I have a special sweet spot for historical fiction that takes place in winter and involves a bit of magic, so you can definitely bet that I loved this story. It was slow at times, which affected my readability, but overall, I loved the mystery of the pythos and its relation to the Blake family. Having the three perspectives of Dora, Hezekiah, and Edward was perfect too because reader's get the distinct differing perspectives of Dora and Edward, and then, Hezekiah came in to just throw caution to the wind and piss me off throughout all of his chapters. Only Dora and Edward's sweetness could counteract the knee jerking reaction to want to suffocate Hezekiah's chapters every time he showed his ugly self. I saw a couple reviews say that Hezekiah felt like a cartoony antagonist, but I didn't experience that sentiment. He was more a bitter old man than anything, and I've had plenty of experiences with those sorts of men who teeter on that line of nearly doing anything for their own selfish, twisted desires.

The romance between Dora and Edward was another great part of the story. I enjoyed its gradual slow burn pace, and then, when it did become a reality for the characters, it didn't overwhelm the main plot in any way. It just altered the course a little, and the story continued like nothing happened. Also, because this involves romance of a different sort, I did not expect in any way for LGBTQ+ rep to be a part of this book at all. It is a side character, and that character doesn't receive a happy ending for their love, but it grabbed my attention to see a gay character represented in 1799 England. I'm hoping in the future any LGBTQ+ characters can be main characters or even have happier endings where they find their partner. I'll always be rooting for historical fiction LGBTQ+ rep!

Overall, if you're a fan of historical fiction with some magical elements, then, Pandora is perfect for you. It reminded me a lot of The Golem and the Jinni, The Binding, and Once Upon a River. As an added bonus, if you've found yourself not connecting to any of the Greek myth retelling that have release recently, try out Pandora because it takes Greek mythology and turns it into something new, specifically in a century thousands of years later. It was a very refreshing experience for me at least.

Just like antiquities, Pandora will make its round to its destined readers, and I'm so excited to read more of Susan Stokes-Chapman's works in the, hopefully soon, future! And I do highly recommend the audiobook because the narrator had a great tone to match the 1799 era.

Thank you to Harper Audio and NetGalley for this ARC audio! All thoughts and opinions are my own.