Dollhouse (The Dollhouse Trilogy) [Kindle Edition]

Anya Allyn (Author)

Book Description

DOLLHOUSE is 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....

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dollhouse is an incredible story, unlike anything I have ever read before. It moves very fast, and the characters and their interactions flow seamlessly together, creating a terrifying scene one will be unable to look away from. "

nightowlreviews.com  

"This is the first of Aussie author Anya Allyn's Doll House trilogy, and I can't wait to read the next! I couldn't put it down, the intensity is terrifying, and the mixture of characters extremely diverse and scary! Highly recommended!"

Brenda, Goodreads librarian  

A mixture of The great god Pan, and Alice in wonderland, with a writing style reminiscent of Virginia Andrews. The only downside of this book, is that at present the author hasn't published any other work on the kindle.

Penelope Jones (Amazon.co.uk)  

Supersize dolls that move on their own, painted doll faces, oversize furniture, underground rooms, missing girls, dark rooms, and paranormal creepiness. The ending will have your jaw dropping too.

M.L.Jarman  

Following the characters down into the creepy underground world they discover is exhilarating and absorbing. I was always wanting to know the answer to so many dark secrets. Allyn's writing style at times reminds me of Lovecraft, managing to capture that same dread of the unknown.

Selina

From the Author

Note: The Dollhouse books are not episodic or standalone mysteries. The mysteries of Dollhouse span across three books. The trilogy tells the story of a deep, dark set of mysteries, with the reader journeying with Cassie as she pieces together the terrifying truth. Although Dollhouse does not contain graphic horror, it is best for those aged 14 up.

Product Details

• File Size: 433 KB
• Print Length: 293 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1475034725
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007PLAVH4
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #788 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Dark Fantasy
  • #31 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth and wonderfully executed May 21, 2012

By David Adams

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Anya Allyn's Doll House begins with a suspenseful, teasing prologue about a trio of youngsters exploring an underground passage in search of their missing forth member. I'll admit to a distinct fondness for the 'in medas res' beginning and in this case it was executed perfectly; the setting and delicately woven prose caught my attention right away, and I could tell within a few pages that I was going to like this story. The prologue was neither too short nor too long... just long enough to grab you and drag you in and no longer. Right in the Goldilocks zone and with a spoonful of delicious plot teases to keep me interested.

So, my appetite whet, I started this novel cautious but impressed and, just like the three kids in the prologue, I began my journey into the Doll House.

The first chapter cuts back to an earlier time and there was a distinct, but subtle, mood shift here. Now we were watching through a somewhat jealous schoolgirl's eyes as the boy of her dreams asks out someone else. Now things started to get a little... worrying. I'm a "oh God thirty is coming" male and I write sci-fi with heaps of swearing, so I kind of prefer that kind of thing when I read. Getting into the head of a fifteen year old schoolgirl is fairly difficult for me, but I felt Doll House made it easy. The prose in this section was very impressive, an improvement over even the already excellent prologue, so my looming fears that I was going to become bored were swiftly waylaid. In fact, if anything, I felt Anya found her stride in this first chapter which meant my reviewer brain rose to the challenge and kicked into brutal mode.

Because of my preference towards swearing, violence and aliens I tend to cut Young Adult authors a fair bit of slack when I review. I instinctively have my kid gloves on, so to speak, and little errors, minor plot issues and clumsy sentences are usually brushed over and forgiven. That is, unless the book is good enough on its own merits to dispel those biases and have me treat it on a level playing field. No underarm bowling, no soft balling, no mercy... which is going to make me sound very foolish because I really struggled to find a lot wrong with this book. I won't say too much more about the plot -- it's much better to experience it yourself, and I recommend you do.

The book soon swings back into light-horror mode, perfectly tailored for its audience, and that's where the book shifts into high gear. To be honest, I find the kind of subtle horror that Doll House displays to be far more preferable than outright gore; the setting is creepy, vibrant... and twisted. The prose throughout the whole work is tight, expressive and easy on the eyes. The characters are believable and interesting, with the kids being kids and doing kid things. Anya writes using all her senses; things feel and smell and sound, which is a technique many authors neglect. There are a few small formatting errors, one or two missed words and a few typos, but really these issues are not noticeable and don't detract from the story.

