Set in the golden and austere city of Amsterdam, the year is 1705 and this is the story of a fate truly wicked, ambitions which are higher than the heavens above, with secrets that long to be revealed . There are dreams that are nothing but delusions, and one young who is determined to be the ruler of her own "fortune.".

Another wonderful book by Jessie Kidd .Her writing her characters are magical the story just like in the first book in the series swept me away.#netgalley #bloomsbury

The House of Fortune build off The Miniaturist. The characters in this book seem miserable most of the time. Money worries and family secrets don’t mix well.
I never really got a good sense of who Thea really was or what she wanted.
The only character I liked was Rebecca. I thought she was genuine.
It was an ok read.

DNF @10%

I remember really liking The Miniaturist when I read it many years ago, but despite this being marketed as a standalone sequel, it was really hard to follow the beginning. I had to go read a synopsis of the first book to remind myself. I found myself getting a little frustrated so ultimately had to DNF.

I will say, the writing is beautiful, but this book just wasn’t for me. Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the arc.

I received an e-galley of The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review.

I recall enjoying the first novel The Miniaturist but The House of Fortune just didn't draw me in. I'm not sure what it was - I don't know if I enjoyed any of the characters and their stories. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me.

The Miniaturist is one of my favorite novels of all time. I can't tell you how many people I've told to read this book. When I heard there was a sequel I was very excited but also cautious. Sometimes when you love a book so much it's can be a let down if the book is not as good. Well you don't have to worry here The House of Fortune is a perfect sequel. From page one you are transported back to 1705 Amsterdam and the world of the Minituarist. You once again meet Nella (Wife of Walter), Thea the daughter of Marin and her father. It' all about getting Thea falling in love, getting fixed up from Nella, and Theafinding out who was her mother and the life that was before her. The small figurines appear through out the book sending messages and scaring everybody!. There is not a dull page in the book. I hope to there is a part three. There is still so much more to tell with this story. I would highly recommend reading The Minituarist first. Thank you to #netgalley #bloomsbury for the read. I can't wait to share this fantastic book!

This novel is a companion to Burton’s earlier work, The Miniaturist, which I also loved. Burton has a lovely style of writing. With just a few words, she can whisk me away to 1700s Amsterdam. This novel isn’t flashy, it’s just a well-paced family story with rich, complex characters. Basically, my favorite type of novel! The Miniaturist is a source of mystery and she remains that way throughout the novel. I can see how that might be frustrating to some readers but I liked the moody uncertainty of it. It was a deeply satisfying reading experience—the kind when you slam the book shut and sigh. Loved it!

Thea Brandt turns eighteen. Having been nurtured and protected her whole life by Otto, her father, Nella, her aunt and Cornelia, her nurse/housekeeper, to provide now for these people, she must find a man of means to marry. She faces many obstacles in this pursuit: her out of wedlock birth to a mixed race couple, the loss of her mother at birth, and life under the shadow of her uncle’s public humiliation and execution. She has been an object of curiosity for eighteen years as she watched the rich furnishings and valued art pieces being sold for the family’s survival. There are reasons to believe the prophetic miniaturist from years before is watching her and attempting to reveal the truth. When a potential suitor is found, Thea’s love for a stage artist complicates the future. Jessie Burton’s novel is a sequel to one of my favorite works, although it can be read as a stand-alone. She does not disappoint.

The House of Fortune (or The Miniaturist 2) fell a little short for me from the first book. It was an enjoyable read but it was a bit disappointing to find the Brandt family brought so low. It picks up as Thea Brandt (Marin and Otto's lovechild) turns 18. She's very much a brat until the end of the story. Nella, her aunt, has become a social climber; trying to save the family and find Thea a husband to take care of her. Thea spends all her time at the playhouse, with her lover, Walter. Otto has lost his job at the VOC. Thea starts receiving miniatures but of course keeps it a secret. Nella feels as though the miniaturist is back but cannot find her in the chaos that has become their lives. The ending was a bit anti-climactic.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Picador for an e-arc of this novel.*

