The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper Series: The Wolf Den Trilogy #1
Published by Head of Zeus on 2021 May 13
Genres: Historical, Mythology
Pages: 463
Format: E-book
Source: Purchased
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Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den...
Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.
But Amara's spirit is far from broken.
By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learned that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?
Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.
I am not sure how to review The Wolf Den because my knowledge about Italy’s history is very little. I must admit that choosing this book amongst the TBR pile was a result of getting convinced by one of the book bloggers I’ve been following for a very long time. The thing that really caught my interest was the synopsis for it literally spelled out that the story would be following the life of a prostitute. So I said, sign me up for this. It’s not every day that you get to come across a historical, non-erotica book which tackles what life is all about for a whore who lived in the past.
Elodie Harper’s writing may feel very modern but she was still able to convey the plight of Amara, our story’s heroine, and her friends who had no choice but to sell their bodies just to get by. Although there are no vivid descriptions of how the sex went, I can feel and imagine how grim the situation is for our ladies. But what’s outstanding is that despite the deplorable condition that they are in, despite the hopelessness, Amara and her friends are doing their best to survive. For those whose hearts are faint, you might want to steer away from this book because there are just some nauseating scenes that you just want to jump to the next page/ chapter because your stomach can’t just take it anymore. But alas, because you are already so invested with the story, you find yourself savoring each word because you want to be there for Amara and her friends. You want to share their pains and their joys for winning the smallest of battles.
Everything about the Wolf Den is just perfectly crafted: the characters (main and supporting) and their relationships, the setting, the plot, the prose, and just the fact that Elodie Harper’s brilliance made her write a book as novel as this.
There is just so much to learn from Elodie Harper’s The Wolf Den and the kind of enlightenment it has given me is priceless. More often than not, we cast judgmental eyes against those who chose the trade of flesh selling without even putting ourselves in their shoes first. The Wolf Den definitely has given these people the platform to tell their story to the whole world. We can preach all we like, we can act like we are morally superior than everyone else but at the end of the day, we just want to survive in this world which is trying its best to kill us every single day.