I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

For as long as she can remember, Carmela Tofana has desperately wanted one thing: to be allowed behind the counter of her mother’s apothecary in Campo Marzio, Rome. When she turns sixteen, she’s finally allowed into the inner sanctum: the workroom where her mother, Giulia Tofana, and two assistants craft renowned remedies for their customers. But for every sweet-smelling flower extract in the workroom, there’s another potion requiring darker ingredients. And then there’s Aqua Tofana, the apothecary’s remedy of last resort for husbands who are just as deadly as any disease. In all Carmela’s years of wishing to follow in her mother’s footsteps, she never realized one tiny vial could be the death of them all.

Short and Sweet Review

Carmela just turned 16 which means she finally gets the chance to work at her mother’s (Giulia) apothecary. Giulia, Maria, and Laura have been working at the apothecary for a while and depending on who you ask they’re either witches or saints. Carmela knows that her mother is there to help people with their ailments but she also has a secret. When women are in need Giulia dispenses a poison and with this newfound knowledge Carmela’s world changes.

We follow Carmela as she learns the ropes at the apothecary shop and meets the many customers her mother has helped over the years. Carmela learns that her mother gives Aqua Tofana to women to murder their husbands but only when they circumstances are dire. One night when Carmela is alone at the shop she makes a judgement call to give the poison to a woman and everything goes wrong. I know every book needs a climax and this was it. When the woman murders her husband she names Giulia as the one who gave it to her and Giulia ends up going on the run and Carmela becomes the head of the shop. Carmela isn’t alone she still has Maria and Laura to help her but this is where my love for the book went down tremendously. Obviously Carmela is going through a hard time with her mother gone and the guilt she feels for being the reason why but the way she begins to treat people was unacceptable. People went to the apothecary to get help and her mother didn’t turn people away but Carmela had no problem doing it. There was one person Violetta, who Carmela has been holding a grudge against since she was a kid and the way she treats her is horrible and no matter how many times Violetta apologizes Carmela still isn’t accepting and this is just a glimmer into her character. The ending was okay I still think Carmela acts like a petulant child and doesn’t understand how certain things work. I do think that the epilogue was supposed to make up for her behavior but it was too late at that point to change my mind. I do think the little excerpts about different characters was interesting but we only hear about them once and never again.

Overall, I did like this book and the concept but I thought Carmela was one of the worst characters and I wouldn’t have minded if we have Violetta’s POV instead. I did like that it took place in Rome and that the apothecary brought out such strong reactions in different people but I could picture it happening. Even though everything isn’t completely accurate this book was interesting to read and I enjoyed it for the most part.