The Lost Apothecary.

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                                       CONTAINS SPOILERS

A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary… 

 
Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries. 

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

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Magical. Mysterious. 

I have been hearing about The Lost Apothecary since it was released earlier in the year. I have come across few good reviews about this book. I reserved a copy from my library a while back, but there was a long waitlist. As a result, I was drawn into the story only a few moments after reading it. The Lost Apothecary is the book that will have you hooked from behind until the end. When I started reading the book, I found it hard to put the book down. More than once, one more chapter turned into five more. For me, it was hard to find an excellent place to stop. Every chapter had me craving for more because I wanted to know what’s going to happen next. Dual point of view books is becoming popular, I have read multiple books like that recently. I enjoy those. The Lost Apothecary wasn’t different, and I loved that it went between the 1700s and to the present time. The dual point of view connected, which made it even more interesting to read. 

I enjoyed Caroline’s point of view and the mystery behind it. However, Nella and Eliza’s point of view was more interesting to read, and I felt much more happening. I loved the mystery behind the poisons. I always wondered if one of those days, she will be discovered that she’s the one that is making poisons. Suppose there is a chance that the wrong person would be given the poison. Most of all, I was curious why Nella started to make the poisons first; what had happened to her to go in that direction. I loved the bond between Eliza and Nella. It did seem like sometimes Nella didn’t want Eliza around, but I know that it was because she was trying to protect her. When I read Eliza and Nella’s point of view, it always left me wondering what would happen next. 

I don’t think that The Lost Apothecary is a historical fiction fantasy, but it did have some magical realism aspect to the parts of the story. I knew that I would like this story, but I did not realize how much I would love it. I loved that the story took place in London, where I want to visit one day. This is unlike any other historical fiction that I have read this past year, but that’s what I love about it; it’s different. I can’t wait to see what Sarah Penner adventure will take us on next.