Wonderful. If you haven't read The Miniaturist or if you, like me, have forgotten the details, take a quick gander at the Wiki page for the book (not the movie) and you'll be ready to be immersed once more in 1705 Amsterdam and the world of Otto, Nella, Thea. and Cornelia, the remnants of a fine Amsterdam family hit by scandal. Nella believes the only way to keep their home and protect Thea, who is mixed race because her father Otto is from Surinam, is to marry her off now that she's 18. Thea, however, is in love with the theater and with Walter. Nella, however, drags her to a ball where she meets Jacob, the third son of a prosperous family (and a lawyer) who Nella believes is the perfect candidate. But is he? The family also meets a hortculturalist who is growing pineapples in Amsterdam- leading Otto to plot a return to Nella's abandoned family home, a move she rejects. Thea's happiness is threatened, the Miniaturist appears, and there are many twists. This is a novel that requires a bit of patience but it's lovely and quite atmospheric. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I loved the first book and was happy to leap ahead to see Thea as an adult. A very good read.

DNF @15%

Nope. Nada.
I really enjoyed The Miniaturist and thought it had a good ending, so I was surprised to see this book come out. I thought it might pick up where the previous book left off, but alas no. It is confusing and chaotic and just, IMO, not needed. I am disappointed and had to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is marketed as a standalone companion to The Miniaturist, but readers who have not read the first book will miss a great deal of background needed to understand characters.

This book is set in 1705, eighteen years after the end of The Miniaturist. Thea Brandt, who lives with her father Otto and her Aunt Nella, turns eighteen. The family lives in a large house in a prestigious Amsterdam neighbourhood but they have major financial concerns. Nella decides that it is time for Thea to marry and sets out to arrange a high status, lucrative marriage, though finding a suitable husband for her illegitimate, mixed-race niece whose family has suffered public shame may be difficult. In the meantime, Thea is spending time at the theatre enjoying performances and spending time with Walter, a set painter and her secret lover. She also begins receiving miniature figurines which seem to be the work of the miniaturist, a shadowy figure from Nella’s past who seems to have the ability to see people’s secrets and to steer their future.

The inclusion of the miniaturist is one reason for this book not really being a standalone. Her presence is one reason why readers who have not read The Miniaturist will be confused. She is mentioned over and over again, though no additional information is given about her. A major mystery in the first book is how the miniaturist knows so much about Nella, especially when sometimes the objects she sends seem prophetic? All that has changed is that Thea is now the recipient of her figurines. Is a third book being planned?

Thea, who is the age Nella is in The Miniaturist, and Nella are foil characters. Thea is the romantic. She wants to find true love and yearns for adventure, escape from her cold, austere home which is full of secrets. She is willful and self-centred; she thinks she knows everything and her aunt knows nothing. The irony of her comment to her aunt that “’You were never like me’” can only be fully appreciated by those who have read The Miniaturist. Even after remembering her age, I found Thea very annoying at the beginning. Of course, she does gain maturity since experience is a harsh teacher. I did, however, think that her behaviour does not fit that of a young woman in the early 18th century. In her attitude to sex, she behaves like a woman from the 20th or 21st centuries.

Nella is the pragmatist. Her wants stability and security for herself and her family. Maintaining the veneer of gentility and respectability and being accepted by society are important to her. In The Miniaturist, Nella, a timid and naïve girl, develops independence, determination, and resourcefulness over the course of the three months of her marriage. She has lost those traits? Yet though she is very conventional, Nella has a surprisingly open-minded attitude to Thea’s sex life?

The plot is not complicated; in fact, it is predictable. Certainly, it is not difficult to guess where everyone will end up at the end. Some of the foreshadowing is certainly heavy-handed. When lovers meet surrounded by “fake crumbling castles looming over their heads” in a “room of make-believe,” it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what is going to happen!

There is one plot element that is problematic. When a marriage is arranged, a dowry is an inevitable part of the arrangement, but Nella never worries about how they will find the money for a dowry, even if the amount requested is paltry? The pragmatic woman stops thinking sensibly and realistically? Even Thea comments about the maid spending all of her dowry at the market preparing an elaborate feast for the groom-to-be!

The message of the book is that “Things can change” and new beginnings are possible. The ending for all the characters clearly indicates this hopeful message. Another message is that “The past always comes to meet the present,” a message that is also emphasized at the end. Again, those who have read The Miniaturist will see more clearly how the ending completes a circle begun when Nella was 18.

