Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

This was such a cool creepy book - I love historical fiction and a little horror and this was a fantastic mix of the two. The plot was unreal and I felt the creeping sense of dread from page one.

If you enjoyed Coraline, you’re going to love this one!

Una Wexford is so happy to finally find adoptive parents and be part of a whole new family. However, there's a disturbing, mysterious presence hiding in the shadows in her new home - a life-size, loving doll who is the exact twin of Una herself... She seems harmless enough and vulnerable but is 'Ani' as harmless as she seems or is she going to steal Una's new family - and her life?

I absolutely loved this story. It's just the right amount of creepy and the building tension is extremely cleverly written. NO one and nothing is who and what they seem in this book - the author masterfully takes us through the full realisation of the horror of Una's situation but also the importance of her history, of who she really is and who, through history, has given her an unexpected gift... I don't want to reveal too much so you will just have to read The Doll Twin for yourself to know what I mean.

You walk along a creepy dark corridor. Yours aren’t the only set of footsteps you’ve heard stalk along this floor. You open an abandoned a store cupboard and come face to face with a mechanical doll that looks exactly like you. What do you do?

This is the predicament that recently adopted Una faces in The Doll Twin by Janine Beacham, published in May 2024 by Firefly Press.

Ever since her father perished in the Great War, and her mother was taken by the Spanish Influenza, Una was forced to leave the life of the lighthouse and has resided at the Home, under the watchful eye of the despicable Matron. Labelled unwanted, Una’s dreams of being adopted seem a distant dream, until Mr and Mrs Smith arrive to adopt her, and take her to their extravagant home by the sea.

At first, life with Mother and Father, as they prefer to be called, seems idyllic. They involve her in their hobbies, allow her to embrace those of her own that she was unable to in the home, and fill her with gingerbread. What more is there to ask for? Oh, and did I mention, she makes a best friend on her first day at her new school. Could this life get any better?!

Only, when her new best friend, Mary, comes for a sleepover, Una is awoken by her friend’s pleas to go home immediately, and won’t tell her why. Even the next day, Mary is avoidant of the questions, and chooses instead to cite the history of the house and the dollmaker who lived there before Una’s family.

Soon enough, in the middle of the night, Una hears noises of her own and, on investigation, discovers a life-size doll with her fair, her hair, and even her dress! Flabbergasted, the doll speaks to Una trying to understand what she’s doing there, seemingly as clueless about her existence as Una.

As time draws on, the doll starts to cement itself its likeness of Una, showing an uncanniness in her mannerisms, personality, and even her talents. Una must act quick to work out who this doll is, where she’s come from, and why she looks like her before the doll takes over her friendships, her family, and gets Una cast back to the Home!

First off, I must admit that this book came highly praised and recommended to me by the wonderful Kathryn at Waterstones Liverpool One. Our tastes are quite synced, so I had the luxury of going into this book knowing I’d enjoy it, but boy did it surpass even my high expectations.

The concept of a creepy doll in horror fiction of any age, nevermind in middle grade, feels so drained that even the dolls themselves would probably turn their nose up at half of the uses of them in fiction. However, Beacham has found that nuanced fine line of making the doll a creepy doll, abiding by the tropes of that characterisation, but adding in enough humanity and soul that it somehow makes it creepier. When you have a doll trying to ruin your life, yes, it’s scary, but imagine that doll coming for you with kindness, sharing your interests and passions, and slowly integrating into your life. This somehow conjure more unease.

Historically, the book truly shines too. There’s plenty to be taken away from a knowledge point of view about life after the Great War, the Spanish Influenza, and even about nautical life – lighthouses, knots, and navigation. As usual, no spoilers, but it also tinged the ending with that eternal sadness of characters post-WW1 thinking the worst was over, when we all know now what was to come. The timing and setting of the novel allow The Doll Twin to glow tremendously.

Another area where Beacham shined in conquering a trope was the orphan elements of Una’s life. Middle grade fiction has become plagued with children incapable of going on adventures unless one parent, or both, is no longer with us, or never been around at all. However, the time setting of the novel provided a factual likelihood for the explanation around her being an orphan, and her memories of her parents, whilst conjuring sadness, were often view through the lens of gratitude and love, which I LOVED reading.

Una is a marvellous character, and I secretly hope there’s a sequel in there somewhere because all these characters deserve a second outing. However, if there’s not, I will forever be grateful for this journey spent with them.

