The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray
ARC received from Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: October
22, 2013
Reviewed by: Middle
Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: A
terrifyingly disturbing story of one man’s love and madness
At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.
The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.
If they play it right, then they'll be safe.
But if they play it wrong, they'll die
Elysian Fields—supposedly the perfect place to hide away
from a worldwide epidemic. But, take a
look behind the curtain (or through a crack in a wall), and you will see that
this world is the true nightmare. Mary
Gray has created a fantastic, psychotic thriller of a novel. Think about those creepy scenes in a horror
movie---an empty room, pictures falling off the wall, silent—except for the
mangled music box slowly playing a childhood favorite in the corner. You know that feeling you get—that sinking feeling
that consumes your and fills you with fear?
That’s this book!!! It will
immediately plunge you into a abyss of perfect terror, and at no point will you
ever feel safe again.
I liked “Persephone,” Mary’s main character for the most
part. I thought she was strong and
smart, and I admired her for not letting this psychotic yet mesmerizing man
tear her apart. At the same time, I felt
like she was very wishy-washy at times. Her
loyalties didn’t mesh with her feelings, and it seemed like, on some level, she
was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.
She could see Teo’s evil leaking from every pore, but there was a part
of her that still wanted him. This was
the part of her that really bugged me.
The best character in this book is, by far, Teo, the villain. She is so well written that you can hear the
inner workings of his twisted mind. He
was completely insane and creepy, yet seductive at the same time. Not seductive enough for me to like him even
an inkling, though. He is pure evil, and
Mary did a great job of showing how madness and intelligence walk the same
line.
I loved the literary aspect of this book. I am a huge fan of tragic love stories, and
this novel takes them to a new level. We
see them modernized and manipulated into something twisted and sick. What an amazing idea and concept!!! I loved it.
There were some things that bugged me, though. First off, the description says that Teo is
the “older man” who stole her heart. So,
right away, I had this picture of an old guy in my head. Creepy much.
Teo is actually only 24, so I don’t think they should have described him
in that way. He wasn’t old at all, in
fact, he is supposed to be gorgeous—but I had a hard time moving away from the
“older man” comment.
The other thing that bugged me was some of the pacing. I wanted a quicker pace that followed Teo and
Persephone a bit more closely. It wasn’t
a slow pace, so don’t think that, but there was just some down times that I
wished would speed up.
Overall, this is a great and unique read; and I highly
recommend it to fans of tragic love stories, old classics, and creepy psychotic
thrillers!
The final dates and stops are as follows:
October 8 - Interview (Fantasy Book Addict - Stacey) http://www.fantasybookaddict.com
October 9 - Book Review (Books Live Forever - Jenea) www.booksliveforever.com
October 10 - Interview (Kiki's Bookshelf - Savanna) kikisdreambookshelf.blogspot.com
October 11 - Guest Post (The Bookshelf Sophisticate - Katelyn) http://bookshelfsophisticate.blogspot.com/
October 12 - Interview (Falling for YA - Emily) www.FallingForYA.blogspot.com
October 13 - Book Review (YA Sisterhood - Jennifer) Http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/
October 14 - Interview (Fragments of life - Precious) Shusky20.blogspot.com
October 15 - Guest Post (Two Chicks On Books - Jaime) http://www.twochicksonbooks.com
October 16 - Book Review (Harley Bear Book Blog - Melissa) http://harleybearbookblog.blogspot.com
October 17 - Book Review (Lost in Believing - Alison) http://lostinbelieving.wordpress.com/
October 18 - Guest Post (Jessabella Reads - Jessica) http://www.jessabellareads.com
October 19 - Book Review (Stuck In YA Books - Amanda) lovesbooksreviews.blogspot.com
October 20 - Guest Post (The Book Goddess - Jana) http://jana-thebookgoddess.blogspot.co.uk/
October 21 - Interview (Swoony Boys Podcast - Meg) http://www.swoonyboyspodcast.com/
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