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A review by burtini
The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
5.0
Following the events of The Wolf Den, still set in AD75 Pompei, Amara is now out of the den and Felix’s control. She lives in a house rented by her patron Rufus, has freedom, money and luxury she never had before, but she is not happy. Still plagued by the death of Dido, the memories of her life in the brothel and Felix’s treatment, and apart from her sisters in the den, Amara still suffers, now just in a house controlled by a man and surrounded by slaves she feels resent her. While very aware that her new life is still under the power of a man and his current interest in her and her body, Amara has been saving money, running a loaning business helping women out with loans (with a lower interest rate and without the violence of Felix’s venture) for her own security - but when she finds out Felix is becoming more violent with Victoria, still stuck at the den, she has to face her fear and try negotiate a price with Felix to save her friend and sister. Putting herself in his debt by agreeing far more than she can afford, and with the fragility of her patronage ever looming, Amara has saved Victoria and Britannica, but has it been at the expense of herself? And does she still have an abusive owner in a man she thought she thought was good?
This is a brilliant book but it’s also not an easy book to read due to the subject nature. Surprisingly this 2nd instalment is more unsettling than The Wolf Den, set in Felix’s brothel, the threat or act of sexual, mental and/or physical violence of multiple male characters on several female characters always present. Rufus, Amara’s patron, likes his girls fragile and comments on her weight, so throughout the book she starves herself, losing weight so she maintains his favour. Rufus is possessive, he calls it love but he treats Amara like an object, a toy no one else can play with and punishes her by reminding her of her place when he feels his ego is threatened. Then there is Felix, this is a strange sentence to type but I’m praying Vesuvius gets him in the final instalment. The power dynamic changes here between Amara and her former owner, or rather she believes it does and that is the problem in itself. Felix desires Amara but he no longer owns her and she is protected by her patron, she has defied him, humiliated him, she has bought Victoria from him and with this confidence and illusion of freedom from her change in circumstances and new business ventures, she confronts and tries to play his own game back at him. This creates an even bigger enemy in Felix you feel that fear of his shadow over all the characters.
Power dynamics have also changed between the friends; Victoria has been bought and freed but she owes this freedom Amara, she works for her singing, with sex coming with it, and the money goes towards what Felix is owed. The privilege and status Amara has over Victoria quickly becomes a problem and both women in this story have the temporary feeling of liberation before they have chains in a new form.
There’s also the added dynamic of Amara as the lady of the house, in effect, a former slave who now has slaves at her command, including Philos, who she falls in love with, and for her music venture with Drusilla, they also buy slaves to perform. In order to avoid returning to her own misery, there are times where Amara has to become the very people she hates, including Felix, and use people as pawns.
Amara is a fascinating character, she’s the daughter of a doctor from before she became a slave, she’s a former slave who still bears the emotional scars of having her body taken from her and seen as barely a person, and she’s a young woman with money and perceived status, with slaves, a house, business ventures and people of status as her peers but ultimately knowing she owns nothing, it can all be taken away with the interest and lust veiled of love of her patron. These different and duelling sides of Amara create conflicting thoughts and fears with the confidence of happiness and love battling with desperation and need for security and protection for her and her loved ones. While Amara longs to be a daughter of a doctor, a mother, a wife and lover, a businesswoman, as the book progresses she sadly realised this world is not kind to women and she can not escape the shadows of the men in her life.
The interactions between Amara and Victoria are particularly interesting as, while Victoria does behave badly (no spoilers), she is also a woman just trying to survive and be loved, a woman who has been hurt and used by people, now this includes Amara. Likewise the interactions between Amara and Felix are electric, you learn more about him and while you won’t feel sorry for him you understand him better. These scenes are menacing and dangerous in a way far stronger than The Wolf Den.
Tender moments can be found between Amara’s love story with Philos, the house steward and slave, they grow to love each other and in these moments hidden away in her room, you can experience the peace (though brief and temporary) of these 2 hurt people.
Brittanica is an absolute delight too, I would have to say she is my favourite character, she’s a good friend, she’s loyal and brave and protective but she has her own demons she wrestles with. I love how this book ended for her.
Like I’ve said above, this book was harder r read than TWD, the sexual violence and threats, the treatment of slaves, the unfairness of this time feels even more magnified so it’s not necessarily a book you can soar through for your own mental health. That said, the characters are wonderful with some beautifully complex and strong women in particular who don’t always do the right thing but are good and you want and need them to survive not just the impending eruption but also each day of this battle they face in a world of men and their power.
