This is very well written, with lots of fascinating detail about the period. It ended quite abruptly and I think I'd have liked a closing chapter. Am hoping the author does more in the series. I want to be there when Vesuvius erupts!

I wanted a change from all the thrillers I have been reading lately and was so glad I took a chance on this book as I really enjoyed it.

It is a very well written and compelling read and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially the Greek and Roman era.

Sold into slavery by her mother and forced into prostitution, Amara has never forgotten what her life was like as a free woman. Now forced to sell her body for a man she despises, Amara must use everything she knows to survive the harsh reality of life in Pompeii and help keep her fellow she-wolves safe. Everything has its price, and Amara will grasp at anything to be free again.

Set in the Ancient city of Pompeii, The Wolf Den centres around slave Amara and her fellow prostitues at a local brothel. Life is hard, and the novel never shys away from exploring the harsh realities these women face on a daily basis. Sexual, emotional and physical violence are a regular occurrence, and all of them are treated as commodities. Disposable ones. Because once beauty has faded, and the money dries up, what else could they have to offer? Amara as a character is intelligence and resourceful. She's never really been broken like the other girls she works alongside. She still maintains a sense of her former life, and has the ability to use her skills to try and break free. At times it makes her a ruthless individual, and not entirely likeable, however you can see why she acts this way. The secrets, the schemes, the lies. It's all for her freedom.

I really liked the relationship between all of the women within the Wolf Den. They're a found family of sorts, looking our for one another and trying to make some semblance of a life with the cards they've been dealt. There are moments of love and laughter scattered between them all, celebrating festivals and attending the gladiator fights together. There's also the inevitable jealousy and bitterness that accompanies such a life. I will say that I found a lot of the girls to be quite one dimensional in many regards. There's the mother figure in Cressa, the beautiful naive one in Dido, the outgoing one who is actually very vulnerable in Victoria etc. however overall I do think they work well as a unit.

More complicated and interesting however is Amara's relationship with Felix. Her keeper and master. Although not her first 'owner', he's the one who makes her feel the most worthless. He's unpredictable, violent and the hatred she feels for him radiates from her every pore. Yet sometimes, in rare moments of tenderness, she feels sorry for him too. His life mirrors her own in many ways, and I think Amara sees a lot of herself in him - which scares her more than she dares admit.

The story is set against the backdrop of Pompeii, but I often struggled to really picture the city. The volcano is never mentioned for one thing and outside of the brothel we don't get to see much of the hustle and bustle of everyday life in all its glory. We see festivals, special occasions but not much else. Although Amara's world is small, and revolves solely around the Wolf Den and it's inhabitants, some expansion into the surrounding city would have helped bring this world to life a bit more and inject a bit more soul and historical flair into the story. If I'm being honest, I felt this could have been set in any time period if you took out the Roman references to Gods and gladiators.

I also found the plot and pacing to be incredibly slow. It's obviously heavily character driven, with a focus on exploring these women's lives. However, I felt like not a lot actually happened and the ending feels predictable yet unrealistic in such a harsh and unforgiving world. In a story that opens up these women's lives and lays everything bare so candidly, it felt a little cheap, a little too simple.

An interesting historical read, with some complex characters set in a world I've never explored before. I just wish this had packed more of an emotional punch.

I really enjoy a good historical fiction book so when this popped up I was excited to read it.
Set in Pompeii and following the tragic life of Amara and her fellow she-wolves this story could easily be one of sadness, loss, and fury at the way of the world, but I found it rather empowering.

I almost never read reviews before reading something myself, simply because I like to form my own opinions with out being influenced before I even open the book, but sometimes you stumble across them and in the case of The Wolf Den, I did.

While all the reviews are favourable, a lot of them focus on the awful, and there are truly awful moments in it. There should be a whole page of trigger warnings associated with Amara's story and the lives of her friends, and her enemies, but while sexual encounters are mentioned, and more often implied, it's not graphic.
You can't head into this book expecting romance, or potentially even a happy ending. Her father died, her mother sold her, then she was sold again and now she finds herself far from home working in a brothel for a man that is cruel, violent, and damaged himself.

