Twenty-one-year-old Pandora “Dora” Blake lives and works in her late parents' antiquities shop in Georgian London. Her parents had been renowned antiquarians specializing in Grecian artifacts and had made their living excavating tombs in South-Eastern Europe. Their untimely death in a mishap during an excavation twelve years ago left Dora orphaned and under the care of her unscrupulous and corrupt uncle Hezekiah Blake who promptly took over the shop and is responsible for its present state of disrepute, dealing mostly in forgeries and objects with not much historical significance. Dora aspires to be a jewelry designer and spends time honing her craft with her faithful pet magpie Hermes by her side, despite the constant beratement and ridicule of her uncle who would rather be rid of her. Overall: I loved the historical setting, the intriguing mystery, lovely romance, riveting pacing! One of the greatest historical functions I’ve read lately! Hezekiah comes across as brutish for the most part and is generally a very unpleasant person, but he is also quite scheming and becomes more dangerous as the story goes on. His maid Lottie is a similarly unlikable character to begin with, but she is given an excellent arc and is more or less fully redeemed by the end. I received an audio copy of this novel from the publisher, Harper Audio, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Meanwhile, Edward Lawrence is a bookbinder with a passion for material culture, determined to overcome his less than privileged upbringing to gain acceptance into the prestigious Society for Antiquaries. In a coffee house one afternoon, he is approached by a mysterious old man who directs him to Blake's Emporium to speak to Dora, explaining that she might be able to help him in his endeavours.

Those issues aside, the plot as a whole is brimming with depth and all the topics it covers from jewellery to mythology to antiquities, have been impeccably researched. It takes some unexpected directions as certain characters are introduced and you always look forward to finding out what is going to happen next, especially as Edward learns more about the origin of the pithos and Hezekiah grows increasingly desperate to uncover its contents. Banded books ultimately provide children with a pathway of progression in reading but also support teachers who are making book-buying decisions to meet the needs of individual pupils, bringing variety and breadth to children’s reading diets. Each month we receive sample copies and manuscripts from all the leading children’s publishers to review. We read all of the books that we find suitable for our collections and level the texts. It is only by reading the books that we can be sure that the text level is consistent and that the content is appropriate for a school library. It is at this point that we would weed out any books that include language that is inappropriate for the classroom; which contain themes or scenes that children reading at this age may have difficulty with; or which do not significantly meet our ideal criteria for primary school reading books. We are looking for books which are not only at the right text level but which also promote reading for pleasure, use language well or introduce interesting vocabulary and ensure that as many different styles, text types, themes and genre are included in each collection as possible to broaden children’s reading. After the tragic death of her parents during an archaeological excavation, Dora Blake is now living with her uncle, Hezekiah, in her parents’ antiquities shop. But Hezekiah does not have the interest in antiquities her parents had and he is slowly destroying her parents’ once loved business. Dora is desperate to escape from her uncles’ care, and is hoping to turn her love of drawing and jewelry making into a career, giving her the independence she craves. When her uncle imports a Grecian vase, one so old that it predates time itself, Dora feels an immediate connection. While anyone else who touches it or means it harm is instantly cursed, Dora continues to be the only one to open it and she uses its Greek inscriptions and drawings as inspiration for her jewellery. But Hezekiah has darker plans for the vase, and even darker plans for Dora, and when Dora realizes the true importance of the urn, her life is put at greater risk. Pandora” is a historical fiction gem, the debut novel by author Susan Stokes-Chapman. Set in London in 1799, Chapman’s novel manages to merge Greek mythology and Georgian England in a creative and realistic way. The story is told from three POV’s; Dora, Edward (a historian with a passion for antiquities and Dora’s love interest) and Hezekiah himself. I loved how Chapman brought all three characters alternatively into the limelight, as it served to deepen the plot and character development.I really enjoyed this especially that it was set during the Georgian period which is fast becoming one of my favorite eras. This book is set in Georgian London, where Pandora “Dora” Blake is an aspiring jewellery designer who currently lives with her Uncle, Hezekiah, in what use to be her parents famous shop of antiquities. Since her parents deaths 12 years ago, Dora has seen the shop turn from fame and genuine artefacts, to the crooked and more questionable ways of her Uncle. She also captured the class system and the different varied characters of London in a realistic way- you could easily imagine the setting and the people.

For confident and super-confident readers it is important that books are matched appropriately to their emotional maturity. For thisreasonPandora Books collate specific book collections for confident readerswhereextraemphasis is put on the contentbeingabsolutely spot on and not inappropriate for their chronological age whilst the book band level is higher.I’m a huge fan of historical fiction & Pandora did not disappoint in that regard. It is a wonderfully descriptive novel in terms of the settings, characters, their mannerisms & costume (particularly Lady Latimer who is a small character with a big personality!). An atmospheric story set in Georgian England that combines elements of Greek mythology, with age old treachery, deceit, and greed. A wonderful story full of suspense and intrigue but also charming and delightful, as we take a trip into the fascinating world of antiques. This historical adventure is inspired by the story of Pandora as Edward and Dora attempt to learn more about the history of an ancient vase and an unopened chest that has brought them both together. An unlikely pairing except for their love of antiques.

As far as the ending goes, that was rather less polished. Some things happen fairly randomly and others were not clearly explained, giving a minor impression that the author was making some of it up as she went along. There were some good twists and revelations along the way, but one or two others did not feel quite right in the context of the story. London, 1799. Dora Blake has aspirations far out reaching what society deems fit for a lady such as herself; jewellery that befits those of high society and elegance that will be talked about by everyone and Dora wants nothing more than to be an artist to make this happen but sadly she must be under the constant scrutiny of her uncle who has taken ownership of her parents’ once famed shop of the rarest antiques. It is primarily a historical fiction, but with rather enticing elements of Greek mythology that give it that little bit of extra intrigue. These transpire to be more akin to magical realism than fantasy and along with the double meaning of the title, bring a lot of promise that something mesmerising awaits at the end. There is certainly lots to enjoy, only the mythology merely exists within the narrative rather than being the thing around which it is based. I obviously especially LOVED all of the Greek myth and Greek history references throughout this book. This book satisfied my un-dying love for them. I loved this book, historical fiction woven with mystery and Greek mythology? What's not to love?! Dora was a gorgeous character, with heart and a passion for her art and jewellery, but who was living with her awful uncle after the death of her parents. And Edward, lovely Edward. A man who wanted recognition for his work on antiques, but was struggling to get it.Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review. I also love books with a central female character who doesn’t bow down to men & stays focused on bettering herself against the odds, especially in a time when women were expected to do as they were told! Again, Pandora lives up to my expectations in this regard. I was hugely invested in Dora’s story & was intrigued to discover the truth behind her uncle’s underhand dealings. Fast forward and books bands these days are the most common system used by schools and by educational publishers of reading books, thus giving teachers a means of assessing children’s progress in reading in the absence of National Curriculum levels since 2014. As a result of the move away from NC levels, the book bands originally outlined by the UK Reading Recovery National Network and its authors for KS1 only, have extended to meet demands by a great many schools for further levels including up to the end of KS2. Thus providing an opportunity for assessment and progression right through the primary years.