An interesting read despite the unoriginal premise.
Whilst this plot has been done before, in both books and TV, it's still worth a read.

I really enjoyed this book and think that the author had such a great ability to write this book. I love the characters and how they are pushing things to another level

Doll house by John Hunt.
Olivia is excited for university. She will be on her own, in a new place hopeful to meet new friends.

On the night she moves in, she is taken off the street by two masked men. She is placed in a room which is little more than a cell. A pink cell. A room made for a doll. She is now part of their collection.
A fantastic read. Well written and kept me glued to the book until the end. 5*.

Black Rose Writing and NetGalley provided me with an advanced reader's copy of Doll House. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

When Harry says goodbye to his daughter Olivia after sending her off to university, he has no way of knowing what the future holds. Taken by two men before classes even begin, Olivia endures five years of unspeakable horror. What happens when the opportunity presents itself for Olivia to take her future back?

Doll House is short on plot, but long on shock value. I am amazed at the number of five star reviews, as the author never really finds his footing with the characters or the story itself. Readers are never treated to the motivations of the perpetrators, never given an in depth look at anything but the unspeakable violence. There are so many holes in the plot, especially with regards to Olivia in the aftermath. Although I can assume that the missed punctuation and other grammar issues will have been cleaned up in the finished version of this book, the writing itself was choppy and unnecessarily shocking. Doll House does not allow readers to visualize any of the action, as it is all spelled out in black and white. For these reasons, I would not recommend Doll House to other readers.

Wow, this was much more brutal than expected. Very gory, indeed. I had a hard time decided whether to give this 3 or 4 stars but landed on 4 because the story did actually surprise me. I would read more from this author, for sure.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!

The beginning of this book is gruesome, bloody, cringeworthy, and a serious trainwreck! I didn't know if I could continue. I was buddy reading with my girl Tracy and we were like "what the f are we reading right now?" But the intrigue of it all kept us going. And I'm glad I did.

Olivia is just about to start her freshman year at college. Her dad, Harry, is like any parent would be dropping their only daughter off at school......anxious, reluctant, but proud too.

What happens next is more than downright scary..... it's terrifying and it happens in real life!!!

I was looking for a scary book for Halloween. This was not what I expected. I had predictions. I was wrong. The ending.... gah... sorta torn about it, but it made sense.

Tracy asked me what I thought of the book and I only had to think about that for a second. I really liked it!

P.S. Brutus!!! You are one hell of a dog!!!!!

This was my first time reading John Hunt. I really enjoyed this experience. This one was a wild ride that felt real. The cover really caught my eye, but the story kept me reading.

This one kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It is really creepy and disturbing in that it could happen to anyone in real life kind of way. Everything was going well for Olivia. She was about to go to university, and live on her own for the first time. She was looking forward to the full college experience, but one night she is taken by two masked men. She was put in a pink cell–a room built for a doll. Olivia is part of their doll collection now.

This is very much a tale of abduction, but it's so much more than that. It's a tale of survival with a strong female lead. This book looks at abduction and the aftermath that follows a survivor. Suspects are found and questioned. What if they catch the wrong guy? What if the abductor is still out there?

The abductors are creepy. The female lead, Olivia, is a great character. She reminded me of Jamie Lee Curtis. John Hunt does a great job with the final girl scenario. He takes it one step further to show the reader what the final girl goes through after surviving a horrific event.

This book is good. The story is fluid. The characters are believable. The dialogue is good. The ending is everything. This book reads like a movie. I would read this book again.

Highly Recommend!

5/5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is DISTURBING. Yes, all caps and bold font. If you have a weak stomach, it isn't for you. There were a couple of moments that made me feel a bit ill, and I'm quite used to dark tales. The author doesn't hold back, and isn't glossing anything over. The blurb for this one doesn't give much away, and I'd hate to reveal any spoilers so I'll keep my synopsis similarly brief. I will say that I was happy with the direction this one took, and it definitely added something fresh to this genre. It is hard to read at times, but the main character is incredibly likable and easy to root for.

