⭐⭐⭐ The Amalfi Curse was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, especially after loving Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary. But this one didn’t quite land for me. The setting? Gorgeous. The writing? Lyrical. The story? Well… here’s where things get murky. I’ll admit, I should’ve paid closer attention to the synopsis. Witches and magical curses aren’t really my thing, and the sea-witch storyline just didn’t hold my interest. The dual timeline (1820s and present day) had promise, but the pacing lagged in spots, and I never fully connected with the characters—especially in the historical chapters. I seem to be the odd one out here—early reviews are glowing, and fans […]
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December 2021 Reads
So, I only got through seven books in December, but in my defense, I have four great excuses for my lack of production: Coming in at well over nine hundred pages, Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone counts for at least two books; I had a wicked stomach bug for a week; Grammies have gifts to buy; Jesus is the reason for the season. Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon The ninth book in Gabaldon’s Outlander series finds the Fraser family reunited during the American Revolution. It’s 1779, and Claire and Jamie Fraser have found each other across time and space and […]
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The Lost Apothecary Book Review
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 – selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who wished 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’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register. In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary […]
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