The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton | Lifestyle

I have been on a hunt for a new book, I haven't read a good book for quite sometime and for some reason every time I walk into a book shop nothing stands out to me until I stumbled across The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. 

The blurb reads:- 

"On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives at a grand house in Amsterdam to begin her new life as the wife of wealthy merchant Johannes Brandt. Though curiously distant, he presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations ring eerily true. 

As Nella uncovers the secrets of her new household she realises the escalating dangers they face. The miniaturist seems to hold their fate in her hands - but does she plan to save or destroy them?" 

I like a bit of a mystery, I like to be kept guessing so I was really keen to read this one. So what are my thoughts on this novel? I must admit it's quite a slow start, I mean it's great in the sense it slowly builds up to make sure you have and understanding of the Amsterdam surroundings and the date etc but it was a little too slow for me. You have to read a good half way through the novel before the first secret is revealed. I like the concept of the miniaturist and the dollhouse, it is interesting but I just wanted so much more. 

What this book does really well is the fact it encourages the reader to ask questions, there are lots of little things that don't quite make sense. There are a couple of secrets in the novel that may have not been expected but it's just so slow. I really felt underwhelmed when this book finished, I just wanted it to be a quicker pace and more mystery. The book is set in the 1600s so the secrets that are revealed would have been scandalous back then and it is a sad story but it just wasn't for me. 

Have you read The Miniaturist?