Scan barcode
jellums's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.5
alwayslol's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Very well written story. I was craving a little more world building, but overall this was very well done.
letyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
ravina_b's review against another edition
4.0
Check this review out on my blog!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
On the surface, this book welded together my love for historical fiction and my fascination by Pompeii, and it ultimately fulfilled my expectations. Set in the infamous Lupanar of Pompeii, THE WOLF DEN tells a story of the ‘she wolves’ that lived and worked there.
Despite being set in Pompeii, I loved that it didn’t centre around Mount Vesuvius and that it instead offered insight into the daily lives of the people of Pompeii. I especially enjoyed the fact that this book was populated with fiercely strong women and focused on female bonding. The protagonist is a staunch feminist; she values her friends above all else, she understands the importance of women supporting women - especially in the face of male oppression - even when these very women are your rivals, and altogether this was not a book about men saving women, rather about women using the tools at their disposal to save themselves. We follow the life of Amara, but we also gain some understanding of the lives of the women around her and the various ways that women were captured and sold into this line of work. This, for me, was an excellent method of refocusing attention on the often overlooked members of the population of Pompeii (anyone remember Caecilius from the classics textbook?) and encouraging readers to reimagine what we thought we knew about the lost city. It is very easy for the lives of the people of Pompeii to be overshadowed by the eruption of Vesuvius, but Elodie Harper does a brilliant job at reminding us that these people did exist.
Overall, this is an easy read despite the sometimes crude language (bearing in mind that the novel is set in a brothel, you shouldn’t really be surprised by this). If you’re someone that needs a happy ending or all ends tied, then you might be a bit disappointed. I will definitely be reading the sequel upon its release.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
On the surface, this book welded together my love for historical fiction and my fascination by Pompeii, and it ultimately fulfilled my expectations. Set in the infamous Lupanar of Pompeii, THE WOLF DEN tells a story of the ‘she wolves’ that lived and worked there.
Despite being set in Pompeii, I loved that it didn’t centre around Mount Vesuvius and that it instead offered insight into the daily lives of the people of Pompeii. I especially enjoyed the fact that this book was populated with fiercely strong women and focused on female bonding. The protagonist is a staunch feminist; she values her friends above all else, she understands the importance of women supporting women - especially in the face of male oppression - even when these very women are your rivals, and altogether this was not a book about men saving women, rather about women using the tools at their disposal to save themselves. We follow the life of Amara, but we also gain some understanding of the lives of the women around her and the various ways that women were captured and sold into this line of work. This, for me, was an excellent method of refocusing attention on the often overlooked members of the population of Pompeii (anyone remember Caecilius from the classics textbook?) and encouraging readers to reimagine what we thought we knew about the lost city. It is very easy for the lives of the people of Pompeii to be overshadowed by the eruption of Vesuvius, but Elodie Harper does a brilliant job at reminding us that these people did exist.
Overall, this is an easy read despite the sometimes crude language (bearing in mind that the novel is set in a brothel, you shouldn’t really be surprised by this). If you’re someone that needs a happy ending or all ends tied, then you might be a bit disappointed. I will definitely be reading the sequel upon its release.
ellakb01's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
God damn this was a brutal read
literaryjunarin's review against another edition
Too long. 18% in and still nothing has happened yet.
linhsreadinghour's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
3.5
PLEASE CHECK TW BEFORE READING THIS BOOK.
Hmm, this was ok. It wasn’t a chore to read, I felt like I was pretty invested in Amara and wanted to see how things would pan out for her. I was about 150 to the end and that’s when I started getting bored. The book has no huge major plot points, it just followed Amara’s life. Nothing remarkable really happened, it’s pretty dark but that’s to be expected reading a book about women working in brothels in Pompeii. I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. I felt some things weren’t tied up nicely and I still had questions.
I don’t think I’ll continue with the series.
Hmm, this was ok. It wasn’t a chore to read, I felt like I was pretty invested in Amara and wanted to see how things would pan out for her. I was about 150 to the end and that’s when I started getting bored. The book has no huge major plot points, it just followed Amara’s life. Nothing remarkable really happened, it’s pretty dark but that’s to be expected reading a book about women working in brothels in Pompeii. I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. I felt some things weren’t tied up nicely and I still had questions.
I don’t think I’ll continue with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abortion
cheyenneconrady's review against another edition
4.0
Spoiler alert, The Wolf Den is not for the faint of heart. However, it was for me.
This book is a violent, bleak, and at times heartwarming tale told from the life of a woman living in a brothel in ancient Pompeii. I didn’t have any more of an idea than that what I was getting myself into when I started it, for which I’m glad. Typically, stories with a lot of violence toward women are difficult for me, and preconceived notions would have deterred me from entering Amara’s world.
In retrospect, this is not just a story of ancient Italy. This is a story of women surviving, grieving, loving, making mistakes and choosing what they can, when they can. The tone does tend toward modernity more than I usually like in a historical fiction book, but these themes don’t only belong thousands of years in the past, do they?
I’m thrilled to find out this is the first of a trilogy, and look forward to spending more time in Pompeii this month. A dark story in an ancient world is perfect for fall’s season in my books!
A final note about this book — I appreciate being faced with the lives of people from all social castes in the ancient world. It makes my stomach churn when I see Pompeii reduced constantly to its tragic end, without any consideration for the full, complex, beautiful, difficult lives people led there before they died. I was glad to see something else in this novel.
Many trigger warnings (Google if needed), but I did enjoy this read.
This book is a violent, bleak, and at times heartwarming tale told from the life of a woman living in a brothel in ancient Pompeii. I didn’t have any more of an idea than that what I was getting myself into when I started it, for which I’m glad. Typically, stories with a lot of violence toward women are difficult for me, and preconceived notions would have deterred me from entering Amara’s world.
In retrospect, this is not just a story of ancient Italy. This is a story of women surviving, grieving, loving, making mistakes and choosing what they can, when they can. The tone does tend toward modernity more than I usually like in a historical fiction book, but these themes don’t only belong thousands of years in the past, do they?
I’m thrilled to find out this is the first of a trilogy, and look forward to spending more time in Pompeii this month. A dark story in an ancient world is perfect for fall’s season in my books!
A final note about this book — I appreciate being faced with the lives of people from all social castes in the ancient world. It makes my stomach churn when I see Pompeii reduced constantly to its tragic end, without any consideration for the full, complex, beautiful, difficult lives people led there before they died. I was glad to see something else in this novel.
Many trigger warnings (Google if needed), but I did enjoy this read.
stevenott's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75