The perfect read for kids who aren't quite ready for 'Jane Eyre' yet.

Set just after the First World War, 'The Doll Twin' follows 11-year-old orphaned Una who, after being adopted by the eccentric Smiths and moving to their isolated Gothic home, discovers a creepy life-size doll, or 'animated curiosity', who happens to resemble her exactly, and who might just be trying to replace her...

Fabulously creepy, 'The Doll Twin' is a steampunk Gothic by way of 'Coraline', complete with doppelgangers, houses with secrets, and new parents who are a little too good to be true. Una is such a fun protagonist to read: she's eccentric and opinionated in the vein of every preteen girl who's just a little weird (weird girl veteran here!), and there's a really interesting narrative device throughout where she compares her thoughts and feelings to paintbox colours. She's also an engineering whiz, aided by her past home in a lighthouse, and it makes a nice change to see a young female protagonist with these sorts of skills, since they're normally male-coded.

There's also a really strong sense of time-setting with the postwar context - there's references to early Hollywood and steamboats - but also as a form of trauma for Una, and Beacham does a commendable job of reiterating the impact of the war on her mental state. There's also some interesting depictions of adoption trauma and a cruel care system, reiterating real fears and traumas faced by looked-after children: Una's terror at potentially being sent back to the orphanage is a deft reflection of the honeymoon period sometimes faced by looked-after children, in an accessible way for children to access.

Overall, 'The Doll Twin' is a really nice and accessible introduction to the Gothic genre for middle-grade readers, with just enough creepiness to be fun without being traumatising, and even an endearing automaton who almost reads as a part of the mascot horror trend that's dominating kids fiction at the moment. My only potential qualm is that some of the language might be a little complex for the younger end of the middle-grade spectrum, but for advanced readers or with parental help, this shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Thank you to Netgalley and Firefly Press for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I actually wasn't entirely sure on how to review this book, because I have some mixed feelings. The story was fast-paced and it was so uniquely strange that I adored it.

On the other hand, it didn't quite hit the spot for me. I think I expected something a little bit creepier, which I'm not sure this was. It was perhaps frightening but not *creepy*.

Overall, I do think the story was well done and I would certainly read more from the author!

Graphic: Child abuse, Attempted Murder of a Child, Drowning/Near Drowning Experience
Minor: Death of parent, War, and Bullying

Representations: https://trello.com/c/JPNLWUCY/100-the-doll-twin-by-janine-beacham

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster! Good, fast pacing, great characters and just one hell of a story.

The pacing was good and quick all throughout, but it fell apart a little at the very end and I felt it was a tad rushed unfortunately. But it still felt decently well put together and the ending was satisfying enough honestly! The pacing also kept up all throughout, it didn't feel like it changed or slowed down anywhere which made for quite a quick read.

One thing that did slightly slow down the reading though is just how advanced the language used is? It's not overly frequent, but there's a few parts where it feels like the book ate a thesaurus and threw it up. Wasn't expecting to use a dictionary as much as I did for a middle grade book, and even for words I didn't need to I felt like there was still more that might be a bit too advanced for this age range.

The characters were awesome! I absolutely loved the dynamic between Ani and Una, the 2 of them played off of each other really well and both despite being "twins" where really quite unique to each other. Mary was also really cool, but I wish we got to see more of her. She seemed to mainly be there to progress the plot a little at the end and just provide a space for Uni to get told what to do and be a vessel for infodumps.
The foster parents where very interesting characters, but I would have loved to see the dynamic shown at the end a little more throughout the story from the start. Reminded me a ton of coraline though which was quite fun, but not quite as well executed imo, but that is a very high bar to pass so that's not really a big negative for me.

Overall, a very good story with spooky tense moments and a decently dark storyline. Would loved to have the world building a bit more fleshed out and a bit more time with the characters and especially that ending, but it's a good quick read. The steampunk touch was wonderfully done as well <3

Great story, very unique and different, liked the characters and was quick paced, so many twists and turns!

Wonderfully written and superbly executed, this feels like a very grown-up story for middle-grade readers.
The fact that Una is orphaned and had a traumatic time at the orphanage, coupled with the creepiness throughout the story, gives readers a lot to think about.
Una is a well-rounded and resourceful character. Having lighthouse experience was a lovely touch in both her usefulness and the way she looks at life.
In the best possible way, this is such a creepy book. There are many heart-in-mouth moments and I loved it.

