THE MISADVENTURES OF AN AMATEUR NATURALIST | Ceinwen Langley
I read this book in one sitting.
Okay, that’s a lie. I started this book last night, fell asleep when I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, and then rolled over this morning and picked it up again immediately. I got halfway through the book before I placed a pre-order for the hardcover copy (releasing on September 1, 2021!). Every cup of tea I made to drink while I read The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist went cold, because I could not for the life of me stop reading for long enough to drink them.
Did Ceinwen Langley look into my brain and create a book specifically designed for me and everyone like me – namely, people with excellent taste? I think so. The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist is full to the brim of gutsy women who make bold choices, who go after their own happiness with both hands. It’s got monster women. It’s got smart women. It’s got… everything I could ever want.
If I had to classify this book, I would call it historical romance fiction with a dollop of fantasy. If you look at it askance, it’s a lesbian retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Which – I’m already on board with. Even if that was all you told me, I would be all over it like a rash. But this book is so much more than that.
The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist tells the story of Celeste, a young, wealthy French woman who dreams of attending science spectaculars and learning alongside the greatest minds of her generation. She’s a naturalist, she studies animals and insects and other things besides, and she has great dreams of travelling the world, learning everything there is to know. But her father is keeping a secret from her, and that secret is big enough to destroy all her hopes – until she is proposed to by the perfect man. Except she doesn’t love him. She doesn’t love any man.
Girl, same.
So she escapes. She runs, straight into the den of a beast, unlike any she or anyone else has ever seen before. Do you see where I’m going with this?
This book is so well-written and the characters are so wonderfully fleshed-out that I truly felt like I was experiencing everything alongside them. I adore Celeste and admire her bold and brave choices. The conversation between her and the beast were a perfect dance – I would have read chapter upon chapter of their banter.
I will say this - the book starts slow. The main action of the story doesn't really start until halfway through the book. But, to me, that is not a negative. I got a solid introduction to Celeste and her family and friends, her past, and her story. She is, after all, the reason I wanted to keep reading. I think her tale will resonate with a lot of people who don't fit the way society wants them to fit.
There is so much heart in the pages of this book, and it’s definitely a story I will read again and again. The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist has wormed its way into my favourites shelf and I am absolutely beseeching you to give it a read. You will not be disappointed. Five glowing, shining stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Feed the Writer Press for providing me with this ARC.
Did Ceinwen Langley look into my brain and create a book specifically designed for me and everyone like me – namely, people with excellent taste? I think so. The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist is full to the brim of gutsy women who make bold choices, who go after their own happiness with both hands. It’s got monster women. It’s got smart women. It’s got… everything I could ever want.
If I had to classify this book, I would call it historical romance fiction with a dollop of fantasy. If you look at it askance, it’s a lesbian retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Which – I’m already on board with. Even if that was all you told me, I would be all over it like a rash. But this book is so much more than that.
The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist tells the story of Celeste, a young, wealthy French woman who dreams of attending science spectaculars and learning alongside the greatest minds of her generation. She’s a naturalist, she studies animals and insects and other things besides, and she has great dreams of travelling the world, learning everything there is to know. But her father is keeping a secret from her, and that secret is big enough to destroy all her hopes – until she is proposed to by the perfect man. Except she doesn’t love him. She doesn’t love any man.
Girl, same.
So she escapes. She runs, straight into the den of a beast, unlike any she or anyone else has ever seen before. Do you see where I’m going with this?
This book is so well-written and the characters are so wonderfully fleshed-out that I truly felt like I was experiencing everything alongside them. I adore Celeste and admire her bold and brave choices. The conversation between her and the beast were a perfect dance – I would have read chapter upon chapter of their banter.
I will say this - the book starts slow. The main action of the story doesn't really start until halfway through the book. But, to me, that is not a negative. I got a solid introduction to Celeste and her family and friends, her past, and her story. She is, after all, the reason I wanted to keep reading. I think her tale will resonate with a lot of people who don't fit the way society wants them to fit.
There is so much heart in the pages of this book, and it’s definitely a story I will read again and again. The Misadventures of an Amateur Naturalist has wormed its way into my favourites shelf and I am absolutely beseeching you to give it a read. You will not be disappointed. Five glowing, shining stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Feed the Writer Press for providing me with this ARC.
