I just reviewed Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman. #Pandora #NetGalley

Pandora is a historical fiction novel that I just couldn't quite get into, I tried to give it a chance but it just didn't grab me.

In support of the HarperCollins Union strike, I am withholding my review of this book until the strike has been resolved.

Just amazing! This book drew me in and made me fall in love with it right from the beginning and I just couldn't put it down.
Pandora is a fantastic historical novel with elements of mythology and mystery. It is richly atmospheric and beautifully written.
The Georgian London setting was vividly portrayed and very immersive.
The characters were well-developed, if not always the most likable, and I found myself deeply invested in the fate of Dora and Edward.
This was just a fascinating and wonderfully told story from beginning to end.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: historical, mystery, literary, mythology
Trigger warnings: mentions of neglect and abuse
Representation: LGBTQ

Dora Blake lives under the thumb of her uncle and his mistress in a miserable attic room, dreaming of becoming famous for making jewelry.

Edward is stuck in a job he doesn't like, barely subsisting, but has wealthy friends. More than anything he wants acceptance into the antiquities society to do what he loves.

Then an Ancient Greek base is delivered with the story of Pandora on it. Once it arrives, Dora (named Pandora) is intrigued with the mystery surrounding it. And starts drawing the scenes around it for inspiration.

But people are getting sick with injuries that don't heal.
Who does the vase belong to?
Can it be used for a study to gain admittance to the antiquities society?
And why does the uncle have this authentic antique and sell fakes?

There are so many mysteries and questions. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Happy reading,
Michelle

This is a good example of greek mythology based mystery in Georgian England settings with a little romance on the side. Dora's investigation about a mysterious delivery along with ambitious Edward turns their lives upside down. I enjoyed the three POVs in this case and it maintained good pace and intrigue throughout which was perfect for an atmospheric mystery. Overall, a fascinating read in fascinating setting!

""Better we women have the upper hand in matters of the heart, don't you think?"

Pandora follows the story of Pandora Blake who lives with her uncle above the antiquities shop called Blake's Emporium. Dora's uncle, Hezekiah, inherited the shop from Dora's parents after their deaths at a Greek dig site and has driven the formerly well respected shop into the ground with forgeries and fakes. Dora is shocked when an ancient pithos makes its way to the shop. After Edward Lawrence is guided to Dora by a mysterious bearded man, they begin working together to figure out exactly where the pithos came from and how deep her uncle's crimes go.

While I did enjoy Pandora, I found that it took me quite a while to get through the book. I found that I enjoyed the mystery of the plot, the development of the characters, and the writing. I just don't think this particular brand of historical fiction is for me.

I did enjoy that Dora was a strong female trying to break out on her own. Her struggles with honoring the legacy of her parents while knowing she had to leave their shop behind to truly be independent felt relatable. She had her moments where her youth showed through, particularly in her grudge towards Edward. I felt like these emotions could have been explained in more detail as I, personally, did not see why it was such a big deal if Edward was keeping names out of the paper.

I also enjoyed Cornelius's character arc throughout the story. It was great to have an LGBTQ+ character in a historical fiction novel and have the main character accept this person for who they are. The talk felt like a defining moment for both Cornelius and Dora.

It will be interesting to see if Susan Stokes-Chapman chooses to write a sequel to this book. We don't know what happens to the pithos at the end of the story, so it seems as if some more chaos is ready to ensue!

3/5 stars from me.

Some of my favorite things combined into one tale: mythology, antiques and historical fiction.

The title was the first thing that caught my eye, in addition to the beautiful cover. I am one to always get excited when mythology is involved, especially Greek mythology. There have been so many different retellings and this one turns it from being a direct retelling of the myth of Pandora by infusing aspects into a new story.

As soon as you begin this book, you are transported to another time. I could so easily picture the antiquities store, hear the people on the street and even feel the dust on my fingers. It is a very immersive imagining of a story.

A lot of emotions were captured quite beautifully in this story. I tried to imagine myself at the age of the main character Dora in another world/in similar circumstances to her and find such a quality in her character. What is interesting is to get into the viewpoints of the different characters and see the world from their storyline to help uncover the truths about them and their inner thoughts/wants/turmoil and really deepen our likes or dislikes as readers. Although there can be a lot to try to imagine with multiple viewpoints, it really added to the development of each of the main three characters that we follow throughout.

There is a definite air of mystery throughout the book and one of my favorite aspects was her magpie Hermes; it brings such a fun and bright aspect and relationship into the book. Very curious to see what Stokes-Chapman comes out with next!

