Book Synopsis:
Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii’s brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den…
Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father’s death plunged her family into penury. Now, she is owned by a man she despises and lives as a slave in Pompeii’s infamous brothel, her only value the desire she can stir in others.
But Amara’s spirit is far from broken. Sharp, resourceful and surrounded by women whose humour and dreams she shares, Amara comes to realise that everything in this city has its price. But how much will her freedom cost?
The Wolf Den is the first in a trilogy of novels reimagining the long overlooked lives of women in Pompeii’s lupanar. Perfect for fans of Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls and Madeline Miller’s Circe.
My Review:
Wow I absolutely loved this book. It was a very absorbing, gripping and fascinating story that I read quickly over a weekend.
Firstly I absolutely loved being transported to Pompeii and learning more about the life of slaves during the Roman times. It was very heart breaking to see how awfully slaves were treated during this time, with many being kidnapped or simply taken from their homes and then forced into slavery. The contempt that their masters and society treated them was difficult to read about at times and often brought a lump to my throat as I read. How anyone can treat another human like that is beyond me. It was especially poignant to read about how children of slaves were treated and I often had to go give my kids huge cuddles whilst reading. It was however fascinating to learn more about the Roman festival days and how they were celebrated. There seemed to be a festival day for everything and everyone and the vivid descriptions of the celebrations made me feel like I was actually there experiencing everything along side the characters. I loved reading about the Roman spirit on these days, how they seemed to make everyone equal and how they were always celebrated with great gusto!
The characters were all fabulous creations that I enjoyed following throughout the book. They all seemed very real and I soon warmed to them. My favourite character was Amara, even though she scared and annoyed me at times. I loved the strength and determination she showed in trying to get her freedom and thought she showed a lot of bravery in this regard. She did seem a bit cut throat at times though and unaware of how some of her actions would impact others which infuriated me. Her relationship with the other ‘she wolves’ was lovely to read about and I found I enjoyed spending time in their company. Felix was a suitably vile villain who I loved to hate. His callous disregard toward any of the ‘she wolves’ or other employers helped form some of the most emotional parts of the story so I really enjoyed watching him being tricked by Amara.
Overall, as you can probably tell I loved this book and can’t wait for the sequel to come out next month. I found it a very difficult book to put down and I was constantly thinking about the story when I wasn’t able to read it. There was a great pace to the story and there always seemed to be something happening to ensure I couldn’t stop reading. There was a great mix of tragedy and triumph in the book which made it both heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. Highly recommended by me!
About The Author:
Elodie Harper is a journalist and prize-winning writer. Her story ‘Wild Swimming’ won the 2016 Bazaar of Bad Dreams short story competition, which was judged by Stephen King. She is currently a reporter and presenter at ITV News, and before that worked as a producer for Channel 4 News. Her job as a journalist has seen her join one of the most secretive wings of the Church of Scientology and cover the far right hip hop scene in Berlin, as well as crime reporting in Norfolk where her first two novels were set – The Binding Song and The Death Knock. Elodie studied Latin poetry both in the original and in translation as part of her English Literature degree at Oxford, instilling a lifelong interest in the ancient world. The Wolf Den is the first in a trilogy of novels about the lives of women in ancient Pompeii. Elodie can be found online at elodieharper.com
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