I fear this is one of the few times I'm at a disadvantage for being terrible at visualizing things while I'm reading because wtf just happened...
I like the gothic vibes though.

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

4.5 stars

In But Not Too Bold we are following Dália who is tasked with not only succeeding the last keeper of the keys of the Capricious House (after her untimely devouring) but also with a mystery to solve lest she be next on the menu. But does Anatema want to devour Dália or does she want to DEVOUR Dália?

This was so lush and atmospheric and WEIRD and I really loved every moment of it. My only criticism was it could have been longer and honestly???? hornier.

This was such a fascinating book. I loved the incorporation of tarantulas in the every day lived of the people of the house. It was interesting to see how they adapted and used the to their advantage. I also loved that they kept some of them as pets. I own a pet store so it was double fun for me to recognize the different spider species that I have had in my shop. I liked the characters and thought that they were interesting, Dalia was enduring enough for the had she was dealt. Anatema was absolutely delightful and horrifying all at once. The plot and story line was not what I expected and the ending I really didn't envision. All in all I loved this book. Pueyo has delivered a deliciously unhinged and lyrical book that I will definitely be revisiting in the future.

Thank you to TOR and Hache Pueyo for this ARC!

Do you ever read a book and then realize everyone else loved it, leaving you wondering if you even read the same story because you absolutely hated it? Yeah... that’s exactly how I feel about this book.

🕷️What did you love the most?
Maybe monster romances aren’t for me? At least this one wasn’t. The only things I genuinely enjoyed were the ambiance and the fact that this book was super short (128 pages, to be exact). The atmosphere was deliciously creepy, cramped, and dark. I devoured that part.

The rest? It felt like a bizarre fever dream. The mystery started strong but fizzled out, leaving me confused and disconnected.

🕷️What to expect:
Ancient spider lady 🕸️
Sacrificial brides 🩸
Locked-room mystery with eerie vibes 🔐

🕷️How was the romance?
I honestly don’t even know how to describe it. Was there even a romance? Or was it more about fulfilling a role you were trained for? There was zero relationship development.

If you’re confused reading this, welcome to my world. 🌀

🕷️Do you recommend this book?
Look, I’m definitely an outlier here because it seems like everyone else loved this weird, quirky novel. The concept was fascinating, but the execution fell completely flat for me. If you're into experimental romances and unsettling vibes, maybe you'll have better luck than I did. 📖

But Not Too Bold is so odd, and so beautiful and so compelling. It's oddly, beautifully-compelling.

I am almost at a loss for words. It felt at times like I didn't understand it, but I did, at the same time. The themes, the descriptions, the gorgeous characterizations, it felt instinctual, though I can't necessarily explain it coherently. In fact, this is much less of a coherent narrative style than I tend to enjoy, but I fell in love with the writing instantly, so just decided to roll with it and I'm so glad I did!

This is a Queer Fantasy Horror novella, of which I shall say nothing of the plot. It's only 112-pages and well-worth the read. The synopsis lays out everything you need to know going in, but even with that, I feel you'll still be surprised at the depths to which this story will take you. It felt like falling down a dark, whimsical, dangerous rabbit hole, from which there's no escape.

I loved the main character, Dália. There was something so relatable about her. I was also surprised at how intrigued I was by the mystery that Dália is trying to solve. More than that, I was shocked by the emotional impact this little story has. How is it possible to pack this much punch into such a small space?

Somehow, Pueyo succeeded in doing just that. The conclusion was gorgeous. My only small gripes would be that there were a couple of details I felt weren't adequately fleshed out, and also, I wish this were a little longer.

Overall though, I am so pleased with this. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Fantasy Horror, or stories that feel like modern folklore. Also, a bonus if you are looking for Queer, or female-centered dark fiction.

This novella starts out with the keeper of the keys of Capricious House dead, and now Dalia, the old keeper's protegee, must take over. Her job is to lock and unlock little drawers that the Lady of the house keeps her memories locked in. The owner of the house, Anatema, is a humanoid spider who continues to look for human brides, but always ends up eating them and taking their memories. Dalia is stuck though as the prior keeper of keys was killed as Anatema thought she was stealing from her, so Dalia must lock herself in with Anatema to determine if she was wrong about who the thief was. The rest of the novella follows Dalia as she tries to figure out who the thief is while getting to know Anatema.

I thought this was an interesting concept and wish it would have been more of a novel rather than a novella, so that the author could have developed everything more. There were many cool aspects like how everyone had a spider, the brides and their memories, but it all needed to be flushed out more. I did like that it was a sapphic monster romance book - didn't really seem like a horror book though, more like a mystery/thriller.

