The Wolf Den: the stunning first novel reimagining the lives of the women of Pompeii (The Wolf Den Trilogy)

I really enjoyed this book; historical fiction at its best.This is a fascinating time in the history of Pompeii and this novel is set some 5 years before the great volcanic eruption that buried and preserved life/frozen in time in Roman Pompeii.Elodie Harper is an established author and she demonstrates all her skills here in a simple tale of life in a brothel. What is fascinating to me is the strong female characters and how they became slaves and consequently forced into the life of a sex worker.Indeed the novel is a balanced view of Roman life, and being away from Rome it isn’t so politically focused. It was good to realise the misfortune of a woman caught up prostitution that they were not willing participants. The life of Amara is the young woman who we follow in this story. The daughter of a doctor whose family fell into hard times and poverty led her to be sold into slavery. She is a terrific character who we cannot judge too critically as she schemes to escape the bondage to her pimp who owns the establishment and who holds the lives of all “his girls” in his power. It is a hard life, made harder if you are disobedient or self-asserting.The story follows a year in Amara’s life in AD 74 and brings Pompeii alive to the reader. It was really interesting to see life from the perspective of the poorest and most vulnerable in society and see the acceptance of slavery was rooted within the fabric of the Empire.Full of well drawn characters who have various influences on Amara’s hopes and dreams. The women forced into prostitution are both Amara’s friends and rivals and life is less than easy with an ever present sense of danger.The book is the first in a trilogy, beginning here in the brothel, The Wolf’s Den. This is an delightful piece of writing and an absorbing story, taking the reader back into a real world, a documented history within a fictional tale. However, there are many modern day comparisons in regard to people trafficking, women forced into prostitution as sex slaves and the objectification of women in society.A novel and a series of books I warmly recommend and will myself complete in due course. Elodie Harper is in danger of becoming a favourite author of mine.

Enjoyed reading this book. Interesting view from the darker side of Roman life. Moved at a decent pace with lots of detail and varied emotions. Looking forward to the next one.

I enjoyed the plot but the writing could have been better. If you can get over the historical inaccuracy then I would recommend

”Either we choose to stay alive, or we give up. And if it's living we choose, then we do whatever it takes.”One woman’s life whose future depends on her ability to perform, act, and use her mind and resourcefulness to ultimately free herself from slavery. A life she is forced to live, after the death of her esteemed father, where women are dehumanised and seen as objects of pleasure until their usefulness ceases, but more importantly a life with no way out for the ‘she wolves’.The Wolf Den is the ultimate story of survival in an unforgiving and rigid world for those in service, oppressed and enslaved. Powerful, evocative and sometimes graphic but ultimately rewarding in some ways.Tethered to the Lupanar in Pompeii, a brothel or in translation the ‘wolf-den’, Amara is a prostitute and one of the ‘she wolves’ owned by a harsh master, Felix. A man sculpted by his violent past, but underneath the brutality there is something almost human about him as he struggles to suppress his emotions because the wolf den is no place for romanticism or sentiment.Amara’s life is shaped by misfortune. Her father, a doctor, dies prematurely and so she is sold by her widowed mother who can no longer afford to keep her. Amara’s value rests with how many customers she can satisfy and how much money she can generate but her real worth sits within her head.A great mind, a woman different from the others who understands finance, who can read and is intelligent and resourceful. Ultimately, she needs to develop a plan and strategy to free herself from a life of slavery but at a cost.Things I liked about this book. First of all, Wolf Den is a perfect combination of tragedy, hope and intrigue as Amara must learn to balance her desire to gain her freedom with the need to keep her pimp and her band of friends on side. I found the story thrilling as Amara navigated her way through the intricacies and complexities of her position in the Wolf Den to secure her independence. The tension held through the book because you felt at any moment any progress could be undone in a minute and for most of the story freedom never felt achievable.The setting was also excellent. The vivid descriptions of Pompeii conjured up the images of an era with so much mystery, mystic, and history, with its ancient walls and cobbled streets creating the perfect ambiance for a book of this nature.The unapologetic language of the brutality and abuse that the women were subjected to made for uncomfortable reading at times but credible and authentic. The author also did well to highlight the vast differences in this society between the ‘have’s and the have-nots’ and the distribution of wealth between the lives of the rich and those in a life of servitude tending to their every needs.Whilst the setting was excellent, I felt the author could have added more layers to the story and woven the historical context into the narrative a lot more. Instead, it was used to create the backdrop rather than historical events being integral to the story.If you want a story of courage, determination, friendship, and a book that is evenly paced and intriguing then this might be for you. I thoroughly enjoyed.

Moved well and quickly enjoyable read

I love the book it's amazing! Unfortunately it arrived damaged, but I suppose that happens when shipped overseas.

I found this book because of tik tok and decided to buy it because of the recommendations and because I love a historical fiction novel. This book was really good. I loved all the characters, especially the main character Amara. She has great character development through the book and figures out the best way to get what she wants. She’s a great character, who also isn’t perfect.

Loved it. There’s some sort of magic which keeps reader to go on and on. Moving to next book in series

I loved this book from a few paragraphs in. Then I sat in my car, in the heat, to finish it. Highly recommend.