The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror, from Joyce Carol Oates

(Alternative title: the book that made me so hot to read it that burned me when I did)

Hi, there, lovelies! Slowly and steadily, I’m putting some order on my missing reviews 🙂 I’m almost done with the sent books, so I’ll start the asked ones, haha! Today I’ll be talking about a book I received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review: The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror, from Joyce Carol Oates. While I thank the publisher to the infinity and beyond for approving my review request, I must say that this book wasn’t my kind of terror 😦

For that reason, I won’t be long on my review, as I still think many people out there will love it despite my feelings towards this book 🙂

From one of our most important contemporary writers, The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror is a bold, haunting collection of six stories.

In the title story, a young boy becomes obsessed with his cousin’s doll after she tragically passes away from leukemia. As he grows older, he begins to collect “found dolls” from the surrounding neighborhoods and stores his treasures in the abandoned carriage house on his family’s estate. But just what kind of dolls are they?

In “Gun Accident,” a teenage girl is thrilled when her favorite teacher asks her to house-sit, even on short notice. But when an intruder forces his way into the house while the girl is there, the fate of more than one life is changed forever.

In “Equatorial,” set in the exotic Galapagos, an affluent American wife experiences disorienting assaults upon her sense of who her charismatic husband really is, and what his plans may be for her.

In The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror, Joyce Carol Oates evokes the “fascination of the abomination” that is at the core of the most profound, the most unsettling, and the most memorable of dark mystery fiction.

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

This book wasn’t for me. I like my terror more terrifying. I enjoyed the first story, but I had it all figured out in the middle. The other stories were just boring for me and I feel awful for that. The writing style was tiresome, the mystery was too obvious and the terror itself didn’t built up on my head I was the most wrong target, haha! So, two stars.

What I liked: the first story. I loved the concept and even after understanding it all, it gave me the creeps to keep going. I have a thing for dolls, especially porcelain dolls. I know several people are afraid of them, but I love them to the core – I have four myself, gifts from my grandma ❤

That’s my reaction EVERY TIME I see pretty vintage dolls, be it porcelain or not, haha!

Anyway, I don’t really want to bitch about this book. All I will say is that I was too excited to read the book and got disappointed. If you like light terror, soft mystery, creepy things and don’t open this book with high expectations, you’ll love it 🙂

That’s it! Thanks for reading this review and I honestly hope more people can love this book to compensate my lack of love 🙂

Love you all and see you around,