
Member Reviews

I enjoyed reading this extract for Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman. For me it seems like a perfect blend of historical fiction and mythology. Both genres that I love.
I can't wait to read the rest of the story as the extract ended at an exciting moment. I would have happily read on.

This was a substantial extract of the book and finished at a crucial point in the plot. The idea of cursed relic seemed a little absurd and slightly gothic but I found myself captivated by Dora and Lawrence. I suspect the plot will get a little crazier but I loved the set-up and the period details

Unfortunately this isn’t a book/extract that I enjoyed. I rated it two stars purely because the writing was lovely! But the story just was not there for me, however that does not mean that it won’t be for others. Thank you so much for letting me read the extract nevertheless!

Based on what I have read so far, I am really looking forward to the full book. The author gives a good sense of the times and the frustrations of being a woman.

This extract was a tantalising taste that left me hooked and dying to read more. I loved every single character's POV so far, and can't wait to read to read the whole book when it comes out

The intrigue of this book just kept growing as I read each page. What seemed an ordinary story started to tremble with anticipation and create a feeling of something about to happen which would be both intriguing and scary.
This was only a sample of the book and I’m now on limbo and can hardly bear to wait for it to be released so I can finish it and see what was awaiting Pandora.

I read a sample of the novel via NetGalley but within the short 100 pages the suspense was crafted carefully to keep the momentum of the narrative thronging. The Prologue sets the level of intrigue as a diver retrieves a crate from a sunken ship that seems to call out to him in a woman’s voice. The rest of the sampler sets up the main characters and their backstories immersing you into their view of Georgian London and swirling you into the world of antiquities. The sampler ends with Dora uncovering her uncle’s mysterious object from the crate, a ginormous vase that calls and sings to her and she opens the lid … having read the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box and how it unleashed horror and evil into the world, I am super excited to continue reading this story when it is published in January 2022 to find out the consequences of Dora’s actions and how the myth ties into the novel’s reality.

Nooo! This extract ended at such an exciting moment! I need to read on…
I love the multiple voices with individual storylines going on in this opening extract. So many secrets to uncover and reveal – all of the characters seemed intriguing and I really wanted to read on and get to know their full story. Dora clearly has a hidden history that needs to be revealed. What is Edward's role in her future?
What a start! i haven't been approved for the full read so will have to wait for the publication date in anticipation!

This book is going to be amazing! The extract has just the right amount to get you hooked. Pandora is going to be a bestseller, it's a page-turner that keeps you addicted. It's wonderfully written and intriguing!

Really intrigued by the premise of this one. Dora resides with her uncle after her parents died many years ago. But he doesn't seem keen for her to continue to live with him now that she is 21. Her parents were involved in the world of antiquities, her uncle has obliterated their good reputation and no longer stocks goods of value in the shop. What does the future hold for Dora?

A pure pleasure of a novel set in Georgian London, where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations and romance.
There is a fine line between coincidence and fate...
London, 1799. Dora Blake is an aspiring jewellery artist who lives with her uncle in what used to be her parents' famed shop of antiquities. When a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, Dora is intrigued by her uncle's suspicious behaviour and enlists the help of Edward Lawrence, a young antiquarian scholar. Edward sees the ancient vase as key to unlocking his academic future. Dora sees it as a chance to restore the shop to its former glory, and to escape her nefarious uncle.
But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth she starts to realise that some mysteries are buried, and some doors are locked, for a reason.
Gorgeously atmospheric and deliciously page-turning, PANDORA is a story of secrets and deception, love and fulfilment, fate and hope.
Looking forward to reading the complete narrative next year.

Quite an intriguing sample, and I look forward to getting hold of this book to read it all when it becomes available. I'm not in a testing hurry though, and will wait for my library to get hold of a copy, even if I do have to give them a nudge.

Loved the prologue, what suspense! I’m still worrying about what was meant by him not accounting for the weight - presumably of the crTe rather than himself? Does the crate break up? Does he choose his own life over the treasure if both becomes too much?.
I didn’t understand what was meant by ‘so the current wouldn’t turn the lantern up’ - as in turn the light higher? Or tip it over?

Really excited to read this now, and can't believe I've given 5 stars to an extract, but it completely pulled me in!
As an archaeologist, who also loves jewellery and artifact design, who heads to the V&A cast courts and the British Museum Enlightenment room (basically the British Museum's version of a cabinet of curiosities), almost every time I visit London, this book certainly spoke to everything that I find intriguing, I love stories set in late 18th/early 19th-century London, through to the times of Sherlock Holmes and Baker Street, and this book reeled me in to that world almost instantly, throw in the mysteries of Shugborough Hall, which has also intrigued me for a while and I was lost to it, wondering where the story would go next.
I really like the writing style, the descriptions are vivid, sensual, and immediate, helped by the present tense used throughout, though it is told in the third person, which I generally prefer, and the characters are given a real physical presence.
Of course, the extract ended right at a pivotal point, but it was a good length for an extract, and I can't wait to be able to read the rest. I hope the cover does it justice, and is full of the filigree of Dora's designs, and the artifacts and symbols from her parents' travels and discoveries.

This extract from Pandora was so captivating that I can't wait to read the whole book. I love retellings of old stories and this looks set to be one of the year's top ones. On the strength of the beginning alone, I'd say this book will win over new readers to Greek myth-based stories. A future hit.

I have recently started reading a lot of re-tellings and am particularly interested in the Greek Myths which is why I was drawn to this book in particular. This was a longer sample than normal and I have to say I got completely hooked. I loved Dora as a character and the magpie was a fantastic choice! Full of mystery and intrigue, the atmosphere and setting were captured perfectly.
My only disappointment was that the sample finished on such a cliffhanger and I have to wait so long to continue reading. I will definitely keep an eye out for it next year.

Intriguing start! I loved the character of Dora and her cantankerous uncle. I definitely want to find out more....

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for an ARC of this book!
Holy smokes I didn't expect to enjoy this so much!! I'm a sucker for Greek mythology and this sampler (first 13 chapters) riffed off Pandora but in Georgian London?? And wow did the author really pull it off!! I saw the Greek roots yet Georgian London came alive so much in her writing. I loved Dora as a character and I can't wait for the rest of it!! It's such a clever and Brilliant idea and certainly one of the most unique ones I've ever come across.

Grrrrrrrr - didn't realise it was only an extract! Can't wait for the rest of the book, intriguing and definitely a very strong start, making you want to read on.

Offering the extract was a stroke of genius as far as the publisher is concerned. Not only will the book get lots of favourable reviews I imagine, but most people will be compelled to buy a copy in order to find out what happens next. I certainly will. Not surprisingly, this extract ends on a cliff hanger., however, I became invested enough in the characters and the story, just in these few chapters, to want to know what happens to them. Roll on release day!