Name: Wolf Den
ISBN: 9781838933555

Elodie Harper

First novel in a new historical trilogy set in Ancient Pompeii. Amara is a slave at the Wolf Den - the city's infamous brothel. But just because she's a slave now, doesn't mean she inends to remain a slave forever...

Wolf Den

Jemima Scott

Chloe Heisserer

May I know love's power, if never its sweetness.

Victoria has no idea that her friends pity her, that where she imagines love, they only see cruelty. 

Naïa

Stories have power whether we believe them or not

"When you see a bird flying," she says, "that momet when it chooses to swoop lower or soar higher, when there’s nothing but air stopping it, that's what freedom feels like."

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 a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others. But Amara's spirit is far from broken. By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her? Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Denreimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

Wolf Den Trilogy #1

The Wolf Den

I’d heard amazing things about this but maybe I missed some of it through listening on audio. It wasn’t the emotional rollercoaster it’s been reviewed to be. Good, enjoyable, not terribly memorable.

Aims

3.5 ⭐️

I’d heard amazing things about this but maybe I missed some of it through listening on audio. It wasn’t the emotional rollercoaster it’s been reviewed to be. Good, enjoyable, not terribly memorable.

Exceedingly dark and brutal, while being a beautiful story of survival and friendship. Loved the relationship between all the girls. I was hooked from the beginning to the end and I will read the next book.

Taylor Silveira 

˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

** spoiler alert **
           I will mourn dido the entire trilogy

Slightly hard to get into at the beginning, but once you’re in, you don’t want to stop reading. 

Alyssa deRaad

This book basically didn't have a plot. I felt like it spent most of the time meandering around focusing on random elements/scenes that had no relevancy to anything at all. There basically wasn't a resolution, nor anytype of rising and falling action. Occasionally somewhat funny, but mostly just meh. 

Peyton

Louise 

*4.5 rounded up

I had seen this book around, not actually knowing of its genre or plot but assuming based on the cover that it was YA Fantasy, it is infact historical fiction from the untold POV of sex workers from 74 AD Pompeii! (Leading up to the infamous volcano eruption)!

This book starts out intense and never lets up. As soon as I started, I couldn't put it down.

If you don't usually enjoy crude language and explicit content then this may not be for you, it's blunt and straightforward in its language and depictions of sex work and SA, for those reasons it can be a tough book to get thru at times but the payoff is so worth it. I found myself rooting for these characters and really caring about them. 
The female friendships are an absolute highlight throughout the story! 
Also; I love Menander and hope he makes an appearance in the rest of the trilogy! 🥺🧡

The author perfectly encapsulates the characters and scenery; you forget your reading and really feel like your inside this story 

This lost half a star for me as there were SO MANY Greek & Latin names that it was difficult at certain parts of the story to keep up! (this isn't helped by the fact I know very little about Greek myth, which is a me problem)!

Overall, I'm so happy I picked this book up and am very much looking forward to the second book in the trilogy!! 🏛️

grace richards

i spent the entirety of this book is absolute befuddlement and then spent the last 2 chapters in pure rage i am furious

Christine Bruce

** spoiler alert **
           Amara was purchased at a young age to serve in one of the most popular brothels in Pompeii. With her sisters in Aphrodite, she does her job as a loathed member of society. A slave with nothing for herself except how ruthless she is willing to be and the relationships she's willing to sacrifice or save. Her owner is abusive and cruel, but she is able to convince him she i useful- that she can help his side-business as a loan shark. Through that she earns a minuscule amount of freedom, and then meets a rich nobleman who promises to purchase her freedom. What will she sacrifice? What will she lose?

I really loved how unflinching this book was. The amount of research that had to go into this is breathtaking. The Wolf's Den in Pompeii was a real place, and the sites are places we know existed thanks to the horrible volcanic eruption. But this book isn't about that. It's about life. Its about survival, and freedom, and the lives of the women often overlooked by history but who played intense roles throughout it. 

