Strange

This first book I've read by this author. While I found a book a little strange I am looking forward to reading more of her books. ( )

“A penny for a spool of thread
A penny for a needle
A penny for the blood so red
That trickles down like treacle
-P”
― Anya Allyn, Dollhouse

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.
This is a story that follows Callie after her and her friends end up trapped in what is basically a lifesized dollhouse, with a few others that had gone missing over the years. Here they are forced to dress as dolls and be good toys. Bad toys end up on the shelf or in the toy box. A place where one girl seems to have all the power and dolls come to life. A place that seems to have no escape no matter how hard they look.
Wow. This book sure lived up to my expectations. A dark, gothic, horror, though not scary exactly, mostly just seriously creepy and twisted. I couldn't put it down, and went back and bought the rest of series on kindle. The whole time I read it I had a kind of slow song, that I can't name, going through my head. It fit the mood of the book, which is probably why it was there. How has this not been in my life before. Due to how the book ended, I'm not sure where the series is going to go from here but I can't wait to find out.
How I choose my rating:
1* Hated it. Had to force myself to finish it.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!! ( )

I had been in a book funk for awhile, so when someone recommended Dollhouse by Anya Allyn, I thought I'd give it a try. It seemed right up my alley, and luckily, I wasn't disappointed!

I loved the plot of Dollhouse! Cassie, Evan, Aisha, and Lacey are all friends from school. One day they venture out in the forest. Aisha leaves the group and ventures further into the forest. The three others look for Aisha, but it's like she's vanished. With the cops not being able to find Aisha and Evan being accused of her disappearance, Lacy, Evan, and Cassie go back to the forest to look for her. They find a huge mansion and decide to go in it to search for Aisha. However, what they find is a secret passage that leads into a real life dollhouse where the girls are all forced to look like dolls to appease Jessamine, the leader of the dolls and toys. Getting in was easy, but getting out will be the hard part.

The world building was done beautifully. I felt like I was right there beside each character as the plot unfolded as well as the emotions each character would feel. While the book started out slow, it wasn't long before the action quickly picked up, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. There were a couple of times where the pacing became a bit too quick during the action unfolding where I felt a bit lost with what was going on, but the pacing quickly corrected itself. There are a few plot twists that I never saw coming, and there are a few that are semi-predictable. However, I enjoyed everything as well as trying to figure out what was going on. I feel that Dollhouse could be read as a standalone, but as it's a series, it's best to read all the books in the Dark Carousel series if you need one hundred percent closure and more back story.

I loved each and every character featured in Dollhouse. Each character had enough backstory to be fleshed out very well. I believe every character also acted their appropriate age. Cassie was such a strong lead character, and I admired her tenacity to do whatever it took to find a way out. Her loyalty to her friends was noble, and her resolve to not give up was an inspiration. Evan was another character that had the same traits as Cassie. He wanted to protect the girls and didn't care what would happen to himself. I wouldn't say he was reckless though. Missouri and Philly were my favorite characters even though they weren't the main ones. Missouri wanted to protect everyone, and I loved how much of a mother figure she was to little Philly. Jessamine was an awesome antagonist. I loved reading about her so much, and I also loved trying to figure out her backstory. (The bulk of Jessamine's backstory is featured in the second book of the series, Paper Dolls.) There were times when I actually felt sorry for Jessamine, but she was quite selfish. I would have loved to learn more about how Donovan (the man who lived in the mansion the living dollhouse was in) fits into the whole narrative, but perhaps that will be explained throughout the rest of the series. Another thing I really loved about Dollhouse was that the stuffed animals and the wooden clown came to life and were beyond life sized. I felt that was a pretty awesome (and spooky) touch.

Trigger warnings for Dollhouse include fear, kidnapping, some violence, ghosts, druggings, death, and murder.

Overall, Dollhouse was a fantastic fast-paced read that I didn't want to put down. Once the pacing picks up, it's easy to devour in just one setting with its fantastic cast of characters and great narrative. I would definitely recommend Dollhouse by Anya Allyn to those aged 14 and older who love to get lost in a spooky well written story. ( )

Young children are going missing. When another disappears, her friends decide to try and find her in a mansion in the hills. But they aren't prepared for what lies buried beneath the house. ( )

I am not sure why I really did not like this book. It was a very hard read for me. I thought that it started out slow but I never felt like I was never able to truly get into the book. This book was free which was good because I think I would have been a little upset with it if I would have purchased the book.

I thought that the book not only dragged along but I forgot where I was at many places and really just wanted to DNF the book. Because this is something that I NEVER do (unless it is so bad that I can't read it because of editing issues). I thought that the book was boring and where I thought it would be exciting it wasn't.

I just did not like the book!


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