But Not Too Bold
by Hache Pueyo
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The Shape of Water meets Mexican Gothic in this sapphic monster romance novella wrapped in gothic fantasy trappings
The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious Houseâ --Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.
D¡lia, 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 execution, D¡lia might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.
But there's a gaping hole in D¡lia's plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781250376633
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Authors
- Hache Pueyo
- Publisher
- Tordotcom
- Published Date
- February 11, 2025
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 128
- Physical Info
- 8.29 in L x 5.39 in W (0.44 lb)
This was good. If you can't even read about spiders, definitely don't read this one, but reading about spiders didn't bother me. I wouldn't want to live there, but I liked seeing the world and I liked seeing Dalia getting to know Anathema and solve the mystery. There were a lot of details in this one and I didn't feel like it was too short. Such a great story.
When the Keeper of the Keys is suddenly consumed by the Lady of Capricious House, Dalia is called to the job she has trained for her entire life. Dalia is fearless and bold, but hopefully not too bold for her own sake.Creative and clever, I devoured this book in one sitting. Dalia is an orphan, brought into Capricious House to eventually serve as Keeper of the Keys. She has never allowed herself to “want” anything and simply exists in the world she lives in. When she finally meets the lady of the house, she feels “seen” and begins to understand what it is to dare to dream.The cover art is so well done and clearly conveys the presence of spiders for any arachnophobes thinking of reading it. I love the message of seeing beyond physical appearance and trying to understand others as they are. Dalia’s gutsy attitude and humor when dealing with a demanding and unreasonable mistress make her one of my favorite characters so far this year. This is a great palate cleanser between heavy novels. It’s bright, spicy and tasty.
This is without a doubt considered a horror story but also a romance. I appreciate the underlying theme of appearances not being the only thing that matters and that often they can be deceiving. I think the part that stuck with me most though was how Dália didn’t think of herself as objectively beautiful or ugly but rather as just someone who is. I liked that this is a society in fiction where that is even possible.
Wow! This is a short story that grabs you and doesn't let go. A great read if you want something different. Its a fade to black kinda book so if you're looking for SPICE this won't be for you. If you're looking for a romance, a mystery, and hoeneslty a twist I didn't see coming this is for you.
This was the weirdest and most interesting novella I’ve read lately. It was great! I usually don't like shorter stories, but this one was just right. I felt satisfied when it ended, which is not often the case with short stories for me.Would I like it to be longer and include more? Absolutely.Was it enough to feel the story as a whole? Definitely!
