The July Book Club – But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

Buckle up for book club this month because we’re reading Hache Pueyo’s novella But Not Too Bold. We’ll be meeting on July 10th at 7PM ET.

But Not Too Bold is the sapphic Bluebeard retelling that happens when you throw Angela Carter, Mexican Gothic, Gaudi, and a bunch of spiders into a blender. It was originally written in Brazilian Portuguese and translated into English by Pueyo.

We cannot emphasize enough: content warning for spiders. If you cannot do spiders, skip this one!

Here’s the official writeup:

“The Shape of Water meets Mexican Gothic in this sapphic monster romance novella wrapped in gothic fantasy trappings.

The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House⁠—Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides. Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor’s execution, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.

But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.”

Here are some of the reviews:

“An intoxicating feast for anyone who has found beauty in the monstrous.”―Cassandra Khaw

“Pueyo weaves an exquisite web of a tale, full of enigmatic characters, eerie atmosphere and all-consuming passion.”―Laura Pohl

“Pueyo knows exactly how to blend darkness and evil with cuteness and gorgeous prose. . . . A master of Latin American dark fiction.”―Renan Bernardo

We will not lie to you, 90% of why we’re reading this one is because Sara read it over the weekend and needs to talk about it. The writing is stunning, the setting is ridiculously amazing Spanish Gothic, and it’s wildly creative. Do we buy the romance? NOPE. Do we care? NOPE. Let’s get into this truly bizarre, lush, fascinating little novella!

If you would like to join us, make sure you’re on the $7+ tier on our Patreon for the month of July!