You feel deeply for the characters and the trauma of their lives, but you also get to see the little joys they are able to eek out in an otherwise bleak existence, and for me, the one shining aspect of this book is that for all the bad, and for all the ways it would be easy for Amara to just give up and let this awfulness happen to her, she is smart, she has been educated, and she will do whatever it takes to be free. She is fierce, and at face value, is really quite an inspiration because regardless of all that has happened, regardless of all she has had to endure, she forges forward, she doesn't allow herself to believe her circumstance is all there is and even though she knows her fate will be reliant on someone prepared to help, she manoeuvres the whole thing to get what she wants.

The ending is equal parts sad, and happy, and poetic to the last!

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who isn't going to be triggered by Amaras circumstance. Read the blurb and if the life of an unwilling brothel slave in a brutal time is something you can process safely, pick this up, allow Amara and her determination to show you that you it is you who holds the power, even in the direst of circumstances.

A solid 5 star read.

When her family become destitute following the death of her father, Amara is sold into slavery and finds herself a whore in one of Pompeii's brothels. She hates the life she is forced to lead, as all of the women under Felix's control do and she is determined to get out of it as soon as she can. Amara is a wonderful heroine. She is clever, strong, loyal and something of a role model for all women.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Some of the language is graphic but in keeping with the setting and what happens to these women is often brutal but again I think that it is a fair reflection of what their lives would have been like.
Heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure.

I was sent a copy of The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper to read and review by NetGalley. Considering the subject matter I found this quite a mild-mannered novel! The language surprized me somewhat in the beginning as for some reason I hadn’t expected it to be so blatantly modern. I don’t know what I was expecting but to begin with I was thinking that the characters ‘surely wouldn’t say that’! Of course, the style of writing makes the book easier to read but it did make it harder for me to believe in the setting and the era in history. Definitely not gritty or hard hitting, it touches very lightly on whores, brothels and slavery, even though these make up the very essence of the novel. I have given it 4 stars as I did enjoy reading it but I personally would put it in the untaxing holiday-read genre.

As a huge fan of Madeleine Miller and Pat Barker’s work, I was intrigued by the premise of this book - the life of a brothel slave in Pompeii - but I didn’t quite connect with it. The author’s knowledge is really impressive and it was clearly impeccably researched, but I would have liked a bit more description and scene setting to back this up - I found it quite hard to visualise what was happening or feel a real sense of place. And the writing style was quite formal, which worked well in terms of giving the narrator a sense of dignity despite all she was going through, but sometimes felt stilted. The female characters, though, are presented really beautifully: they are complicated, conflicted and interact with each other in a way that rings true.

A story about a brothel....

A woman who you learn to love....

This was a very interesting read and one which took a while to get into, I enjoyed the twists and turns the story took but sometimes it felt like it wasn’t going anywhere

Definitely a slow burn read

Amara and Dodi, two prostitutes existing amongst the torture and pain of a brothel in Pompeii. If you have been fortunate to visit the ruins the story becomes all the more vivid, especially with the chapter headings of actual graffiti found there.. Felix, the cruel master, favours a Victoria, another of the girls but Amara is his match and the one whose past has given her the education and determination to break free. Written with great emotion and drive but there could have been so much more! Vesuvius itself was barely mentioned! Pliny the elder was a kindly mentor but again I would have loved to know more. Perhaps there will be a sequel - if so I will very much look forward to it!

This book is set around a brothel in ancient Rome. Whilst it has interesting insights into how the women were treated and how their lives were controlled. Most had been bought at a slaves market and treated abysmally. Amara is the whore that this story is about. An educated woman reduced to plotting her freedom. It took a while for the story to become interesting and the reader on her side. A few twists and turns ensure as she tries to get her freedom.

The Wolf Den is a rich and vivid novel set in Pompeii in AD74. Amara has lived a tragic life. Daughter of a doctor in Greece, her family are left destitute after his death. Sold into slavery, she is bought by Felix and brought to a brothel in Pompeii. Here, she and the other she-wolves form a strong and loyal bond that helps them survive the humiliations they must endure.

When Amara meets Menander, also from Greece originally, they fall in love. But they are both slaves and their love is doomed. Particularly when Amara meets Rufus. He is as kind and generous as any man Amara can hope to meet, and using her intelligence ahe ensures she holds his interest. Her ambition is to gain her freedom from the brothel, and from Felix, who she comes to detest.

