The Wolf Den

Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle

For an immersive journey into the ancient Roman empire, look no further – but beware, it's a harrowing experience. Harper lifts off the obscuring veils through which we look back at Rome, as the source of our systems of government and justice, of pompous prose and marble statues, and shows how degrading and brutal it really was for the female slaves at the bottom of the hierarchy, the town prostitutes of Pompeii.

The lives of five of these “she-wolves” are traced through the course of several months, centering on Amara, an intelligent doctor's daughter from Attica fallen on hard times. Each one is richly characterized and human, showing the strength of the human core that survives in such difficult circumstances, looking for love and connection, even when sometimes it is cruelly betrayed or cannot be expressed.

It's inevitable that some will fall into despair and be lost, some will be victims of the unjust who reign supreme, but some will rise through their refusal to be defined by the bullies who exploit them. For those who wonder how it is to read a book based on institutionalized sexual violence, I found that Harper struck a fine balance between exposing the realities of the women's lives, and leaving much of the detail respectfully off-stage. She also made marvelous use of the visual evidence left from Pompeii in her descriptions, adding authentic atmosphere that did not scream “historical research” (though it whispered it at times). A brief but crucial appearance by Pliny the Elder is similarly a touch that adds historical weight, without feeling gratuitous.

This is apparently the first in a trilogy, and I'll certainly be looking forward to the next book, and to the ultimate fate of the she-wolves of Pompeii.

I really wanted to like this. It was recommended to me alongside books I loved like Circe and Clytemnestra, but setting was all that the three had in common. I ended up DNFing it at around 65% when I realized that was the case.

I gave it three stars because perhaps I would have liked it if this brand of historical fiction was up my alley, but it's not and that's on me, not the author.

I will say the plot was essentially nonexistent with nothing keeping it together but the characters. This was essentially just a very long series of vignettes into what life as a concubine in Pompeii would have been like, but there was no advancement of plot or story. So, interesting but not compelling for the length.

This was a rough read. It took me a long time to get through it because of all of the triggering content. In order to tell the story she wanted to tell, I understand why it was necessary, but I felt like it got a bit much for me at times. That said, I loved the characters in this, and the plot was intriguing. Yes I cried! I wouldn't recommend this as it is a hard read. If you know what its about and still want to give it a go, then see how you feel.

i really enjoyed this one once i adjusted to it. i feel it drops you right into the story instead of setting up what it is which can be quite confusing but thankfully that melted away after a few chapters. i would have loved to read this from Amara's perspective rather than 3rd person. i think that would have added a lot of depth to the trauma and female rage that is explored throughout the book. though there isn't a lot of plot, i highly enjoyed reading about these women and their relationships with each other through trauma bonding and being forced into an awful nightmare of a situation. i also think that at times the writing and dialogue came off too modern and i had to remind myself that we were in the ancient world at times. this is part of a trilogy but it stands alone as its own book very well!

4.5 stars

God this was so good.

I listened to this one on audio and I was so completely immersed in the story that I was genuinely shocked when it ended, I could have kept listening for hours longer so I'm glad it's a trilogy.

This is raw and brutal and heartbreaking at times, but really doesn't overdo the graphic side of the life of the women in the brothel. It really focuses on how cruelty, power and abuse can affect these women and how they look after and support each other through it.

I loved the descriptions of Pompeii, the streets, the buildings and the pictures on the walls, as I've been to the ruins of Pompeii I could easily imagine the places we visited in the story.

Given how closely this is set to the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79, only 5 years prior, I'm very intrigued to see where this goes in the next 2 books and will be continuing very soon.