"Be bold, but not too bold.

Open this and be ready to be enchanted.

A mansion but not like others. There are monsters in this world - Archaic ones - and they are not like us and, yet, this one wants to be near us. It took a minute for me to fall into the rhythm of the story. The Key Keeper, the memories, the brides - it all took a chapter or two to wrap my head around. And then i was completely entranced. Who was this Dalia and how did she know all these little things? I loved getting to know those in the house as she investigated and I giggled at the wonders in the end. What a great story. I loved it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Absolutely beautiful! A seamless blend of fantasy, horror, and Gothic romance. I loved Dália, Anatema, and the crackling tension between them. Gorgeous evocative worldbuilding, vivid visuals, and striking themes make this one you should not miss.

The story was really cool and I would have loved to stay in Capricious House a bit longer- but then, so would the brides! But Not Too Bold was the perfect mix of creepy, mystery and a bit of romance. I really enjoyed this but it left me wanting just a little more. I know this was a novella, but the end felt a little rushed to me.

This is right. up. my. alley. and I am so happy that I finally got an ARC of a Tor book, since I love their stuff. This was an incredibly fast read because of how I never wanted to put it down, so I read it in two gulps (appropriate for a book with so much focus on devouring!). The premise and bits of world building were truly unique, and fleshed out without being overly explained or justified, which I liked. Everything just was, and it felt natural within the world of the book even in all of its strangeness. The author did a wonderful job of humanizing Anatema and her emotions while also leaning into and embracing the non-human aspects; you never forget that she is something other, which could be disturbing or delightful. And yet, despite all of the strangeness, the story still touches on a keenly human experience: the fearful joy of being seen.

A wonderful book for fans of Someone You Can Build a Nest In, or anyone who is charmed by weirdness, delighted by interspecies sapphic romance, not afraid of spiders, and open to a little devouring.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳, 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳, 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳:
𝘏𝘐𝘙𝘌 𝘈 𝘕𝘌𝘞 𝘒𝘌𝘌𝘗𝘌𝘙 𝘖𝘍 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘒𝘌𝘠𝘚; 𝘜𝘙𝘎𝘌𝘕𝘛; 𝘉𝘌𝘍𝘖𝘙𝘌 𝘋𝘈𝘞𝘕.”

This was my first monster romance and I am obsessed. I was already a tarantula lover (having many in the past) and to see their beauty depicted in such a fun and whimsical yet terrifying way was so refreshing. The imagery and character development provided in the short 119 pages is extremely impressive. I felt like I was right there with the main character and adored her view on life and people.

The underlying message in this book is such an important reminder to us all and I won’t spoil it because the journey to get there can only be found in reading this beautiful book. Overall, I adored this book so much and can't wait to read more from this author.

“𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉.”

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in return for my honest review.

Your mileage is going to vary a bit with this one. If the deepest you’ve ever delved into the realm of monsterfucking is, I don’t know, Twilight, then you’re likely to be a little icked out by parts of this delightfully oddball novella about a poorly socialised young woman falling for her spider-monster boss. On the other hand, if you’re familiar with the kind of self-pubbed queer SFF that gave us the Machine Mandate series, you’re likely to look over the rim of your glasses at this one, unimpressed. ‘Not too bold’, indeed!

Which is to say: Pueyo coyly goes close enough to the line to make the pearl-clutchers pearl-clutch, but does not actually give us sapphic spider-monster sex, presumably because trad publishing space is full of cowards. Pfft!

That aside, But Not Too Bold is – I’m going to call it pastel goth with teeth: kind of sweet and adorable, if you can get past the fact that the spider-monster boss eats her brides and sometimes her staff. The tone is weirdly cute; the bright pink cover is very appropriate, for all that our main character is vaguely investigating a murder while eating deep-fried tarantulas.

Pueyo has crafted a mythology around the Archaic Ones, ancient monsters with strange, magical abilities. The Lady of Capricious House, Anatema, is one such, an enormous spider-like creature who regularly marries human women, but always ends up eating them in a very Bluebeard-esque setup. Dália, raised from childhood to be the Lady’s next Keeper of the Keys, is more fascinated than afraid or horrified by Anatema’s monstrousness. SOMEONE was dumb enough to steal from the Lady, and Dália’s investigation reminded me of a young kid with a new game – it’s not taken terribly seriously, and felt like it was there to give the novella a framework, not because the story is actually about that.

It’s fun. It’s cosy horror! It’s as boundary-pushing as trad-pub generally gets. But the only thing likely to stay with me is how apt the title is – this book simply isn’t bold enough.

3.5 stars

This book was weird but I think it could have been weirder.

