Incredibly strange, queer and a little gross. Creepy in such a good way. I do think Hache Pueyo could have gone just a little harder with the creepy and the monster but I really enjoyed this. I'll have to read more from this author, this was genuinely good and captivating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

But Not Too Bold follows Dália, a young woman stepping into the role of Keeper of the Keys after her predecessor is literally eaten by the Madam of Capricious House. But Dália was raised for this and isn’t afraid to fulfill her role, even if it puts her at risk of being eaten too!

This book is such a cool mix of gothic horror and romance. It gave me Crimson Peak and Dracula vibes with its eerie, sultry atmosphere. The writing is gripping and walks that fine line between horror and romance—which I was surprised was done so delicately. It’s macabre in the best way, giving just the right amount of darkness without making the romance aspects feel disturbing.

I also really loved Dália. There was something so relatable about her journey and seeing the powerful person she grows into. And the mystery? Way more intriguing than I expected! But what surprised me most was how much emotional depth this little book carries. I did not expect to feel such strong emotions for these characters.

The ending was a bit bittersweet as I wish a few details had been fleshed out more and that the book was just a bit longer, but I still enjoyed my time with this story. If you love more gothic romance horror, modern folklore, or stories with a rich, eerie atmosphere, definitely pick this up!

But Not Too Bold is a captivating read that blends gothic romance, mystery, and a touch of the monstrous in all the best ways. At its heart, this novella offers a darkly atmospheric setting, rich with eerie tension and poetic prose that pulls the reader into its world.

The story unfolds with a slow, immersive build, weaving together shadowy secrets and an intriguing sense of foreboding. For readers who enjoy monster-themed narratives, there are elements here that will surely satisfy—though with a more melancholic, beautifully tragic approach rather than outright horror.

At just the right length, the novella keeps its mystery tight and engaging, offering enough twists to keep the pages turning while maintaining a lingering, gothic charm. Fans of dark, atmospheric storytelling will find much to love in this tale. It’s a perfect choice for those who appreciate a blend of romance, the supernatural, and an elegant sense of unease.

Alright so to be honest I'm not even sure what was happening for most of this one. It has the gothic vibe down which was nice. I feel like given that it was a novella it did a great job building up the creepy element, but as usual romance always feels a bit forced in these. The way this book is filled with spiders, not even counting the giant humanoid spider. Anathema apparently has a habit of eating all of her brides and then making little tributes to them. Dália is called into service as the new keepter of these memories after the death of her predecessor. The story has a bit of a mystery element with Dália trying to uncover the thief. Dália is fascinated by Anathema and apparently the only one who doesn't run at the sight of her which seems to spark the romance between the two of them. However, it's not really a huge focus. I don't know a lot of the time I just felt like I had no idea what was happening in this story.

Pleasantly creepy sapphic monster romance novella starring an ancient spider woman? Yes, please! This is a great one-sitting read if you're looking for something gothic and weird and queer (which I always am).

Thank you to the publisher for inviting me to read this title early!

Woooooow I LOVED this so much! I read this in the span of an hour so it's a perfect bite-sized book while still offering quite a lot! It was so different and unique and I liked that it didn't shy away from the monster of it all--I feel like books that are pushed as "monster romances" are often pretty tame in terms of the monster aspect. This isn't a traditional monster romance either, obviously, but I do think TRUE monster lovers will get a kick out of it.

The writing is incredibly lush and descriptive and I found it really easy to visualize our characters and their surroundings. I enjoyed our characters very much and I also really liked the general spider love. They're cool little guys and I liked reading about them being kept as pets and treated with kindness (aside from you know, the fritters) since they're so misunderstood.

Overall super cool read--will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author's future releases!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

A delightfully weird and creepy novella!

Anatema is an actual monster. She's an eldritch creature who is more arachnid than humanoid, and she has zero qualms about killing (and eating) people. I'm not very good at visualising, but the way she is described is so strange and unsettling, I feel I can still get the general vibe of what her presence. The setting is surreal, with the mashed up architectural choices and the inexplicable presence of tarantulas. I'm a big fan of spiders, and I love how the time was taken to describe each of the (many) tarantulas Dalia comes across.

The main plot is that Dália has to find out who is stealing from Anatema, otherwise she gets eaten. Which sounds like pretty high stakes, except that there was no urgency at all? Dália goes through all the typical steps of investigating a mystery, but she doesn't seem to be in a rush to solve it. After assigning Dália with this task, Anatema doesn't seem to care anymore; she doesn't ask for updates on the investigation, and doesn't even mention the thefts anymore.

There is much more focus placed on the developing relationship between Dália and Anatema. Honestly, I would have preferred if the entire mystery plot was cut out completely, because my favourite moments in this book was any time that Dália and Anatema spend together. Their relationship actually reminds me of Beauty and the Beast. Anatema is the Beast, as she forces Dália to be awkwardly wooed, while Dália is Belle, who is accepting of Anatema's monstrousness, and teaches her about interacting with humans.