But her freedom comes at a cost and it is a heartbreaking one.

An absorbing and fascinating read, rich with imagery and a stark reminder of how cruelly slaves were treated.

https://lynns-books.com/2021/05/25/the-wolf-den-by-elodie-harper/
4 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Brutally honest tale of slavery

The Wolf Den is another book that looks at a period of history through the often overlooked eyes of others. This is a story that takes us to Pompeii and provides us with a glimpse not only into the lives of slaves, or even female slaves but prostitutes. It’s a shockingly honest reimagining of a look at these women, often taken against their will or sold into slavery due to poverty, who manage to form strong bonds whilst fighting against the despair and degradation they face daily.

Okay, to be equally honest, I didn’t start out loving this one as much as I’d hoped BUT, stay with me here. It certainly doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects and I started to wonder exactly what route the story would go down. On top of that it does start out (unsurprisingly) as a rather seedy portrayal of the lives of the women and I started to feel a measure of despair on their behalf. But, also in the vein of complete honesty I confess that this story completely won me over. The narration by our main character, Amara, becomes a gripping and tense account, heart rending and ultimately hopeful.

This story doesn’t sugarcoat the harsh truth of the lives of such women but at the same time it doesn’t dwell on the finer detail. This isn’t gratuitously violent or sexual, there are plenty of references to what’s taking place and none of it is romanticised or painted in anything less than grim reality. I mention this simply as a warning to some readers, violence, rape (off page), sexual references, slavery, degradation they’re all here so be aware of that when you pick this up but also be aware that this story also depicts firm female friendships and the strength and support they provide.

Amara is an educated, intelligent, well spoken woman. Her family was hit by tragedy and she was eventually sold into slavery. Her fortunes fell further when she was sold again into one of the most infamous brothels in Pompeii. A dark and dismal building, Small, cell like rooms, packed dirt floors and smoke stained walls help to demonstrate the cloying claustrophobic feel of the place and curtains to divide the rooms did little to provide any sort of privacy from what seemed like a constant stream of drunken, demanding and often times demeaning, customers. As the story begins we feel Amara’s shame and despair and the hopelessness of her situation but slowly but surely we become attached, Amara is resourceful and soon realises that she can manipulate certain situations to her advantage and in fact this is when the story really takes off.

The characters. Amara is our narrator and she was very easy to like. She has a lot of sympathy for the women in her life and makes a good friend but this is tempered by the desire to escape servitude and the ultimate dream of freedom. Eventually her fortunes begin to change. She is good at planting seeds into her owner’s head, a man driven by greed he starts out wanting to beat Amara for her outspoken behaviour but soon comes to rely on her for the money she earns him. I thought Harper did an excellent job with all of the character to be honest. There are a number of different women, all portrayed really well with their own back stories, desires and mannerisms. Even the brothel owner, a dislikable, petty minded and often vicious character has a long and turbulent history at the Wolf Den.

What i particularly enjoyed about this was the sense of fear and anticipation that the author manages to create as the story goes forward. Amara is taking risks, spinning stories and is constantly aware of the precipice that she balances upon. Her story is compelling and you feel desperate for things to work out somehow. There’s also more of that brutal honesty in Amara’s actions. She has difficult choices to make. She is aware that if she achieves her own freedom she will be leaving these women behind but at the same time she understands that she needs to be free in order to make any sort of change. Her actions are sometimes heartbreaking as her head overrules her heart.

The other thing that comes across here, in the most powerful way, is the absolute invisibility that these women suffer. They are shown virtually no respect, no regard or no sensitivity whatsoever – other than the odd exception here and there. Most of them are in situations that make your heart ache and yet they are treated terribly. But, at the same time, as horrible and dire as their situations are there are moments of love and laughter that help to temper the story and prevent it from becoming overwhelming.

I think my only criticism, after I pushed through the start, was the modern voice that this is told in. I understand the desire to make this easy to access and relatable but there were times when the conversations and actions felt a little too contemporary. That said, there were also some wonderful descriptions of events, places and special holidays that I really enjoyed reading about. I would also mention the ending which was both satisfying and surprising – in that it ends with a clear thread that promises more. I hope that’s the case. The story is complete but there are issues that need resolving and I would like to return to Pompeii and see how Amara fares.

