Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is here. After I did a 30-second book review on Instagram, I got so many messages that I HAD to feature this book and give you all my thoughts.
In short, should you read The Lost Apothecary? YES!
Here’s why…
The plot is fast-paced and just the right length. It centers around Caroline Parcewell in the present day, along with Nella and Eliza in 1791. Caroline is an aspiring historian who finds out her husband has been unfaithful the day before leaving London to celebrate their ten-year wedding anniversary. Caroline opts to go alone and, upon arriving spontaneously decides to go mudlarking. It is there she finds a vial in the riverbank. Upon further intrigue, it sends her on a journey of rediscovering herself and what she truly wants out of life. Does that include forgiving her husband for what he did? While she decides she is entangled in the story of Nella and Eliza.
Nella owns a hidden apothecary shop that no longer dispenses remedies to heal wounds. Now, she aides women in making the men who hurt them feel pain, giving them concoctions to hide in plain sight to kill them. Her actions haunt her but not as much as the secret Nella lives with every single day. It isn’t until 12-year-old Eliza arrives at her shop to get a concoction from the lady she works for a friendship blooms. One that Nella hasn’t had in a really long time. A mishap leads to tragic actions in which Nella must decide what path to take. The problem is Eliza is right at her side, suffering the consequences. What happened to these two in 1791? Were Nella’s murderous actions discovered? Did the two of them continue the apothecary shop? Find out when you read the story from Caroline’s perspective!
The characters were a fabulous part of this The Lost Apothecary.
Caroline, Nella, and Eliza were all well-rounded and pitch-perfect. Caroline is a powerful character. Her husband’s actions hurt her. What made it standout is I can feel her pain. It is rare an author can capture such raw emotion and makes you feel it. Sarah Penner did not just write the emotions of characters. She made you feel what they felt in every capacity, which made this book even better. Nella is a complex character, and through the book, we find out what drives her actions AND the story behind the apothecary. Eliza is a character I adored too. She represents the innocence this book needed to complete it.
The cover design was also excellent. I love the mix of colors and the vial on the cover. It is perfect and makes me want to read this book again. The length was also great. It wasn’t too long, which I really enjoyed!
Overall, I give this book 5 stars!
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