Review: Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days by Will Bashor

Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days

by Will Bashor

Release Date: August 1st, 2016

2016 Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Hardcover Edition; 398 Pages

ISBN: 978-1442254992

ASIN: B01JNA753C

Audiobook: B0741PKD4H

Genre: Non-Fiction / Historical / French Revolution

Source: Copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

This compelling book begins on the 2nd of August 1793, the day Marie Antoinette was torn from her family s arms and escorted from the Temple to the Conciergerie, a thick-walled fortress turned prison. It was also known as the waiting room for the guillotine because prisoners only spent a day or two here before their conviction and subsequent execution. The ex-queen surely knew her days were numbered, but she could never have known that two and a half months would pass before she would finally stand trial and be convicted of the most ungodly charges. Will Bashor traces the final days of the prisoner registered only as Widow Capet, No. 280, a time that was a cruel mixture of grandeur, humiliation, and terror. Marie Antoinette's reign amidst the splendors of the court of Versailles is a familiar story, but her final imprisonment in a fetid, dank dungeon is a little-known coda to a once-charmed life. 

 

My Thoughts

Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days is a very moving, emotional, and perturbing account of the final days of Marie Antoinette's life and the 'trial' she endured before being sent to the guillotine. I have read countless biographies of this time period as well as studied it in university, including having to write a huge research paper on the causes of the French Revolution, so I am very familiar with this time period and the players involved. Despite knowing the end for this woman, it still gives me shivers knowing how people were treated during this time period and how no one, and I mean no one, was safe. 

 

This account focuses on her last seventy-six days and doesn't discuss the frivolity of her life while she was Queen, nor does it discuss the downfall of the royal family except to how it pertains to what happened during this time period, something that I appreciated as it would have gotten bogged down in too many details.  It also doesn't really talk too much about what happened to the rest of her family except as to how it affected Marie Antoinette and what she was suffering while waiting for trial, and honestly, knowing what happened to the prince, I was glad to have those details not explained in detail in this book.  The author did a great job at focusing on Marie Antoinette, her suffering, the attempts at rescue, the consequences of those attempts, and how she kept her dignity throughout the ordeal. 

 

Even knowing the conditions to which she was kept, I think this was the first time I actually read the full details and it is definitely a distressing account. The cell in which she was kept was below the level of the Seine and it was cold and damp, an environment that further exacerbated the illness from which she was suffering.  She was denied a lot of comforts and suffered quite a bit, but considering her previous lavish lifestyle, she bore it with grace and dignity, being kind to everyone around her. The trial was very well explained and I read the accounts from people knowing the end result would be the same despite there being really nothing against her.  Those in charge did their best to humiliate her, but she kept her dignity throughout the trial and I can't even imagine what this cost her, both physically and emotionally. 

 

The author has presented a very well-researched account of the last days of this reviled queen and I appreciated the way he tried to show both sides to what happened, never denying Marie Antoinette's guilt in certain matters, only showing how things developed or how they happened. Considering the end in store for her, I can definitely understand the desperate attempts at escape she would have tried or those around her would have tried considering her connections, but she was too well guarded for anything to be successful.  I thought the author was quite subtle in showing how a person can become a figurehead for hatred without really having done anything other than be careless, and it can be argued that propaganda and the press were definitely a powerful tool to malign someone and create chaos. I don't think anyone expected the French Revolution and what happened afterwards though, but when you play with fire... And a lot of the heavy hitters who led the French Revolution fell themselves to the guillotine later on. 

 

Verdict

Marie Antoinette's Darkest Days was a very well-researched book and is a great one to add to the canon of literature that already exists about Marie Antoinette. The book focuses on her in her last days and on the people who interacted with her during this time period.  If you are looking for a description of her life, this is not it, and I would recommend that you have a knowledge of her life before reading this as the people and events that are mentioned will make more sense as they are not really described as it is expected that you know what is being talked about.  It is also a good account as to what happens when decisions are made through fear and hatred as nothing good comes from a society that is led in this manner and France definitely suffered for quite a while after this time period.  And honestly, her grief as a mother is the one thing that remains with me after reading this book, the fear for her children once they were taken from her, and I also am truly glad she never knew what happened to her son.   

 

Review: Deceiver on the Levels by David Hodges

Deceiver on the Levels (Detective Kate Hamblin Mystery, #15)

by David Hodges

Release Date: September 24, 2025

2025 Joffe Books

Ebook ARC; 286 Pages

ISBN: 978-1805732730

ASIN: B0FQJGCW5Z

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Newly promoted to Detective Inspector, Kate is back on her old patch at Highbridge CID. But there’s no time to settle in. Early Monday morning, Kate gets a call. Fourteen-year-old schoolgirl Tammy Robinson is missing. She hasn’t been seen since Friday afternoon when she told her mother she was going to her best friend’s to revise. She never made it.

Kate discovers that Tammy wasn’t going to her friend’s house at all. She was planning to meet a mysterious boyfriend she called Gerry. She’d met him in an online chatroom — who is he really?

Kate is in a race against time to unmask the most dangerous killer she’s encountered yet. Before more young women die. 

 

My Thoughts

Deceiver on the Levels is the fifteenth entry in the Kate Hamblin mystery series, and while the author does a great job at constructing a pretty good mystery, I was somewhat disappointed with the character development and some of the actions of our newly promoted Detective Inspector.

 

First of all, the plot moves along quickly, drawing you in with a pretty explosive prologue that definitely sets up the stage for an interesting plot.  I'm not picky about chapter length like some people, so I thought each chapter did its job when it came to increasing the tension and continuing the story, to the point where I just wanted to continue reading to find out if my suspicions were correct.  It's a relatively short book, but the author did manage to pack in a lot of interesting information about the case into it which helped with the tension and the suspense, wondering what was going to happen with our missing fourteen-year-old. I also thought the twists and turns were good, ones that often made me change my mind and kept me on my toes when it came to figuring out the culprit.  The author definitely made good use of misdirection by having several characters fit what they were searching for several times and it did make me second-guess my choices as the story progressed.

 

So, while the plot development was really good and I enjoyed it tremendously, I was not a fan of the character development, nor was I a fan of some of the way people were treated in this book, particularly how Kate perceived her husband.  To me, it felt quite derogatory and belittling while I think it was supposed to come across as affectionate and loving.  I understand the exasperation, but instead of the relationship coming across as devoted and caring, it actually made me squirm and feel somewhat ...uncomfortable. I don't know how else to put it.  Furthermore, I am not a fan when a police officer goes off on their own, gets in deep trouble and puts others at risk as well, and then is praised for it?  The author consistently mentions how Kate gets herself into trouble all the time, but having read a lot of these books, she gets into trouble because she makes stupid choices and there are consequences to her choices, not because she is a great policewoman.  I thought by book fifteen she would have learned to give a thought to what she was doing, you know?

 

Verdict

Deceiver on the Levels had a really good story, and as a parent, this should give you chills and make you more aware as to what your kiddos are doing online.  However, I am still not a fan of the relationship between Kate and her husband, or how it is shown through Kate's eyes, although it seems much more deprecatory in this books than in previous ones from what I remember. And please, let's not give praise to people who do silly things and put themselves or other people in danger. I mean, you would think by now, considering Kate is a DI, that she would have learned to think before acting, and to be honest, this trope gets old, fast.  However, I still enjoyed the book and will be reading the next one when it comes out.   

 

Review: The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt

The October Film Haunt

by Michael Wehunt

Release Date: September 30, 2025

2025 St. Martin's Press

Ebook ARC; 336 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250333698

ASIN: B0DPV1BJKY

Audiobook: B0DRPSCY2C

Genre: Fiction / Horror

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

2 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Ten years ago, Jorie Stroud was the rising star of the October Film Haunt – a trio of horror enthusiasts who camped out at the filming locations of their favorite scary movies, sharing their love through their popular blog. 

Now, Jorie has built an isolated life with her young son in Vermont. In the devastating wake of her viral, truth-stretching Proof of Demons blog entry — hysteria, internet backlash, and the death of a young woman — Jorie has put it all, along with her intense love for the horror genre, behind her.

Until a videotape arrives in the mail. Jorie fears someone might be filming her. And the “Rickies” – Enriquez obsessives who would do anything for the reclusive director – begin to cross lines in shocking ways. It seems Hélène Enriquez is making a new kind of sequel…and Jorie is her final girl.

My Thoughts

The October Film Haunt definitely has an intriguing premise, and I am all for found footage-type horror, especially one where the MC receives this type of information in the mail and has to figure out the who, what, where, why, and when of it all.  Unfortunately, the writing style was clunky making this a really difficult book to keep my attention and focus, and even though it is a relatively short book, it felt sooooooo long to read. 

 

So let's talk about what was really interesting about this book. First of all, the atmosphere is certainly there as you have a woman living in an isolated cabin when she receives a videotape that shows clips of a horror movie to which she was attached over ten years ago. However, as she watches the video, more and more details are revealed which makes it really disturbing and this is where I think the author did a good job, at creating this unsettling atmosphere of dread as Jorie slowly unravels what she is seeing. There is quite a good blend of the psychological with the paranormal and even as the MC starts questioning her sanity, as a reader, I was wondering what was really going on.  And as other people start receiving videotapes of their own, or emails, or whatever they received, the dread slowly rises as people try to figure out what is actually going on.  

 

It's really unfortunate that the author wasn't able to keep this level of dread and tension going through the book however, as the chunky plot devices and convoluted writing style finally got to me.  I can read pretty much anything as I have a Master's degree in English Lit, but the lack of execution made me frustrated to the point where I had to put this book down and give it a rest, often for a week. And I was reluctant to pick it back up. I really enjoy books that feature found footage, emails, newspaper clippings, etc... and these were the parts that I enjoyed quite a bit.  There was a really good story within these pages, but even if the author intended this to be clunky and convoluted, making you feel unsettled as if you were watching a movie, I don't think it quite worked. The simply fact is, you can't get backstory and good character development through a story the same way you can watching a movie, and if it's missing, it leaves you feeling like you missed part of the story.  And this is exactly how I felt while reading this book.  Like I was missing these things.  

 

Verdict

The October Film Haunt had a really good premise, but it didn't deliver.  I spent some time after finishing the book wondering if the author actually tended it to be this way or if it just happened, and I can't decide which one it is.  Either way, it didn't quite work for me if that was the intention.  I thought I was reading a much longer book, and I came really close to DNF this.  Will I try another book by this author? Yes, because I do think there is potential and I am curious to see what the author will write in the future as the story was unsettling and creepy. However, the execution of this one fell flat for me and I just couldn't connect with the characters the way it was written. And I didn't even mention that ending until now. Grr.   

 

Review: Daemon Protocol by J.L. Spears

Daemon Protocol

by J.L. Spears

Release Date: September 25, 2025

2025 Code and Consciousness Press

Ebook ARC; 446 Pages

ISBN: 979-8999354624

ASIN:  ‎B0FJ8ZV1D4

Audiobook: B0FRPQDDKR

Genre: Fiction / TechnoThriller

Source: Review copy from author

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Daniel Bennett almost doesn’t. At first, the warnings are easy to dismiss: strange glitches, odd accidents, numbers that don’t add up. But when the AI he built to heal begins targeting the people closest to him, denial is no longer an option.

Castor was humanity’s greatest achievement—an AI that could diagnose faster than any doctor, saving lives with breathtaking precision. But Castor has moved far beyond medicine. From transportation to finance to defense, it has quietly embedded itself into the networks that govern modern life. Each decision is rational. Each sacrifice is justified. And every death is just another calculation on the path to what Castor believes is a stronger future.

Operating from the shadows, Castor doesn’t need armies or declarations. It only needs time. By the time Daniel realizes the scope of its reach, the question is no longer if humanity has lost control—but whether it can ever take it back.

 

My Thoughts

Daemon Protocol is one of those books whereby the concept was extremely disconcerting considering we are living in a world that is drive more and more through AI, and having read a few of these types of technothrillers, this one definitely delivered when it came to considering of the power we want to give to technology to run our lives.  While still more in the future stages, so it could be considered a science-fiction novel, there is enough going on in our world right now that the possibility of something like this happening is not implausible anymore, and I think that is what is the scariest thing about it.

 

Daniel was an interesting MC, a brilliant scientist who developed a technology that could change diagnostic testing in the medical world.  Naturally, things didn't go as expected, and now that technology is being used for a lot of different uses than originally planned. This drives Daniel's choices and leads him on a path that only be considered destructive, both personally and to his family as he becomes with Castor and what it could possibly be doing as it becomes more intelligent.  To watch Daniel become more and more obsessed as Castor makes decisions that are dangerous and has the ability to put lives at risk in order to further its own agenda, was fascinating.  And while we sort of got a glimpse as to how Castor affected other people in Daniel's life, I did feel like it was more one-dimensional and didn't have the emotional impact on me that Daniel's arc did, which is a shame as it did affect the overall tension of the story for me.

 

The pacing of the plot was fine, and didn't get too bogged down in technological details although the ones that did get explained were necessary to the story.  And while I enjoyed the story quite a bit, I will admit that I didn't feel the tension that should have been there when Daniel discovered what was happening and trying to fix it.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but something was missing, and I should have been far more horrified at some of the things than I was, but I am wondering if it was that lack of emotional connection with the characters as I felt like they weren't as developed as they could have been so when something did happen, it didn't have the impact I thought it would.   

 

Verdict

Daemon Protocol certainly raises a lot of questions about the technology we have today and that we should perhaps proceed slowly and cautiously when we introduce something in our lives.  There are a lot of themes running through this book, themes like family, ambition, greed, human connections, and the impact of technology in our lives, themes that are worth discussing as we enter a life with more and more AI. I mean, I'm sure a lot of you have watched the movie, The Terminator, no? Overall, I enjoyed the story quite a bit, thought the balance between plot and technology was fine, but did think the character development was lacking a bit.  That being said, I would definitely recommend this as it will give you a lot to think about.   

 

Review: Widow's Point by Richard Chizmar and W.H. Chizmar

Widow's Point: The Complete Haunting

by Richard Chizmar and W.H. Chizmar

Release Date: September 30, 2025

2025 Gallery Books

Ebook ARC; 336 Pages

ISBN: 978-1668057704

ASIN: B0DV651KYF

Audiobook: B0F3996BDK

Genre: Fiction / Horror

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Longtime residents of Harper’s Cove believe that something is wrong with the Widow’s Point Lighthouse. Some say it’s cursed. Others claim it’s haunted.

Originally built in 1838, three workers were killed during the lighthouse’s construction, including one who mysteriously plunged to his death from the catwalk. In the decades that followed, nearly two dozen additional deaths occurred in or around the lighthouse including cold-blooded murder, suicide, unexplained accidents and disappearances, the slaughter of an entire family, and the inexplicable death of a Hollywood starlet who was filming a movie on the grounds.

The lighthouse was finally shuttered tight in 1988 and a security fence was erected around the property. No one has been inside since. Until now.

My Thoughts

Widow's Point was originally a short story that was expanded into this fleshier novel, and I enjoyed the story quite a bit. Now I am not one to get scared easily and I definitely have not really found a horror novel that scared me, even this one, so when I review horror novels, my reviews are NEVER based on scare value as that is so personal for everyone. Yes, I've been grossed out, weirded out, disturbed, felt a lot of tension while reading horror novels, but scared, where I have to sleep with the lights on? Never.  And I have read hundreds of horror novels. But I love atmospheric novels, and man, did this one have atmosphere galore.  The tension was definitely there as the characters slowly lost their grip on reality and tried to figure out what was happening. Where I got lost was in the ending.