Overall, I thought this was a well written and gripping story. Yes, I did have a slight hesitation as the book set out but I’m so pleased that I pressed on with this one and I have no hesitation in recommending this.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This is Elodie Harper's first book in a trilogy, which takes place in Ancient Pompeii, five years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This story is about the brothel called The Wolf Den and about the enslaved "She-Wolves" of the Den. We get a glimpse into each of their lives, their struggles and the challenges they have to overcome. Each girl came from a different background, however, even in our group of ladies, our main character will be Amara, who was sold by her mother.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this story, but in the end, it absolutely blew me away. Everyone is just so unique and well rounded and the relationship between the girls was just incredible. The setting and the descriptions were also so detailed I could almost feel I'm there, the writing was amazing and easy to follow, which made the reading experience extremely pleasant. Every time I sat down I just wanted to know what's going to happen to girls.

This is a book that took me by surprise. It is a beautifully written story full of emotions and interesting characters. I would definitely recommend it to those people who historical fiction and character-focused stories, however, since it does have quite a few trigger warning, I would definitely suggest looking into them before diving into this.

(4.5 stars, rounded up to 5)

Elodie Harper’s Wolf Den is a brothel in Pompeii, where the women, born into or sold into slavery, are forced into a life of prostitution and poverty. Felix, the pimp who owns the women, operates as a loan shark and a racketeer and the women live under a cloud of fear and the threat of violence.
Amara is the daughter of a doctor, sold by her family when her father dies. Her only way out of this hell is to buy her own freedom or find a benefactor who will, either way unlikely. Victoria appears the strongest, and most popular with the clients, Cressa has lost a child, born to her while in the brothel.
And really that’s about it. The pimps have conflict over the areas, Amara has some success in combining her musical talents and entertaining at the houses of richer clients. Meanwhile she finds herself becoming as conniving and cynical as her pimp, Felix.
I found the Wolf Den long and at times struggled to get through it.
I am grateful to Netgalley UK and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read it.

I have had a love of classical history since learning Latin at school and I've always wanted to visit Pompeii, which I did virtually through Elodie Harper's amazing book. The streets of Pompeii are brought to life through the incredibly vivid writing and I really didn't want my visit to end, feeling rather bereft when I turned the final page. Thankfully, this is the first book in a trilogy and I simply cannot wait for more.

Even though it is set in a brothel, it isn't salacious at all as it focusses on the women and their feelings rather than the acts that they are forced to carry out. I had never really considered the circumstances of the women working as prostitutes or house slaves so I felt quite emotional reading their stories. They must have been so frightened being taken from their homes and forced to do unspeakable acts over and over again.

All they can do is make the best of their new lives and the camaraderie between the women is very uplifting and heartwarming (it reminded me of the Latin phrase fortis in arduis - strong in difficulties). The main character of Amara is such a strong character; she's not even afraid to speak out to the brothel owner. Doing what needs to be done to survive, Amara will never stop fighting for her freedom.

I loved the little sentences at the start of each chapter, often sharing actual graffiti from Pompeii or quotes from publications of the time (such as Pliny and Ovid). It added to the authenticity of the story and brought Pompeii back to life, making the reader feel as if they were actually in AD74 (5 years before Pompeii was smothered by volcanic ash). The writing is completely breathtaking; there's a scene in the amphitheatre that is described so exquisitely that I could almost feel my face heating up and my ears buzzing with chatter.

The Wolf Den is stunningly atmospheric and beautifully written. I am delighted that there are going to be more books in the series and I'll be keeping a keen eye out for the next book. Elodie Harper has found a Pompeii shaped niche in the historical fiction genre that was crying out to be filled and The Wolf Den fills it perfectly. It's not just for historical fiction lovers either, with such strong female characters this is a book that all readers will enjoy.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thank you to Negalley, the publisher and the author for the free advanced e-copy of this book.

The Wolf Den is the quite brilliant story of a group of prostitutes in Pompeii 5 years before the eruption that destroyed everything there – and froze it in time, of course. It follows the lives of these five women, what it is like to be a slave, what they are allowed to do, what is restricted, and how they grow to love for each other.

