Spoiler-free
The House with the Golden Door is book 2 in the Wolf Den Trilogy by Elodie Harper. The first book captivated me from the very start. Watching such a compelling character, Amara, navigate herself through the myriad of complex power dynamics was incredibly engaging. After the explosive finale of book 1, I picked this one up almost immediately.
This was a solid continuation of the trilogy, and progressed the story in interesting ways. There are also a few new characters introduced, who I adored. Unlike with the first book, I have a few issues with this sequel, well actually only one, pertaining to a certain romance… Whilst I enjoyed this sequel less than the first book, I still flew through it and thoroughly enjoyed my time. If you enjoyed the first, then it’s definitely worth continuing on with this trilogy. Not much more I can say in this spoiler free section, so onto spoiler chat!
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘4.25 stars
Spoiler Chat
So, this sequel kicks off with Amara, now a freedwoman, buying Victoria’s and Britannica's freedom from her old master, Felix. This took me aback. Not by Amara’s actions, but rather how soon she was able to achieve it. I had already figured that as soon as Amara was free, she would try and free as many of the Wolf Den’s she-wolves as she could, but I expected this to happen at the end. The fact that this sequel kicked off with this plot line was very exciting, as it left my expectations open for the rest of the book.
Having Victoria be the first slave, who Amara frees makes sense, given how Victoria had saved her life in the past. However, reading how Amara was forced to make her favouritism so clear in front of Beronice was tough. This is a classic example of how Felix and Amara constantly emotionally manipulate each other to gain the upper hand.
When Amara demanded that she receive Britannica as a slave as well, I could have cheered. Britannica is dead weight to Felix, so he was more than happy to do so. What he could never have predicted was how beneficial she would prove to be to Amara. Seeing Britannica hold her knife up to Felix’s throat at the end was such a ‘good for her’ moment. I bet Felix felt really stupid and regretted ever selling her, despite whatever he said out loud. Britannica was such a valuable asset to Amara, that she quickly became my favourite character. I loved how she has been training Amara to fight, which will no doubt come in use. Throughout the book, we learn so much more about her. We learn about her past as a warrior in Britain and the tragic deaths of her family and we learn how she is much more astute than she first appears. By the end, it was Britannica’s opinion above anyone else’s, who Amara relied on. The steady growth of trust between these two was beautiful to see develop. Now that Britannica is a gladiator I am equally excited and nervous for what the third book may present for her…
On the flip side, we have Victoria, who proved to be the worst asset for Amara. When it was revealed that she was not even having an affair with Crescens, the gladiator, but rather Felix, I was so angry! That whole scene was crazy with Amara replying with:
“No wonder your parents left you in the rubbish. It’s where you’ve always belonged.”
Bruh, that was wild! I get it though… Amara has done so much to give Victoria her freedom and to have her spit in her face like that was insane. And with Felix of all people! Victoria must be so deluded to think that Felix gives a single shit about her, and that’s heart breaking. Now that she is pregnant with his child, I wonder how that will change her way of thinking. I think becoming a mother may give her a new perspective on the man she ‘loves’, leading to a future betrayal. Whatever she does, it won’t be enough to earn the forgiveness of Amara, or gain even an ounce of respect.
