{"id":6,"date":"2021-04-04T13:38:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-04T13:38:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-07-19T07:23:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T07:23:52","slug":"the-lost-apothecary-by-sarah-penner-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=6","title":{"rendered":"The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner Book Review!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Hi Readers! Yesterday I finished The Lost Apothecary, in a single day again. I sure am proud of myself. I hadn’t decided which book to read so had a few options to choose from. But then I remembered how much I was intrigued about this book after reading its blurb. I just had to read it because the curiosity around it was built too high. I am so glad I decided to pick it up. Because once I started reading it, I physically could not stop reading it till it finished. There was never a dull moment & this is perhaps one of the recent books which I have loved this much!<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them\u2014setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course. Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.\u00a0
Rule #2: The names of the murderer\u00a0and\u00a0her victim must be recorded in the apothecary\u2019s register.\u00a0
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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\u2014selling 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\u2019s world\u00a0and\u00a0threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.\u00a0
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In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline\u00a0Parcewell\u00a0spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband\u2019s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can\u2019t resist investigating, only to realize she\u2019s found a link to the unsolved \u201capothecary murders\u201d that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline\u2019s life collides with Nella\u2019s\u00a0and\u00a0Eliza\u2019s in a stunning twist of fate\u2014and\u00a0not everyone will survive.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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~~OVERALL THOUGHTS~~<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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~~CHARACTERS~~<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The best thing about The Lost Apothecary is that we have <\/span>3 women leads <\/span>in the story. In the 1791 story line, there’s <\/span>Nella<\/span>, who is the apothecary. And soon she is joined by a twelve-year-old <\/span>Eliza Fanning<\/span>. Nella helps women to fix their maladies & also offers poison to kill men who hurt them. In present day London, we have a tourist named <\/span>Caroline <\/span>Parcewell<\/span><\/span> who finds a vial which leads to her search of the apothecary Nella who lived 200 years earlier.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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The story is over a span of only a week to 10 days, but it feels like more. Given the differences between the characters, it is commendable how brilliantly the author gets into those characters to write an <\/span>age-appropriate & era-appropriate<\/span> story. The specifics of these characters are noteworthy in the sense that the reader is able to imagine them, form a strong connection with them & actually deeply care about what happens to them. I rarely feel these emotions, but when I do, I end up loving the book. So, yes, naturally I loved the characters.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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I couldn\u2019t help but want Nella to successfully keep giving toxic men her poison so that women get their freedom. I couldn\u2019t help but want Eliza to be Nella\u2019s junior assistant & want her to adopt her & train her because Nella never could have a child of her own. I couldn\u2019t help but want Caroline to unfurl the mystery of the apothecary by going on adventures & finding herself along the way. Such is the <\/span>magick<\/span><\/span> of these characters!<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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~~WRITING STYLE~~<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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If I hadn\u2019t known that this was <\/span>Sarah Penner\u2019s debut novel<\/span>, I never would have guessed it. The professional touch to the entire story leaving no loose ends, keeping it interesting all along the way with remarkable characters & a dual story is not at all a simple task. Just yesterday I read Sarah Pearse\u2019s \u2018The Sanatorium\u2019, which is also a debut novel but it showed. This one feels like it\u2019s <\/span>written by a historical fantasy mystery fiction expert<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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Since there are <\/span>two story lines<\/span>, there is a lot of scope to experiment. I loved the <\/span>similar parallels <\/span>between the characters of Nella & Caroline. The men they loved were unfaithful to them & neither of them could have a baby. Nella made poisons to kill men, while Caroline\u2019s husb<\/span>and<\/span> ingested toxic oil himself. These similarities are subtle, unconnected, but I liked their existence. These similarities complemented each other in a good way.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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Further into the story, there is a lot of climax & drama. You are rooting for both Nella & Caroline but the irony is that if you root for <\/span>Caroline<\/span><\/span> it means a bad outcome for Nella & if you root for <\/span>Nella<\/span><\/span> it means no more clues for Caroline. <\/span>The sheer brilliance of it is extraordinarily evil putting readers into a gut-wrenching phenomenal dilemma.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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Different parts of the story bring out <\/span>different kinds of writing which leads to different kinds of emotions <\/span>during the reading. In parts of it, you come across the how imaginative the author is. In some parts, we can literally read the author\u2019s brilliance dripping over the pages. In some parts, we see the raw emotions of these characters. Some parts are mystery, some are fantasy, some are thriller & entirely it comes in the beautiful package of historical fiction. <\/span>What\u2019s not to love!??