This Gothic thriller takes place in Victorian London in 1850. Gothic isn't my usual genre but I did like this strange story. There are plenty of weird characters starting with Iris and Rose who are twins and who work side by side in a doll factory. Rose is scarred from smallpox and Iris sustained a broken clavicle when she was born and is left with a deformity that causes her to hunch over. Street urchin Alfie sews doll clothes and collects dead animals for creepy Silas who is a taxidermist. Silas becomes infatuated with Iris so there are lots of twists and turns in this story. I would have liked to have seen a little bit more expansion on the ending. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this very different book. I meant to give this book 4 stars, not 5.

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.*

DNF at 24%

The stuff that happened bored me and it didn't need to take up a quarter of the book. I don't want to read about these characters either. And I'm sick of sisters who hate each other for petty reasons.

The Doll Factory book review - no spoilers.
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Thank you to @atriabooks for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
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The Doll Factory is a gothic thriller with a gorgeous buildup to the dramatic climax. Seriously exquisite prose, I was drawn in from the start. The novel follows sisters Rose and Iris living in 1850s London. With hardly anything to their name, they work in the doll factory for just enough to scrape by. By chance Iris is introduced to aspiring artist Louis who finds himself enthralled, he's found his new muse! However, he's not the only one who has made a space in his heart for Iris. Silas, the local collector and taxidermist has his eye on her. He will stop at nothing to prove his worth and his obsession is taking a turn for the worst.
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Talk about a fantastic character arc. I was hooked on the scenes building up Silas. I could not get enough. And Albie, dear Albie. The comic relief. The one who wants to do good even in a world that hasn't dealt him the best hand. Oh gosh, you really need to read this one to appreciate it.
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If you're looking for a creepy, mysterious thriller in the style of Lisa Jewell and Diane Setterfield with some Charles Dickens vibes this is it! And you only have to wait till August 13 to get your hands on it.

Elizabeth Macneal has given us a dark and twisting story of passion, greed, and obsession in The Doll Factory. Set in 1850’s London during the Great Exhibition, we follow a group of young artists as they endeavor to have their art displayed to the masses. Iris, young and longing for more in life, finds herself the center of Silas Reed’s obsession. A taxidermist by trade, Silas becomes fixated on imagined conversations with Iris and believes her to be as smitten with him as he is of her. Unaware of Silas’ unhealthy obsession, Iris is given the chance to further her artistic skills when she is asked to model for Louis Frost, an up and coming local artist. In return for becoming his model, Iris finds independence for the first time in her life and is allowed free reign of his studio and private painting lessons. As Iris and Louis become closer, Silas’ dark obsession threatens Iris and those around her. Fast paced and beautifully written, Elizabeth Macneal transports us to the darker side of London and provides an intimate look at the everyday people who are doing their best to survive.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

I’m on the fence about reading debut authors: I’m neither super excited about the possibility of discovering the next best thing, nor am I so determined that authors must have a solid track record for me to pick them up. However, I am such a sucker for historical fiction novels set in Victorian London that I just had to pick this one up.

This novel was definitely a slow burn; within the first third of the novel, the reader suspects what the climactic moment of the book will be. And eventually, the reader develops the sick feeling in the stomach that this suspicion is an inevitability. Once the book climaxes, it doesn’t resolve quickly. There is another slow unraveling of events to the book’s final resolution. I felt the book could have satisfactorily ended with the penultimate chapter; however, the final chapter gave the book a feeling of finality and hope that is uncharacteristic of Gothic novels.

The contrast between the light and color of the art world and the darkness of the descent into madness was truly remarkable in this novel. In addition to being a sucker for the seedy underbelly of Victorian London, I’m also quite partial to art writing. I never quite thought that I’d see those two married in one novel, but this novel does it very successfully.

I would definitely recommend this novel to my friends, as many of them tend toward contemporary suspense novels. I think this will push the envelope for them into newer settings and situations.

