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.
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.
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