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shelbybtaylor's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
bookishwondergoth's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a nice, easy to read historical fiction novel inspired by the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box. Both the story and the prose are nothing spectacular but I still had a fun time. It also has one of the most truly hateable out and out villains I’ve read in a while.
For a book so focused around the black market trade of antiquities, I was a bit disappointed that the role of the British Empire in plundering Greece artifacts was never really raised. There was very little nuance in relation to this subject which threw me out of the book a bit. I think it would have been a more interesting read to have that kind of topic included.
I really enjoyed the side characters (Lady Latimer being a particular favourite).
Overall glad I read this. Recommended to those looking for a nicely paced, ambiguously supernatural historical mystery.
For a book so focused around the black market trade of antiquities, I was a bit disappointed that the role of the British Empire in plundering Greece artifacts was never really raised. There was very little nuance in relation to this subject which threw me out of the book a bit. I think it would have been a more interesting read to have that kind of topic included.
I really enjoyed the side characters (Lady Latimer being a particular favourite).
Overall glad I read this. Recommended to those looking for a nicely paced, ambiguously supernatural historical mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia, Kidnapping, and War
Instances of sexism, misogyny and homophobia etc. are in-world and consistent with the time period. They are also challenged, addresses or overcome. Also with regard to the animal death:janieke's review against another edition
A really slow book, there wasnt much going on.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
currant7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
POV: third person
Main characters: Pandora Blake and Edward Lawrence
Pandora (Dora for short) is an orphaned girl whose uncle (Hezekiah) took her under his care and continued with their family business of selling antiques. She aspires to continue with the antique shop and add her jewelry design drawings to the business. Little does she know that her uncle had other things in mind when a precious cargo arrived at their shop one fateful day that would affect Dora and the people around her.
The world-building was sufficient and suitable. The places, people, and clothing depicted the 1780s well. There was enough research on antiquities and the society that governs them.
The characters were relatable, and the connection between Dora and Edward (Lawrence) - their shared trauma and thus their attraction was subtle but fitted perfectly.
This book is more character-driven than a plot one. Things moved more because each character's actions later constituted dire consequences - i.e., Uncle Hezekiah's injury and bad luck.
Overall, I found Pandora slower than expected, but I understood the reason for this much better after everything. There were many clues and hints sprinkled throughout the book that later culminated in an ending I did not see coming. Granted that it seems so "lucky" for Dora, BUT I get it. The twists and revelations were executed well at the end. Sometimes, bad things do come back to "bite back" the evil ones. I appreciate how much research the author did to create the story, and it made me love the book a lot more! (Please read through the author's notes at the end of the book, and you will see why.)
Recommended for its:
- myths and mythology reimagination
- mystery and intrigue
Trigger Warning: death of a beloved animal, parents, and sibling, child abuse, domestic violence/abuse
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
death of a beloved animal, parents, and sibling, child abuse, domestic violence/abusebooksemmahasread's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
thesawyerbean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-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
3.5
While I found the mystery in this book to be very enchanting, and I always love mythology-adjacent literature, I simply did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I found the pacing to be quite sluggish in parts, the plot somewhat predictable, and some of the characters to be caricatures.
I also found the historical setting of Georgian England to be quite unbelievable due to the manner of speaking, some of the behaviour and some of the social/political attitudes of the characters not being aligned with what I’d expect from characters in this era. While it was refreshing to see in certain ways, it wasn’t exactly historically accurate.
However ultimately I was quite satisfied with the ending. There were some loose ends that I don’t think were properly addressed, which may have just been added to add mystique midway through the book. An interesting take on a greek myth retelling for sure.
I also found the historical setting of Georgian England to be quite unbelievable due to the manner of speaking, some of the behaviour and some of the social/political attitudes of the characters not being aligned with what I’d expect from characters in this era. While it was refreshing to see in certain ways, it wasn’t exactly historically accurate.
However ultimately I was quite satisfied with the ending. There were some loose ends that I don’t think were properly addressed, which may have just been added to add mystique midway through the book. An interesting take on a greek myth retelling for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
jamieleepilk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail