IAN DOWN UNDER VS. IN THE DOLLHOUSE WE ALL WAIT

Ian opened Amanda M. Blake’s In the Dollhouse We All Wait… he went in expecting toys, but the dolls inside aren’t nearly as lifeless as they should be.

TITLE: In the Dollhouse We All Wait

AUTHOR: Amanda M. Blake

GENRE: Extreme Horror

PAGES: 311

FORMAT: e-book

PRICE: $16.99 paperback, $4.99 e-book

G’day all, it’s your ARC reader again from the suddenly chilly land of red dust, Australia, although the dust is not so much dust as it is mud at the moment. Anyway, this week, I’m diving into something a little different: some full-on extreme horror with Amanda M. Blake’s In the Dollhouse We All Wait.

I’ll admit, I’m not the greatest consumer of extreme horror books. Sometimes I find them a little too much for my delicate sensibilities, but I do occasionally delve into their deranged depths for a change of pace. When the opportunity came to read this one, the synopsis instantly captured my attention, and thus here I am.

Now extreme horror comes in many flavors, and how “extreme” you find them will vary depending on your personal triggers. This one has them in abundance: sexual sadism, torture, dismemberment, nonconsensual sex, and drug use are among them, so if any of those are deal-breakers, this won’t be the book for you.

If you’re comfortable with those elements, then you’ll find a disturbing descent into depravity that doesn’t let up. If that sounds like your cup of tea, you’ll get that with biscuits here.

The novel follows main character, Sam Frain, who’s on her way to start her new job as live-in nanny to a young girl, Annie Lange, the doll obsessed daughter of a wealthy businessman who is going away on a month-long business trip. In exchange, she gets paid $7,000 for the first month and $5,000 for every month thereafter and comes with the bonus of living in a mansion. For someone down on her luck, it’s just too good to pass up, especially with her relationship with her girlfriend back home beginning to fracture.

When Sam arrives, she discovers Annie isn’t a child at all. She’s a grown woman living in a world of perpetual childhood of her own making. And that’s not all. Annie likes to play games, and not the innocent kind. No, these are physically and psychologically torturous. There is a reason why no nanny lasts more than a week. Annie likes to dominate, to live in a world of grotesque excess where there are no limits, as long as she gets what she wants. And Annie always gets what she wants. Sam is no pushover, but she’s soon forced to choose: play along with Annie in her twisted world or become another doll in the dollhouse.

There are some extreme horror books that lean on shock value alone, but this one blends psychological manipulation, the corrupting power of wealth, and moral detachment to create something bigger than the sum of its parts. Sure, there’s mutilation, torture, dismemberment, and sexual depravity, but they’re used to show the unbridled evil that Sam is up against and what she must overcome if she is to survive.

If you’re a fan of the genre, there’s a lot to enjoy here. The pacing never lets up, the atmosphere is tense and harrowing, and the violence, while gruesome and disturbing, doesn’t outstay its welcome.

I give it 4.5 dolls that may or may not be alive out of 5.

Ian Gielen is a writer of all things spooky and a horror fanatic. Ian embraces his inner geek with pride, his dedication on display in the intimidating collection of horror novels and video games that threaten to take over his living space. He is mad for all things Alien, Star Wars, and cats; his furry companions are always there to keep him company as he scribbles down his latest ideas. With the sheer number of furry and human companions in his life, it’s a wonder he isn’t a little crazier than he already is.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.