At some points, it was frustrating how not understadning other characters were, especially the other slave that Amara falls in love with. He knows what being a slave is like, how they hold no freedom in any aspect. He even knew that the reason they stopped seeing each other for a time was because of Amara tricking the nobleman that she loved him for her freedom. He KNEW that, yet when confronted by the nobleman and she had to deny the other slave, he basically decided to hate her for doing what she had to do. Like the absolute lack of understanding infuriated me, even still months later I'm so mad about it. But it was accurate- the misogyny, the lack of caring to understand women of any status, let alone a prostitute slave even from another slave. I hated it for her. She deserved someone who saw her. And she loses the one person who did. 

I can't wait for the next book to see how she reacts to her freedom and how she continues to find her way through an awful world to be a woman in. Now without her ties to the most important person in her life.

Stefanie  Uwah

2.75 rounded up

Pros: The premise of this was great. I also how the enemies were quite clear, even as the author made attempts to humanize the worst characters. 
Cons: What was the plot here? Seriously? There was no clear thread moving the story along until the last 100 pages or so. The story itself is quite repetitive. I felt like I read the same 3 scenes over and over again for 350 pages. 1) The women are abused by men in the brothel 2) Amara and Dido entertain at a party 3) Felix is the worst. Things ramped up at the 80% mark, yet I still found the book’s ending to be predictable. (view spoiler)[ how did we witness the crumbling of the relationship with Menander, Amara’s freedom, and Dido’s death, all in the span of 50 pages??? What kind of pacing is this?? (hide spoiler)]

As far as characterization goes, Amara has no defining personality aside from being a well-educated doctor’s daughter who was sold by her mother after her father died. The author will not let you forget this! We rehash this same background anytime she meets an important client or “love interest.” I personally need to know more than a character’s backstory to feel connected to them. She was a one-dimensional character. The supporting cast was somewhat of a mixed bag, with most of them feeling like caricatures. I honestly don’t even know what any of the characters look like besides Amara (curly-ish hair?) and “Britannica” (red hair, pale skin). (view spoiler)[ Speaking of Britannica, I am SO confused by their characterization. You mean to tell me she was literally hissing at people? I didn’t get it? Why make her appear like a savage? In some ways, I thought it was interesting to have a European/British person depicted as a savage instead of an African person or dark-skinned person. But at the end of the day, Britannica was sold to be a prostitute, so why include the savagery elements?  (hide spoiler)]

I also felt like a lot of the language was not appropriate for the time period. I don’t need it to feel like I’m reading Homer, but having a character refer to somewhere as a “fast food place” was a bit jarring. The writing only succeeded at me hate the people I was supposed to hate. I did not feel any connection to characters and relationships I was supposed to be rooting for, because the author just shows you the trauma, not balancing it out with anything hopeful. I am told that Amara is forming feelings for a person, without actually seeing the two people interact for any meaningful amount of time. Even her platonic friendships seem underdeveloped. The author had plenty of time to show true bonds forming between characters, but instead spends the majority of the pages detailing the horrors of the brothel and the parties she and Dido get to attend. Don’t get me wrong, I think all of that was necessary to show. But when we get to the points in the story where Amara claims she loves a friend it doesn’t ring true, because I never see characters forming these supposed relationships on page.

This was very meh but I finished it in 2 days so that must count for something. I hybrid read this (50/50 audio/physical book) so that definitely helped me get through it faster. I thought the narrator did a good job at creating distinct voices in a book with 10+ recurring characters. But I’ve always found it interesting how books with this setting use a British accent for most characters. It seemed funny that the one character that was actually British was given gruff accent, just to further show how much of an outsider they appeared to the rest of the characters. I’d actually love to listen to a book (or even watch a movie) where the default European accent is not British.

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 a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others. But Amara's spirit is far from broken. By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her? Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

Seher Mohsin

Disclaimer: I bought an e-copy of this book! Support your authors! All opinions are my own.