I received this book as a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful Gothic historical fiction that will reel you into this beautiful, chilling world. Set in London 1850, The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and all of London is excited! Twin sisters Iris and Rose spend much of their time working, They paint and dress expensive China dolls for Mrs. Salter, their laudanum addicted mistress. Life is rather bleak for the sisters but then Iris meets Louis Frost a fantastic painter and she agrees to pose for him in exchange for painting lessons. Iris desperately wants to be a painter but as a woman she is nit taken seriously. She is a pretty girl, an object for men to gaze at.

Iris then meets Silas, a taxidermist who becomes obsessed with Iris and will do anything to make her his. As the story goes on and Silas' obsession grows the book becomes darker and darker. This was a richly written story of obsession and desire with the backdrop of Gothic London.

Macneal has crafted a marvelously macabre melding of gothic and historical fiction in her thrilling tale of Victorian London. Twins Iris and Rose work in a doll factory, painting china faces, but Iris has aspirations to become an artist in her own right. One day while the twins are watching the construction of the Crystal Palace, Iris has a chance encounter with a collector of oddities, the oh-so-creepy taxidermist Silas, leading to obsession and madness. Iris is determined to learn to paint properly, becoming a model for one of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood artists in exchange for lessons in painting. As Iris becomes enmeshed in the art world of 1851 London, she has no idea of the danger threatening from the increasingly unbalanced Silas.

Macneal excels at transporting readers into the world of grubby, sooty Victorian London, making excellent use of historical details and characters. The opportunities for Victorian women, especially working class women, were limited indeed. Iris follows her own path to art to evade the grim fate of perpetual childbirth and disease that awaits most women of her class. The exciting world of Pre-Raphaelite art is a decided contrast to the grueling poverty and horrible living conditions of a large portion of the population of London. Fans of historical fiction will love this story of art, love, and insanity.
#TheDollFactory #NetGalley

I've been up in the air about my feelings for this book. On one hand the writing style is something I really enjoy reading but the pace and other things took away the enjoyment of the actual writing. The book is extremely slow in the first at least 50-60 percent and at times I wondered if I could power through. Power through I did and the last 30 percent is the saving grace of this story.

For the most part the characters were enjoyable and well written. I think a few could have been developed a bit more and a couple could have been in the shadows a bit more as they didn't add a lot to the story in my eyes. Silas' character, however, is brilliant albeit maybe a bit predictable at times. He really carried this story. You were always wondering what he would be doing next, or when he was going to finally strike.

I think this is a solid debut for this author and I will be keeping my eye out for her next novel. I think she has great potential to have some really great books if her writing style is any kind of prediction.

"The Doll Factory" is a memorable, creepy book, which weaves together a picture of life in the 1850's (particularly for an independent, creative woman) and the ominous suspense of a thriller. Macneal's writing is incredibly evocative -- not only with regard to Silas's darkening obsession, but also with the deep love characters like Iris and Albie feel for those closest to them -- though the building tension surrounding Silas took the book to a different level with me. It is a good choice to center the action on a small cast of characters and the three main points of view; I found myself increasingly attached to each of them (and developing an absolute certainty that something terrible was going to happen to at least one of them). There are undeniable shades of John Fowles's "The Collector" in the story, but to Macneal's credit, she subverts some of the expected ideas, though many of the situations the characters find themselves in are no less uncomfortable or harrowing. I flew through the last quarter of the book, practically skimming in my haste to see how the tension paid off and how the plot resolved itself. Though the end wrapped up somewhat quickly, I was enormously satisfied by the whole resolution. Besides the jump between the penultimate chapter and the very end, my only other complaint is that there were some other loose ends I wondered about. Similarly, while I liked the love story between Louis and Iris, some of it felt a bit flat or two-dimensional. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this story immensely, and frankly much more than I anticipated. I'd recommend to any fans of stories set in historical London, especially those who enjoy something a bit dark.

