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.

Who doesn't love a gothic romance with a horror element? This was weird but I had such a good time. My only complaint is that I wish it had been a little longer to flesh out details and create more suspense. I can't say much more since this is so short but I definitely recommend. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

It's difficult to put into words just how much I enjoyed <i>But Not Too Bold</i>. It's fantastical. It's resplendent. It's hypnotizing and dreamlike. It's curious and queer and bizarre and delightful. It's a technicolor complement to 2024's Nosferatu; I devoured every <s>bride</s> bite and wanted more!

Unassuming young beauty Dália has spent nearly all of her life apprenticing to the Keeper of the Keys at the Capricious House, owned and run by Madam Anatema (<i>not</i> Anathema). When Dália's mentor - the old Keeper of Keys - dies unexpectedly, Dália assumes the role she has spent years training for, unaware that she may have already been snared for an even grander promotion. All of this takes place against the backdrop of a high-stakes whodunnit-style investigation into her fellow employees at the Capricious House, and a similar introspective investigation into what Dália herself may truly want out of life.

As much as I would like to say that I wish this had been a full-length novel rather than a novella, I think that Pueyo achieved <i>exactly</i> the story she set out to tell, and I wouldn't change a thing in the end. Highly recommended for fans of the strange, the lush, the unexpected, the queer, the arachnoid, the charming and the delightful.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the chance to share my thoughts on this eARC!

I didn't really have any strong feelings about But Not Too Bold (with the exception of that ONE scene near the end) so I don't have much to say.

It's a gorgeously atmospheric novella with competent prose, but neither the mystery nor the romantic element is developed enough to be engaging. Actually, most of the mystery scenes add nothing and I hated that the romance is intruded by a jarring M/F scene.

First thank you to Netgally and Hache Pueyo for the EARC in exchange for an review!

But not to bold was my first monster romance and it did not disappoint! The descriptions were so well done that I could very easily visualize everything ( I may need to sleep with the lights on after reading) that even i made sure not to mispronounce Anathema! Fantastic Monster Horror! I cannot recommend this one enough as long as your not afraid of spiders 😉

Dalia is has spent her whole life training to be the keeper of keys, she is suddenly promoted after the lady of the house eats the last one she is ready and unafraid.

Review for Instagram will be posted to @letsreadandreview89 in a few days

This was a perfect fast read (1-2 hours) that had the perfect gothic fantasy vibes. I really enjoyed the body image commentary surrounding Anatema and her desire to not be seen by her staff or her brides. When Dália becomes keeper of the keys, things start to change for Anatema. This definitely falls into the weird side of horror, but I love that. It’s not scary horror, so much as it is macabre and atmospheric. The writing is fantastic and the story is well-plotted for such a short read.

Thank you to @tordotcompub for my ARC of the book! All thoughts are my own.

This delightful fever dream of a monster romance packs a lot into its slim page count as keeper of the keys Dália endeavors to fulfill Lady Anatema's needs, including solving a crime attributed to the previous keeper of the keys. A delicious bizarre amuse-bouche of a story!

I enjoyed the beginning of this book but then it spiraled and I quickly lost track of what the story was about. There just seemed to be a b ur too much going on and it was really strange like there was a slave/servant relationship with a spider which also had slight sexual tension? I just couldn’t get into it but I absolutely love the quirky world and vivid colors!

This was my first read of 2025, and so far it's already a contender for best book of the year (and I'd venture to say it's better than nearly all, or possibly even ALL, of the books I read last year). This is a lush fever-dream of a novella, with harsh drafts of realism wafting through it as counterbalance. I love the main character, I love this world, and I'm fascinating by Anatema. It does SO much in such a short span of pages, I now absolutely must go track down Hache Pueyo's older short story collection and will definitely read anything else she ever publishes.

Spiders. So many spiders.
If you can get past all of the tarantulas, you will enjoy this gothic horror. As I am terrified of them, this book was not for me. I did, however, finish it, and mostly enjoyed it when I wasn’t shuddering at the idea of just how many spiders lived in the Capricious House. I would not have made it as a bride of Anatema, who is an Ancient One in the shape of half-woman-half-arachnid. Delia’s relationship with her was nice though. I also appreciated the mystery, but felt there were moments that jumped from one to another too quickly, and would have liked a few more clarifying sentences

What a delightful treat to start the year! But Not Too Bold follows Dalia, the new Keeper of the Keys for the mistress of the house, who happens to be a huge humanoid arachnid named Anatema. The previous Keeper was eaten by Anatema, who suspected her of stealing.

Having been raised to be a Keeper, Dalia is nonchalant about her monstrous boss's habits of taking laudanum as well as eating a long line of brides, and her work ethic is impeccable.

As Dalia searches for the real culprit of the stolen items, she grows closer to Anatema, wanting to not just serve but to understand her, and maybe, just maybe, to get Anatema to see her as more than a passing fancy.

The world Dalia and Anatema inhabit is perfectly woven (heh) with every character fully rounded and serving its purpose. I really enjoyed this super short read and look forward to reading more from Hache Pueyo.

I love when a book is quick and to the point. This was such a beautiful story that was well rounded from beginning to end. For how short it is, the author was still able to convey such beautiful imagery throughout the whole book. Now, if you are afraid of spiders, this may not be your cup of poppy tea.
All of the characters were easy to love and hope for. The ending was *chef's kiss*. The perfect length for this kind of story. I'd love to read more by Hache Pueyo now.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an early edition in exchange for an honest review.