Recommended For...: historical fiction, ancient Rome, ancient Pompeii, adult

Age Relevance: 18+ (sexual content, cursing, violence, slavery, animal death, sexism, gore, rape, human trafficking, grief, alcohol consumption, abortion, pregnancy, suicide, death)

Explanation of Above: The book focuses on the lives of brothel workers in ancient Pompeii, so the book focuses on slavery and sexual content, including rape. There is cursing in the book and a lot of physical violence, along with some weapon violence. There is blood gore and a dead dogs body is mentioned in the book at one point. There are sexist comments and sexism in the book. Human trafficking is mentioned throughout the book, in the sale of adult and children. There is death and grief in the book, as well as one scene that shows a suicide and a couple of other mentions of suicide. There is alcohol consumption, abortion is mentioned, and there is a pregnancy shown as well.

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 a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.

By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?

Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

Review: I really liked this book! I thought that it was a very epically told tragedy and it reads a lot like how drama TV shows are now (which is how you should kinda look at epics and tragedies, it makes the reading much more fun lol). The book is very honest about the horrible conditions that our main character goes through and you really feel for her throughout the book and at the end you’re celebrating how far she’s come. The book was very well written and the world building and character development were absolutely amazing.

The only issue I had with the book is that the beginning is a bit scattered, which makes it a little hard to get into, and the book can be confusing at certain points. Overall though I’m super happy with this book and can’t wait for the rest of the series.

Verdict: It was so good! Highly recommend!

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought an e-copy of this book! Support your authors! All opinions are my own.

 

Book: The Wolf Den

 

Author: Elodie Harper

 

Book Series: Wolf Den Trilogy Book 1

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Spice: 3/5

 

Diversity: Egyptian character

 

Recommended For...: historical fiction, ancient Rome, ancient Pompeii, adult

 

Publication Date: May 13, 2021

 

Genre: Historical Fiction Tragedy

 

Age Relevance: 18+ (sexual content, cursing, violence, slavery, animal death, sexism, gore, rape, human trafficking, grief, alcohol consumption, abortion, pregnancy, suicide, death)

 

Explanation of Above: The book focuses on the lives of brothel workers in ancient Pompeii, so the book focuses on slavery and sexual content, including rape. There is cursing in the book and a lot of physical violence, along with some weapon violence. There is blood gore and a dead dogs body is mentioned in the book at one point. There are sexist comments and sexism in the book. Human trafficking is mentioned throughout the book, in the sale of adult and children. There is death and grief in the book, as well as one scene that shows a suicide and a couple of other mentions of suicide. There is alcohol consumption, abortion is mentioned, and there is a pregnancy shown as well.

 

Publisher: Head of Zeus

 

Pages: 464

 

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 a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.

 

But Amara's spirit is far from broken.

 

By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?

 

Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

 

Review: I really liked this book! I thought that it was a very epically told tragedy and it reads a lot like how drama TV shows are now (which is how you should kinda look at epics and tragedies, it makes the reading much more fun lol). The book is very honest about the horrible conditions that our main character goes through and you really feel for her throughout the book and at the end you’re celebrating how far she’s come. The book was very well written and the world building and character development were absolutely amazing.

 

The only issue I had with the book is that the beginning is a bit scattered, which makes it a little hard to get into, and the book can be confusing at certain points. Overall though I’m super happy with this book and can’t wait for the rest of the series.

 

Verdict: It was so good! Highly recommend!

The Wolf Den, 1

I cannot rate this book any higher, because wow. What a whirlwind of political intrigue, sisterhood, and desperate situations trying to make it better.

Sterling Newman

this one is quite interesting, though my attention wavered a bit by the odd pacing at times, specifically towards the end. 

Cecilie Nielsen

Heather Harrington

I think my expectations were a little too high going into this. I hyped it up so much in my head, thinking I would love it immediately, and that wasn't the case. I liked it, but it didn't grip me as I was hoping. I thought the setting was unique as I've never read anything set in Pompeii before, but I would've liked more details as it felt like it could've been anywhere. The highlight of this was the characters. Harper doesn't shy away from depicting the brutality of being a slave during this period, but I thought she showcased the strength and perseverance of women beautifully. Amara and the rest of the women in the brothel form a family of sorts, and I loved watching how they looked out for one another. Plot-wise, it didn't feel like much happened at all. The pacing was very slow, and there were times I found my attention wavering. Despite that, I did think Harper's writing was very lush, so I'd still recommend it if you don't mind heavier books.

