A review by kitkatkick
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The premise of this book was certainly interesting, but the execution was a lot less exciting than I had hoped. The story bounces between three points of view: Nella, the murderous apothecary herself; Eliza, a 12-year-old girl who has suddenly found herself in Nella’s company; and Caroline, a soon-to-be-divorcee on a soul searching trip in present-day London.
Having all three points of view felt unnecessary. The story could have better been told with either Nella and Eliza’s different views on the actual apothecary shop, or with a contrast between Nella’s view and Caroline’s discovery of her. Having only two viewpoints would have probably given a lot more room for the characters to become likable, as well. I started reading this book because I was interested in the apothecary premise, but Nella and Eliza’s story is so rushed and plot driven that I ended up more interested in Caroline’s story, which wasn’t even mentioned in the summaries I read beforehand.

My last qualm is that it’s yet another book that projects itself as telling a woman’s story but ends up only telling the story of how a man affected said woman. Both Nella and Caroline’s storylines revolve around how men did them wrong and how those wrongdoings changed their lives. Nella’s apothecary shop is revealed not to be her way of rebelling and helping fellow women, but moreso a long game of revenge against her former lover. And through most of it, she comes off as scornful of most of the other women she interacts with. What could have been a new twist on women helping women simply became another story of “a woman scorned.” 

Overall, I wouldn’t call this a bad book. I can tell there are some people who will probably love it. But it wasn’t quite what I expected, and not what I was looking for, either.
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