I had heard interesting buzz about this title and it piqued my interest. It's about a girl, Dália, who is kind of 'in training' as a new keeper of the keys because her predecessor is gone. The house where she is has a creature, a kind of spider woman who is dangerous. I liked the Guillermo del Toro vibes that this novel started off with, most like "Pan's Labyrinth." The spider woman creature has these drawers that contain memories of all the brides she has consumed before, and Dália has to be very careful with them to make sure she doesn't end up as the next victim. When the spider woman communicates, it's in text that seems like someone is reading from a Ouija board, which makes the exchanges with her more interesting. The author definitely keeps the reader guessing until the final reveal.

Spooky, quirky and deliciously strange in the best way! Hache Pueyo writes with such detail and elegance, not a word is wasted.
Gothic horror, meets sapphic monster romance, making this novella a captivating fun and fast read.

Read this if you liked: The Shape of Water, James and the Giant Peach, Mexican Gothic.

🕷 Am I glad I read it? I had so much fun with this book. The story kicks off with the theft of a memory of Anatema’s last bride, and solving that mystery makes up the main plot beats. But it’s the delightfully weird, creepy world of strict rules, lush food, and wild riches of Capricious House—and its monstrous owner—where the book shines. It reads like a fever dream of the acid drop variety.

It’s got something of a Bluebeard set-up, with Anatema eating a long line of brides, who only last a few weeks at best, when they break her one inviolable rule: do not look at her. To that end, this is really a story about the terror of being perceived and the satisfaction of unexpectedly finding someone who sees you.

A macabre, almost charming quick lil treat about the most monstrous of women and her new—ahem—wife.

Between Lee Mandelo’s The Woods All Black and this one, I’m eager for more monster lovin’ books from Tordotcom.

🕷 Rating: 👍🏼👍🏼 (really liked)

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the advance copy of this title!

But Not Too Bold is a sapphic monster novella following Dalia, the newest Keeper of the Keys. Dalia serves Anatema, an Archaic One with a body that resembles a giant humanoid spider . She has roamed the Earth for centuries before settling down at the Capricious House- where she dines on laudanum and brides. Dalia holds the keys to Anatema’s drawers full of memories. The last Keeper had been eaten due to a stolen memory and Dalia must solve the crime before she, too, is another meal for the monster.

I would have easily devoured another 300 pages of this story if it had been there. However, the story did feel complete. It was rich with detail and easily conveyed each moment so succinctly. I instantly loved Dalia and was incredibly intrigued with her story, her life, and how she found herself in such a position.

The small downfall of the shortness of this novella is that it was fairly easy to predict who the culprit was and why. However, this did not hinder the joy of reading through this beautifully woven story. I would have loved to have known more about Anatema’s life and the other Archaic Ones. There is some mention of it, but I would have loved to hear the world this book hints at. This has opened a door to Mexican Gothic books and I am so excited to read more in this genre and more by Hache Pueyo.

Anyone that loves a non spicy, sapphic monster novella, with a Mexican Gothic setting will absolutely love this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for allowing me to read this early!

Our library doesn't tend to acquire novellas, but this was so unique. The descriptions were lush and vivid. It balanced the horror and the romance so well, as we watch our protagonist and her employer - a giant spider woman who keeps eating her brides - fall in love. The brief tryst with the majordomo seems to come out of nowhere and felt completely unnecessary, but other than that one brief scene, I really liked this.

Title/Author: But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Tor Dot Com

Format: ARC/Netgalley/ebook

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: First time reading

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9781250376633

Release Date: Feb 11th, 2025

General Genre: BISAC Categories: Fantasy - Dark Fantasy - Romantic - Gothic - LGBT - Lesbian

Sub-Genre/Themes: sapphic monster romance novella/gothic fantasy/spiders/humanoids/brides-marriage

Writing Style: Speculative

What You Need to Know: 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. 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.

