Reviews

Doll House by John Hunt

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gatoraly's review

5.0

4.5⭐

I really enjoyed this book although some parts were hard to stomach.

The dog does NOT die. I am bummed to find out I can't read the sequel though due to a dog death.

kehernandez's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

layna15's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

nicolecoyle's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

I’ve seen so many mixed reviews on this book.

I personally don’t understand why some people are rating 1 star.

A lot of the points being raised in the reviews are valid. I do agree there are many grammatical errors, for example. However, I think rating the book 1 star is rather harsh. I personally, was hooked to this book and couldn’t put it down.

The story had a lot of potential although agreeably could have been better written, hence why I have given the book a 3 star rating.

tiiiger35's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

dark & menacing book that made my skin crawl at times. The intensity is anxiety inducing & the brutality, stomach churning. subconsciously I double checked all my doors & windows were locked & the closet empty before bed. It’s been a long time since a book had such a visceral & psychological effect on me.

The pace is fast & delves in to the kidnapping immediately. The kidnappers, the ‘Jackal’ & the ‘Gorilla’ are barbaric monsters, who imprison girls, including the protagonist ’Olivia’, in pink rooms, fit for a ‘doll house’. Within these pink torture chambers the psychopaths inflict 5 years of rape, brutality & psychological warfare on their victims.

These monstrosities of men clearly underestimate just how resilient the human psyche can be, even under extreme duress. Olivias strength & bravery were astonishing during her

escape & rescue of the other girls.

Once free from her own personal hell, it became clear the Jackals all consuming obsession would not relent, it was his driving force to get Olivia & the girls back. Freedom doesn’t come easy after such a soul destroying experience. However, Brutus the German Shepard becomes her saviour, in more ways than one. My only spoiler is the dog survives, I wanted to know this upfront. I hate doggy snuff books/films.

The last part of the novel, is thrilling, the tension created by ‘Hunt’ was palpable. I can’t believe I got the identity of the ‘Jackal’ wrong. Up until the very last moment I thought I’d cracked it.

At times the writing can be a little repetitive & clunky but, overall, a good horror & thriller. I think the cover should definitely come with some trigger warnings. Although the rape scenes aren’t described the horror & gore is still there.

Content Warnings

sea_caummisar's review

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4.0

3.5 rounded up to 4... The beginning was brutal. I loved it bunches. But the rest calmed down and I kept reading just to see who the bad dude was... Some parts felt repetitive, but it was worth finishing