The Lost Apothecary

Title: The Lost Apothecary

By: Sarah Penner

Length: 320 pgs 

Age Rating: Aside from the whole poison thing - Id say pretty ok for most ages. 

Rating: 8.5/10

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The Non-Spoiler Version 

This book was great. Its definitely more of a mystery which I'm not usually into, but the time switching perspectives kept my attention. You almost feel like your unraveling the mystery of what happened to the apothecary with the main character. The ending feels a little “Blink and you'll miss it” for everything it throws at you. It reminds me of what I've heard about Sarah J Maas books, where everything hits you in the last 100 pages. That being said, the whole book was very enthralling, and overall better than I expected. I did not want to put it down because I too was hooked in the mystery, which I supposed is the whole point of mysteries. I know she has another book written, and I may check that one out if I ever hit the end of my TBR. I have a certain interest in medicinal plants and poisons, so frankly in my mind, the book gets an extra star for having a POISON GUIDE in the back of the book! Including rough quantities and disguises. (for legal reasons, I do not condone using the poison guide for nefarious reasons) but its COOL and a feature I think more books that feature botany or poisons should implement. Another thing I wanted to call out is that the cover of this book is Beautiful! The only small detail I think would be cool would be the bear etching that matches the vial in the book, but that also might be too crowded, and I'm a reader, not a designer. Good covers deserve shoutouts in my opinion.(see the bottom for cover)

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The Spoilers Version

I do have to say, I don't know if I’ve Ever been more invested in characters menstrual cycles before. I mean I was stressed for Caroline, and poor Eliza thinking it was the ghost latching on to her! Even Nella and how her “inability to bleed and scarred womb” affected her. I have to say, I am very glad that Caroline wasn't pregnant. I feel like going that way would have been the cliche choice. I did think it was a little quick that she was away from her husband for two days and was suddenly realizing how controlling he had been throughout their relationship, but I could believe that she was coming at it with a fresh perspective after finding out about his infidelity. I got the controlling vibe, and her husband following her to Europe would have set me right off, I was still a bit surprised when she jumped to him drinking the Eucalyptus oil on purpose, and him being like “yup!”. But maybe sometimes you don't realize you're at that point until you're there. Either way, I'm glad she left and has Gaynor. Gaynor is the MVP. 

I also felt like Eliza surviving the jump in the river was a bit out of left field as well and oddly  revealed to us. I had to read it twice to really “get it” and then I just felt extra bad for Nella, who died, most likely alone, thinking that Eliza sacrificed herself for her. I did find that some of the characters didn't feel fully explained, maybe they were fleshed out in an earlier draft but certain things were pared down, I don't know. I find I'm always of the opinion that books should be longer. Eliza, for example, is oddly fine murder. Like even the “apprehension stomach ache” she thinks she has, is just cramps. A number of times she expresses that she is fine with murder, even having served her master the poisoned food himself, she was just scared of ghosts. Considering the girl is 12 and not a hardened criminal, there's little reason for her to be so unaffected by the thought of killing someone. Gaynor, really serves as a google service for Caroline and doesn't give off much of her own personality, they give Bachelor Alf the same or more personality in his limited time. Even Nella feels a little “well I said that's the backstory” at times. She wont burn the log book because its the scribing of these women and their existence, but its also so dangerous, because its evidence, and not a time those women would most likely like being remembered for I'm sure. Very few look fondly upon the time they murdered their husband or male family member. Even her relationship with her mother doesn't feel strong enough for the rules she enacts under her memory. 

Overall, this book had me wanting to know what happened next and what was going to happen with Caroline in her marriage. I liked her ending, and I'm typically quite picky when it comes to endings. I would recommend this book to alot of people, including my mother, and I think they would enjoy it. I believe at its core, this book is “a good book”.