A review by blewballoon
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This wasn't bad, but it had a lot of tropes I'm a bit tired of. I wouldn't recommend this book to men, since most of them are portrayed in a cartoonishly villainous way. I find it boring when women character arcs are focused on motherhood/pregnancy, men, and not much else.
In a ridiculous example, A 12 year old girl's plot and decisions mostly revolve around not knowing what a period is and assuming the blood is caused by a dead man haunting her.
There are 3 POV characters, and I felt like they all over-explained what was going on. I feel like there should have been more trust in the reader to understand the nuances of the situations and emotions. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrators did a great job with their characters, though. 
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