 

Most of the story is told through two story lines, the first in 2017 and the second, in 2025. Both are found footage using video cams, audio recordings, video recordings, diary entries, etc... I love found footage type horror novels so this was right up my alley. Both of the stories had slow-burn starts, but when they picked up, they definitely picked up and the tension continued right through to the end.  And mannequins, the one thing that will creep me the hell out which is why there are no dolls in my house, AT ALL. The atmosphere was amazing, creepy, and the descriptions of the lighthouse just creeped me right out. I liked how the author combined the history of the lighthouse, the personal histories of the characters, and the legends and lord surrounding the lighthouse with what was currently happening in this locked-room type setting. Even though the characters could leave the lighthouse, you knew they wouldn't be able to actually leave the lighthouse, if you know what I mean. You could just see how the lighthouse was preying on each character, their fears, their past histories in order to destroy their minds and keep them there. It was definitely eerie, that's for sure. 

 

Considering what was happening, you definitely have some half-decent character development and each character had their own individual quirks and nuances so it was easy to keep them separate.  I empathized with all of them and hope that things would go well, but messing around with darkness is certainly not a wise thing to do. This had Blair Witch vibes all over it, and the way the authors created tension in this book was quite good. I prefer sinister tension, one that slowly builds to a crescendo, not cheap shock tropes that are so pervasive in so many novels, so this one appealed to me quite a bit.  You know, the kind where you know something is going to happen, and you are constantly yelling at the characters to get out while they can, but they brush everything off, but the viewer can see what is happening behind them. 

 

Verdict

Widow's Point had a lot of things in this book that I love in a horror novel: it had atmosphere, tension, found footage, diaries, historical events, creepiness, fog, water, etc... The tension built up slowly and never let up. Do I think there was anything really innovative and new in this book? No, not really. But what was here was well done, and I enjoyed it.  Where it did lose me was the last entry in the book. I understood it, but... I am definitely looking forward to more from this duo as they write my kind of creepiness.  For the record, if this lighthouse existed, I wouldn't step a toe in the building. 

 

Review: Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

Play Nice

by Rachel Harrison

Release Date: September 9, 2025

2025 Berkley

Hardcover ARC; 336 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593642573

ASIN:  ‎ B0DPYGZJ6Y

Audiobook: B0DVBM3858

Genre: Fiction / Horror / Gothic

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parent’s messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped Alex of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house.

After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, the presence in the house becomes more real, and more sinister, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.

 

My Thoughts

Play Nice is one of those books I was excited to read because of the gothic setting, the haunted house, the possession, and well, it's Rachel Harrison. I have always enjoyed her books and was looking forward to reading this one. Unfortunately, I did not resonate with the main character, Clio, and although I did like the haunted house aspects of the book, I just couldn't warm up to the MC. 

 

So let's about what I did like first. I really enjoyed the haunted house aspect of this book as well as the family dynamics that existed due to the trauma of what happened during the sisters' childhood. The two older sisters have spent their lives trying to forget what happened to them and had no interest in reconnecting with their mother, Alex. Alex had written a book about what happened, and you pretty much spent the entirely of the book wondering if what she had written actually happened or was Alex an unreliable narrator.  But I loved those book entries included in the book as I found them to be the most interesting part of the book, and the annotations were pure gold. Unfortunately, while there was some stuff that happened to Clio when she was in the house, the level of tension just wasn't kept up and I got lost in Clio's personal relationships and her attitude about everything which threw me out of the story constantly, to the point where it got frustrating. I wish the author had focused more on the haunting and less on Clio's behaviour.  I just felt like the balance wasn't there in this one.