Emma 

Where to begin with this book…

The Wolf Den follows our MC Amara, born a doctors daughter and then sold into slavery by her mother after her family falls into destitution, as she navigates her new life as a brothel woman in Pompeii. 

This book was incredible, I seriously loved it. Like, I don’t think I have the vocabulary to fully express how much I loved it. 

I found myself immediately rooting for Amara and the other women in the brothel from the get go and loved getting to know them all. 

Something to note is that this book is HEAVILY character driven and is honestly pretty light on plot that isn’t to do with the women’s daily lives, but it was still such a page turner and kept me so invested that that wasn’t a problem for me. 

I felt every emotion whilst reading this story. The tale is so bittersweet because on the one hand, we have this found family of women who go through so much and are so strong and somehow still manage to find the strength to smile and laugh together as they try to claw their way out of poverty and ownership and into a better life. But on the other hand, their lives are so brutal (an aspect that the author handles incredibly well; clearly and unflinchingly showing the brutality of men without glorifying it) and the parts of themselves they have to lose in order to try and better their situations are parts that are really difficult to read at times. 

When I finished reading this I had really mixed emotions. I felt like it ended in the perfect place and the story felt complete but I was also GAGGING for more lmao. Thankfully, I checked goodreads and it turns out this is going to be a trilogy!!!!! Catch me clicking that pre-order button, how bout dat.

Amanda

The Wolf Den is one of the most original and immersive books I’ve read in a long time. A unique piece of historical fiction that, while about the Ancient Roman world, isn’t about royals or high class/well known historical figures. Instead of showcasing the splendor and elegance of Roman nobles like most hist fics taking place in a similar time and setting, The Wolf Den is about the nitty and gritty streets of Pompeii.

A story of survival, strength, female bonds and friendships, this book captivated me from beginning to end. I will say, the language was very modern, something I’m not used to with the genre. But it worked and I feel made the book more accessible to a wider audience.

I loved Amara and her fellow she-wolves. These characters and their stories took me on an emotional roller coaster. I was on the edge of my seat more than once.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series. The Wolf Den was so highly anticipated for me and it delivered.

One quick thought before finishing my review: THE ENDING. The character we lose…I’m heartbroken and still can’t quite grasp why this character suffered this fate. I need to discuss with someone!! 

Charlie Mary Ann 

Julia

Not quite sure about this one.
The overall story arch was interesting enough and I loved the fierce women we follow. They stick together and fight for each other never losing hope that there is some better life out there. The dynamic between amara and Felix was interesting, I would have liked to dive deeper into that.

The ending felt a little forced and rushed. I didn't really like it to be honest.

Narah Quinn

I really enjoy a good historical fiction book so when this popped up I was excited to read it. 
Set in Pompeii and following the tragic life of Amara and her fellow she-wolves this story could easily be one of sadness, loss, and fury at the way of the world, but I found it rather empowering. 

I almost never read reviews before reading something myself, simply because I like to form my own opinions with out being influenced before I even open the book, but sometimes you stumble across them and in the case of The Wolf Den, I did. 

While all the reviews are favourable, a lot of them focus on the awful, and there are truly awful moments in it. There should be a whole page of trigger warnings associated with Amara's story and the lives of her friends, and her enemies, but while sexual encounters are mentioned, and more often implied, it's not graphic. 
You can't head into this book expecting romance, or potentially even a happy ending. Her father died, her mother sold her, then she was sold again and now she finds herself far from home working in a brothel for a man that is cruel, violent, and damaged himself. 

You feel deeply for the characters and the trauma of their lives, but you also get to see the little joys they are able to eek out in an otherwise bleak existence, and for me, the one shining aspect of this book is that for all the bad, and for all the ways it would be easy for Amara to just give up and let this awfulness happen to her, she is smart, she has been educated, and she will do whatever it takes to be free. She is fierce, and at face value, is really quite an inspiration because regardless of all that has happened, regardless of all she has had to endure, she forges forward, she doesn't allow herself to believe her circumstance is all there is and even though she knows her fate will be reliant on someone prepared to help, she manoeuvres the whole thing to get what she wants. 