I have one big gripe, and it has to do with the development of a relationship between Dália and another character. I will try to keep this as vague as possible, because spoilers, but it came out of nowhere, and consequently went nowhere. Maybe I would have liked it if there had been some build up, or if it was explored more, but as it is, it put a dent in my enjoyment of this book as a whole.

Overall, I came for the weird monster-y/spider stuff, and this book delivers on that front completely. <3

Book Review: Bold But Not Too Bold

◇Author: Hache Pueyo
◇Genre: Gothic Fiction
◇Pages: 128
◇You might enjoy this if you like
-Monster romance
-Shape of water
-Gothic settings

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What an imaginative and intriguing little story.

This is such a fun novella, but I think it could have benefited from being a full fleshed novel. There are many quirky aspects to this world that I would have loved to explore more. Our setting was gothic and colorful, and I was quickly drawn in.

I felt like the story moved a little too fast, and would liked more development and background on our characters. That being said, I enjoyed the story’s quirky and eerie characters.

Thank you Tor and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! But Not Too Bold is out now!

How bold is too bold? Dalia, a servant at the Capricious House, plays the delicate game of balance when it comes to serving her madam Anathema. Be Bold But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo embodies unconventional love, challenging readers to think about the boundaries we place to protect ourselves and the destined loved ones who help us outgrow these boundaries.
Pueyo opens the doors and welcomes us into the Capricious House, “a neo-Gothic palazzo with Germanic inspiration”. The owner of the house is none other than a cobalt blue tarantula! Unique indeed! Anathema rules her home with an iron fist but takes very good care of her servants, ensuring they have food and lodging at the Capricious House. She loves her beautiful women, so much so that she has a new bride more often than DiCaprio’s girlfriend rotation. Talk about commitment or lacktherof. The poor brides have no clue what they sign up for when dealing with Anathema, each one facing death by the spider munchies. Yep, Anathema eats her brides at the slightest act of rebellion or rule-breaking. Unfortunately, Matilde, one of Anathema’s oldest servants, also faces this demise for stealing from Anathema and is succeeded by her protege Dalia. Dalia has been training for this moment since she was eight years old. Yet, when Dalia finally faces Anathema, she faces an unexpected quest bestowed by Anathema: find the real thief or die. As Dalia embarks on this journey searching for the thief throughout the house and reporting her progress to Anathema, a surprising friendship blossoms between the two, eventually growing into a deeper love.
Pueyo’s characters are complex, raw, and absolutely divine, reminding us that power arises with emotion. Anathema faces insecurities like any human being even though she is not human herself. Dalia takes an unconventional approach in comparison to her servant colleagues by challenging Anathema to open her mind and see things from a different perspective. Through this process Dalia slowly pushes Anathema’s boundaries that only a deeply loved one can accomplish. Pueyo captures the essence of true love through the transformation of Dalia and Anathema’s relationship. It reminds us that projections are real and subconscious thoughts eventually creep up in reality. Miscommunication happens very often. But depending on how deeply two people love each other, there is always a solution. You just need to open your mind and compromise on both sides.
Overall, I would give Bold But Not Too Bold a 4.8 out of 5 rating. Pueyo did a phenomenal job overall depicting themes of unconventional love, negotiations at its finest in relationships, and acceptance of our shadows selves by our partners. Deep down, everyone wants to feel accepted and loved. Pueyo shows us that even the most unconventional of relationships fulfill this need.

This was definitely an interesting little novella. I don't read novellas very often, but I'm glad I got around to reading this one.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, the writing in this was gorgeous. I need to read more by this author. This would be a perfect read for spooky season. All of the sapphic and gothic vibes. The spider was a lot though!

An interesting and creepy take on the gothic genre, this short novella delivers a mystery, a romance, and some shivery moments thanks to the house's inhabitants.

The Archaic Ones exist. No one knows how or why, it is enough that they are. Dália has been raised in service to the Archaic One, Anatema, a being who rules, lives in, and created the Capricious House. To this house her brides are brought, taken to the upper floors to keep Anatema company until, eventually, she consumes them, keeping their memories alive in the form of perfect replica dolls living in perfect replica rooms. Anatema is content like this, until someone steals one of her dolls.

It was no stranger who stole the bride doll — for how could a stranger get in? In her rage, Anatema kills Matilde, the woman who raised Dália as her own granddaughter, and the woman whose duties now fall to Dália. Like Matilde, Dália has become the Keeper of the Keys and will venture to the upper floors of the house to meet Anatema. Her new mistress demands that Dália find the thief, or she, too, will be eaten.

But there are so few suspects! The maids, the cook, the gardener, women Dália has known all her life, women who have no desire to rouse the wrath of the Ancient One. Time is running out, and Dália must be clever if she wishes to live.

This story is, I think, best gone into blind. (Well, unless you don’t like spiders, in which case you might not want to go in at all.) The atmospheric strangeness of this house, which is and has always been the world to Dália; the strangeness of Anatema, who is very much not human; and the almost random moments of magic and otherworldliness that fill the Capricious House are so delicately handled and given just enough description to draw the eye, but never explained, because how do you explain something that may or may not be an ancient god? Or an alien? Or something completely unknown?

