The House of Fortune - Jessie Burton

Here it is - the long anticipated sequel to The Miniaturist and oh my, was it fabulous! Firstly, I was over the moon to bag this signed hardback edition with sprayed edges, which makes the reading experience even more special.

The House of Fortune is set 18 years after the events of The Miniaturist, and Nella Brandt lives with her niece Thea and her father Otto, as well as their housekeeper Cornelia - much loved characters we remember well from the first novel. With their money dwindling and their reputation only just repairing itself after the scandal of the first book, Nella and Otto are becoming desperate. Now that Thea is of age, Nella plans to marry her niece well and save her from bankruptcy. She has sold most of the paintings in the house in an attempt to stay afloat, and though Nella owns her family estate in Assendelft, she will not sell it. Thea, meanwhile, escapes from the tension of the household to the comfort of the theatre.

Within the playhouse's walls, Thea has found love in a set painter named Walter. Though he is not the suitor her guardians had in mind, she is fierce in her love and will risk all for this seemingly perfect man. Yet when strange miniature objects begin arriving on Thea's doorstep, she is reminded of eerie tales of an elusive miniaturist whom her aunt Nella once knew...

This novel is just perfect - the beautiful setting of Amsterdam, the thrill of the theatre and the mystery of a strange dollmaker reappearing after 18 years. As always, Burton's storytelling is well-paced, gripping and bursting with glorious imagery. Please tell me there will be a third novel?!