The ending is equal parts sad, and happy, and poetic to the last! 

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who isn't going to be triggered by Amaras circumstance. Read the blurb and if the life of an unwilling brothel slave in a brutal time is something you can process safely, pick this up, allow Amara and her determination to show you that you it is you who holds the power, even in the direst of circumstances. 

A solid 5 star read.

I thought this was exceptionally well written and I was hooked from the first couple of chapters - absolutely loved it!

Kelly Macquire

Find my original review on my blog.

The Wolf Den is a novel by Elodie Harper which is set in Pompeii in the first century CE in Pompeii’s lupanar which is the brothel of the ancient city. The term ‘lupanar’ could mean both brothel or wolf den and the term ‘lupa’ could be used for both a she-wolf, or a prostitute. The novel follows the point of view of Amara, a greek woman born into a middle class family, who had tp be sold after her father died. She ended up as a prostitute in Pompeii, and works at the Wolf Den with four other women. However, Amara hasn't just accepted the misfortune which life has thrown her, and wants more than anything to be free. This novel, which is the first of a trilogy (yay!), follows Amara as she does whatever it takes to change her fate. 

The skill of the fighters, the grace of the tigers, all of it is punctuated by acts of savagery. (217) 

HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL ROOTS: 
Before we get into my ~many~ thoughts and feelings concerning this book, let’s have a look at Pompeii, Pompeiian graffiti and Venus Pompeiana first. Pompeii is probably one of the most well known ancient cities along with places such as Rome and Athens, but it differs from many ancient cities because in 79 CE, the local volcano known as Vesuvius, erupted, and covered the city and it’s occupants in lava and ash. It would have been a catastrophic event for those in the ancient world, but it has proven to be invaluable to modern historians and archaeologists as an untouched insight into the daily lives of the Romans who lived in the city, and the neighbouring city of Herculaneum. Excavations at Pompeii have informed our understanding of life in the city in a way that no other site could. The volcanic eruption has preserved architecture, mosaics and wall paintings, bronze statues (which in any other circumstance probably would have been melted down and repurposed), houses, baked goods (look up Pompeii bread!), and writing which has been found in wax tablets, pottery, seals, tomb inscriptions, and probably most interestingly; graffiti. The survival of graffiti from Pompeii is, in my opinion, equally as fascinating as the wall paintings, as it truly shows us that humans really have not changed in 2,000 years. It makes the ancient world feel a lot more familiar, and close. If you don’t believe me, I’m going to add some graffiti found at Pompeii (all in translation from usually Latin or Greek). Let me know if any of them sound familiar! (All graffiti quotes have been cited from ‘POMPEII: A sourcebook by Alison E. Cooley and M. G. L. Cooley (2004).’

Commemoration of an architect: ‘Marcus Artorius Primus, freedman of Marcus, architect.’ (67)

Latin poetry composed on the walls: ‘What is happening? Alas, eyes, first you led me into the fire, 
Now of your own accord you give generously to your cheeks. 
But tears cannot put out the flame;
They inflame the face and melt the spirit.

Composed by Tiburtinus.’ (72) 

The Pompeii equivalent of ‘Kelly Was Here:’ ‘Gaius Pumidius Dipilus was here, five days before the nones of October when Marcus Lepidus and Quintus Catulus were consuls.’ (77)

And last but not least, graffiti about graffiti: ‘I admire you, wall, for not having collapsed at having to carry the tedious scribblings of so many writers.’ (79)

Why is graffiti so important, you ask? Well, for The Wolf Den in particular, Elodie has drawn names and situations from graffiti found at Pompeii, and woven them into her story. She has used names of prostitutes and even a name of a gladiator in her story, which is not only incredibly unique, but executed flawlessly. 

