As someone afraid of spiders, reading But Not Too Bold was an experience. This sapphic monster romance novella was just too captivating not to pick up. Keep reading this book review of But Not Too Bold for my full thoughts.
Summary
The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House―Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.
Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor’s death, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.
But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.
Review
So my favorite element of this sapphic monster romance novella was not the romance. I enjoyed the character development and the theme of monstrosity the best. We have characters, especially Anatema, who are exploring what it means to be ‘monstrous’. The dances we have to do in order to conceal who we are. I found myself drawn to the dance between Anatema and Dália. It’s one of expectations, past trauma, and perception. While that definitely does contribute to the monster romance aspect – which feels a bit later – I found myself drawn more to Anatema.
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But Not Too Bold has almost a Blue Beard atmosphere to it. It’s very much a story that attempts to balance mystery and tenderness all at once. While I think it struggles at various points to balance the romance and the mystery elements, But Not Too Bold is a novella which I fell in and out of. The middle was where it struggles the most to balance both, but by the ending I was back in! Find But Not Too Bold on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, & Blackwells.