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lourdes_chapters_we_love's review against another edition
4.0
4.5* This story was creepy but I loved it. My only con the ending Well, I'm not sure yet how I feel about it but overall great read.
Review - https://chapterswelove.com/2017/05/10/the-dolls-eye-by-marina-cohen/
Review - https://chapterswelove.com/2017/05/10/the-dolls-eye-by-marina-cohen/
_dinosaur's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The mystery whad build in a really interesting way with the switch between Hadley (main character) and the girl who have lived in the same house before her. Some moments where kida creepy or could be disturbing . I would recommend this book to someone who is minimum 12 years old
ally_camel's review
Creepy as heck. Gave me the same uncomfortable feeling as R.L. Stein's Goosebumps.
riotbatgrrl's review
4.0
Most of the book was fine. There were some plot points that didn't matter to the story as a whole, and I never COULD figure out how big the dolls/dollhouse were supposed to be. I also wasn't fond of the chapters set in the past -- they sort of ruined the buildup of tension because they were just abruptly there, even though I definitely understand why they were included. I also noticed some inconsistencies in the world-building, like some of the people who disappeared were remembered and others weren't. Like, the previous family had gone missing... but Hadley's stepfather and stepbrother were also turned into dolls and no one knew who she was talking about? A little bit more consistency would have been nice, particularly in light of the ending. Also, WHY DIDN'T ALTHEA USE HER DAD'S EYE?! That would have been a stronger story decision! But it also probably would have worked, and I guess the doctor took it with him? But not the nasty bloody bandages from the enucleation? I don't know. I just wanted her to use her dad's eye.
That said, this book has one of the ballsiest endings for a middle-grade horror book I think I've ever read.Most middle-grade authors won't do straight-up unhappy endings. If it's not a happy ending, it's at least bittersweet; if it's not at least bittersweet, it's actually a cliffhanger because there's going to be a sequel where everything turns out all right in the end. Not so in this book! Hadley got herself into a big mess, and she can't fix it. She asks people for help, and it doesn't work. Nope, our protagonist gets turned into a doll and forced to live in a dollhouse, and it is very likely that the people she'd asked for help won't remember her at all. No sequel hook. No chance of fixing it herself. And when a new family inevitably moves into the house and a new child inevitably finds the dollhouse, Hadley and her family will be thrown in the trunk. It's delightfully hopeless, and I commend Marina Cohen for being willing to end her book this way. I get the feeling a lot of readers won't like the ending, but I absolutely loved it.
One last thought: Ed and Isaac should have been killed in some gruesome way to really follow the Monkey's Paw inspiration.
That said, this book has one of the ballsiest endings for a middle-grade horror book I think I've ever read.
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