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A review by eserafina42
The Dollhouse by Sara Ennis
3.0
At the beginning of The Dollhouse, two teenagers, twins Angel and Bud, are kidnapped by a woman named Jennifer. They find themselves in the basement of with another girl (Olivia) and discover that their function is to recreate scenes from the childhood of Jennifer’s partner Alfred, who calls them his “dolls,” in a twisted effort to exorcise the demons of his past.
Meanwhile, Olivia’s father, a journalist, reaches out to the twins’ mother, explaining that he sees similarities in their situations that lead him to believe that the same person or people are behind both kidnappings. The rest of the book switches between the perspectives of the teenagers, those looking for them, and a high-school teacher named Edward whose role only becomes clear near the end, culminating in a breathless race against time to save them before Alfred decides that he is finished with his "dolls."
This book was well written but I found the middle section almost too much to stomach, as graphic violence was inflicted upon the captives. I was almost ready to give up when the focus changed and it improved - I mainly wanted to find out what motivated Jennifer, which does become clear later on, although I did find this situation a bit of a cliché. Three stars rounded down from 3.5 due to what seemed to me to be excessive dwelling on the torture scenes.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Meanwhile, Olivia’s father, a journalist, reaches out to the twins’ mother, explaining that he sees similarities in their situations that lead him to believe that the same person or people are behind both kidnappings. The rest of the book switches between the perspectives of the teenagers, those looking for them, and a high-school teacher named Edward whose role only becomes clear near the end, culminating in a breathless race against time to save them before Alfred decides that he is finished with his "dolls."
This book was well written but I found the middle section almost too much to stomach, as graphic violence was inflicted upon the captives. I was almost ready to give up when the focus changed and it improved - I mainly wanted to find out what motivated Jennifer, which does become clear later on, although I did find this situation a bit of a cliché. Three stars rounded down from 3.5 due to what seemed to me to be excessive dwelling on the torture scenes.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.