Dália is not exactly brave, but she’s not afraid, either. To her, Anatema is a person who happens to be an Ancient One, a fickle, irritable, and strangely beautiful woman with eight legs and an inhuman face. Anatema speaks to her, not as a servant or friend, but as someone who is absolutely, irreplaceably important. Anatema watches Dália, studies her, commands her, and unwittingly enthralls her. Dália is captivated by the being Anatema is, wanting to help her — because the loss of he doll has hurt her — and to find out who caused her such pain.

The story has a folkloric feel, somewhere between fairy tales and mythology, and was a delight to read. The writing is smooth and efficient, and the story moves along at a pleasantly brisk pace, making this a quick and easy read. I will say that there isn’t much tension in the book, and almost no conflict … as well as no real character growth. Dália doesn’t seem to be phased by anything or desire anything; Anatema is a creature of simple wants and needs, and when those are filled, she is content.

However, I did enjoy this for what is is, and would love to both see more books from this author, and more books set in this world. The Ancient Ones are fascinating, and with so little actually revealed about them, I am left wanting more! If you’re in the mood for something a bit weird, very imaginative, and different, I strongly suggest you give this novella a chance.

The premise of this novella caught my eye, but as I read it, I found my mind wandering. How it is written and the presence of the characters wa ls not enough to hold my interest.

I don’t know what to say here. This was fine, I just don’t have any opinions on it? It was a great insight on “be bold but not fearless” and that even monsters need love but I don’t have actual thought?

Novellas are hit or miss for me, so while I don’t think this necessarily needed to be longer, I wouldn’t have been upset if it had been?

Womp womp. I DNF'd this one.
I am a huge fan of Sapphic Horror Novellas, for I find I've read several of them, but I just couldn't get into this one.
I am still very thankful to Tordotcom, Hache Pueyo, Netgalley, and other contributors for granting me physical and digital access to this one before publication day.

But Not Too Bold // Hache Pueyo

This was an interesting one! The lore of the Ancient Ones could have easily been expanded into a full length novel, but I enjoyed this little monster romance novella about trying to identify a thief. The descriptions of the house and Anathema were captivating I loved trying to imagine the visuals of everything that was going on. The plot was a secondary enjoyment for me, I was happy to follow along with the story even if I did not get fully invested. Overall, a pleasant little read for something so infested with spiders.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

holy moly this book was such a fun surprise to me! it resonated in ways i wasn't expecting, and took a number of intriguing turns in a pretty short span.

i really adored the atmosphere here: the huge, decadent house and its rules and quirks, the gothic sense of dread and dream logic, the ancient and monstrous mistress Anatema. Pueyo combines a classic folktale feel (specifically referencing Mister Fox, a variant of Bluebeard) and a mansion full of maids and cooks and a majordomo with the unique magic surrounding Anatema—endless fields of poppies, tarantulas that constantly appear, miniature memories that Anatema weaves and keeps locked away in drawers as a record of everyone she has eaten. the house is its own world that operates within and around these oddities, and to the staff none of it seems that strange at all.

Anatema herself is capricious—one assumes her home is called Capricious House for a reason—and objectively should be frightening. she's huge and spider-like in her anatomy, even though she is able to fold herself down into a more humanlike shape when she chooses, and she's deadly in her moods, constantly seeking a bride but growing angry and eating each human woman she courts. in some ways Anatema and the house and its staff remind me of Spirited Away, a self-contained and structured system where things might go very magically awry if offense is caused at the wrong moment.

but we get to see Anatema through the eyes of Dália, the new Keeper of the Keys, who has been raised in the house and so has no special fear of its mistress. through Dália's calm and curious perspective, the book becomes an almost-cozy mystery, trying to unravel a theft as Dália and Anatema get to know each other and see each other in ways they haven't been seen before. and there's a particular way in which Dália thinks of herself, or rather doesn't think of herself, with a certain detachment that felt very real to me. she doesn't know if she's pretty, she doesn't want anything grand beyond the treat of a favorite food, she isn't cognizant of any affections or attractions within herself until outside input forces her to consider these things more closely. when she does finally come to understand what she really wants, it's such a beautiful slow bloom of comprehension, so lovely and queer and familiar!

now i get why i've been seeing this book on lists everywhere, what an absolute treasure!

So, if you like things a bit weird and are good with spiders I think you should check this one out. I liked the setting and the characters, Dalia is our MC, and when the old keeper of the keys.. dies, well it's Dalia's turn. Dalia has grown up in this house knowing that someday she will be the keeper, and when her time comes she shows no fear of what's to come. And when you see what's on the third floor you'll realize how brave she is.

In the middle of her transition, she finds out her mistress has experienced a theft, and it's up to Dalia to discover who did it, or she could be next on the chopping block.

This is a weird and quirky story in the best way. I didn't find it too spooky or scary, but there were definitely intense moments that had you wondering if everyone was going to survive.

Wow! A debut! I wouldn’t have guessed!! A sapphic monster romance, say less! The way I devoured this novella was unmatched! Creative!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!