A heartfelt thank you to Colin Mustful and NetGalley for the ARC review opportunity to share my genuine thoughts. This book has undeniably secured its spot in my anticipated top 5 reads of 2025. It's truly a work of art that warrants recognition among the literary masterpieces.


In a whirlwind of court intrigue and artistic pressure, the book swept me into the delicate dance of ambition and survival at King Augustus the Strong's court. The heart-wrenching journey of Johann and Fatima resonated deeply, their struggles echoing through the pages like a haunting melody. The blend of historical richness and emotional depth made my heart both race with anticipation and ache with empathy. As I turned each page, I felt a surge of emotion, rooting for these characters trapped in a world where success hangs on a thread as thin as porcelain. Truly, this book pulled at my heartstrings like a masterful symphony of emotions.

Firstly, I'd like to thank the author, Jillian Forsberg, for sending me an ARC of this title (but also the NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC so I could still read it on my lunch break when I'd invariably forgot the book at home).

This book, like Forsberg's first, was immaculate. I just love that these stories are being brought to life! What I especially appreciate is that these books aren't just your average story, they are so detailed on lesser-known historical events. I do love me an off-the-beaten-path book, especially when historical fiction is so WWII dominated. You know it's a good book when you go into a Wiki spiral, and boy did I ever. Am I disappointed that I didn't learn all the things on Fatima, and her kids? Yes!! I'm also a little upset that I wasn't able to find any other major pieces of work to review on the porcelain menagerie (also cause most things would just turn up this book). But I do love that I learned SO. MUCH. with this book and I'm definitely going to be looking at porcelain very differently from now on.

In terms of the story itself, I loved Fatima's chapters more than Johann. Probably just where I wasn't able to find info on her (which in reading the Author's Note, doesn't look like there's a lot out there about her anyways). I think her character was portrayed so well. I couldn't imagine the life she must have had, much less her influence to be awarded so much after Augustus' death where none of his other mistresses were. The love affair between her and Bottger was cute, but I definitely liked her relationship with Georg more. Was that little twist at the end true? That he paid for her?? That little bomb killed me a little.

Johann's story was also good, though there were a few times that I felt were a little bit repetitive. I have questions though, not answered by my Wiki spiral on him: What happened to his dad (and, in this book, to Katharine), what about his brother? Was he truly a little person, was he even a person or just a character? What happened after Clara??? He died after 40 years in Meissen, that's an awful lot of life to report on madam Jillian!!

I just love these books, Jillian is 10/10 and I'm so incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon her books. I will always recommend them, and always look forward to whatever books might be next in line!

I received a temporary digital copy of The Porcelain Menagerie from NetGalley, History Through Fiction LLC and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Johann Kändler is tasked by King Augustus the Strong to create a porcelain menagerie with hundreds of animals. Using Augustus' real menagerie, Johann is able to study rare animals and bring their features to life in white gold all while forming an alliance with Augustus' former mistress, Maria and her daughter, Katharina.

Forsberg dual timelines was much more effective in the Porcelain Menagerie than in her previous novel. The reader truly felt the fear of the characters and animals while interacting with Augustus, the heat of the kilns, the cruelty of Augustus, etc. Much like the Rhino Keeper, I am in awe of Forsberg’s research. The reader must Google Johann Kändler’s art as it truly gives the reader a stronger appreciation for the work that went into the pieces.

Let me start by saying that Jillian Forsberg’s stories never disappoint. The Porcelain Menagerie was one of my most anticipated releases of the year after reading the companion novel and author’s debut, The Rhino Keeper.

Right off the bat, the tone is set to be much darker than its predecessor. We first meet Johann Kändler as a young boy alongside his family. Throughout the first chapter, we see Johann grow into a curious young man who yearns to make art. From this point on, the book slowly gets darker and feels heavier on the soul as the story progresses.

While this book covered dark themes and faces the atrocities that happened in this court in the 18th century, I can’t help but note how Forsberg’s writing makes scenes jump off the page. Every scene in the menagerie itself was written in such a way that I could see it vividly in my mind. This location almost felt whimsical - like an enchanted forest full of creatures. A true escape for Fatima, Johann, and other characters. And as a zookeeper, I related to Fatima’s love of her animals and her determination to offer them the best life she could in such a cruel world.

The last 10 or 15 chapters bring the reader face to face with many of the cruelties of King Augustus the Strong. While this is historical fiction, history has a funny (or maybe not so funny) way of repeating itself. I found many quotes to be hard hitting and sadly relatable to what is going on in our world today. I don’t wish to spoil anything, but one quote I would like to highlight is quite simple, but very impactful:

“We are foxes, aren’t we?”

This story was heartbreaking, haunting, and beautiful in so many ways. I cannot wait to see what Jillian has in store for us next.

Thank you to Jillian Forsberg and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I adore the idea of looking at history through a fictional lens, and that's exactly what this book does. Stunning.

🦁 🦁 🦁 🦁 🦁
Forsberg doesn’t just write stories she weaves magic.

Porcelain Menagerie is the incredible second book by the author who wrote one of my favourite books last year "Rhino Keeper".

From the first page, Forsberg writes with a precision that cuts, not flashy, but brutal in its elegance. You don’t so much read this book as sink into it, slowly, as it devours you.

What sets this apart isn’t just plot, though Forsberg can twist a story like a silk ribbon in a storm, it’s the texture of her prose. Every sentence has teeth, every image a pulse. She doesn’t rely on exposition to build world, she conjures them.

There’s a wonderful intimacy in how she writes her characters, (Johann in particular) raw, unvarnished and beautifully complex

I appreciated the dual timeline approach, it really did paint the picture of a crazily obsessed king.

Forsberg has carved something rare here, a story that lives under your skin. If you want a book that makes your bones hum, that leaves you breathless with its grace, then this is it.

Like Clara before, Buda stole my ❤️
Those final two lines of the epilogue were perfect

Do read the trigger warning for chapter 30.