She wants to scream her rage into the night… Her anger is rising like the sea, drowning her. She has to get out. (284)

The goddess Venus held a special place in Pompeii as the guardian deity of the city, and is sometimes referred to as Pompeian Venus. In The Wolf Den, Venus is an important deity, since she is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and prostitution. In April, the festival known as the Vinalia was celebrated which was held in honour of Jupiter and Venus. Common girls and prostitutes would gather to the temple of Venus to offer her myrtle and mint and ask for things such as beauty, popular favour, to be charming or witty. 

THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS 
Holy moly. This book is an absolute masterpiece, and from the moment I started reading it, I found it incredibly challenging to put it down. Not only did Elodie create a phenomenal story rooted in archaeological evidence, she explores so many themes and issues which would have been prevalent in the ancient world at the time this novel was set. Overall, Elodie makes the reader realise just how dangerous and difficult it would have been to be a woman in the ancient world. 

There’s nothing more truthful than a play, is there… I think comedies are braver somehow. All of life up there on the stage, and actors have the courage to say what one cannot say elsewhere. (257)

The complexity of the story that Elodie has created is completely awe-inspiring, and incomparable. It didn’t remind me of anything else I have ever read. Using names left scratched on the walls of Pompeii, Elodie took them and created a new story for them, one which was as equally uplifting as it was savage. Our main five girls are all bonded in a way that no one else could possible understand, and yet they are all constantly working against each other (in a way) to make money and live. Elodie definitely puts an emphasis on the unbreakable friendship these women have forged through their shared experiences as prostitutes at the Wolf Den, they know each others weaknesses and traumas, and do what they can to shield each other, and keep each other safe in a world which is working so hard to break them. Elodie has an ability with words to cut deep, and do it succinctly. She does not use unnecessary words to make a point, her language is blunt, brutal and wholly truthful. She has truly enlightened her readers on how the world would have been perceived by a women sold as a prostitute in the ancient world. These experiences Amara and her friends experience strike me as completely real and it honestly gave me chills. It reminds you how much more brutal the world was, especially for women, and she does not try and soften that. She presents it raw and uncut. You feel completely immersed in the city of Pompeii. You can feel the suffocating bustle of the women at the Vinalia, you can feel the comradeship of the women as they move through the streets, and you can feel their terror, their hatred, their relief and their love. It is wholly encapsulating. 

Warmth spreads through her. She has never had a friend like Dido. She is the light in the darkness of her life. (199)

Other than the focus of women supporting women, even beyond our main characters, is the idea of a human being viewed as an object, and men’s incomprehensible inability to view women as anything more than objects. When I read Classics For Plebs review of this book, she made the observation that this book forces you to come to terms with that fact that women were sold into slavery daily. These women weren’t necessarily always prostitutes, and it shifts the focus of the reader to the fact that these women have absolutely no control over their bodies and their lives, and it was something happening to women all over the ancient world. Our main characters, our point of view for this entire story, the basis of this entire novel is the fact that these women do not have ownership over their own bodies or their lives. They are literally owned by men, and they are treated by the man that owns them, and 99% of men in this story, as if they are nothing more than a mindless object to be used, abused and then discarded. 

 You wouldn't understand. You’re just a woman (417)

But although they’re talking about her, they’re only talking to Felix, as if she isn’t really there (316)

You invested in quality stock then. Not got any virgins, I suppose? (305) 

This story is less focussed on plot, and more on characters and their relationships with others. As the plot continues, the characters develop and new people are introduced, and new relationships are formed, It isn’t an ‘event-heavy’ book, and is focussed on the lives and experiences of Amara and her fellow she-wolves. It is beautifully written, and truly gives a raw insight into what it would have been like to be a woman in the ancient world. These women were once real, and Elodie has composed such complex lives for them, that it is completely and utterly believable. If you’re thinking you might want to pick up this book, this is your sign to do so!

Anyaconda

This was a great read. The characters were interesting and distinctive and the setting felt well-researched.
Be aware that there's lots of coarse language and sex scenes, but I mean you're reading a book about Roman prostitutes. The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is the ending. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a standalone or series but this wasn't satisfying at all 🙄
I'm hoping for a sequel. There'd be enough left to tell I guess.