Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Giftmakerskan by Sarah Penner

29 reviews

mattiedancer's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Writing: 3⭐️/5 

The writing was fine, adequate, presentable. A few times Penner had some really stunning lines, but mostly the writing did what needed to be done without too much flare or finesse. A lot of sections for backstory were lengthy, giving us a bit of information by flashback and then overexplaining the emotions of the situation. But overall the writing did enough to not get in the way.

Characters: 3.5⭐️/5

I think the characters in the historical sections were much more fascinating than our modern-day protagonist. While I appreciated that Caroline had a lot going on, I also felt like her half-telling of the story made me lose a bit of interest in what was going on. I loved her research-heavy mind, but it felt stunningly unbelievable the way in which she pursued her research so easily after so long. And, while the characters were interesting, they felt a bit surface at times, almost as though we never got a true glimpse of their whole beings.

Plot: 3⭐️/5 

Okay, so the concept? Super cool. The execution? Maybe that’s where I got lost. I loved everything about the apothecary. I even loved the slow unravelling of clues from Caroline’s side, but I also felt like that was the only thing that felt super fleshed out. All the details in the novel felt muddled, as though they were unclear and unformed. I also think that the end kind of undid some of the feminist points made throughout the novel, leaving kind of a sour taste in my mouth at the end.

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Fans of historical books that have a split POV with modern perspective
• Someone looking for a cool concept over everything else
• Fans of witchy history who are looking for an easy read

Content Warnings? 

• Pregnancy, adultery, murder, sexism, misogyny, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence, abuse, child abuse, child death, death, death of parent, self-harm, suicide, suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, terminal illness, poison, gun violence, medical trauma, classism, injury, injury detail, fire, pedophilia, incest, infertility 

Post-Reading Rating:  2.75⭐️/5

I just… wanted more? I liked the concept so much but I think everything else fell pretty flat.

Final Rating: 3⭐️/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Infertility, Violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, Child death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Blood, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Pedophilia

anni_swanilda's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Murder, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Terminal illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, and Grief

Moderate: Medical content and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Abortion, Animal death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Death of parent

huntress's review against another edition

dark informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Murder, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Infidelity, Infertility, Grief, Medical content, Abortion, and Death of parent

mariamj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.0

The beginning was a bit slow but when it picks up, it  picks up! This book was such a pleasure to read. I love the historical accuracy of the events that occurred in this book and I love that the story behind the apothecary. Looks truly can be deceiving and the truth was bittersweet. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Child death, Miscarriage, and Murder

Moderate: Infertility, Blood, Vomit, Terminal illness, Classism, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol

kelisabeth's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

hales_1243's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Death, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Medical content, Gaslighting, and Infertility

Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual harassment

bzliz's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

In the present, Caroline is dealing with processing her husband’s infidelity and the possibility she might be pregnant when she finds a blue vial marked with a bear that leads her into a whirlwind research journey to discover its origins and secrets. In the past, Nella dispenses poisons to women looking to off men in their lives who had wronged them, set off by her own betrayal at the hands of a man she had loved and trusted. Eliza comes into her life as one such customer, on behalf of her employer, and is endlessly curious about Nella’s work. 

If you can overlook the sheer luck Caroline has with her research, this is perfect for any fans of forgotten history who also search for answers in historical texts and can formulate theories but will never be able to fully corroborate their findings. The Lost Apothecary does not mince words here- so many women have been forgotten by history without any record of their existence. At times, it re-treads conflict already in motion and gets the tiniest bit repetitive but I still found the story satisfying and

Spoiler

I’m so delighted that Caroline is leaving the man who cheated on her, then gaslit her about it and the poisoned himself to try to trap her into staying with him.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Grief, Pregnancy, and Infertility

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Infidelity, Alcohol, Death, Sexual harassment, Blood, and Gaslighting

cady_sass's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-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? No

5.0

Every time I read historical fiction I’m tempted to say “usually I don’t like HF but…” but at this point I think that’s a lie, and I actually love it. This is SO good! It certainly helps that we are following two storylines: one of Nella and her secret business that exclusively caters to women and dispensing with their shit husbands in the late 1700s (absolute queen), and one of Caroline and her shit husband in the current day, uncovering the secrets of the ~*lost apothecary*~. And then there’s Eliza, the absolutely precious 12 year old who inserts herself into Nella’s life and unknowingly puts many tragic pieces into motion. The two storylines unfold beautifully, poetically, tragically; individually and together.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

vanesst's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Death of parent, Murder, Suicide, Death, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, and Grief

Moderate: Infertility, Classism, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Child death, and Chronic illness

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Medical content

taylorleilani's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, Vomit, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Child death