I absolutely loved it. It was a pure pleasure to read. It wasn’t hard or taxing, it just transported me back to what Pompeii must have been like and allowed me to experience these ladies’ lives. I really didn’t want to do anything but read, and whilst as a reader that isn’t much of a surprise, there was none of that ‘oh I’ll give it to page 50 and I’m sure I’ll love it by then,’ I didn’t have to work to enjoy this book. I found myself at 50% and was surprised, and I slowed down at the end to linger on it – I hardly ever do that!

There are five women that we are introduced to, Amara, our heroine, Victoria, the leader of the bunch. She seems more powerful and strident; she seems to cope best with the life she leads. Dido, who is Amara’s best friend, a woman who is too delicate and kind to be a prostitute. Cressa who is likewise, a kind hearted individual, who cares very much for the women around her but is facing an old age that isn’t looking good, and lastly, Beronice, who has fallen for one of their guards.

All these women are slaves, and their only hope of escape is to earn enough to buy their freedom; find a patron who will do it for them or convince their owner to give them their freedom. As their owner is a severely damaged sociopath that is unlikely. Their circumstances are utterly horrendous and Amara’s determination to try to change hers is what drives this novel forward.

The research gone into this novel is brilliant. Ms Harper has clearly been to Pompeii, is well versed in all their festivals, the way their houses were laid out, the food they ate, the clothes they wore, the social mores and ideas of the day. Her exploration of slavery, what it meant and how it occurred is vivid and fascinating in her hands. I didn’t feel that the characters seemed too ‘modern’, I thought they were pitched just right. The universal desires for love and money haven’t changed that much.

Because you are catapulted back nearly 2000 years the only thing that occasional grated were slips in language. So, for example someone ‘bumped and grind’ and it just felt off as that is such a modern expression. Clearly, if she were going to write it in first century Latin I wouldn’t get that much, but really modern phrases jump out at you. Another time she discussed the idea of shucking some corn – I’m guessing maize – that wouldn’t be known in the Roman Empire then as it was a Native American food that they developed and modified over centuries.

The ending was so well done and exactly the right level of resolution mixed with enough to let you know there will be a sequel. And that sequel cannot come quickly enough for me! Four and a half stars from me.

This is the story of Amara, the daughter of a doctor in Ancient Greece who ends up being sold to a brothel owner in Pompeii. Along with the other women in “The Wolf Den”, Amara must find a way to survive life as a slave, at the mercy of the too-often-violent customers and her brutal and calculating owner Felix. She must use all of her own intelligence and skill to find a way out of her circumstances before she loses herself completely.

This is such a good piece of historical fiction. Amara is completely believable as a young woman trying to overcome her own despair, as are her relationships with the other women in the brothel who are themselves each fascinating in their own way. Their friendship in such dire circumstances is beautiful to see, and Amara’s determination in the face of such abject misery is inspiring. I loved the depictions of everyday life in Pompeii for the two different classes of citizens, and the addition of real historical figures and Pompeiian graffiti gave it an edge of authenticity that really grounded it. I will be looking out for this author in future.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

The Wolf Den is a gripping and original read which keeps you hooked. With a strong female narrator as the protagonist it's a story which keeps you turning the pages.

This was just not my type of read unfortunately, very well researched I'm sure, but I found it, and most of the characters, somewhat flat. Did people in these times really say f**k off?? Unlikely, I think. Very many thanks to Netgalley, the Publisher and the author for allowing me to have an ARC of this book.

The Wolf Den follows the daily lives of the sex workers enslaved at the titular whore house. The narrative takes place in Ancient Pompeii and takes it's inspiration from graffiti found amongst the ruins of the town. The women find strength and hope in the little acts of kindness that they share and their hopes of betterment. The underbelly of Pompeii's sex trade and money lending is told with a vividness that at times makes for unpleasant reading forcing you into the lives of the unfortunate females (and males). The main character of Amara's desire to elevate herself once more is beautifully arced as she realises her power and how best to utilise her intellect and skills. There is darkness but also hope. If you enjoy historical fiction then this is worth a look.