Requested Review: “The Ravishing Miniaturists” by Amber Collins

Good morning everyone,

Welcome to There She Grows. Today’s review of “The Ravishing Miniaturists” was requested in mid-February 2023 by Paul Berry. Right off the bat, let me say that it’s awesome to read a novel-length size story! Back in the 1990s size-themed media was rare. Fans like myself watched HBO’s “Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman” remake wishing it had included at least one explicit scene. We also rented “Attack of the 50 Foot Hooker!” only to be disappointed.

Written size erotica was shared as text files (rich text format or Word doc if you were fancy) on bulletin board systems (BBS) and file transfer protocol (FTP) servers. Because such erotica was rare, it was easy to overlook their shortness. They were brief and lacked character development, engaging plot arcs, etc. However, times have changed! In the modern era there are many authors selling short-form growing and shrinking erotica on Amazon, E-junkie, Gumroad, and Smashwords. Several performers produce clips for sites like ManyVids, OnlyFans, Patreon, etc. Thus, it’s no longer a matter of merely publishing a sexy short story with growing or shrinking to set a work apart. That worked in the 1990s, but now art and short stories with those themes are freely available on DeviantArt and Twitter. So, if a creator wants to stand apart from the rest they need to do something different, like create a novel.

Since this is a novel this review will be a bit more circumspect. Short videos sold on Clips4Sale often give away all the important details in the description. However, that’s not the case with Ravishing Miniaturists. This does have twists and turns that would be a shame to give away. So, this description will be a little vague to avoid spoilers.

The Ravishing Miniaturists was published at Amazon on February 1st of this year, not long before Paul Berry made this request. (SIDE NOTE: This was first released in multiple parts on Amber’s Patreon.)

There were several fantastical physical transformations. People grew and shrank to various heights ranging from tiny to truly titanic! There were also numerous instances of involuntary gender bending. Some violence was involved with people being killed and tortured as well as numerous structures being leveled. That noted, none of the violence felt gratuitous or overly graphic. Several sex scenes were also provided plus many people grew out of buildings and shank out of clothing. There was also a steam-powered aesthetic, particularly in the second half, which was appropriate for the Victorian era.

Things get crazy toward the later half with escalating consequences and the involvement of additional parties with divine powers. This was a fun read with lots of conflict and drama. Thus, The Ravishing Miniaturists is recommended.

However, no work is perfect. In this case, the most crucial problem was the main character, Scott Parker. Scott had too little agency for a protagonist. Important things happened to him, but he didn’t make any choices. Scott was abducted and shrank against his will and later on undergoes further significant changes without his consent. It’s not like he made a conscious choice to risk his life or to sacrifice himself for the greater good. He felt like an unfortunate bystander caught in the middle of the action. So, he made for a weak hero. The romance between Scott and a woman was also underdeveloped and felt more like Stockholm syndrome than a healthy relationship.

Superficial issues included the inclusion of the year whenever the action moved to a different location. That was unnecessary because this entire novel took place in a single year, 1890. However, 1890 was listed over 40 different times! Initially, I assumed that the year was listed because at some point we would leap forward in time or the narrative would smoothly transition into 1891. However, that wasn’t the case. Everything occurred within a single year so repeating the date ad nauseam became tiresome. Preferably, the year would be given only once at the beginning and readers could then assume that the events took place in the same year.

There was also a character called “Abbigail” with an unusual spelling. Most often in this story her name was spelled with two b’s, but it was also listed with a single “b” at one point.

Google the proper spelling of “Abbigail” and it appears that “Abigail” is the “correct” rendition. That said, maybe it was spelled differently in the Victorian era? The name Abigail dates back over 2,000 years to the Old Testament so that explanation is unlikely. Of course, authors can spell names uniquely to add flair. Personally, I love the name of DC Comic’s 25th century supervillain Eobard Thawne (a.k.a. Reverse-Flash), because “Eobard” sounds like a futuristic version of the modern “Edward.” However, Abbigail looks like a misspelling and made my eye twitch.

Additionally, a female member of the Ravishing Miniaturists previously was the infamous serial killer “Jack the Ripper.” Which made it hard to sympathize with her since the real Jack the Ripper brutally assaulted and murdered many women. The Ravishing Miniaturists were a small team of independent women striving to exercise power in an era dominated by men, even though this took place under the rule of a female monarch. So, it was weird that one of their members had established a grisly reputation for slaughtering women. Jack the Ripper only killed women, not men. Not that killing men would have been any better, but it would have at least been more in keeping with the goals of the Ravishing Miniaturists.

Lastly, the disappearances caused by the Ravishing Miniaturists were publicly attributed to the “Black Nurse,” but it wasn’t clear where that name originated. The use of the name Black Nurse for the Ravishing Miniaturists was unnecessary and the narrative would have been more concise if only one name had been used for the group of ladies who shrink men.

Altogether though, the positives outweighed the negatives. The Ravishing Miniaturists can be purchased for $7.99 at the following link: https://www.amazon.com/Ravishing-Miniaturists-Amber-Collins-ebook/dp/B0BQJPLT2D or read via Kindle Unlimited.

That’s it for today folks. Next week’s review will cover a growing giantess video. Until then, keep growing!

This review was written by SolomonG and is protected under Fair Use copyright law.

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