Thank you so much to the author, Susan Stokes-Chapman, Harper Perennial and NetGalley for this eARC of Pandora!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC of this book. This book is a solid 3.5 stars for me but will round to a 4.

I will say I didn’t know much about Pandora before I read this so I’m not sure how historically accurate this was but from what I know, this is a loose interpretation of the story of pandora. It is full of mystery and whimsy but will also make you feel so many emotions for Pandora. The story started very slow for me. The pacing seemed off because towards the end everything came out all at once.

I didn’t love the romantic connection with Pandora and Edward, but to be fair this is not supposed to be about their romance, and moreso a heartwarming story of Pandora and her evolution into freedom.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I think it would be good for fans of Circe due to the story’s focus on women empowerment.

[arc review]
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Pandora releases January 17, 2023

Set in London in the late 1700’s, this is a historical Greek myth/retelling told through 3 pov’s and split into 3 parts.

The cover is absolutely beautiful, but unfortunately I found this story to be incredibly lackluster and the pacing was just so off. The beginning is slow going just to figure out how many character perspectives there are since it isn’t outwardly stated when the chapters alternate.
The romance in here felt really unnatural and I honestly don’t think it was needed to propel the story.

The idea of an orphaned girl named Dora (short for Pandora), who is an aspiring jeweller living above her late parents antiquities store with a companion in the form of a magpie bird was fascinating. Paired with a Grecian vase that predates history and has potential to be <i>the</i> Pandora’s Box?!
The potential was there but the execution fell flat.
I was hoping so badly for some additional intrigue, or perhaps a heist while the vase was being used as a display piece at the annual soiree — truly a missed opportunity there.
I also thought that the initial whispering was cool but paired with the dragged out gore from the Coombe brothers and Hezekiah, that supernatural-esque red herring didn’t really lead anywhere satisfying.

Had Dora’s age not been mentioned of her being 21, I honestly would have thought that she was a young teen because the maturity was just not there.
I also really couldn’t get a sense for the historical setting other than the constant stink of the city from the lack of a sewage system.

There was a big revolving door of characters who I felt had great bones, but were never really developed enough — not to mention, the way the closeted gay character was portrayed felt icky.

This honestly felt to me like the first half of a grander story, of which the readers weren’t given.
Even the ending was blasé and left me with a feeling of wanting more — like I got a peek and then the thread was ripped away from me.

Very anticlimactic for someone seeking out a fortune for 12 years.
I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at how dubious the reveal of the man in the coffee shop was.

(4/5) Reading this, it's hard to believe that Pandora is Susan Stokes-Chapman's debut novel. I was enthralled by the storytelling - the blend of Georgian London woven with Greek antiquity and myth - and the mystery held within kept me reading and not wanting to put it down. I'm glad this book was written from multiple perspectives, and the pacing kept things interesting without the end being fully revealed until its time. You can tell that this book is well-researched (both the Georgian London setting and the Greek mythology); it wasn't until the story notes at the end of the book that I realized how much the author had been pulling from actual historical figures and events. Great historical fiction for fans of The Lost Apothecary!

A lovely atmospheric Georgian England mystery that combines elements of Greek mythology, with art, treachery, love, and greed. This is a wonderful historical adventure inspired by the story of Pandora within the world of antiques as Edward and Dora try to learn more about a mysterious ancient vase. I really enjoyed the blend of history, mystery and fantasy and while the connection to Greek Mythology is quite light, it was an entertaining and lovely story nevertheless.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it’s inclusion of historical themes and setting. I’ve always loved the setting of historical London, and this book didn’t disappoint. Furthermore, intermingling Greek mythology in with English culture was a mix that I was fascinated by, the focus of course being the myth of Pandora. I do love both Georgian England and Greek mythology, so getting those two pieces in this book was a plus for me

Often, I find myself struggling with multiple POVs because I get attached to one or two characters and only want to read from their perspectives, but each POV was as captivating as the next.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to someone interested in reading historical fiction!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pandora is an artistic dreamer that lives with her uncle in her deceased parents emporium. While her parent were marvelous archeologists, her uncle is quite the opposite - a scheming trickster, greedy and a liar. This story is a mix between Greek mythology, 18th century London, and the power of perseverance and a parents love. This novel was a true delight and would appeal to an audience like The Lost Apothecary.

