Review: Dollhouse by Anya Allyn

Dollhouse

(Dollhouse # 1)

By: Anya Allyn

Pub. Date: September 30, 2012

Publisher: Self

Pages: 373

Source: Netgalley

A dark, Gothic, Young Adult Horror.

Four teenagers chance across a mysterious, crumbling mansion in the depths of the mountains....
- One of them is about to vanish.
- One of them is lying about what he or she knows.
- None of them will escape the fate awaiting them in the terrifying Dollhouse beneath the old mansion--a place of nightmarish horrors and insanity.

A slow-burn nightmare, a world of supernatural darkness and strange secrets.

Six months ago, fifteen-year-old Cassie Claiborne reluctantly moved from her home in Florida with her social worker mom. In her new home--a remote, mountainous Australian town, Cassie meets new friends--Aisha Dumaj, Ethan McAllister and Lacey Dougherty.

For the first time, Cassie falls in love. The only problem is that the boy she falls for is her friend, Ethan--and he and Aisha are already an item. When Cassie goes on a school hike to Devils Hole with her new friends, she tries desperately to keep her feelings for Ethan secret.

Aisha disappears on the hike without a trace--with the police believing she was murdered.

When Cassie, Ethan and Lacey return to the mountains to search for Aisha--Cassie begins to realize she never really knew any of her friends. Everyone has their own secrets. She discovers the stranger lurking inside everyone she thought she knew.

The darkest secret of all waits beneath the old mansion in the mountains--a secret from which there is no escape....

I received this galley from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

One word: creepy. Dolls are creepy, extremely creepy. But human dolls? Even worse. Cassie and her friends stumble upon a mansion in the middle of the woods where they find kidnapped girls who are forced to dress and act like dolls. I almost didn't finish this book. Not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because of how disturbed I was. Dollhouse is a fast read and if you like scary, thriller type books, then I definitely recommend this one for you.

As much as I loved the story, I wasn't a huge fan of the characters. I didn't feel connected to any of them, especially Cassie, the main character. I actually couldn't stand Cassie. She was basically a bitch. Despite this, I still felt their emotions. I felt Cassie's fear like it was my own, making this story even more scarier for me.

The setting was described fantastically. I felt like I was right there in the forest and in the "dollhouse" with them.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.