<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI pondered how utterly unbelievable the entire thing was, how utterly spectacular the whole thing was.\u201d<\/em> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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~~THE ENDING~~<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I was sure that someone would die at the end. I mean, of course, in Caroline\u2019s era, both Nella & Eliza would be dead, which was a bit unfathomable & sad in itself. But I mean I thought Nella or Eliza might die in their own eras. It would have made the book even more worthy of praise, but this time, I was incredibly glad that no one died. I loved how amazingly well the author has tied up everything in the end, without rushing into it while still keeping the suspense alive.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Lost Apothecary is a historical fiction with a touch of undeniable mystery & fantasy to it. Once you dive into it, you won\u2019t be able to get out. This is the perfect read for when you want to forget your life & vanish into a fantasy world of powerful women. I have rated The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner at <\/span>4.5\/5 stars<\/span>!<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Until next time,<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Hi Readers! Yesterday I finished The Lost Apothecary, in a single day again. I sure am proud of myself. I hadn’t decided which book to read so had a few options to choose from. But then I remembered how much I was intrigued about this book after reading its blurb. I just had to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,3],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-6","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","category-books","category-mindscape-reviews","tag-favorite-books"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/The-2BLost-2BApothecary01.jpeg?fit=360%2C640&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":638,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=638","url_meta":{"origin":6,"position":0},"title":"Books Read in April 2021!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"May 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi\u00a0Readers! How was your April? I remember writing the last post where I was boasting about how I read 7 books in half a month. Turns out I finished only one other book after that. So, here we are!\u00a08 BOOKS in APRIL!\u00a0And this time, I read all these on\u00a0e-book!\u00a0Check them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AprilReads21.jpeg?fit=865%2C1154&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AprilReads21.jpeg?fit=865%2C1154&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AprilReads21.jpeg?fit=865%2C1154&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/AprilReads21.jpeg?fit=865%2C1154&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1239,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=1239","url_meta":{"origin":6,"position":1},"title":"June Book Haul!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"June 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi\u00a0Readers! The lockdown is finally lifted where I live, which meant that I could finally order books after a good 3 months! This was a tricky task this time. My birthday was in March & I had given my friends a list of 15 books from which they could gift\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/June-Book-Haul-21-FI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/June-Book-Haul-21-FI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/June-Book-Haul-21-FI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/June-Book-Haul-21-FI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/June-Book-Haul-21-FI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1431,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=1431","url_meta":{"origin":6,"position":2},"title":"Celebrating Mindscape in Words’ 7th Blogoversary!!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"September 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello Readers!! Every time I write a post, I somehow always wonder how quickly the month has gone by, and today here we are where an entire year has gone by! Another successful year of Mindscape in Words! I am forever grateful to you readers who come back to read\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life!"","block_context":{"text":"Life!","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/7thBlogoversaryFI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/7thBlogoversaryFI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/7thBlogoversaryFI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/7thBlogoversaryFI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/7thBlogoversaryFI.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2698,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=2698","url_meta":{"origin":6,"position":3},"title":"The London S\u00e9ance Society: A Non Book Recommendation","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"April 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! I think April is going to be an amazing reading month. I already read four books in the 10 days! I don't want to jinx this reading spree, but this is pretty sweet! I'm not exactly going to write the reviews in the order I read the books.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230411_223116-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230411_223116-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230411_223116-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230411_223116-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230411_223116-02.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1660,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=1660","url_meta":{"origin":6,"position":4},"title":"Top 12 Posts of 2021 \u2013 Year in Review (Part 4)","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"December 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! I truly hope you enjoyed my year in review posts - Goals, Books, Movies & Series. 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It is December, the most glorious time of the year. Because it is the end of the year, it is the perfect time to write about all the award-winning books of this year! 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