What a great book! Really compelling and hard to put down. There were some great twists too!
The characters were really engaging, especially Una and Ani. But Mother and Father were also very intriguing!
I have a pretty bad phobia of dolls (luckily only when I see them in real life, so reading about them doesn't ellicit that fear/panic response), but this wasnt too creepy for me. I think because rather than the 'doll' being a creepy baby or china doll, it was more like a human, an automaton, which made it less scary to me, but still a bit unnerving, which gave this book just a nice level of unease without being too scary or creepy.
Definitely worth a read!

I am a horror story fan. And this one is just perfect. It got me hooked right from the letter at the beginning. The writing is surprisingly simple which probably helps by making the creation of that mental picture a bit easier for its target readers. I think my students might get a bit scared though.

PS. Cannot find it on Goodreads, so cannot leave a review there.

A chilling and fun middle grade book.

I had already read some of the author’s previous work, but I did not know what to expect with this title. Unlike 'Black Cats and Butlers',
this is not a murder mystery, but it is also an enjoyable read.

The story was both myterious and original – with some touches of ‘Coraline’ and other stories – and was fast-paced throughout. It is quite scary at times, with a mysterious village by the sea, a decrepit mansion and a full-sized doll, but nothing that a 10-year-old could not handle. I would have loved a story like this when I was that age.

Thank you to Firefly Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. Review available on Goodreads and retailer sites from book publication date.

2.5 stars
This unfortunately did not hit the spot for me. The second half was a lot stronger than the first, but it didn't manage to sway my overall rating in the end.

The cover is gorgeous and fills you with suspense. It is then disappointing when the text inside doesn't match. The story felt rushed at times, but there were hints of said promised suspense which was well executed.

This is an exciting and imaginative tale of fear and friendship, and finding where you truly belong. I love the friendship Una develops with Mary O’Connor, who longs to be a star of the silver screen, and her rowdy noisy large family. Ani is also a fantastic character but I don’t want to say too much about her for fear I will spoil the story. The lighthouse families and the code of the lighthouse keepers adds a charming and fun element. The characters are well drawn and (mostly) likeable. Una is a very engaging heroine, brave and resourceful. Her insecurities around the Smiths and Ani are realistic and empathetic. I also love that she is so clever with mechanics (her lighthouse upbringing being a great asset to her).

Overall a fun, exciting, and gripping story that I think anyone who likes speculative fiction, will enjoy.

This book is genuinely creepy and I know that my readers will love it. Una has had an unfortunate time of things before being adopted by 'Mother and Father' but then things take a turn for the even worse. The rich world building of Una's lighthouse keeping past and the horrific imagining of the dolls that come to life brought a vibrancy and originality to this unusual horror story that I really enjoyed. I felt as though I'd gone on a rollercoaster reading it and even though I guessed the twist before it happened I was far enough into the story for it to still be a genuine shock. The emotional journey that Una goes through is also a welcome element in this horror story (many of which tend to just focus on the horror elements). Creepy, scary, imaginative fun.

The plot

Cared for in the Home, which was run by a matron of strict sensibilities and dislike for any child that did not conform, Una is adrift. She longs to be back in the lighthouse her father and mother ran on Anglesea. The life of ‘Groundlings’ is not one she recognises or enjoys. She is a quick learner and loves all things to do with the sea. Mechanisms, too. She helped her father repair and run the big light that would save many ships and lives. He didn’t have to go to war, he was in a protected job, but he went to the war to end all wars, because of his passions for all things mechanical. Dieing in the trenches, he left his wife and daughter, Una, behind to tend the lighthouse. But when Una’s mother dies of influenza, she becomes homeless and an orphan.

Una is a dab hand at repairing things as a result, tinkering and making things. So, when Mrs and Mr Smith turn up at the Home, they seem to have found the perfect child as both have a love of turning their hands to practical things. Mrs Smith repairs dolls, whilst Mr Smith is repairing a mechanical carousel, complete with candy-twist poles attached to ponies. And Una thinks she has found the perfect parents as their motivation is to adopt the child they always wanted and don’t seem stuffy at all.

Mother and Father, as they prefer to be called, have everything Una could hope for short of a life at sea or in a lighthouse. But their recently acquired house, Copperlins, an aged large three-storey house above the village of Knifely Stifling, is close to the sea. And even though a boy at her orphanage had warned her about the house, she is determined to make it home. It may be a outdated and cold, but Una has a room of her own and views. Good food abounds as Mother is always baking. Father enjoys tinkering here and there at his carousel and smoking a pipe. In fact, they are both very much the archetypal parents one might have seen in the magazines and adverts of the time.

