Name: Victoria Justice's review of Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
Item: Pandora
Rating: 5
Author: Victoria Justice

Susan Stokes-Chapman

A pure pleasure of a novel set in Georgian London, where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations and romance. There is a fine line between coincidence and fate...

London, 1799. Dora Blake is an aspiring jewellery artist who lives with her uncle in what used to be her parents' famed shop of antiquities.

When a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, Dora is intrigued by her uncle's suspicious behaviour and enlists the help of Edward Lawrence, a young antiquarian scholar. Edward sees the ancient vase as key to unlocking his academic future. Dora sees it as a chance to restore the shop to its former glory, and to escape her nefarious uncle.

But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth she starts to realise that some mysteries are buried, and some doors are locked, for a reason. Gorgeously atmospheric and deliciously page-turning, Pandora is a story of secrets and deception, love and fulfilment, fate and hope.

Pandora

A pure pleasure of a novel set in Georgian London, where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations and romance.

London, 1799. Dora Blake is an aspiring jewellery artist who lives with her uncle in what used to be her parents' famed shop of antiquities. When a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, Dora is intrigued by her uncle's suspicious behaviour and enlists the help of Edward Lawrence, a young antiquarian scholar. Edward sees the ancient vase as key to unlocking his academic future. Dora sees it as a chance to restore the shop to its former glory, and to escape her nefarious uncle.

But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth she starts to realise that some mysteries are buried, and some doors are locked, for a reason.

Jemima Scott

Victoria Justice

I can't see myself rounding up to a full three stars.

Pandora is not what I expected; I thought it was a myth retelling, but there were hardly any mythological elements at all. Except that I guess Zeus makes an appearance?! And the jury is still out if the pithos is really the jar from Pandora's myth.

Pandora is an incredibly low stakes read, with a very weak plot and weak character motivations. Oftentimes it was boring and predictable, filled with pages and pages of boring and useless dialogue. I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of this book is just dialogue. Dialogue alone should not be the key way to move the plot forward.

I kept thinking while I was reading if I have to read 'a beat,' 'quite well,' 'please do' one more time that I'm going to scream. Needless to say, these phrases were entirely overused.

Yet, after all this, Pandora was a fast read, compelling even somehow--in a way that I can't explain, even if it was just the motivation to get to the finish line--if not that well written. I don't mean this was fast paced though, just an easy read for me. Kind of simple, sometimes read like a YA book, which is not my style at all. I can see this being a good fit for other readers; clearly my personal opinions and preferences are at play in this review and while I was reading this book.

This is not a myth retelling, so please don't be fooled like I was. If it was marketed differently, I think that would have helped. Overall it was okay, but I do not think I will be reading this again.

Amanda

I can't see myself rounding up to a full three stars.

Pandora is not what I expected; I thought it was a myth retelling, but there were hardly any mythological elements at all. Except that I guess Zeus makes an appearance?! And the jury is still out if the pithos is really the jar from Pandora's myth.

Pandora is an incredibly low stakes read, with a very weak plot and weak character motivations. Oftentimes it was boring and predictable, filled with pages and pages of boring and useless dialogue. I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of this book is just dialogue. Dialogue alone should not be the key way to move the plot forward.

I kept thinking while I was reading if I have to read 'a beat,' 'quite well,' 'please do' one more time that I'm going to scream. Needless to say, these phrases were entirely overused.

Yet, after all this, Pandora was a fast read, compelling even somehow--in a way that I can't explain, even if it was just the motivation to get to the finish line--if not that well written. I don't mean this was fast paced though, just an easy read for me. Kind of simple, sometimes read like a YA book, which is not my style at all. I can see this being a good fit for other readers; clearly my personal opinions and preferences are at play in this review and while I was reading this book.

This is not a myth retelling, so please don't be fooled like I was. If it was marketed differently, I think that would have helped. Overall it was okay, but I do not think I will be reading this again.

Extremely readable and gripping, though at moments the writing felt a little naive and not-quite-mature but it is likely due to this being a debut. The novel was not a straightforward retelling of the myth and its twist and interpolation of it was creative and generally well executed. However, this would have been strengthened if had entirely avoided any allusions to / elements of fabulism and had aimed to be entirely grounded in reality.

