Unlike A Hundred Thousand Worlds, this book was all plot. Every page turn, there was something new thrown into the mix; something mysterious, something magical, something tragic. 

This book kept me on my toes and at the edge of my seat. Not a thriller by any means, but entirely intriguing and mystifying. "Full of surprises", as one of the reviews on the back of the books reads. The Miniatruist tells the story of Nella who, upon arriving in Amsterdam to meet her newly wed husband, she finds very little else except an unwelcome household, an elusive husband who seems to be avoiding her, and a generally coldness from the pious neighborhood. After her husbands gifts her a perfect miniature of their house, she seeks the help of a Miniaturist to fill it with furniture and other goodies. To her shock, the Miniaturist sends perfect replicas of people and things in the house, alluding to details that no one else could possibly know and sending Nella in a search to figure out who this Miniaturist is, anyway.

I really enjoyed this book. It's the kind of book that reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place. Really well written, an interesting premise and enough twists to keep you invested. It reminded me of those books I would pick up off the shelf in middle school and just be entranced by the world I was transported to. Though the quality and reading level of this book is much higher, the feeling is the same. 

I have to say, the first half of the book, Nella really bugged me. She seemed small, timid and spineless. She kind of just let things happen to her, never standing up for herself, never saying anything, never doing anything, barging in to situations like a child and then saying something weak and unnecessary. Even being cold and mean to those who were trying to extend her a welcoming hand (which was not common). But I think she grew into herself a little more by the end of it, which I was glad to see. 

p.s. The language in this book was generally mild, except two f-bombs from a rather perturbed character in the middle. There is also a scene where Nella walks in on her husband sodom-izing, which you can imagine was unsettling and rather disturbing, as she is married to him. So the descriptions during that part were kind of unsettling and disturbing. There are also a couple passages where Nella, just 18, is imagining what her wedding night will be like/should have been like. Nothing to make you blush, all described with a pretty proper attitude, as is the style of the era. There's also a graphic child birth scene, if that makes you uncomfortable.