I really enjoyed this historical mystery, set around the myth of Pandora's Jar.

Pandora Blake has a dream... that of independence from her controlling Uncle who is slowly driving her dead parent's Antiquities business I to the ground. She has a talent for drawing and design, and sets her sights on designing her own jewelery. But when fate conspires against her, she is pushed to extraordinary lengths to secure her future... causing her to find a secret jar, older than history. Wheat follows is an intriguing mystery with just a touch of the fantastic that we all come to look for in this type of tale.

While the characters aren't very articulated, the plot and its execution was spot on. Well done, Susan!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

What a beautiful cover that captures the essence of the narrative in so many ways.
This historical fiction novel with elements of mystery and Greek mythology was fantastic.  After the passing of her parents, Dora, a lovely person with love and a dedication for her jewelry and artwork, moved in with her dreadful uncle. And Edward,  a man trying to gain attention for his work with antiques but experiencing difficulties.
The reader is compelled to turn the pages, is intrigued, and can't stop thinking about the mystery surrounding the pithos.
A book that covers so many deep intricacies and mythology is destined to have a difficult finish, but it was extremely well done.
Kudos to the narrator, Olivia Vinall, for capturing the essence of this intricately woven novel and it's devine mystery.

Keeping you on the edge of your seats, this Greek Mythology is highly anticipatory, has amazing, well-developed characters, and beautiful writing with numerous POVs. This book has everything I love. Historical Fiction, retellings, alternating first person narratives. plus it takes place in 1799 London. I listened to this as an audiobook and loved every second about it. It took me a moment to get into it, but once I was in it, I couldn't stop listening.

Having read a physical galley I wanted to see how the audio compared and this is a great way to enjoy this story from an author who is very outstanding in mythology retellings/scholarly work.

Loved! Higotrical fiction - archeology and so many twists! I loved this from start to finish! Great charecters and plot - well written! Highly recommended!

I received an ARC from herbalist of Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman. All opinions are of my own.

Dora, a hopeful jewelry designer, her uncle, and Edward, a scholar of antiques, have all entered a journey that will change their lives, all because of a vase. Through a series of events, all the character's lives are changed because of the secrets and desires the vase hold, different for each of them. As secrets begin to unfold and not always welcomed.and most definitely unexpected, Dora will begin to question everything she ever thought to be true about her past and begin to see something different for her future.

I was hopeful when I read this description and excited when I received an advanced copy. Greek Mythology combined with historic fiction taking place in Georgian England? Yes please. Possibility of romance with all these factors? Yes!! I was however, not too thrilled with the results. I could not really tell besides details here and there that the story took place in times gone past. It could almost have taken place in modern day England and I would have been none the wiser.

The hardest part for me, however, was the one-dimensionness and predictability of the characters with little to no development through you there story. It was especially hard not cringe when Uncle comes I to a scene - extremely stereotypical villain and predictable on tip of it.

Story was interesting, but not enough for other aspects of the story, specifically character.and setting were a.let down for.me.

I received an advanced audio book of Pandora. The reader had a pleasant voice... Almost too pleasant. I found myself to focus and follow this story all the way through due to the lulling voice of the narrator and pacing of the reading.

This book is great for those who love mystery books! Pandora incorporates Greek mythology and historic features to create a really interesting storyline following a girl named Pandora Blake. This story was whimsical and definitely takes you back in time. I think history lovers will enjoy reading this.

It took me a bit to finish it just because mystery isn't my genre of choice. The plot felt like it drug on a bit. I was hoping that there would be a stronger romance aspect to this story but I still enjoyed it. If it was shorter, I think it could have kept more of my attention.

I read this as an audiobook and the narrator was great. She did the accent and different characters phenomenally. She gave me a great visualization of the different scenes and voices throughout the book.

I actually really enjoyed this audiobook and Olivia Vinall was a fabulous narrator. I'm a sucker for a mythology retelling and the Victorian setting of this book really drew me, especially with archaeology and Classicists thrown in. Perhaps the ending wasn't super surprising, but I didn't care as I just enjoyed the story and topic. Romance was very light and barely a part of the book and the book also included a brief reference to an LGBT character.

Pandora is an exciting book in the new lineup of mythology retellings because it sets the classic up differently. In this novel, our titular character, who goes by Dora, lives much like her bird sidekick: Caged. She is an orphan of once renowned antique collectors whose business has now fallen from grace under the care of Dora's uncle. Her life becomes interesting when a new ware arrives at the shop, an ancient Greek jar. Our story unfolds from here; we follow the people who come into contact with the jar and its effects on them. This novel doesn't feel like a classic retelling, in the traditional sense, as it was pitched. Instead, it is a story inspired by the original myth in specific ways. Our characters discuss the myth of Pandora, there's a mysterious background character that looks a bit too much like Zeus, and the jar itself might be the original jar that started the plights of humanity. But this is not a magical book; it's more of a mystery in many ways. This was a fun story that kept me interested all the way through. I like how Stokes-Chapman kept certain details a mystery until the end, making me more curious as I was reading.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Susan Stokes-Chapmanfor the eARC of this book.

I really enjoyed the first 15% of this. I think my interest was initially so high because of how bizarrly rare it is to see the working class represented as main characters in historical fiction. Part of the historical fiction draw is the fantasy of the peerage, especially when discussing hist fic in a British setting.

Unfortunately, it was around the 16-20% mark that I started to realize how one dimensional the main characters are. Dora, tis an orphan (alas) with an uncle so despicable you can practically see the sweat and spittle collecting on his mustache as he twirls it and muah-ha-has (double alas)! She wants to be a jewlery designer but can’t get the local goldsmith to take a chance on her because of this, that, or the other (she’s a woman in the 1700s, take your guess).