Likewise the writing is wonderful, it’s not overwritten, it’s not self indulgent to show off the time spent on research but it’s rich and brings Pompeii to life and it flows well.
I’m both excited and terrified for the final instalment in this trilogy with Mount Vesuvius’ eruption growing ever closer, but this is a fantastic series dealing with both sensitively and respectfully to those who were victims in many forms.
Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review
This is a brilliant book but it’s also not an easy book to read due to the subject nature. Surprisingly this 2nd instalment is more unsettling than The Wolf Den, set in Felix’s brothel, the threat or act of sexual, mental and/or physical violence of multiple male characters on several female characters always present. Rufus, Amara’s patron, likes his girls fragile and comments on her weight, so throughout the book she starves herself, losing weight so she maintains his favour. Rufus is possessive, he calls it love but he treats Amara like an object, a toy no one else can play with and punishes her by reminding her of her place when he feels his ego is threatened. Then there is Felix, this is a strange sentence to type but I’m praying Vesuvius gets him in the final instalment. The power dynamic changes here between Amara and her former owner, or rather she believes it does and that is the problem in itself. Felix desires Amara but he no longer owns her and she is protected by her patron, she has defied him, humiliated him, she has bought Victoria from him and with this confidence and illusion of freedom from her change in circumstances and new business ventures, she confronts and tries to play his own game back at him. This creates an even bigger enemy in Felix you feel that fear of his shadow over all the characters.
Power dynamics have also changed between the friends; Victoria has been bought and freed but she owes this freedom Amara, she works for her singing, with sex coming with it, and the money goes towards what Felix is owed. The privilege and status Amara has over Victoria quickly becomes a problem and both women in this story have the temporary feeling of liberation before they have chains in a new form.
There’s also the added dynamic of Amara as the lady of the house, in effect, a former slave who now has slaves at her command, including Philos, who she falls in love with, and for her music venture with Drusilla, they also buy slaves to perform. In order to avoid returning to her own misery, there are times where Amara has to become the very people she hates, including Felix, and use people as pawns.
Amara is a fascinating character, she’s the daughter of a doctor from before she became a slave, she’s a former slave who still bears the emotional scars of having her body taken from her and seen as barely a person, and she’s a young woman with money and perceived status, with slaves, a house, business ventures and people of status as her peers but ultimately knowing she owns nothing, it can all be taken away with the interest and lust veiled of love of her patron. These different and duelling sides of Amara create conflicting thoughts and fears with the confidence of happiness and love battling with desperation and need for security and protection for her and her loved ones. While Amara longs to be a daughter of a doctor, a mother, a wife and lover, a businesswoman, as the book progresses she sadly realised this world is not kind to women and she can not escape the shadows of the men in her life.
The interactions between Amara and Victoria are particularly interesting as, while Victoria does behave badly (no spoilers), she is also a woman just trying to survive and be loved, a woman who has been hurt and used by people, now this includes Amara. Likewise the interactions between Amara and Felix are electric, you learn more about him and while you won’t feel sorry for him you understand him better. These scenes are menacing and dangerous in a way far stronger than The Wolf Den.
Tender moments can be found between Amara’s love story with Philos, the house steward and slave, they grow to love each other and in these moments hidden away in her room, you can experience the peace (though brief and temporary) of these 2 hurt people.
Brittanica is an absolute delight too, I would have to say she is my favourite character, she’s a good friend, she’s loyal and brave and protective but she has her own demons she wrestles with. I love how this book ended for her.
Like I’ve said above, this book was harder r read than TWD, the sexual violence and threats, the treatment of slaves, the unfairness of this time feels even more magnified so it’s not necessarily a book you can soar through for your own mental health. That said, the characters are wonderful with some beautifully complex and strong women in particular who don’t always do the right thing but are good and you want and need them to survive not just the impending eruption but also each day of this battle they face in a world of men and their power.
Likewise the writing is wonderful, it’s not overwritten, it’s not self indulgent to show off the time spent on research but it’s rich and brings Pompeii to life and it flows well.
I’m both excited and terrified for the final instalment in this trilogy with Mount Vesuvius’ eruption growing ever closer, but this is a fantastic series dealing with both sensitively and respectfully to those who were victims in many forms.
Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review