Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 301
Published: 2021
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them – setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.
Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.
One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose – selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate – and not everyone will survive.”
My Review:
I went in expecting more of a fantasy-vibe, which in retrospect was not a fair assumption considering I don’t think that this was the author’s intention. Nonetheless, it is not fantasy in any way, even if I believe that would have made it more interesting. It’s a short, fun read with a fairly well-developed cast of characters and an engaging series of events. It has some shining, relatable moments:
“I needed comfort food, and maybe a glass of chianti.” (me too, girl… me too)
And I also found the plight of the modern protagonist, finding your sense of purpose, to be one that I have also struggled with at times in my life, so it was definitely a relatable plot.
“The importance of surrounding myself with people who supported and encouraged me and my desires.”
The storylines are compellingly similar in a way that shows how human experience transcends time. While sometimes things felt predictable, there were others where I was happily surprised.
“The hardest truths never rest on the surface. They must be dredged up, held to the light and rinsed clean.”
I wasn’t as captivated by this story as it seems that so many others were. I didn’t find the present-day narrative as alluring as the historical one (seemingly a pattern with most of the books I read that use this congruent timeline plot device). But I do think this is a really great debut novel and I would definitely read from this author again.
On a side note that has nothing to do with the story itself, I really liked the binding on this book – it lays flat easily and doesn’t crease the spine – as well as the size and paper quality. Also, it is possibly the most gorgeous cover ever. Probably of little importance, but it did help with the aesthetic part of my love for reading.
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