My Reading Experience: This was very strange, borderline bizarre. I thought about not finishing a few times, it just didn't feel like I was the audience but there was a little nugget of interest that kept me invested. I couldn't let go. The spider stuff, all the tarantulas...I skimmed over. Characters are eating them or handling them, I don't know. I didn't want those visuals floating around in my brain before bedtime--I have enough spider nightmares.
The monster, Anatema, is a spider-like human. The author describes her features and movements in detail, it's quite alarming and fascinating. There is a bit of fantasy and whimsy that reminds me of Coraline/James and the Giant Peach...I could see this book in the same stop-motion animation. The ending was great.

Final Recommendation: I would recommend this to readers who enjoy reading something different and peculiar. I liked imagining this in stop-motion animation, vibrant and colorful. It's the only way to imagine the spider lady! There's an audience for this book so I hope it finds its people!

Comps: The Ocean at the End of the Lane/Coraline (not recommending Neil Gaiman right now, but it's great to know we have some alternatives to that kind of storytelling) James and the Giant Peach, The Shape of Water. Eric LaRocca's We Will Never Leave This Place

I can't believe I chose this for my first (sapphic AND gothic) monster romance - there is a sex dream about a tarantula that will hunt me till my last day - but, spiders aside, Hache Pueyo’s narration is so effortless and captivating I’d likely read it again.

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Dália has been summoned to assume the role of keeper of the keys of Capricious House. She knows this can only mean that her mentor Matilde is dead. Now, it’s Dália’s duty to ascend to the eerie third floor and serve Lady Anatema—a colossal humanoid spider with a reputation for devouring her brides... and, it seems, her previous keeper of the keys.

Anatema believes there is a thief in her house. Someone has stolen one of the precious memories she wove of one of her brides. Dália, as the only one with access to the locked cabinet where they’re stored, must find the culprit. If she fails, Anatema will likely eat her too. But her mistress cannot resist a beautiful woman such as Dália. Unfortunately, those women also meet the same fate...

But Not Too Bold is a lush, gothic, sapphic monster romance novella with a dash of investigative legwork and plenty of macabre charm. Its extravagant, weirdly wonderful world—complete with a tarantula-filled estate and decadently creepy vibes—is perfect for readers seeking something delightfully offbeat. At novella length, it’s a quick, satisfying read that lingers in your imagination long after the final page

Highly recommended for fans of monster romances that dare to be both gorgeously strange and extravagantly beautiful.

Wow. This is not a book I would have picked up on my own but I am SO grateful to the publisher for sending it to me because I LOVED it. WOW. The interactions and relationship between Anatema and Dalia are probably my favorite romance I’ve ever read and I don’t say that lightly.

A fun, weird mystery. Loved Anatema!

Thanks to Tor for providing an advanced digital copy through NetGalley for me to review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Giving this a 4.5

Saying I loved this is weird. But I did. This book was so odd and I had so much fun reading it. I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go and it threw me for a loop there near the end. How much romance can we get with a woman being seduced by a giant spider? You’d be surprised. Also this whole world was so odd. They’d say things in such a serious way and I’d be confused. I didn’t clock this as a novella until I started reading but there is just enough story to make it feel like a full novel.

This is one of the cutest monster romances I've ever read. Creepy, gothic and vibey, we follow the keeper of the keys, as she tries to stay alive in a house full of spiders, while doing the mistress of the house's bidding, and solving the crime of a stolen memory.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was interesting and different from what I normally read but it wasn’t for me.

Do you like Gothic romance? Do you like spiders? Oh, do I have a book recommendation for you.