While my bitter and twisted heart begged for something really nasty to say about this upstart first-time author who can write better prose than me, I couldn't find much at all. The whole piece is well polished and crafted, and all the clues make sense by the absolutely screw-tight ending which was mighty fine storytelling.

I read this story in bits -- a chapter here, a chapter there -- and I felt that wasn't how it was intended to be read. It's best read in one sitting... the pacing is very well done and doing so will probably help your immersion.

One thing I was confused by, though, was that his book is also available in novella form. I wondered, perhaps, what had been removed since every scene seemed important. I worry that the novella edition's pacing may be less skilled, so I'll have to read the novella, too, to find the differences. For now I recommend the full novel. There's no fluff, no filler here, and it's well worth your time.

I got the distinct feeling that Anya loved this story. She wrote the kind of book that she wanted to read, and it shows. The book is polished. Smooth. Enticing. Better, in many ways, than a lot of professionally published works in the same genre. I think Anya is an up and comer in the self-publishing world, someone who can craft eloquent, well written tales with strong endings... and she's someone whose's got a bright future ahead of her.

I eagerly await her next novel... and my return to the Doll House.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Dolls May 31, 2012

By M. L. Jarman

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As I said before...Dang! I received this as an ARC from the author. She warned me it was going to be dark and a bit scary, and having read many a scary book I wasn't bothered. I should say I wasn't bothered until I was reading, the house was quiet, the story got really moving and I kept hearing the "bumps" in the night! Instead of putting down until daylight, I hunkered in and kept on going, because this was a glorious carnival ride of fun!

The setting is Australia, Barrington Tops, New South Wales. Think lush forests and lots of water. A group of friends get together and work on a school project that should best their peers efforts. One goes missing, one gets fingers pointed at him, and two don't know which way is up or down. They all end up, some months later, back out in the forest looking for her. Now this is where things get creepy. I really don't want to say too much because I don't want to give the story away, but the creepy carnival feel comes out in full effect. Supersize dolls that move on their own, painted doll faces, oversize furniture, underground rooms, missing girls, dark rooms, and paranormal creepiness. The ending will have your jaw dropping too.

This is book one in the Doll House trilogy, which is interesting, because this book could work as a standalone. I can't wait to see where the author, Anya Allyn, goes with her story. For more information, check out the Doll House website at dollhousetrilogy.com.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Creepy YA Thrill Ride of a Book August 2, 2012

By Stephanie Ward

Format:Paperback

'Doll House' is a fast paced young adult novel that revolves around the horrors that the book's main character Cassie finds buried deep within the forests of Australia. Her friend Aisha disappeared in these woods and no one has seen her since, so Cassie takes it upon herself to try to find her missing friend and to help clear her crush's name. What really happened to Aisha in the woods that day? What are the secrets lurking in the depths of the forest?

I found this novel to be interesting with a unique plot. The characters were written fairly well, but didn't seem to be very original in their personalities or other characteristics. I thought that the action and horror parts of the novel were very well written and fit perfectly with the feel of the story. The truth that Cassie finds in the woods threw me for such a huge loop. It was seriously messed up (in a great way!) and I couldn't stop reading it. It had slowed down a bit in the middle of the book, but once things picked back up - I literally had to finish the book without stopping. This was one of the creepiest, weirdest, thrilling books I've read ever. And I absolutely loved it. I'm so excited that this is just the first in a trilogy - I have really high hopes for the rest of the books and I am now eagerly awaiting the second installment. I highly recommend this for people who want a creepy thriller!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

More About the Author

http://dollhousetrilogy.com

Anya Allyn enjoys fiction that is a little on the dark side. Also, she enjoys Black Forest Cake just a little too much.

She lives by the beach with her children in a lovely little part of Australia, and would love to sail the world on a yacht (only she gets terribly sea-sick).

DOLLHOUSE is her Young Adult Supernatural/Horror novel - in which fifteen year old Cassie makes the chilling discovery of what really happened to her friend (Aisha) on their hiking trip.

Book #1 of the Dollhouse trilogy: Dollhouse (September 2012)
Book #2 of the Dollhouse trilogy: Paper Dolls (December 2012)
Book #3 of the Dollhouse trilogy: Coming in the first half of 2013