“Something happens to you when you read this. You will be changed. It’s. Just. That. Amazing.” -Nancy Holder, NYTimes Best-selling Author of BUFFY: THE MAKING OF A SLAYER ~The DARK CAROUSEL series is a heart-stopping saga, a mix of the chill of American Horror Story and the fantastical elements of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
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Three friends search for a missing girl in the … Children.
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Note: (A different version of this book was published in 2014 in eBook format only by Paper Lantern Lit. This updated version (including a print version) has only been available since January 2017)
Three friends search for a missing girl in the forest, unaware of the deadly trap lying in wait for them.
Vintage dolls hanging from branches in the deep of the forest lead to a crumbling mansion. Beneath the mansion lies a macabre, life-sized dollhouse that is filled with trapped girls, ghostly beings and things that shouldn’t exist.
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Every nightmare comes to life in the chilling descent into horror that is the Dollhouse.
Note: (A different version of this book was published in 2014 in eBook format only by Paper Lantern Lit. This updated version (including a print version) has only been available since January 2017)
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Omg……easily the best book I have read this year. Absolutely incredible storyline and imaginative characters. I’m going to delve straight into book 2. This is without a doubt an author to watch out for.
When I first read the book, I was kinda skeptical. Would I like it? It is hard to find books that are ME. But this book is beyond amazing! There are no words to describe how much I love it and keep re-reading it! FIVE STARS
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, Ethan, 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 Ethan being accused of her disappearance, Lacy, Ethan, 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. Ethan 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
This book started out okay, but it really drags on. It could have been better with more excitement and less hum-drum.
very good read. Unpredictable.Surprise ending
This is a chilling tale of missing girls, a crumbling mansion set in deep woods; filled with an eerie underground dollhouse. Inside are giant Toys that seem to move on their own, odd people that come and go, whispers in the shadows. Trapped within the strange house, Cassie must discover the way out by understanding lost secrets hidden in the dollhouse before dark shadows claim her and her friends as its next victims. Highly recommended.
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This is the first in a series, so the book ended a little abruptly. I find myself wanting to buy the next book, but this one was kinda scary for me (I’m a fully adult woman) so I haven’t yet. It was fast paced and easy to read.
This book was weird! But once you got into it, you kept reading it to find out what happened and then wanted more. I’m afraid in the next installment i’m going to find out more bad things about the characters that I really like….
Definitely a different story line. found it to be an interesting book
I thought it was a very good read. It had twists and turns. The author did a wonderful job building the world. The only thing I didn’t care for is that it is a cliff hanger. That is quite frustrating! Otherwise it would be five stars!
This was a nail-biting, hold on to your seat, heart-pounding, and thrilling ride. I have not read a book so in depth and descriptive in ages. It is chilling and will make you shiver.
An odd storyline with great characters. An easy read that’s highly entertaining but not thought provoking. Perfect travel reading!
Not exactly high prose, but readable and contains a high creepy factor, especially for folks who think haunted clowns and dolls are scary.
This story had a lot of potential with supernatural plot lines that were thrown away. It’s a good idea that gets rushed and not explored when it should have been. As it is, this book was ok.
Disjointed, almost as if the author was making it up as she went along. A LOT did not make any kind of sense, nor was it consistent. Don’t waste your time.
I didn’t realize this was a YA book. It was good nonetheless.
Enjoyed the book, a page turner, I couldn’t put down until the end. Will be sure to watch for more books from this author
Kind of bizarre, but I like bizarre.
took to long to get going. became more fantasy horror than a horror novel for me. lost my interest.