This story follows Dalia who is the new keeper of the keys in a strange estate own by a giant spider woman. The estate is run almost like a hotel but the third floor is off limits and Madam Anathema hides her face from her staff. Only occasionally exposing her true form to her brides who she is known to eat after they shy from her in terror. She treasures the memory of these brides and has keepsakes for each one, when an item from her last bride is stolen she blames the previous keeper of keys and Dalia steps into the position. The main plot involves a brief mystery to solve the theft and a growing closeness between Dalia and the Madam. I really enjoyed the writing style and the atmosphere really reminded me of a stop motion picture directed by Tim Burton or Henry Selick. It was weird but I think it should have been a little weirder, it almost shied away from the craziness when it could have been leaning in a touch more. Regardless, a quick, compulsive read that I would recommend if you're in the mood for something odd and sapphic.

Do not recommend if you have arachnophobia!

Publishing: February 11, 2025
Length: 112 pages
Genre: Monster romance
Translated from the original Portuguese by the author

I want to thank @tordotcompub and @torbooks for providing an ARC via NetGalley. It was my very first approved request so I'm quite chuffed.

This is a novella about a servant in Capricious House, a mansion ruled by the enigmatic Anatema, a giant humanoid spider (this is not the book for arachnophobes!). I was under the (mistaken) impression that this was Gothic horror. There are elements of that, but I agree with reviewers who label this as Monster Romance. There is a definite Bluebeard vibe - Anatema always eats her brides - but here the arachnid Bluebeard is the love interest. And, yes, there is a giant spider-human woman smut scene.

The things I liked: a Wes Anderson Meets Guillermo Del Toro setting of a spotlessly run mansion crawling with tarantulas; tantalizing hints of a wider mythology about the Archaic Ones (like Anatema), monstrous creatures "as old as the world itself"; the mystery surrounding who stole Anatema's precious object; the theme about the craving to be seen (not just looked at) and being accepted completely by another.

Unfortunately, it turns out that I'm not a fan of Monster Romance. Not because Anatema is a giant spider - that does not bother me - but because she is a literal monster; a serial killer, eating bride after bride for years - probably for even decades or centuries. For the same reason, I never got onboard with Damon Salvatore as a love interest in Vampire Diaries. But if that doesn't bother you, this is worth a read - it can easily be devoured in one sitting.

The Shape of Water with a touch of Mexican Gothic in this gothic sapphic monster romance. There is a house where an archaic humanoid spider god lives... she has a taste for laudanum and eating her human brides. The house has servants, but specifically a keeper of keys, the one person who's sole duty is to attend to Anatema, the humanoid spider, and to make sure that all the memories are locked and unlocked whenever Anatema needs them to be. When the old keeper dies and Anatema has eaten her, its up to the keeper's protégée, Dália, must step up and fill the position. Dália has to figure out who was behind the stolen memories that lead to her mentor's death... all the while trying to survive long enough in her position under Anatema. Anatema is an old god prone to eating people if they displease her... and she has a taste for beautiful woman... constantly devouring every single bride she has. Dália and Anatema begin a unique relationship as they see each other truly all the while trying to find out who has stolen memories from Anatema.... but will Dália live long enough to find the truth? This was such a fantastic gothic sapphic monster romance with a murder mystery at the heart of it. I found myself completely drawn into the world and the unique house that Dália worked in. The relationship between Dália and Anatema was so well done and despite this being a short novella, it fully fleshes out the relationship and grabs your attention and ends in a perfect way. Truly, I had so much fun reading this and would absolutely recommend it!

Release Date: February 11, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tordotcom for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you NetGalley for a free digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
My review is my true and honest thoughts and opinions with no outside influence.

When my partner asked me to describe what I was reading I said “lesbian spider lady owns a hotel and eats her lovers”. This is a true and accurate summery.
This was a super fun journey that felt very surreal, very gothic, very strange, very weird. There’s some thriller, some mystery, some romance. It’s a nice sampler of things. Some could say it’s a sample of monster erotica. If the almost spicy scenes excite you, and you find yourself disappointed there’s not more detail, then monster erotica may be for you.
However to be clear this is NOT monster erotica. This is a sapphic novella about a spider lady. It’s a super cute, quick, and fun read. I really enjoyed this one.

Again thank you to NetGalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I loved this short little book. It reminded me a bit of Gormenghast: gothic, strange, compelling.

Daria is the Keeper of the Keys in an isolated and beautiful estate. The owner of the estate is an Archiac One, which is an old monster/creature from when the world began. It sounds bizarre, but everything fits together in a way that makes sense.

I really liked the message of the story, and I loved the setting and the characters.

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!