Having finished this book I'm not sure how I feel about it. The book had a lot of hype around it, which I am always wary of as it often drives high expectations from me that books sometimes don't live up to. But I have found myself coming to the end of the book and finding it somewhat lacking. This is a shame as historical fiction isn't a first choice of mine but this started out enjoyable and I was left with a good feel for the setting without being overburdened. The characters were interesting and you got to know them well and I got vested in their journey through the book but I felt the emotional tie to them was somehow lacking? There were a number of good twists which I didn't see coming though which I did enjoy. But I felt the character of the miniturist was never really explored. There is lots of mystery around them but it felt like that thread if the story just wasn't finished off. 

3.5

My issue with this book is I was waiting for it to explain to me how the heroine, Nella, suddenly had a good and understanding relationship with other characters especially his husband Johannes and his sister Marin. I felt like I lost some of the development. It couldve made the book like 70% better if their relationships were covered more and were challenged enough.
And Jack Philips is the most villain of them all, in my own understanding. It's hard to forgive him even with our empathy that he was also a victim of the cruel time. I was waiting for an elaborated end of what happened with him and Johanne's case but the book kept it mysterious so I had no choice but to keep my own conclusion.

This is not fast paced but I read this so fast cuz the writing is fairly accessible. I also love Amsterdam, the authors descriptions and atmosphere are great. I think this the first historical fiction I read that is in Amsterdam.

The miniaturist is the main source of mystery in this book and I wish we had discovered a little more about them by the end of it. I also wish we had been given an epilogue of what happens to the characters after the end of the book. I guess what I’m saying is that this is a mysterious book with lots of secrets that doesn’t feel resolved enough for me at the end, despite a few big reveals along the way. 

Beautifully sad, I was expecting a happy ending, or a big reveal, and I think too late I realized I wouldn't get one. There is an air of mystery that truly feels immersive, you feel as if you are Nella in this story rather than a reader. 

This was SUCH a good book - full of unexpected discoveries that make you pause your reading marathon for a while to process it all. It also makes you feel like you're trying to solve family mysteries in 17th-century Amsterdam. Odd I know, but such a page-turner. Also, THERE IS A SECOND ONE youhou! (I have not read it yet, but hey: that's a happy surprise).

I bought this book a few years ago, began reading it, and stopped. It seemed like it would be good but I only read the first chapter because it didn’t feel like the right time to read it. 

On the one hand, I’m glad I waited until the time felt right for it so I could appreciate it fully - on the other hand I am so angry that I could have loved and appreciated this book for longer had I stuck with it.

It’s the story of Nella, a young rural woman who has been married off to a wealthy man. She moves to the city of Amsterdam to live with him. However, there are many secrets in the house. Her sister-in-law is cold, the house staff are standoffish, her husband is physically and emotionally distant. Then her husband presents her with a strange wedding gift; a tiny dolls house replica of the house she has moved to. When she contacts a Miniaturist to request items to furnish the tiny house, she begins to receive strange parcels and the secrets around her begin to unravel…

I found the prose of this book so immersive; magical and whimsical in parts, and achingly melancholic in others. It’s such a striking tale of love, in all of its strange, complex and muddied forms. It’s also a heartbreaking tale of longing, loneliness, and the strain of keeping up appearances at a time when it is dangerous to be different. The character development is also marvellous, with each of the house members having their own unique part to play in the tale. Some of the secondary characters felt like primary ones. 

Overall, I adored this book and would absolutely recommend it.

This book was such a page turner, couldn't put it down or stop thinking about it. The mystery was always so high and so much interesting things got uncovered. Didn't see most coming at all. 
Nella was a great character to follow but I enjoyed Johannes more, Marin too though and Toot, all of them were good lol.
For my first proper historical fiction it was a great start in the genre.