The Dollhouse: A psychological thriller: 1 (Duality)

The bones of a good story is here, it's rich with detail and character-driven. But it's also long-winded, needs a damn good edit and is probably not written for an adult audience despite the way it's marketed. I think young adults would prefer this novel to hardened fans of crime fiction.

This book is so scary it is intense and really good read l was inside this story it made me cry

This was a dark and disturbing tale that unfolds around the abduction of young teenagers in various states across the US.14-year-old Angel and her twin brother Bud are kidnapped from their home after their unstable mother goes off for the weekend with her boyfriend, leaving them unattended. They wake up in the basement of a house and soon discover they are the prisoners of a psychopath. But they are not alone with their abductor. There is also a young girl who has been missing for over a year.Her father Peter, a retired journalist, has been looking for her ever since and when the twins go missing he finally discovers a solid lead.I loved Peter and his search for the truth and how relentless he was in helping other parents who were going through the same nightmare.The basement scenes were really creepy and disturbing and I was relieved when the next chapter focused on something else ...I wasn't very impressed with the writing and I think this is one of those books that could have really benefited from a thorough edit.The chapters were short and concise and each one was dated, which gave you a sense of the time that had passed in the basement. But there were some inconsistencies with the dates that I attributed to the copy being an uncorrected proof ....There’s also a great twist, which I enjoyed, although I saw it coming.If you loved Last Thing to Burn and Flowers in the Attic you might want to pick this up!

5⭐️ gore score 4/5Duality #1Don’t let the pretty gothic mystery style cover fool you, this is one of the darkest grittiest most emotional books I’ve ever read.A psychological thriller by a new author to me. The story uses the trope of abducted and ‘kept’ children. In this case teenage twins Angel and Bud.Peter’s story is very moving, his daughter Olivia was stolen. He is obsessed by all children taken looking for links. He is still on a mission a year later to try and find his daughter.There is a very good pace and plenty of tension. The physical and psychological torture is disturbing and I was heavily emotionally invested with the captive teenagers. In some ways I felt sorry for Albert as we learn of his abusive childhood.Its very moving, the emotional baggage kept piling up throughout leaving me wrung out.It has several threads to the storyline which intertwine and unravel, and really messes with your head.This is a WOW book. It had me in tears.This is the darkest book I’ve read. I really liked that it wasn’t unrealistically happy ever after. In amongst the suffering there’s hope determination and love, so it’s not all doom and gloom.It won’t appeal to everyone because of the subject matter.

There's quite a buzz around this book on social media so I had to read it.It's a 'children getting abducted and locked in a basement' psychological thriller, so beware it's dark and includes some very dark elements.Two of the children who get snatched are twins Angel and Bud, while Peter a journalist whose own daughter Olivia disappeared a year ago refuses to give up the search.We see the lives and struggle of the children trapped in 'The Dollhouse' while Peter leads the investigation on the outside.It is dark, twisted and fast. It keeps the threat and tension high and is emotionally involving.There was one element I didn't like, but it set up a great twist. While this isn't the very best book about kids locked in a basement that I've read, (still Lucinda Berry's Appetite For Innocence), it is a fast and gripping read. It is easy to forget this is a self published debut, I'm sure it will be a huge success amongst psychological thriller fans.Today (1st December) sees the publication of book two The Hunted: Sins Of The Father, which I've started already.

I am so glad I am a reviewer and not an author. Authors have very scary imaginations. Well this author has. For once I am lost for words. I don’t know where to start with this totally brilliant book. Sara Ennis gets right inside Angel’s head and you live this nightmare with her. I was on the edge of my seat right the way through the book, waiting, with Angel, to see what horrendous plan this monster would come up with next. Sara Ennis has been added to my must read list.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I read a lot of psychological thrillers and absolutely love them, so I was thrilled when I got the chance to read this beauty!I found this to be unbelievably creepy, suspenseful and unnerving - just what I like!Two children are kidnapped (Angel and Bud who are twins) . The kidnapper (Jennifer) is some piece of work let me tell you! She is a total nut job who has a habit of kidnapping helpless and vulnerable children. She takes the children to a unhinged guy called Alfred who is at ‘the dollhouse’.The children are told by Jennifer that “today will be a test, decisions you make will have big consequences - good or bad.”Then the twisted stuff begins!We then meet Peter - an award-winning television journalist who’s daughter (Olivia) was kidnapped many years before. He is now investigating the case with the help of an FBI contact.This is a very well written and thought provoking story which I enjoyed very much! If you like twisted plots then this one is calling out to you!I received an advanced review copy for free, views are my own.