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A Novel · Apprentice House Press

The Laboratory
Assistant

In a city teeming with revolution, science and passion offer their own strains of violence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★  ·  Available now  ·  Published June 2, 2026

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The Laboratory Assistant book cover — a glowing green elixir bottle wrapped in black iron vines, surrounded by red roses on a deep emerald background
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The Laboratory Assistant audiobook cover, narrated edition available on Audible

Audiobook

Now available on Audible

Experience The Laboratory Assistant as a fully narrated audiobook. The atmosphere of revolution-era Petrograd, its whispered experiments and mounting dread, brought to life in sound.

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About The Laboratory Assistant

The Story

PETROGRAD · 1916

In a city teeming with revolution, science and passion offer their own strains of violence.

When her aristocratic family is left destitute, Mariya grows desperate to survive — and to support her widowed mother and sisters. She finds financial relief in a job with Dr. Nikolas Rodin, a reclusive scientist. While the work makes ends meet, Mariya is soon pulled into the eerie rhythm of the laboratory: a realm of orange gaslights, whispered experiments, and a man whose genius is as seductive as it is unstable.

Tuberculosis and revolution both ravage Russia. The chants of protest ring in the streets and when consumption strikes her household, Mariya must choose between her family’s survival and a love that shatters all moral paradigms. Meanwhile, in the surreal shadows of the laboratory, both reality and sanity begin to bend. And when survival demands scientific progress at any cost, devotion itself becomes deadly.

Praise for The Laboratory Assistant

One of the best books I have ever read. She’s a force to be reckoned with.
Readers’ Favorite — 5-Star Review Read all the reviews →
Natalia Loya

The Author

Natalia Loya

Natalia Loya writes historical fiction that explores power, desire, and the fragile boundary between reason and belief.

Her work is drawn to moments of cultural fracture, where private longing collides with public collapse.

Quick facts

Frequently asked questions about The Laboratory Assistant

What is The Laboratory Assistant about?

It is a historical gothic novel set in Petrograd in 1916, where a destitute aristocrat becomes assistant to a brilliant, unstable scientist as revolution and tuberculosis close in.

What genre is the novel?

The book blends historical fiction, gothic fiction, literary suspense, and dark romance.

When was it published?

The Laboratory Assistant was published by Apprentice House Press on June 2, 2026.

Is it available as an audiobook?

Yes. The novel is available in print, ebook, and audiobook on Audible.

Can I read an excerpt?

Yes. Read an excerpt from the novel set in a Petrograd apothecary.

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