Olivia is thrilled to be off to university. Her father is having a hard time letting go, having raised her by himself... but she is a smart girl, and neither is too worried about her being off on her own. She doesn't even last the night. She's kidnapped off the street, thrown into a van by two men wearing animal masks. They deposit her not so gently into a room of her very own: small, covered in pink, with a door that is always locked. She is to be their plaything, and they'll do whatever they want with her. Welcome to hell.

"Doll House" is a really good thriller that doesn't pull any punches and takes the horrors the protagonist goes through seriously. Some more character development would have been nice but I really enjoyed the writing style which was different but intriguing. The novel gives enough hints for the reader to suspect the person behind Olivia's kidnapping but it still keeps it interesting until the very end.

I almost decided to put this book down due to the graphic descriptions and concepts, but I decided to push through and I'm actually glad I did. I don't really have a weak stomach, but there were some pretty dark concepts in this book - it certainly isn't for the faint of heart! Definitely a horror book and pretty well written. The protagonist was broken yet strong - you could tell she was a survivor and was likable.

At one point I was able to guess who the Jackal was, so sadly that was a bit of a let down - I don't want to be able to figure things out because it lessens the wow factor for me. And the end although I didn't see the closet scene coming, it was slightly disappointing. Slightly. It just seemed a bit anticlimactic - maybe it happened too fast? Or maybe I was disappointed to see the Jackal making the mistake he made with Brutus. Whatever it was, it just didn't pack too much of a punch for me. Entertaining for sure, but just lacked something.

Overall, the book was a short, quick, enjoyable thriller/horror. Again, definitely NOT for the faint of heart as there are some serious triggers!

Wow! Phenomenal doesn't begin to describe this. After the first few chapters, this really takes off and is impossible to put down. While disturbing in nature and horrific at times, the author has created a masterpiece thriller. Olivia makes heroines of other books pale in comparison. She is one of the bravest you'll ever meet and her story will move you. The subject matter and graphic details make this a book not for the faint-hearted, but it is an incredible novel.

This was a really gritty read. The writer did a great job with the details and even though they were sometimes a bit graphic, I had to know what was going to happen!

I've been reading crime novels for a number of years now and believe that I'm pretty good with most things, but i found this book focused too much on the torture of the victims than the actual story line. It felt like the story was weakly built around the description of the abuse. I found this hard to read.

Wow, I loved this book! Be forewarned, there is a lot of violence. This is not for the weak.

Olivia is excited for her first day at university. It has always been just her and her dad. She will now be on her own in a new place. Not even making it to her first class, Olivia is abducted and placed in a room. A pink room. A room made for a doll. But she is not always treated as a doll. Olivia escapes but her nightmare is not over. Every sound and shadow makes her scared. The only comfort is the knife that she keeps with her at all times.

This book was gripping, disturbing and suspenseful. Not your normal grab and rape story and it's so believable. Keeps you guessing until the very end. Well written with great character development. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for supplying a copy of John Hunt's "Doll House" in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks, NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for the chance to read this book.
This book was very slow to start and I had a tough time getting into it. I think I managed about three chapters before I gave up.
I normally really enjoy a thriller, I don’t know maybe I have read so many recently that I did not give this one a fair chance. I will give it another go at some point.

Omg what a scary, creepy and downright fabulous book!!!!! God I was sweating reading this with the oh no, oh god moments throughout haha. What a good read, poor Olivia should be having the time of her life at Uni instead she is bundled into a van on her first night and abducted by two men! What ensues is awful and if your of a faint heart it's a no for you! I though loved it and can't wait to read more! Hoping for a sequel!!!!

You know when people say that you should never judge a book by its cover? Well, this is definitely one of those cases! I must warn you right now that this book is brutal, very very graphic and definitely not for the faint of heart! I had to stop reading it and start with something lighter to be able to go through with it.