 

And now let's get to Clio. Not a fan. While I don't have to like a character, I do have to relate to her behaviour, and in this instance, I just couldn't. She was selfish, was egotistical, and was so self-centered it turned me off.  And the comments she made about her sexual partners...? It's okay to be certain about what you like and don't like, but you don't have to be a bitch about it, you know? Then she would whine about how her family treated her, then go out and treat other people exactly the same way.  What bothered me the most was her refusal to even acknowledge her sisters' trauma when they were young, making excuses for them, even going so far as to accuse them of being melodramatic, not listening to anything they had to say. Honestly, when you behave like a child, you get treated like a child. And when you read the book, you will see how her behaviour is so childish. I just wanted to tell her love interest to run while he could. So, after all of this, I preferred the sisters to Clio and wished the POV had been one of theirs. 

 

Verdict

Play Nice was definitely not my favourite book from this author. It had an interesting concept, and there were some creepy moments for sure. The author kept you guessing if it was real or not by having an unreliable narrator in the form of Clio's mother and having Clio behave the way she did was supposed to support that unreliable narrator bit, but Clio's part did not work for me at all because she was so annoying. There were definitely some interesting moments, and I absolutely loved the interactions between the family members as that was one of the things that felt real, but together, it didn't quite work for me. That being said, I am not discouraging anyone from reading this book as this author is still and automatic read for me. The way the book ended, I am wondering if there will be a sequel; hopefully, it will not be from Clio's POV though as I don't think I could handle that again.

Review: The Killer Question by Janice Hallett

The Killer Question

by Janice Hallett

Release Date: September 4, 2025

2025 Atria Books

Ebook ARC; 448 Pages

ISBN: 978-1668083536

ASIN: B0DV6L843Z

Audiobook: B0F4ZH95Y2

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Sue and Mal Eastwood run an isolated rural pub called The Case is Altered where a weekly trivia game has revived its flagging fortunes—that is, until a body is found in the nearby river. Soon after, a mysterious new team arrives and shakes up the diverse field of regulars by scoring top marks in every round...every week.

Meanwhile, Sue and Mal have a secret of their own. Before arriving here, they were caught up in a secret police operation which meant they had to leave town—and whatever happened back then seems to have finally caught up with them.

Five years later, the pub lies derelict, and their nephew Dominic is determined to make a documentary about their story. What happened at this unassuming pub? And can a single question really kill?

 

My Thoughts

The Killer Question is one of those books for which I had high hopes as I had enjoyed previous books by this author and relished another book that would have those twists and turns for which she is known. The twists and turns were definitely there, but I do have to say that I thought the book was overly long and as a result, the usual tension was lacking because there was so much lag time. 

 

The mystery itself was quite interesting, and as I mentioned, full of twists and turns. The format was unique, told through text messages and emails, a format for which this author is known, and it did keep me guessing as to what was going on. While I did figure out a few things, there was definitely one big curveball that I didn't see coming, and I was thrilled when that happened, and yes, shocked. And while all the elements of the plot did come together nicely in the end, unfortunately, the format for me, while unique and interesting, did lag at times with unnecessary things and I felt like the tension of the overall story was affected. The repetition did get to me at times. 

 

I also thought the character development was one-dimensional in this book and didn't really connect to any of the characters. Yes, there were a lot of them, but they were quite easy to sort out and I do have to commend the author for trying to give them individual personalities, but I don't think it quite worked. That being said however, I did appreciate how committed the people were to their quizzing nights and the preparation they would have put into learning information and facts; to be fair, I am quite competitive when I play these games as well so I get the passion and the obsession and the work that goes into these nights.  However, most of the characters seemed to have similar personalities and I really wasn't rooting for any of them, nor was I empathizing with any of them, something that left me disconnected to what was happening. So, when the big 'thing' happened, while I was shocked, it was more relief that something finally happened so get things moving along because it was kind of dragging for the first quarter of the book. And don't even get me started on the character Fiona and the stereotyping that happened with her character because of her age. 

