So here's the thing. This book is actually excellently written, as far as the prose goes. I got about 40% of the way through the book, however, and decided that I wasn't enjoying it any more than I had been when I first started, and after looking at a couple of reviews (with and without spoilers), I decided this wasn't the book for me, and that continuing would simply not be worth it. I'm reading slow enough as it is these days; I don't need to spend my time reading something I'm not LOVING. There's simply not enough time to read all the books that I WILL enjoy!

Anyway, I have some thoughts, and none of them are particularly bad. They just contribute to the very "meh" feeling that I got from this book.

I'll start with our characters. Nella is simply not that interesting to read about. She's a very simple girl. I won't say her thoughts are simple, because this is a book that delves into social issues that are actually quite advanced for its time. But she's very passive. It was very hard to figure out what her personality was, if she ever really had one at all. I know I didn't finish the book, but I got a decent part of the way through reading from her perspective and I still don't know much about her and all her little nuances. At the same time, while she lacked depth, I didn't feel inclined to learn much more about her, because there was no hook to catch me to begin with.

I also couldn't tell if Nella was plain or full of some hidden spark. At times, she said some witty remarks, but they also seemed to come straight out of left field. She would get feisty in her replies at the most random times, and it felt more like the author was writing those replies in because that would be the "cool" and "empowering" thing to say, rather than something the character herself would actually say. Because at other times, and this was most of the time, Nella, for all her insight, felt rather diminutive and passive, almost like a ghost in her own life, in her own story. Stiff. Those startling moments of fierceness didn't linger for long, and were quickly quenched by being a victim of the times. I recognize that this book takes place in the seventeenth century, so it's not all that unusual. But it just didn't...captivate me. The constant fluctuations were not usually accompanied by Nella feeling like she'd finally won the upper hand and was learning about her own autonomy; it just came out of nowhere and then was gone.

As for the other characters, none of them appealed. Maybe Otto and Cornelia, but not even them enough to want to read more of the book, especially as they are merely side characters. Marin bothered the shit out of me; she is not in the least bit likeable, and while it feels like the place I'd stopped at was building towards some kind of explanation towards that...I really didn't care enough to even speculate. Johannes bothered me at first as well, because of his cold regard towards Nella. It felt very much as it should have been for the time period, but that didn't make it any more tolerable. When I finally learned WHY he was behaving the way he did for her, I was able to cut him some slack. Because his reasons were valid, given the time period. But I still didn't care for him. I still would have preferred to read about...other characters.

Then we have the plot of the book itself. Which...wasn't all that great either? I mean, I get that this book talks about some pretty important topics. But I didn't feel like it was expressed in a format that set it apart from everything else. If you asked me what stood out most about this story, I'd say: sugar, and Nella incessantly harping on the fact that she wants to have sex with Johannes, because "that's how it should be." The sugar aspect lost me very early on, so by the time I got to where I ended, I feel like I barely understood why that was a central part of the plot (if it was at all). And I really didn't care about Nella and her problems. The miniaturist was vaguely interesting, but not enough to keep me reading. And when I read other people's reviews, I realized that mystery wasn't even worth reading for, because apparently you don't get a satisfactory end to it.

Another thing; the setting is probably a major part of the book's charm, right? I mean, that's what we all look for in a good historical fiction novel. And don't get me wrong, this book painted a decent picture of Amsterdam in the 17th century. Especially given that Nella was not used to living in a big city like that. But I find that that's a time period and place that doesn't interest me. And neither does the VOC, which is kind of a central part to the novel. I'd rather read from other places and time periods, so that also leads me to believe that this just isn't the book for me.

Like I said earlier, this book is actually very well written. Or at least, it is if we're talking about the prose. But it moves slowly. The pacing is off. And given how little I liked the characters, and given the fact that almost all of them lacked some kind of depth, it was difficult finding any feeling in the story despite the beautifully written words the author laid down for us. I can see why other people would like this book, and I don't find any aspect of it to be problematic, honestly. I just don't feel like it had what I was looking for in a historical fiction novel, and I don't think it's worth continuing. I think others might like it, so don't let my review (or the semi low goodreads rating) discourage you. But I think I wanted something...different.