Olivia is about to start a new phase in her life: university. After her father drops her off at the campus dorm, Olivia takes a stroll in the university grounds only to be kidnapped by two masked man and thrown in a van. When she is finally able to see, she finds herself in room that looks like the interior of a doll house; everything is pink: the bed, the walls, the furniture. Olivia quickly realises that there is no room to escape and the daily visits of her abductors show her in the most brutal way that she is at their mercy. In a house where several young women are abused and raped daily, Olivia spends five years confined in that pink room. Will she ever be able to escape?

Dark and disturbing doesn’t even begin to cover this novel. When I was younger I had nightmares about a white van and it still haunts me today. I can assure you that after reading this, I will run for the hills if I actually see one. My heart was beating on my throat for most of reading and the level of psychological and physical horror of the story is both admirable and scary. Even though this is fiction, I know that these events actually take place around the world, and that’s why for me it was so hard to read. It’s like facing a reality that we just keep in the back of our brains.

The style of writing is great, pulled me completely into the story. There was this constant morbid curiosity to know what was going to happen next even though I knew nothing good was waiting around the corner.

I definitely want to read future novels of John Hunt but I do have hopes for something less dark and traumatic. I recommend this book to fans of hardcore thrillers with very detailed, disturbing descriptions. But again a warning, this is not for the faint of heart.

Olivia is grabbed from the street on her very first day of leaving home for university by two men wearing animal masks and is not seen again for several years. The graphic, gory descriptions of violence are definitely not for the faint hearted and are liable to give some people nightmares. There's a strong sense of menace and fear running throughout the book - a page turner if ever there was one. Could people be as horrible as this pair? One would hope not and it makes you aware of who you might pass in the street, of who might be watching you, which is a good thing. Make sure the windows are closed and the doors are locked! I'm afraid the ending was far too abrupt to be satisfying.

A terrifying, gripping thriller involving kidnapping, rape and torture. This is definitely not for the faint of heart. Having said that, I found the storyline to be believable and quite engaging. I was on the edge of my seat for a good part of the book trying to figure out who could be causing Olivia all this pain. I missed the clues until the end. I would've liked to know how Olivia was coping in an epilogue. Otherwise, I'll be looking for more John Hunt books. Thanks!

The Doll House by John Hunt (Goodreads Author) was like reading two different books in one. The beginning of the book is like Hannibal Lecter and Jeffrey Dahmer pick up girls for a good time, and the 2nd part of the book was the slow story of the surviving girls trying to get their life back on track, while the police try and find the surviving perpetrator.

I felt that the beginning of the book contained shocking, horrific, descriptions to not only gross out the reader but to keep the reader interested so that they would finish the entire book. The damage that was done to the women in this book would take years of therapy to resolve if that is even possible. The depth of fear they would have trying to get their lives back was stated but minimized greatly.

The Gorilla and Jackal, the two lead male perpetrators, are thinly developed characters as people, mainly the reader develops a feeling about them through their horrific actions, and descriptions of what they want to do with/to the women they have captured. Olivia, the female lead is the most developed character in the book, and even that falls short. What saves Olivia as a character is that she has a backbone and fights back at every occasion.

The implausible part of the story is how easily Olivia is able to get her life under control and finds the time to worry about her alcoholic father and his need to get sober. Olivia becomes a champion in this arena as well, because she has a plan on how to get her emotions and life back on track. While all of this is going on, the police have no idea who they are looking for, and the police procedural portion of the story is negligent.

The dramatic conclusion of the story is quick, action-packed, and filled with Olivia and her dog Brutus saving the day, and allowing the reader to know who the surviving perpetrator was.
Sadly I wish Olivia had been portrayed as a more damaged person after her ordeal, and the police procedural portion of the story came to the forefront, with some developed characters, and actions – this to me would have added more realism to the overall story.

Thank you to the Author, NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for the digital copy of the book for an honest review.

For me, this was a two-star read.