Devi Nair
Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary opens with an irresistible premise: women, secret poisons, and lives linked across two centuries. The atmospheric setting is strong, and the rules of the apothecary lands weight and intrigue to Nella’s morally grey craft. However, for all its promise, I struggled to connect deeply with the story. I’d picked up the book multiple times, failed to finish twice, and only persisted on my third attempt. While the plot suggests high stakes and emotional intensity, I found the execution uneven, with pacing and character depth sometimes sacrificed for the shifting timelines.
Nella stood out most, but her potential, like much in this novel, felt partially realized. Eliza, so compelling at her introduction, faded instead of growing. Caroline, meant to bridge past and present, felt underwritten, leaving her modern struggles strangely muted. There are moments of tension and revelation, but too many narrative threads left little room for these women to achieve the fullness they deserved. Overall, it’s atmospheric, unique, readable, but ultimately unsatisfying, not just with characters, but the wrap-up as well.
Originally posted at viewsshewrites.wordpress.com.
Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary opens with an irresistible premise: women, secret poisons, and lives linked across two centuries. The atmospheric setting is strong, and the rules of the apothecary lands weight and intrigue to Nella’s morally grey craft. However, for all its promise, I struggled to connect deeply with the story. I’d picked up the book multiple times, failed to finish twice, and only persisted on my third attempt. While the plot suggests high stakes and emotional intensity, I found the execution uneven, with pacing and character depth sometimes sacrificed for the shifting timelines.
Nella stood out most, but her potential, like much in this novel, felt partially realized. Eliza, so compelling at her introduction, faded instead of growing. Caroline, meant to bridge past and present, felt underwritten, leaving her modern struggles strangely muted. There are moments of tension and revelation, but too many narrative threads left little room for these women to achieve the fullness they deserved. Overall, it’s atmospheric, unique, readable, but ultimately unsatisfying, not just with characters, but the wrap-up as well.
Originally posted at viewsshewrites.wordpress.com.