Then there’s Mr. Lawrence, some mooch desperate to a part of the antiquarian society without being willing to play at the strictures of scholarship. Upon meeting Dora (through the timely intervention of a complete stranger), both he and Dora have the insta-attraction where they just know the other person is good and trustworthy because attractive and eyes are pretty I guess. The trope in itself only irks me when, like in this case, there is not depth of the character to be discovered later.

This just felt like a Mary Sue main character and generic white male love interest, a common enough pitfall of fiction, but with the added layer of historical fiction as inauthentically realized as the items in the Blake’s Antiquery. I’m sure this book is for some hist fic readers, but I am not one of them.

The narrator is very talented. The switch between character perspectives is very smooth and notable.

3 stars.

Advanced Reader’s Copy audiobook provided by NetGalley, and Harper Audio exchange for an honest review.

If a novel includes mythology I am going to read it, and Pandora ended up being the most unique "retellings" I have read to date! Pandora is set in 1799 London and follows the story of Pandora Blake and a mysterious Greek vase.

Overall, I would rate this story a 4.5 stars! It was a beautifully written historical fiction without ever feeling too heavy with detail. It would be of interest to those who enjoy historical fiction, retellings and even readers who enjoy mystery/suspense.

The narrator, Olivia Vinall did an amazing job at bringing the story to life! Vinall masterfully kept the listeners focus to the stories detail, while also keeping character dialogue clear and easy to follow.

I loved this book and then at the end I was disappointed. That being said, I still gave it four stars for the entertainment value. It was a charming story that I really think would have been better set in the Victorian or Edwardian Era. The author took the legend of Pandora and built an entertaining novel surrounding the myth. There was always the question of whether the urn was causing destruction to those near it, she did a great job building the mystery surrounding Dora's parents, and what her uncles motives and plans were for the urn as well as Dora. She builds the story around Dora (Pandora) who is an orphan living with her uncle and his cleaning woman/mistress. The uncle forges antiquities and sells them as real. The uncle has commissioned men to recover a large Grecian urn depicting the legend of Pandora from sunken ship. In doing so he seems to unleash destruction to whomever comes near the urn. There is a love interest in the story named Edward. The story kept me engaged through out the book.

The end disappointed me for several reasons, one was that the reader doesn't know the fate of the Grecian urn that the story revolves around. Really? Why would you not include what happened to the object that was the entire focus of this tale? We know what happens to Dora, to Edward. I think a tidier wrap of what happens to the urn and some of the other, minor characters was in order. And for this I am disappointed.

Kudos to the narrator, she was enjoyable to listen to.

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that’s what initially drew me to Pandora. While not yet officially available in the US, it’s been out in the UK since January of 2022, and I had read some mixed reviews about it. But something about it still called to me, and when the audio became available to request on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. I’m incredibly glad that I did, because this story was incredible, and I actually don’t know that I would have enjoyed it quite so much in any other format.

Our setting is London, 1799. Pandora “Dora” Blake is the orphaned daughter of noted antiquarians who specialized in Grecian artifacts and who died tragically on a dig site when Dora was just a girl. Dora’s uncle, Hezekiah, gained custody of both Dora and her parents’ London shop. There is no love lost between them. Hezekiah has always resented Dora, and Dora despises Hezekiah for running her birthright into the ground and slowly ruining the reputation her parents had built during their lifetime. Dora dreams of designing high-end jewelry and buying herself a life free from Hezekiah’s control. Along the way, Dora meets Edward Lawrence, an aspiring antiquarian, and they determine to help one another. When a Greek pithos of indeterminable age and in pristine condition makes its way to the shop, family secrets and buried trauma slowly, and almost sinisterly, comes to a head.

Even though I went into this novel hopeful, I have to confess that I didn’t have very high expectations. I have a serious weakness for anything inspired by Greek mythology, but I also can’t seem to help but judge said inspired stories a bit harshly, as well. And I’m just starting to get into historical fiction, which has always been a very hit-or-miss genre for me. But Pandora was recommended for fans of The Essex Serpent, which made me even more hopeful. My expectations were not only met, but exceeded. I can’t definitely see why it was compared to Sarah Perry’s work, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy to shelf next to The Essex Serpent. While not quite as philosophically profound, Pandora definitely scratched the same itch.

I loved the fact that I couldn’t decide whether or not there was a touch of magical realism to this book. Much like The Essex Serpent, it straddles that divide in such a way that you’re never entirely certain. Though, in this case, I’m leaning strongly in the direction of there being just a touch of the supernatural housed within the story. Especially when it comes to the pithos itself. It’s beautiful and somehow disturbing in its perfection, magnetic and repellant. I loved the undercurrent of similarities between Dora and her Grecian namesake. And the identity hinted at for one particular side character near the end of novel was a very fun touch.

While Pandora got off to a bit of a slow start, the tension and the atmosphere in this book were absolutely fantastic. I really enjoyed my reading of it. I highly recommend this audio version, as Olivia Vinall did an excellent job. This is one of those stories that I’m not sure I would have enjoyed to quite this extent had I read it with only my eyes instead of my ears. Listening to Pandora gave me strong Dickensian vibes, but with less meandering in the storytelling itself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, or a good mystery. It’s a book that I can see myself reading again, and one that I look forward to adding to my physical collection someday.

Historical fictions with a twist which takes a spin on the myth of Pandora, all while investigating whether myth is fact of fiction. It sounds a little deep, but it was a quick and very enjoyable tale and a great listen. Orphaned Dora has been raised by her uncle, while living over the antiquities shop her parents had founded, which they themselves stocked with there finds on various archeological excursions. When a mysterious crate arrives to the great excitement of Uncle Hezekiah, her curiousity is seriously peaked. Fast paced and engaging - highly recommend.