It was amazingly detailed and accurate, I really like the story and the back story. It shows how complex people can really be. 

Jodie Reads

Ofelia

Non merita neanche di essere considerato un retelling

Steeped in mystery and rich in imagination, an exhilarating historical novel set in Georgian London where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations, and romance.

London, 1799. Dora Blake, an aspiring jewelry artist, lives with her odious uncle atop her late parents’ once-famed shop of antiquities. After a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, her uncle begins to act suspiciously, keeping the vase locked in the store’s basement, away from prying eyes—including Dora’s. Intrigued by her uncle’s peculiar behavior, Dora turns to young, ambitious antiquarian scholar Edward Lawrence who eagerly agrees to help. Edward believes the ancient vase is the key that will unlock his academic future; Dora sees it as a chance to establish her own name.

But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth, she comes to understand that some doors are locked and some mysteries are buried for a reason, while others are closer to the surface than they appear.

A story of myth and mystery, secrets and deception, fate and hope, Pandora is an enchanting work of historical fiction as captivating and evocative as The Song of Achilles, The Essex Serpent, and The Miniaturist.

A Novel

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that’s what initially drew me to 

 While not yet officially available in the US, it’s been out in the UK since January of 2022, and I had read some mixed reviews about it. But something about it still called to me, and when the audio became available to request on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. I’m incredibly glad that I did, because this story was incredible, and I actually don’t know that I would have enjoyed it quite so much in any other format.

Our setting is London, 1799. Pandora “Dora” Blake is the orphaned daughter of noted antiquarians who specialized in Grecian artifacts and who died tragically on a dig site when Dora was just a girl. Dora’s uncle, Hezekiah, gained custody of both Dora and her parents’ London shop. There is no love lost between them. Hezekiah has always resented Dora, and Dora despises Hezekiah for running her birthright into the ground and slowly ruining the reputation her parents had built during their lifetime. Dora dreams of designing high-end jewelry and buying herself a life free from Hezekiah’s control. Along the way, Dora meets Edward Lawrence, an aspiring antiquarian, and they determine to help one another. When a Greek pithos of indeterminable age and in pristine condition makes its way to the shop, family secrets and buried trauma slowly, and almost sinisterly, comes to a head. 

Even though I went into this novel hopeful, I have to confess that I didn’t have very high expectations. I have a serious weakness for anything inspired by Greek mythology, but I also can’t seem to help but judge said inspired stories a bit harshly, as well. And I’m just starting to get into historical fiction, which has always been a very hit-or-miss genre for me. But 

My expectations were not only met, but exceeded. I can’t definitely see why it was compared to Sarah Perry’s work

, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy to shelf next to 

. While not quite as philosophically profound, 

I loved the fact that I couldn’t decide whether or not there was a touch of magical realism to this book. Much like 

, it straddles that divide in such a way that you’re never entirely certain.

 Though, in this case, I’m leaning strongly in the direction of there being just a touch of the supernatural housed within the story. Especially when it comes to the pithos itself. It’s beautiful and somehow disturbing in its perfection, magnetic and repellant. 

I loved the undercurrent of similarities between Dora and her Grecian namesake.

 And the identity hinted at for one particular side character near the end of novel was a very fun touch.

 got off to a bit of a slow start, the tension and the atmosphere in this book were absolutely fantastic.

 I really enjoyed my reading of it. I highly recommend this audio version, as Olivia Vinall did an excellent job. This is one of those stories that I’m not sure I would have enjoyed to quite this extent had I read it with only my eyes instead of my ears. 

, but with less meandering in the storytelling itself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, or a good mystery. It’s a book that I can see myself reading again, and one that I look forward to adding to my physical collection someday.

Celeste Richardson

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that’s what initially drew me to Pandora. While not yet officially available in the US, it’s been out in the UK since January of 2022, and I had read some mixed reviews about it. But something about it still called to me, and when the audio became available to request on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. I’m incredibly glad that I did, because this story was incredible, and I actually don’t know that I would have enjoyed it quite so much in any other format.

