The Wolf Den (Volume 1) (Wolf Den Trilogy)

Any story which brings to attention the lives of the forgotten women of history is to be applauded and The Wolf Den shines a much deserved light on the lives of the prostitutes who were used, and so often abused, in the wolf dens of the ancient world. Set in Pompeii, five years before its destruction by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, The Wolf Den takes us deep into the heart of the lupanar and into the re-imagined lives of the she-wolves who once lived there. When her family fall on hard times, Amara is sold into slavery but rather than become just another victim, Amara is determined to gain her freedom even though life with an avaricious brothel keeper in Pompeii's notorious lupanar is both difficult and fraught with danger. Women employed as prostitutes have no say in what happens to them, nor do they have the luxury of turning down custom so, for them, freedom seems an impossible dream. However, rising above the harsh reality of their lives, is a group of strong and determined women who form a bond of sisterhood, which is, in itself, empowering. There's humour in the novel and also the usual bitchiness which can invariably happen when a group of women live together but there's also a feeling of camaraderie and a sense of belonging even when their lives are shown in emotional detail. Combining historical fact with fiction, the story brings alive the casual violence of this ancient world. The dark and gloomy atmosphere of the lupanar, from the spluttering lights of smelly candles, the individual rooms which offered no privacy, to the pornographic graffiti on the walls and the erotic paintings which advertise their trade all highlight the harsh reality of the life of a she-wolf in the wolf dens of AD74 Pompeii. The Wolf Den is a well written, fascinating and finely detailed, character driven novel, which certainly gets the trilogy off to a really good start

The Wolf Den brings the dark underbelly of Pompeii to life. The book focuses on the claustrophobic world of a group of mainly female slaves forced to work as prostitutes. The contrast between the heat and teeming crowds of Pompeii’s streets, squares, and open spaces, and the dark, confined claustrophobia of the brothel is brilliantly suggested. The details brought out in bars, bath houses, fast food stalls and fountain meeting places sets a convincing stage for what the book is really about: resilience, strength of character and the support of a group of women who lived – and died – in the harshest of conditions. And it’s these relationships – between the central character, Amara and her fellow slaves – that leavens the darker moments and brings colour, warmth and emotional charge to a brilliantly convincing evocation of Roman life.

The Times no less classed this book as "A triumph" and it really is. The the strength and camaraderie of the women, enslaved prostitutes, powerless at the bottom of society is heart warming and the principal characters are keenly drawn with impressive psychological insights. Amara has a keen eye indeed. The narrative is gripping, I couldn't put the book down and read it so fast that I will soon be reading it more slowly a second time around. There is much to savour and I look forward to a sequel. Amara is a wonderful protagonist.

The Wolf Den is set in the lupanar (brothel) of ancient Rome’s Pompeii. Lupanar means wolf den and the prostitues were called she-wolves. That alone made for a very unique setting, one I haven’t come across before. The story follows the Greek Amara who was sold by her mother and now works in the brothel for Felix who owns her. Her live isn’t her own anymore but she’s willing to do anything she can to gain her freedom. It’s been a while since I read a really great historical fiction set in the ancient world and I’m just so glad that this story exceeded my expectations since I had been so highly anticipating it. I loved it so much to the point of hardly being able to put the book down and that doesn’t happen very often with me. I liked how the usual stories set in ancient Rome are about the emperors and empresses but with this one we get one that’s about the regular people of Pompeii and the hardships they so often went through. And as horrendous as Amara’s life was, I really enjoyed reading about her. She was an interesting and clever character. Knowing what this book is about you definitely don’t expect rainbows and unicorns but I really did feel her sorrow as well as the sorrow of her fellow she-wolves. I also enjoyed reading about the other women working in the lupanar; Berenice, Cressa, Dido and Victoria. They were all very different from one another but I liked how they all had each other’s back and the caring and humorous moments they shared with each other. Amara and Dido especially had a really great bond with each other and I loved reading about their friendship. But my heart really went out to them all. Felix and Amara had quite an interesting relationship, I must say. Amara hated his guts obviously for buying her putting her to work in his brother but there were moments where the lines definitely blurred. The need to survive him and the life she was leading at the lupanar was always present though. Also, this book is the first in a trilogy if I’m not mistaken so I can’t wait to see where things go next. Beautifully written, brutally honest and packing quite the emotional punch, The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper is now one of my favorite books of the year. I would very highly recommend it to everyone!

I’m not the best at writing reviews but I’ve read all of the Mistress of Rome books by Kate Quinn. When I finished all of those I was doubting I would ever find a book that could compete but my gosh The Wolf Den is great! A lot of people have been leaving bad reviews about the depressing storyline… let’s just say these people shouldn’t be reading a book centered on a slave’s point of view in ancient Pompeii. If anyone has done research they understand that those girls’ lives as prostitutes was nothing glorious. Elodie Harper did a great job of showing all the sides of what life could’ve been like for these ladies. I seriously could not stop reading! And I can’t wait for the next book to come out!!