I love the cover of this book and was intrigued about the Greek mythology aspect of this book. Here’s what I thought:

+ I really enjoyed the setting and time this book takes place, which is 1799 England. Dora works for her uncle who sells antiquities – if they are genuine is another question. But Dora is a young woman, relying on her uncle but wants independence. But back then a woman surviving without a man was fairly unheard of it. I like that we see Dora find some power of her own!

+ The Greek mythology is fascinating and I like that the mystery around the pithos or vase that is at the certain of the story. It’s a mystery, it’s a curse, whatever it is Dora’s uncle Hezekiah is strangely attached to it and keeping it secret.

+ There is a mix of interesting characters in this book. Edward who is an aspiring antiquarian who befriends Dora, there is romance between them, but the both of them try and figure out the mystery with the pithos and Dora’s uncle.

~ It took me awhile to get into the story. It’s not that it’s slow but I think the characters weren’t engaging me. I felt no connection to them.

Why you should read it:

*you like Greek mythology and Georgian England
*there is mystery and romance

Why you might not want to read it:
*not into historical fiction or Greek mythology

My Thoughts:

I think this was fairly entertaining even if I didn’t connect to the characters. It was an okay read for me but I definitely recommend this one for readers who enjoy mystery, historical fiction, and Greek mythology!

I am a big lover of Greek mythology and world-wide mythology as a whole. Something that I thought was unique about this story is that it had both historical and mythological aspects as a main part of the setting/storytelling. I also enjoyed the multiple POV device used to allow the reader to be drawn into each aspect of the story. I feel that each of the 3 POVs allowed me to feel much more immersed in the world and kept me engaged in the entire reading experience. A very enjoyable read overall!

3.5/5 Stars

Miss Pandora Blake, daughter of the famous antiquarians Elijah and Helen Blake, has always had a talent for drawing and a dream of designing jewelry. Unable to pursue her passion or to follow in her late parents' footsteps due to her oppressive uncle, Pandora takes matters into her own hands when she hears of a mysterious vase that her uncle has procured and is hiding from her. With the help of Edward Lawrence, an aspiring antiquarian with his own troubled past, Pandora delves into her uncle's secrets and finds there may be more to her own story and the story of the vase than she previously thought.

I think the premise of this story is interesting, and I like the way the author takes care to dive into the lives of a diversity of social classes during the time period. It provides a much more holistic review of history at the time. However, I do wish there had been more emphasis on the Greek mythology. It was only vaguely referenced throughout the novel, and never fully explained. I appreciate the attention to detail regarding the motivations of all the characters in this story though, as it lends an extra dimension to this story to understand why things happened the way they did.

Overall, I think this was an interesting novel with a unique premise, but it was less based in Greek mythology than expected. Thank you so much to Net Galley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Pandora by Susan Stokes Chapman is a mystery-filled with enigmatic dreamscapes to magic realism. A wondrously crafted book perfect for those looking to escape into worlds both strange and beautiful!

I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

21 year old Pandora Blake has lived her entire life hidden away in her uncles attic. After her parents death in her childhood, Uncle Hezekiah took over their esteemed antiquities shop and ran it into the ground. Years of neglect have turned the shop into an eyesore, known for selling fakes. Imagine her surprise when she finds a horde of genuine artifacts hidden in the basement, collecting dust. When her uncle aquires a historic vase and begins acting more strangely by the day around her, Pandora sets out to find out the truth about her family and what her uncle is doing in the shop basement.

Y'all- this book had me GLUED to my kindle for days. I was reading while I did the dishes, reading while I folded the laundry. If I could've read while I was driving I think I would have. Pandora's soft and inquisitive personality captured me from the beginning and I was rooting for her from the first page. The Greek myth and history was perfectly woven into the story and kept my attention throughout. I truly loved this story and the characters!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perrenial Publishing for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This book centers around Dora, a young woman in Georgian England, who lives with her uncle above their family antiquities shop. Dora (named after they mythical Pandora) longs to be a jewelry designer but seems stuck creatively until her uncle brings home a mysterious artifact and locks it in the basement. This book starts off at a slow pace, and I wasn't entirely sure where it was going to go. Once we get introduced to all the main characters and the mystery surrounding the pithos (vase), the book really kicks off. Soon we're embroiled in mystery and murders. The ending is very satisfying. It's a fun historical fiction book for those who also like mythology, mystery, and murders.

2.5/5 Stars.
This review of this book is currently being postponed in solidarity with the HarperCollins strike. I will not review until the workers are heard and given a fair contract.