Mostly fantastic read, enjoyed almost every minute. Jessie Burton effortlessly immerses the reader in the vibrant yet ruthless world of 17th century Amsterdam, which perfectly houses the central narrative of a young woman trying to find her purpose in a merciless, greed-fueled society, where love and freedom seem equally absent, especially for women, a society both strikingly different and eerily similar to today's (6'3 btw). 

The unique concept of a miniaturist who seems to predict the future plays a surprisingly limited role in the story, which devotes itself primarily to the changing relationships and fortunes of its characters. I feel this was the right decision, however, as the characters are all incredibly written, fascinatingly complex and thoroughly empathetic, allowing for a character-driven narrative full of twists and turns that at several stages had me saying "no way" our loud to the annoyance of everyone on the flight on which I read a large portion of the book.

This could have been a perfect novel, if not for one small problem: the ending, or it's lack thereof.
Throughout the story Burton's presence could always be felt, you could always tell what she wanted to say or show. However the books rather depressing, inconclusive ending left me wondering what exactly the point of this novel was. Ambiguity is one thing, if you're left with enough to chew on, but in this case every major question is either answered with the predictable, worst outcome, or a surprising lack of attention or care from the author. We are left with no message, no catharsis, and no idea how we're supposed to feel. It feels less like the book ends and more that it just stops, like Burton reached a deadline and just quickly threw an ending together without any plan or thought.

In particular, the miniaturist is entirely forgotten about, except for a vague hint at the end which explains nothing of her purpose, her abilities or what exactly the point of her being there was.
As I said, I had no problem with her being sidelined during the story as at f rst she still served a clear purpose, and all her actions still impacted the plot and characters in a major way. But the complete absence of any involvement of the miniaturist in the  climax of the novel is incredibly underwhelming, and the sci-fi/fantasy fan in me couldn't help wondering how much better an ending we could have had if Burton had chosen to utilize such an inventive concept more, and double down on the supernatural undertones of the novel as the plot progressed, rather than just get rid of them without explanation.
 In the end we are left with neither an explanation nor a sense of mystery regarding the miniaturist, but rather a feeling that the author only used that character as a device to plug up what would otherwise be plot-holes, and keep the otherwise sturdy dam that is this novel's story from collapsing.

Overall, though the majority of the novel is incredibly well crafted and structurally sound, the clear weakness of its ending makes it impossible to turn away from it without a deep sense of unease.