A review by rg9400
The Dollmakers by Lynn Buchanan

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I think the first 80% of this book is fantastic. It features a flawed main character where the story is fully aware of those flaws, and I think the way I viewed Shean shifted throughout the book is a testament to the strength of that. It also features another interesting character who I found immensely loveable, and the interactions between these characters throughout is very compelling. At its heart, this is a story about learning your path and finding a home, and it nails those cozy-ish vibes while still having intense and almost horrific moments. This balance between cutesy and horrific is very Studio Ghibli-esque which makes sense as it's a large influence for Lynn Buchanan. My problem is that in the last 20%, we suddenly start to get a ton of lore and worldbuilding. I didn't find this as engaging for a few reasons. First, I think the mysterious nature of the magic works a lot better, especially considering the Ghibli comparison. Second, it's ostensibly a standalone, so all of the lore feels like setup dumped after the fact, and I'm not sure if we'll end up getting a sequel anyways. It also results in a specific character getting more prominence despite being kind of shoehorned into the story, which draws focus away from our main duo a bit. I think the emotional core, the themes, and character growths are fantastic, and the setting is whimsical and strange and good enough to service that without needing all this elaborate explanation. I really liked it, but that negative, especially because it's almost entirely loaded into the ending, prevents me from labelling it a favorite.