Our setting is London, 1799. Pandora “Dora” Blake is the orphaned daughter of noted antiquarians who specialized in Grecian artifacts and who died tragically on a dig site when Dora was just a girl. Dora’s uncle, Hezekiah, gained custody of both Dora and her parents’ London shop. There is no love lost between them. Hezekiah has always resented Dora, and Dora despises Hezekiah for running her birthright into the ground and slowly ruining the reputation her parents had built during their lifetime. Dora dreams of designing high-end jewelry and buying herself a life free from Hezekiah’s control. Along the way, Dora meets Edward Lawrence, an aspiring antiquarian, and they determine to help one another. When a Greek pithos of indeterminable age and in pristine condition makes its way to the shop, family secrets and buried trauma slowly, and almost sinisterly, comes to a head. 

Even though I went into this novel hopeful, I have to confess that I didn’t have very high expectations. I have a serious weakness for anything inspired by Greek mythology, but I also can’t seem to help but judge said inspired stories a bit harshly, as well. And I’m just starting to get into historical fiction, which has always been a very hit-or-miss genre for me. But Pandora was recommended for fans of The Essex Serpent, which made me even more hopeful. My expectations were not only met, but exceeded. I can’t definitely see why it was compared to Sarah Perry’s work, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy to shelf next to The Essex Serpent. While not quite as philosophically profound, Pandora definitely scratched the same itch.

I loved the fact that I couldn’t decide whether or not there was a touch of magical realism to this book. Much like The Essex Serpent, it straddles that divide in such a way that you’re never entirely certain. Though, in this case, I’m leaning strongly in the direction of there being just a touch of the supernatural housed within the story. Especially when it comes to the pithos itself. It’s beautiful and somehow disturbing in its perfection, magnetic and repellant. I loved the undercurrent of similarities between Dora and her Grecian namesake. And the identity hinted at for one particular side character near the end of novel was a very fun touch.

While Pandora got off to a bit of a slow start, the tension and the atmosphere in this book were absolutely fantastic. I really enjoyed my reading of it. I highly recommend this audio version, as Olivia Vinall did an excellent job. This is one of those stories that I’m not sure I would have enjoyed to quite this extent had I read it with only my eyes instead of my ears. Listening to Pandora gave me strong Dickensian vibes, but with less meandering in the storytelling itself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, or a good mystery. It’s a book that I can see myself reading again, and one that I look forward to adding to my physical collection someday.

Narah Quinn

Not quite what I expected but throughly enjoyable 

Pandora is a beautiful debut filled with relatable characters, historical setting, Greek myth and plenty of charm and intrigue. 

Moray Lyle McIntosh

In Georgian London the arrival of an ancient discovery blurs the boundaries between myth and reality.

Pandora Blake, ambitious and talented, is hemmed in by her status as an orphan woman dependent on the good-will of her dishonest uncle. Edward Lawrence is also trying to make something of himself, desperate to follow his passion and join the Society of Antiquities. Both are drawn into the fate of an ancient Greek relic that may have an astonishing link to the past as well as a place in Pandora's tragic personal history and may also have a power far beyond its monetary and historical value...

This was a fun and mysterious tale in a well- Georgian setting. There's a real sense of London from the dock-side squalor to the faded gentility of the Blakes' antiquities store and the opulence and excess of the higher classes. It's pacy and dynamic with dark overtones of criminality, mystery and the supernatural. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite all come together. Pandora is likable enough in her intelligence and determination to better herself but she's a fairly standard heroine. Edward is very under-developed and is more of a plot-device than a character, with a back-story designed to give him something in common with Pandora. The rest ticked off a number of historical fiction tropes. 

Villainous uncle ✅
"Woman of the night" ✅
Deceased parents ✅✅✅✅
Wealthy patrons ✅✅

The supernatural element added an intriguing flavour but was never resolved in a satisfactory way. Ambiguity is fine but it needs to be a deliberate choice. All in all, a quick easy read that kept me turning the pages but didn't offer much that was fresh in style or substance

Victoria Justice &
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman

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