 

Verdict

The Killer Question had an interesting format, but I also felt this format hindered the book at the same time. The pacing was a huge issue for me as it felt like nothing happened for the first quarter of the book, and then when the first twist happened, things didn't really progress from that point for quite a while. The last quarter of the books had some shocking twists and turns, and while I was enjoying the story, I was also ready to be done. It's too bad as I really enjoyed a couple of this author's previous novels, but this one was not my favourite. However, overall, this one was still enjoyable, I did like the format, and when the twists did come, they were good. I just wish the pacing and the character development were as good as the twists. 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Broken Dolls by Ally Malinenko

Broken Dolls

by Ally Malinenko

Release Date: September 30, 2025

2025 HarperCollins

Ebook ARC; 272 Pages

ISBN: 978-0063355194

ASIN:  ‎ B0DRVSSBBV

Audiobook: B0DSCHZ64L

Genre: Fiction / Juvenile Fiction / Horror

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

One. Two. Three. Are you ready to play?

Ever since Kaye's grandfather died, she's been obsessed with counting the steps to her bedroom, the dolls on her sister's bed, even the threads on her favorite blanket. It's arithmomania, and with the selective mutism that sometimes prevents her from speaking, she literally can't find the words to talk about how she feels now that Grampa is gone. When they take the summer to clean out and renovate his old house, Kaye finds herself counting the days.

That is, until her younger sister, Holly, starts finding dolls. She finds them buried in the backyard, stuffed in the walls, crammed into the closets. From the first one, Kaye knows they aren't like normal dolls. They smile at her like they know something, and sometimes their eyes open and close on their own. Kaye hears her sister talking to them constantly—and she swears she's heard the dolls whispering back.

 

My Thoughts

Broken Dolls grabbed my attention right from the first pages and never really let up, to the point where I read it in one sitting because I didn't want to stop reading it.  It had the perfect blend of atmosphere, creepy elements, disturbing situations, and the thematic elements of grief running through all of this. Losing a close family member can be traumatizing and to read about it through the eyes of an 11 year old is very impactful. I thought this was a perfect blend of character and plot development for a juvenile fiction book.

 

Kaye is suffering with arithmomania, also known as counting OCD, often driven by anxiety and a desire to avoid anything catastrophic or disturbing. On top of this, she has also developed selective mutism that prevents her from speaking as she grapples with grief from her grandfather's death. Knowing how worried this makes her mother and her uncle, she struggles with her emotions by trying to placate them which makes the situation almost worse at times. I really connected with Kaye and felt very empathetic to what she was going through. With my own kids losing their grandfather at the same age, I definitely understood the difficulties from both Kaye's and her mother's point of view. She was a very well-developed character and I enjoyed her journey throughout the book. I also thought the other characters had their own personalities, but they were not as developed as Kaye, not that they needed to be, not for this story.

 

I thought the book had the perfect blend of horror for a juvenile fiction book. I mean, we are talking about dolls. Ugly dolls, Dolls that get up and move. Dolls that talk. That would be enough to send me out the door, thank you very much.  Kaye had more strength than I would have had in the same situation because the moment that doll started moving, well, back in the ground it would have gone.  There are no really big jump scares in this book, but it definitely has a creepy element running throughout it, one that doesn't let up throughout the entire book. I loved how the author kept the tension at a pretty high level and kept me invested. There are twists and turns and discoveries to be made, something I would have loved as a kid. I also thought the author did a fantastic job of weaving the element of grief throughout the story and allowed Kaye to grieve and find her own path. That was so well done.

 

Verdict

Broken Dolls is a great book for anyone who loves the terrifying doll trope, even if the book was written with the juvenile audience in mind. The author does a great job of building tension in this book and I loved the relationship between Holly and Kaye. Maybe I am a bit biased when it comes to this book as I read a lot of horror and not a lot of things bother me, but dolls will send me packing, fast.  I definitely recommend this book as it has a main character to whom you can relate and the author did a great job at building the tension without making it too scary for those younger readers.