When I read The Miniaturist, I wasn’t particularly impressed and, unfortunately, The House of Fortune also falls short in my estimation.

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was interesting. There is a birthday in the beginning. Thea one of the main characters turned 18 finally. She even met the love of her life who she wants to be with in this book. I love the historical fiction part of it. It makes the story feel more real..
I highly recommend this book. I would read the first book thr Miniaturist first. This was a sequel I found out and I didn't know that. I would reread this again after I read the first book.. it was good storyline and interesting characters.
This book was approved for me to read and review by netgalley and the publisher.

I had read The Miniaturist previously but didn’t realize until I got well into this story that it was the same author. It didn’t make any difference. This book stands very well on its own merit as a very interesting story about a time in Amsterdam’s history and how the people of that time lived and functioned. Their social mores and attitudes. Their belief in what was right and wrong. I really enjoyed this book.

It was so great to be back in this world and see the beloved characters from The Miniaturist. This takes place 18 years after the end of the first book, following Thea and Nella’s POV.

There were some things that just made my heart happy reading this!! Mainly the re-emergence of a special mysterious character, some delicious parallels to The Miniaturist (trading sugar cones for pineapples), and the contrast of Thea and Nella’s personalities/philosophies on life.

I will say that this didn’t carry the same sense of dread and mystery that The Miniaturist did, mainly because we learn a lot at the end of that book. But Thea’s story was wonderful on its own and I’m so happy we got another story in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I was thrilled to have been granted early access to THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE, Jessie Burton's sequel to THE MINIATURIST, which I read in one fell swoop. THE MINIATURIST was one of those books that had the perfect balance of gorgeous prose, taut narrative conflict, and characters that I grew to love. It also possessed a perfect landing of an ending: heartbreaking yet uplifting. Reader, it made me weep.

Set eighteen years later, THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE picks up Burton's story, this time focusing on Thea, Nella's teenage niece, who's stumbling into adulthood. (I'm hesitant to write more about THOR's set up to avoid spoiling THE MINIATURIST for those who haven't yet read it.) To be honest, I found the first third of THOF akin to visiting with distant friends one hasn't seen in a long time—pleasant but not especially compelling. I think part of the reason for the lack of narrative drive in THOF is that the miniaturist herself feels shoe-horned into the plot; the novel itself wouldn't change that much without her involvement. THOF also lacks a strong, memorable antagonist to create tension. However, THOF picks up about halfway through; I couldn't put it down.

Bottom line: THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE is a wonderful read, but may be particularly compelling to those who haven't read THE MINIATURIST or are invested in its characters. I suspect individual mileage is really going to vary for it. As for myself, five stars for Burton's stellar prose and touching ending.

The House of Fortune is the sequel to the Miniaturist, a book that I read in around 2015. I remembered enjoying the Miniaturist and I liked the historical setting of the book, so I was excited when I saw this title!

I really liked this book! I read it in a couple of days because I felt like I had to find out what happened. Always a good thing! Again, I don't really remember the vibe of the first book but I quite enjoyed the mix of people living in a historical time, social issues that are still present today, and fantasy. I liked the characters a lot, Thea really annoyed me at the beginning but I enjoyed seeing her arc. I loved seeing an unconventional family in a conventional time period and seeing how they navigated their world.

You definitely need to have read the Miniaturist before you read this book or you will be very confused. When I actually started to read the House of Fortune, I realized that I didn't remember the plot or the characters of the Miniaturist at all. I ended up reading a plot summary, which was VERY helpful in remembering who was who. Definitely recommend doing that!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who liked the Miniaturist, or who like historical fiction and want a new duology to read. 4.15 stars from me. Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately, I didn't finish this book. The writing was well done. However, the story, itself, lost my interest around the 20% mark.
I am really hoping to try another book by this author as I'm sure it's just because this story wasn't for me.

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book.

I love it so much I bought a physical copy of the book, just to have on the shelf after reading it. I just adore the setting and Jessie's writing, I find it very captivating. I read the previous book years ago, but it didn't end up being an issue. The characters are well-developed and I loved all of the family dynamics.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!