Beatriz's Reviews > The Apothecary

3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book, it made me laugh and had some plot twists that genuinely surprised me.
My favorite character was Pip, and I wish we had a bit more context into who he is, but perhaps his background is developed in the next books. He is funny, resourceful, loyal... but why did he join the protagonist in the adventure? What's in it for him?

The book takes place in post ww2 London, and includes magic/alchemy, spies and Russian war plots(?). I didn't love the stereotypes, in this case "russian = evil" and "asian character is a beautiful genius who knows martial arts and feels like everyone around them is silly".
I also don't love it when the "bad guys" are nothing but... bad guys. Why aren't they more complex as humans? What motivates them to achieve what they are trying to achieve? They put the protagonist through life-threatening circumstances just because they're villains with no mercy? I don't think war is so black and white, and I think this writing choice takes away from the realization that even good people can end up playing the villain in someone's story.

The ending was good and I'm still interested in reading the rest of the series!