The wolf den by Elodie Harper

Amara was sold as a house slave by her mother after her father died and they could not make ends meet. After being mistreated as a concubine by her first owner, she ended up in the brothel ‘The Wolf Den’ of pimp Felix in Pompeii. Together with four other ‘lupines’, she tries to make the best of it, although they all yearn for freedom and love.

In ‘The Wolf Den‘, Harper takes you to ancient Rome, to the city of Pompeii, before the disaster. The story is told from Amara’s point of view. She was once the daughter of a Greek physician but now lives as a Roman slave in a brothel. She has known freedom and finds it hard to accept her fate.

We get a glimpse into the lives of Amara and four other women in the brothel, each with their own life story to tell. There are also many men in their lives. The book is full of characters and intrigue. None other than Plinius the Elder makes an appearance.

I flew straight through this novel. The pace is good and there are some different storylines that intertwine towards the end. This is the first part in a trilogy. I wonder how things will continue for Amara in the next book of this trilogy.

There are too few books about Ancient Rome that don’t focus on wars and battles, so this was one to savour. The harsh reality in which women and slaves in general had to live is not shunned. This makes for a compelling read. In the end, this was just the book that I needed after my reading slump caused by too many classics. It’s no literature, but it’s certainly entertaining.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Have you read this one?