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A review by in_love_with_bookish
Broken Dolls by James Carol
2.0
Broken dolls by James carol was the most unexpected disappointed for me this year. I did not see it coming. I really believed that the book is going to be a new favorite of mine. It turns out I could not be further from the truth. I didn’t hate it but that’s not saying much because I rarely hate books. I didn’t love it either. I didn’t even like it. So where does that leave me? The simple truth is that I did not care, not about the story, not about the characters, not about the ending, not about anything. The book is just blank story for me that I’ll probably forget about by the next day.
The story is forgettable. The plot is so predictable and it lacks the thrill and the suspense this genre is well known for. There’s a lack of urgency and frantic despair to solve the case and the pace is unbelievably boring. I knew exactly how the story is going to end, I just did. These kinds of books are known for their ability to keep you hostage till the final chapter and deliver an emotional thrilling punch that leave you in awe of the genius reveal. Every reveal was like shrugging and saying HUH instead of screaming, what the hell just happened. The lack of twists and turns also contributed to this lackluster average experience. Every important thing that could’ve made the book more suspenseful, I figured out before it was revealed. Let’s count them down:
1. There are two unsubs, one male and one female
2. The character EVE does not actually exist, it’s one of the serial killer’s mind games
3. The female unsub is actually the dominant one
4. They are son and mother
5. Sophie Templeton will get into trouble with the serial killer
6. Jefferson winter will end up killing one or both the unsubs in order to save her
So either I’m genius or the plot is not that complicated. Take your pick
The main character is an ex-FBI profiler and the son of a notorious serial killer who killed fifteen women. So we have a complex dark past that should’ve been exploited better or at least mentioned in a more profound way so we get drawn to the main character more. What I liked about him is that he keeps a clear head during the whole investigation and he’s in control of his emotional response to what’s happening to the victim. And my admiration pretty much ends there. He was too smug, too confident and too detached from the other characters which created a predictable, if not boring dynamic between him and the rest of the characters. The author sometimes dug deeper and revealed a glimpse of the man underneath the facade of the confident successful profiler. I honestly don’t know if that’s enough to lure me in for another book of the series. Definitely not right away, but maybe in the far future there’s a slight chance that I’ll give the books and the character another chance.
The story is forgettable. The plot is so predictable and it lacks the thrill and the suspense this genre is well known for. There’s a lack of urgency and frantic despair to solve the case and the pace is unbelievably boring. I knew exactly how the story is going to end, I just did. These kinds of books are known for their ability to keep you hostage till the final chapter and deliver an emotional thrilling punch that leave you in awe of the genius reveal. Every reveal was like shrugging and saying HUH instead of screaming, what the hell just happened. The lack of twists and turns also contributed to this lackluster average experience. Every important thing that could’ve made the book more suspenseful, I figured out before it was revealed. Let’s count them down:
1. There are two unsubs, one male and one female
2. The character EVE does not actually exist, it’s one of the serial killer’s mind games
3. The female unsub is actually the dominant one
4. They are son and mother
5. Sophie Templeton will get into trouble with the serial killer
6. Jefferson winter will end up killing one or both the unsubs in order to save her
So either I’m genius or the plot is not that complicated. Take your pick
The main character is an ex-FBI profiler and the son of a notorious serial killer who killed fifteen women. So we have a complex dark past that should’ve been exploited better or at least mentioned in a more profound way so we get drawn to the main character more. What I liked about him is that he keeps a clear head during the whole investigation and he’s in control of his emotional response to what’s happening to the victim. And my admiration pretty much ends there. He was too smug, too confident and too detached from the other characters which created a predictable, if not boring dynamic between him and the rest of the characters. The author sometimes dug deeper and revealed a glimpse of the man underneath the facade of the confident successful profiler. I honestly don’t know if that’s enough to lure me in for another book of the series. Definitely not right away, but maybe in the far future there’s a slight chance that I’ll give the books and the character another chance.