Dália has lived most of her life in Capricious House, serving as an apprentice to Ms. Matilde, the Keeper of the Keys. The massive manor house is isolated, surrounded by fields of poppies and filled with tarantulas (which serve as pets to many of the servants in addition to being utilized as a food source). The Lady Anatema provides well for her house’s servants, and Dália wants for very little. When her supervisor/caretaker dies suddenly, Dália is appointed as the new Keeper of the Keys. The Lady summons her to the third floor of the house, forbidden to most of the servants, but the dwelling place of Anatema herself. There has been a theft, and the Lady needs answers. Someone has stolen one of her memories, an intricately woven replica she made of her most recently deceased bride.

The Lady Anatema is not, as you quickly learn, human. She is an enormous spider-like creature, and one of the few remaining Archaic Ones in existence. Archaic art is highly sought after, so there’s a small chance that one of the servants in the house has simply stolen Lady Anatema’s weaving to sell. It would fetch a high price, allowing one to live extremely well outside of Capricious House, but that would mean betraying Lady Anatema. Dália can’t imagine ever wanting that, and so she agrees to assist the lady of the house with the investigation. On her way into the library to meet Anatema, she passes by the house motto, written into the flooring: BE BOLD, BUT NOT TOO BOLD. With that in mind, she enters the library and brings herself to the attention of Lady Anatema.

Upon the discovery of a second theft, Dália begins to compile a list of suspects to question. Who has stolen from Anatema and why? After all, most of her brides have ended up devoured by her. The investigation requires Dália and Anatema to spend a considerable amount of time together. As they grow closer, new feelings and desires come to light for both of them, but they are not the only residents of Capricious House who have been hiding secrets.

But Not Too Bold is a stunning sapphic novella. It’s an unsettling but romantic story that races along in 128 short pages, weaving through the halls and grounds of Capricious House like a spider’s web. Hache Pueyo has won a new fan with this one. The English translation will finally be available on Tuesday, February 11th, and I hope you check it out! Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a fair review.

This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2025/01/14/but-not-too-bold-a-review/

This was too short for me. I'm in my monster romance era and a woman wedding her female-presenting arachnid boss is right up my alley, but it's barely 100 pages, so I never felt settled enough in the story and with the characters.

The writing is exquisite and I love the formatting and style, but I wish it'd been longer. I wish the potential romance reveal in the last fourth of the book had been present throughout and that we, as the reader, had known who was behind the theft the whole time. That would've added a level of danger to the story and to Dalia's growing relationship with Anatema. It would've given Dalia's decision at the very end more resonance.

If Hache Pueyo ever decides to write a full novel, I hope she chooses to expand on this universe.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC of But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

This book is a captivating blend of horror and sapphic romance that draws you in from the very first page. The atmosphere is skillfully crafted, striking a perfect balance that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story unfolds in a hauntingly beautiful setting, which adds to the eerie charm of the narrative. Love to see horror and fantasy in a narrative together. I highly recommend this book.

Oh this was a lot of fun. A spooky gothic romance with a monster. I read it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. I only wish it had been longer!

A short novella perfect for filling the craving for a gothic sapphic monster romance. This novella has everything you could ask for - a monstrous spider lady with slightly eldritch features, a main character not repulsed by her inhumanness, and a world where the monster lady is looking for a bride who isn’t repulsed by her. My only complaint is that (potentially from the translation) I felt there were a few parts I found confusing, and that I wish the romance was a bit more developed and longer. I didn’t find the worldbuilding too confusing, but I think if this was ever decided to be adapted into a full-length novel it would benefit from a clearer understanding of the setting, as well as more interactions between Anatema and Dália. Overall, this was a fun read and exactly what I was looking for when I saw the synopsis.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Tor Publishing Group for providing this e-ARC.

One of my coping mechanisms for the darkness of winter is to just carry on as if it were still Halloween season. That said, But Not Too Bold is a wonderfully cozy mystery/monster romance perfect for the aforementioned coping mechanism. Reading this was a linguistic delight, although the reader should exercise caution if they have arachnophobia and an active imagination.

4/5 stars - Queer Gothic horror romance meets Eldritch old-world monster God, with a sprinkle of crime solving to taste. So good, no notes.