The introduction of Julia as a character was an absolute treat! I felt like I instantly knew her and got her vibe immediately. She’s such a devious gossip and I’m here for it! I love how her romantic relationship with Livia didn’t need to be all that clandestine, simply because men don’t bat an eye at two women holding hands. I’m happy for them two. They truly seem to be doing the best they can. It also seems like Julia has Amara’s back, which will no doubt be valuable, since Drusilla has already given Amara too many favours… Therefore, I think moving forward to book 3 that Julia will play the role Drusilla once did and play a vital part in Amara’s monetary gain and protection of her daughter. (but more on Rufina later…)
Egnatius reminded me so much of one of my favourite characters from Penny Dreadful, Ferdinand Lyle. Therefore, I cast him as Eganatius in my head and had a lot of fun with it. His overt flamboyance was a welcome change from that of the macho brutes of men portrayed so far. I loved his candence of speech, and how it’s clear he has many secrets of, not only his own, but others too…
For a lot of the first book I was wondering if Gallus truly loves Beronice like she thinks he does. It turns out, he does like her enough to free her. Or so Beronice thinks… She is actually just a slave to him now, instead of Felix. Gallus doesn’t want Beronice to be free, but rather to own her and still have this absolute power domineering over her. However, Beronice is so delusional that she doesn’t seem to see the difference between being a slave to Gallus and being free. As sad as this is, I honestly kind of love that for her. Being dumb enough (or so deeply in love enough) to fall for this delusion of freedom, must no doubt be a great comfort to her. I’m unsure what role she will play in book 3. It seems like she doesn’t have Amara’s back, but also not Felix’s either. Although, she’s so madly in love with Gallus and is literally a slave to his will, which in turn is Felix’s will. She shouldn’t be trusted.
Grief of Dido’s death weighs heavy throughout. We are constantly reminded of her tragic death, and in turn, Amara’s motivation to destroy Felix. I don’t know why Amara expected Felix to bury Dido’s body respectfully, or even burn her. Nevertheless, witnessing Amara’s feral reaction to the revelation that he chucked her body on the rubbish, was very upsetting. Having her grief for Dido overpower all sense was devastating. Every move counts in these mind games Felix and her are playing.
Amara and Felix’s relationship is fascinating. They hate each other as much as they respect each other. I am terrified of Amara becoming like Felix. For a lot of this book, she acted as a pimp, and was forced to take on some of his cruel characteristics (much to his delight). She never stooped so low as abusing her slaves outright, but it was still necessary for her to pimp them out to potential clients. The foreshadowing of her becoming just like Felix is at the forefront of my mind coming into book 3. The seed has been planted.
So let’s get down to it… Here I was loving absolutely everything, even more so than the first book. And then...
Everything changed when the romance attacked!
I HATED the relationship between Amara and Phillos. This sucks, as I was so excited to learn more about Phillos in this book. It just seemed to me that on one page Amara’s hand brushed Phillos’ arm, and then the next page they were in bed together saying they love each other. I was so pissed off at Amara! She has come so far and continues to do so well for herself and others, yet is willing to throw it all away for a sudden burst of affection. Amara was already willing to humiliate Menander so brutally for the sake of her freedom, so it doesn’t make sense to me why she’s suddenly so willing to throw it all away now. I understand that you can’t help who you fall in love with and that sometimes emotions take over, but my problem is that I just didn’t buy that they were actually in love. It all happened so fast and felt a little ridiculous. Eventually, I got over it and at least tried to believe in their relationship as it became a focal point of the story. I did enjoy how oblivious Rufus was to it and all the sneaking around. Now they have a kid together too, oh boy… Poor Rufina (hilarious name). Thank fuck Britannica is there, because I don’t have as much faith in Amara’s abilities to outwit her rivals anymore, but I do have faith in Britannica’s fighting ability.
As for book 3, I am very intrigued with how this trilogy will end. I don’t have too much faith in a happy ending. Some rapid fire predictions:
- Amara sacrifices herself to save her daughter, and possibly Philos.
- Rufus dies. It’s got to happen. Possibly by Philos’ hand, but done as an ‘accident’.
- Britannica kills Felix. I think this is the only ending for Felix. Also, I want this moment for Britannica, almost as much as she does herself.
- Beronice is betrayed by Gallus. I don’t trust the guy and neither should she.
- Amara’s time in Rome with her new patron is a mystery to me and I don’t really know what to expect. Especially as we won’t have information on what is happening back in Pompeii with Philos and Rufina. (I still can’t believe this name)
Conclusion
I love this series! The relationship dynamics and various power plays are fascinating and expertly crafted. The only complaint I have is this stupid romance! I hope I will look back on this review in the future and disagree with how I feel about it, but for now, it has really soured this middle instalment in the trilogy for me. Nevertheless, absolutely everything else is so impeccably done that I can’t give this any less than a 4 stars. An extra .25 for Britannica. She deserves it.
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