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racheyreads 's review for:

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
4.0
adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

As much as I'm not fond of books which switch perspectives a lot or every chapter as this one does, the way this book had been set out made it easy to follow. I find it challenging personally to keep track of multiple storylines happening at the same time.

Each of the 3 characters who are focused on in this book did act as if they were their own person. I enjoyed each of them individually, however, sometimes it felt hard to connect with the adult characters due to their pursuit of motherhood which I do not share. This sole similarity was much of the character's motives when it came to their decisions and I personally believe is the catalyst for this story even existing.

The premise of the book was very promising, however, the ending does feel quite lacklustre. There was also not a lot of depth when it came to the plot. It was very surface level, and I feel that the characters quite honestly deserved more, especially when it came to Nella and Eliza. The last few chapters seemed a bit of a rush to close the book, and events described by Caroline, which she read in the ending newspaper article, I wish were told through Eliza and Nella's perspective as additional chapters.