Una is enrolled in the local school. She has never been to a groundling school before, though she did have postal lessons while on the lighthouse. It is so very different. In fact, it is very inhospitable. The villagers don’t like strangers. Worse, they fear Copperlins and what was said to lurk within after the reclusive, elderly owner died. They have horseshoes over their doors to ward off the evil. The adults, including Una’s teachers, and the local children, shy away from Una and mutter in closed, cold groups.

But a girl called Mary soon makes friends, not least because of Una’s unusual and daring but practical short hair cut. It is very movie-star like, Mary says. Though Una has know knowledge of such things and prefers nature and her books.

Whilst settling into her new home, Una hears strange noises coming from the second floor. Could they be mice? The scratching and bumping and creaking maybe isn’t unexpected in such an old building being exposed to frigid, buffeting winds.

Mother and Father, such nice people and as good as perfect parents as she could ever hope for as an orphan, think there is nothing amiss. So Una, for fear of being sent back to the Home, steals herself, saying she is a Wexford and has endured far, far worse in the lighthouse.

But little things start happening. And little things mount up and Una is soon aware of things being moved, or worse, going missing from her room. Then, when Mary comes for a sleepover but flees midway through the night without explanation and clearly terrified, Una starts to have doubts. Could what the locals fear about the house be true? Is it haunted by malevolent spirits? Mary goes so far as to extend a safe harbour at her house if Una is too scared.

When the noises in the basement, music from the carousel she and her father are repairing, rouse Una from her sleep, she is minded to investigate. But there is nobody in the room. Later, she ventures to investigate noises on the second floor. It is an area of shut off rooms, closed curtains and cobwebs. When none of the rooms reveal the source of the sounds, she steals herself again to check within the last room, a broom cupboard. There she confronts the doll; child size and, if that wasn’t scary enough, it has Una’s face and hair and eyes. When telling Mother and Father, who neither heard the carousel music or other such strange sounds, Una can not find the doll to show them.....

Now things take a turn round about here, and Una actually gets to meet the Doll Twin. What happens next is both dramatic, scary and heartwarming.

Put aside notions of scary demon dolls as seen in the movies.

This story is far more skilled and doesn’t need such adult style nonsense. Arguably, it is far more human than that. What we have is a series of revelations, of journeys and discoveries sewn together with twists and turns both bold and powerful and yes, at times, as chilling as the storms Una and her once family faced as lighthouse keepers. Which is where we have to leave this review.

So, what did we think?

A 1920s gothic horror style feast of suspense, fear and automata, driven by a descriptive text that makes every page pulse and whir with life, and the senses tingle with anticipation from cover to cover.

One of the book’s great strengths is its being set post the ‘Great War’. With many children left fatherless, and as with Una Wexford, later motherless in the influenza outbreak, the book becomes very thought provoking and powerful from the off. I can imagine this being a key point for classroom discussion, too.

There were no points where we weren’t immersed in the telling. Looking back, there were telltale clues that we just didn’t see or see clearly enough. We even peaked forwards, and with a gasp, carried on reading even quicker. We were still surprised by the final chapters; which were magnificently executed. We were raised up on a crest of hope, then sent to the depths of despair or shattered on the rocks with our characters.

For and because of the writing skill, ultimately the ending was immensely satisfying. I won’t say what that is, as I don’t want to give it away.

So . . .
Crunch time.

A middle grade ‘gothic’ horror, you’ll have to go a long, long way to find one better or more skillfully written. I dare say Mr King would be impressed if he were to read this. We were, and devoured this in record time, and I think most other kids and parents will.

Steeped in atmosphere, this is one adventure not to be missed, as it has it all.

Oh my goodness! This story had me hooked from the very start and it didn't disappoint. It was tense and full of atmosphere and I felt like I was waiting for the scary-jump moment. There wasn't a big scary part, but lots of smaller heart-in-mouth moments. It was superb. There were so many twists and turns and people I liked I hated and then liked again, people I was cross with become people I felt sorry for! It was an emotional rollercoater and I would recommend that anyone who likes a good suspenseful story reads it.

This book was on my list for a while and I was so excited to read it. The plot is unique and it kept me hooked whilst finding out the true nature of Ani.