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A review by mmarlborough
The Dollhouse by Sara Ennis
3.0
3.5 rounded up
Thanks for the ebook Netgalley! I’m glad I read this faced paced thriller. I rooted for the captured children and wanted them to make it out safely and was gripped in their tale of struggle.
Teenage twins Angel and Bud are kidnapped by a dangerous man named Alfred who holds them captive. There is another girl who is also a prisoner in this house of horrors. He calls them “Dolls” and uses them as props for photoshoots to reimagine and change his dark past. Alfred also likes to play sick games with his dolls who have to fight for their lives with everything they have.
The book lost stars for me for two reasons- I wanted way more explanation for the villain’s backstory. I felt like the author lightly scratched the surface on him, his pathology and plight. We spend so much time with Alfred- I really craved a more three dimensional outline of his past.
This book is compared to “Room” often, and while there are similar themes in this book, the stark beauty of Donoghue’s prose is unmatched here. “The Dollhouse” also lost stars for the many typos I saw while reading. All that said, I couldn’t put this book down and look forward to the next in the series. This book is incredibly graphic and will be difficult for some readers (see content warnings below.)
⚠️Trigger Warning: Kidnapping, Murder of a Child, Torture, Violence, Bullying, Suicide, Graphic Murder, Sexual Assault, Animal Death
Thanks for the ebook Netgalley! I’m glad I read this faced paced thriller. I rooted for the captured children and wanted them to make it out safely and was gripped in their tale of struggle.
Teenage twins Angel and Bud are kidnapped by a dangerous man named Alfred who holds them captive. There is another girl who is also a prisoner in this house of horrors. He calls them “Dolls” and uses them as props for photoshoots to reimagine and change his dark past. Alfred also likes to play sick games with his dolls who have to fight for their lives with everything they have.
The book lost stars for me for two reasons- I wanted way more explanation for the villain’s backstory. I felt like the author lightly scratched the surface on him, his pathology and plight. We spend so much time with Alfred- I really craved a more three dimensional outline of his past.
This book is compared to “Room” often, and while there are similar themes in this book, the stark beauty of Donoghue’s prose is unmatched here. “The Dollhouse” also lost stars for the many typos I saw while reading. All that said, I couldn’t put this book down and look forward to the next in the series. This book is incredibly graphic and will be difficult for some readers (see content warnings below.)
⚠️Trigger Warning: Kidnapping, Murder of a Child, Torture, Violence, Bullying, Suicide, Graphic Murder, Sexual Assault, Animal Death