Horror romance might be a favorite of mine.

In this little novella we have a mystery of who stole a doll of the owner of the house. The dolls hold memories of the brides the owner killed once they looked at her. Dalia has recently been appointed keeper of the keys and in charge of finding who stole the doll all while a lil romance is brewing.
This short novella really packed a punch, rich descriptions, interesting premise and mysterious plot.
Very enjoyable.

Thanks to netgalley and Tor publishing for an eARC.

My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this novel about a young woman who is taking over a position of importance, the mystery she has to deal with, the rumors that are beginning and how can she get more of the delicious tarantula leg desserts she enjoys so much.

I never spent much of my reading time, well my entertainment time on stories dealing with love. As an ex-Beatle once sang "You'd think that people would've had enough of silly love songs" books and more. This probably speaks more about me than the books I was forgoing, and I am sure many fine works will never be known to me. As I have gotten older this has changed a bit. Well it might not be just age, but I see that the world is getting far more judgemental on who people can declare their love for. In this time where everything is going wrong, things don't work, including many people, well maybe to quote another ex-Beatle, "All you need is love." Even if that love is a huge spider creature that takes on human form, and likes to eat the one's they love. Nothing can be perfect. However this novella comes pretty close. But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo a story about a young girl placed in a dangerous position, looking for answers, trying to please her new boss, and maybe trying to find her place in the world.

Dália was an orphan, brought to the Lady of the Capricious House⁠, as a servant, but was chosen for something far more. The Lady, better known as Anatema is an enormous spider creature, one with a love for poppies, and eating the brides that are brought to her, brides who Anatema memorialized in almost diorama-like displays kept under lock. Dália is to be the protégé of the keeper of keys, trained to be her replacement when she passes. Dália is informed that the keeper of keys has died, and that she is the new one. Dália attends Anatema, and finds out that Anatema killed the keeper, as something had been stolen. And Anatema does not like to lose memories. Dália begins to investigate and finds that there are many strange things happening in the House, rumors are being spread about Anatema finding a new bride, something Dália fears might be her.

A wonderful story, short but a very complete tale that is weird, different, and really a page turner. Pueyo unfolds the story carefully, sharing the world the strangeness, and the ritual and custom of the house a little bit at a time. As one adjusts something else comes along. The many spiders that fill the mansion. The poppies that don't die, but are used to make tea for the servants, raise money for the house, and drunk in copious amounts by Anatema. One gets used to the fact that a character is a giant spider, and one kind of besotted with Dália at that. The story flows well, and while one wants to know a bit more, the length is perfect for the suspension of belief the story needs. Not only a fantasy story but a love story at that. One that sounds odd, but really does work well. A story hard to explain, but one I quite enjoyed. A place and with characters I would like to know more about.

This was such a weird little book. i really enjoyed the atmosphere and the overall vibe of it. The creature was also interesting, very unique and unsettling. I think the mystery was intriguing and i like the “romantic” element. I do wish we had more time spent with them, but for a short novella that still worked very well. the writing was beautiful too.

Sapphic, gothic fantasy, monster romance…what more could you ask for? I read it in one sitting and I loved it! The spice level was zero and focuses more on emotional themes of betrayal, loneliness, and acceptance along with the plot of solving a crime. The writing is wonderful, and I found the balance between horror and romantic tones to be intriguing. The characters are compelling, and I was sitting here sympathizing with a giant, scary spider-lady. This is a great short story and would be an amazing addition to anyone’s Spooky TBR.

A huge thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy, this review is my honest opinion.

A beautiful, atmospheric story of a woman and her employer. I loved the descriptions of the characters and the world, everything was just fleshed out enough for the length of the story. If you're in the mood for a sapphic romance of will they, won't they, where the possibilities are both loving and devouring, this is the story for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the chance to read and review this e-ARC!

This was a really interesting novella - I enjoyed the fantasy element of the vaguely humanoid spider-like being, the Archaic One, Anatema. This was combined with the mystery of determining who stole from her.

Dália becomes the new keeper of the keys after Matilde is killed by Anatema; she has to navigate Anatema's changeable moods to avoid being eaten, while also trying to find out who is the thief. As she does, she must "be bold, but not too bold."

I really liked how Dália got to learn more about herself throughout this process. She was taken in as an orphan and doesn't know anything except for life at the Capricious House. She has to decide what it is that she actually wants out of life, which is a very relatable feeling! She also has fun walking the line of what is bold vs. too bold, which I appreciate.

This was a very quick read, and I was curious to find out how things were going to come together in the end!

This was a really odd little book but I loves it! The story was unique but really beautiful. I loved the imagery and atmosphere of this. It felt very beautiful but also horrific in its own way. This is definitely one i would recommend.

4.25 stars for this very very weird, but very very cool lil monster horror but slightly romance story??!

I don’t think words can properly convey easily just what this story was- but I can tell you about it in vibes: an isolated home and a tucked away staff, a constant threat of being eaten, “look at me and I’ll kill you”, extravagant feasts and gowns, body horror, a desire for love across time (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg)

I kind of just sat with this and absorbed, and then pretty much re-absorbed as I tried to make sense of it explaining it to my husband! Words don’t do this justice; and honestly it’s only a little over 100 pages, just try it out!


Thank you so much to Hache Pueyo and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!