and fantasy and even science elements in this novel really make it something special, and really give you that escape you're looking for in a novel. Simon Bell and Gaelan Erceldoune are really well-written characters, with good depth of story, and I really felt like they popped off the page while reading. Don't miss this book, if you like historical fiction with fantasy elements because it is just great!
Review originally published on The Curious SFF Reader
I first heard about this book months ago and I was immediatly intrigued, I am not usually a fan of fantasy stories set during the Victorian era because they tend to be very steampunk heavy and I don’t particularly enjoy this genre , however The Apothecary is different, it still manages to incorporate cool elements of magic without falling in the steampunk category.
The Apothecary’s Curse follows two main characters: Gaelan Erceldoune a mysterious apothecary working in London and his friend Dr. Simon Bell. The novel opens up when Bell runs to see his friend late in the night: he’s desesparate to find a cure for his wife Sophie who is suffering from terminal cancer and has hew hours to live. After some convincing, Erceldoune agrees to concoct a potion to save her thanks to a very old family artefact: a book supposedly written by faes of the Tuatha Dé Danann. However, the mixture is not enough to save Sophie and she dies in the arms of Bell who, in desesparation decides to drink the remaining drops of the substance to die with her. To his dismay, not only his tentative fails but he also only manages to make him immortal exactly like Erceldoune who drank an elexir from the book centuries ago to cure himself from the plague.
However, soon after, Erceldoune is accused of murder, and because of that: his house and shop are burnt and the manuscript is nowhere to be found. There begins an epic quest to find the manuscript and cure the two men of immortality.
The structure of the book is very interesting; it takes place in two very different periods: early Victorian London and modern day Chicago The chapters switch between those two timelines: I really liked this aspect of the narration because I found that it made the book way more dynamic that it would have been told in a linear format. I did have a slight preference for the Victorian chapters because they felt richer but I still enjoyed the other ones.
The Apothecary is a debut-novel and it feels like one, it’s a very enjoyable fast-paced read but I did find that it suffered a bit from a lack of characterization, Bell and Erceldoune weren’t one dimentional per say but for immortal beings, I would have liked to see more of what they managed to learn and experience during their life. Also, I thought that the language was a bit too flowery for my liking during the Victorian chapters even though I understand that Barnett tried to make it as close to the actual Victorian way of speaking as possible.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it took me a while to get through (about two weeks) but that wasn’t the problem of the book since I was (and still am) in a reading slump. The fact that I actually managed to finish it is a pretty good sign.
I will definitely give her other works a try in the future because I’m sure they will improve and I’m always on the hunt for quick and fun adventures !
Recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks to the SFWA and Pyr. All opinions are my own.
I first heard about this book months ago and I was immediatly intrigued, I am not usually a fan of fantasy stories set during the Victorian era because they tend to be very steampunk heavy and I don’t particularly enjoy this genre , however The Apothecary is different, it still manages to incorporate cool elements of magic without falling in the steampunk category.
The Apothecary’s Curse follows two main characters: Gaelan Erceldoune a mysterious apothecary working in London and his friend Dr. Simon Bell. The novel opens up when Bell runs to see his friend late in the night: he’s desesparate to find a cure for his wife Sophie who is suffering from terminal cancer and has hew hours to live. After some convincing, Erceldoune agrees to concoct a potion to save her thanks to a very old family artefact: a book supposedly written by faes of the Tuatha Dé Danann. However, the mixture is not enough to save Sophie and she dies in the arms of Bell who, in desesparation decides to drink the remaining drops of the substance to die with her. To his dismay, not only his tentative fails but he also only manages to make him immortal exactly like Erceldoune who drank an elexir from the book centuries ago to cure himself from the plague.
However, soon after, Erceldoune is accused of murder, and because of that: his house and shop are burnt and the manuscript is nowhere to be found. There begins an epic quest to find the manuscript and cure the two men of immortality.
The structure of the book is very interesting; it takes place in two very different periods: early Victorian London and modern day Chicago The chapters switch between those two timelines: I really liked this aspect of the narration because I found that it made the book way more dynamic that it would have been told in a linear format. I did have a slight preference for the Victorian chapters because they felt richer but I still enjoyed the other ones.
The Apothecary is a debut-novel and it feels like one, it’s a very enjoyable fast-paced read but I did find that it suffered a bit from a lack of characterization, Bell and Erceldoune weren’t one dimentional per say but for immortal beings, I would have liked to see more of what they managed to learn and experience during their life. Also, I thought that the language was a bit too flowery for my liking during the Victorian chapters even though I understand that Barnett tried to make it as close to the actual Victorian way of speaking as possible.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it took me a while to get through (about two weeks) but that wasn’t the problem of the book since I was (and still am) in a reading slump. The fact that I actually managed to finish it is a pretty good sign.
I will definitely give her other works a try in the future because I’m sure they will improve and I’m always on the hunt for quick and fun adventures !
Recommended.
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks to the SFWA and Pyr. All opinions are my own.