While I didn't find myself enjoying this story much at all, I will say the Macneal's evocative description of Victorian-era England was wonderful. She set the scene and grime/filth perfectly to the point where I wanted to bathe just reading about her characters walking through daily life along streets shared with horses, vermin, and alleys lined with human filth.
The story is told in alternating chapters through two perspectives: Iris, a lower class young woman who dreams of being a painter and Silas, a shop owner and maker of curiosities (read: creepy Victorian taxidermy). It was clear where this story would be going the moment their paths crossed but it took the snail's route to get there, and when it finally did it was over so quickly and not the least bit satisfying. And sure there are subplots such as an entire history lesson on art and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but other than the being a mechanism of the sledgehammer of obvious (TM) to set up the callback in the climax, if you were to take away all of the painting and most of the characters, you'd still have the same book. Pacing was off for me, I didn't feel a draw to any of the main characters, subplots and side characters could have easily been eliminated, and there is quite a bit of violence towards animals for those sharing that particular trigger. Overall, this was just an "okay" book for me; some people may really enjoy it, but it just wasn't my jam.

This was not my favorite. Extremely slow paced. Lots of talk about whorehouses. Silas- the very inept taxidermist who is once introduced to Iris and starts stalking her... Thinking she will love him after that brief encounter. He really annoyed me.
Started out Victorian-era feeling but quickly turned into feeling like a modern thriller at the end.
I also felt that a book called The Doll Factory should have been more focused around that and it fell way short of that mark for me.

I found this to be a very good debut novel, although the title is something of a misnomer.
Set in the Victorian era, this is a gothic thriller that includes a bit of romance, historical fiction and a love of art.

The characters are struggling to survive in 1850’s England. Rose and Iris, twin sisters who work in a doll shop, have big dreams for their future. Rose wants to open her own shop and Iris wants to become an artist. The only thing that holds them back is a lack of funds to get started and their troubled relationship.

A young boy named Albie frequents the shop, bringing hand-made doll clothes to sell. Albie is struggling to afford dental care for himself and to help his older sister out of a life of prostitution. Albie also makes a few coins by bringing dead animals to a taxidermist named Silas.

Silas is also acquainted with some young artists that occasionally purchase stuffed animals to use as models for their paintings. A seemingly insignificant meeting between Iris and Silas sets off a horrific chain of events, that only Albie seems able to stop.

This is one story that is not for the faint of heart. In addition to details of taxidermy, there is a some animal cruelty, stalking and references to violence. This is a dark story that seems to end well while leaving much to the reader’s imagination.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of The Doll Factory in exchange for my honest review.


I wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. The story had problems holding my attention. The Doll Factory is a macabre story of trying to find your dreams while also dealing with an infatuation that isn't equally received.

This is a chilling dickens style novel . We begin with Silas a taxidermist which creeped me out itself , who is a bit off but as time goes on he becomes absolutely mad .Twins Iris and Rose paint dolls for a living . The novel does an excellent job of describing limitations for women during this time . Iris meets Louis and agrees to model for him in exchange for painting lessons . This book won’t be what you expect and is not for the faint hearted . It chilled me . Excellent writing

3.5 stars

It took me a while to get into The Doll Factory but once I did things got creepy and pretty dark. Needless to say I only enjoyed the last 30% of this book. I tend to get bored when books go on and on and I just wish a point would be made. The slow beginning of this book brought down it’s rating.

Netgalley for review

This is such a dark tale of London during the mid-1800s. It was a bleak time, and the language of the story convey's the dismal times very well. A tale of obsession, art, and wanting to improve one's life, despite the hard times and clearly defined cultural lines and more's. Set around the excitement in London of the Great Exhibition, it is the story of Iris and her sister Rose. Iris has hopes and dreams, and Rose has a bitterness about the hand life dealt her. A chance for change occurs when Iris meets Julius, but at the cost of never seeing her family again, including her sister Rose. Silas has deep secrets and a tendency toward the macabre; his delusions create a relationship with Iris within the confines of his mind, and despite young Albee's misgivings, neither Iris or Julius take the warnings seriously.

When I first began reading this book, I thought, oh no, I am not going to make it through this one, and I hate the thought of giving a bad review. But I continued reading past the first dark scenes, and wound up really liking it. The first deep dark was necessary to set the tone for the rest of the story, and it becomes the true story of making one's dreams come true - dark and slippery, or right and true all depend on the person dreaming them. It is a true thriller about a character as frightening as Jack the Ripper must have been during these same times.

A dark and unusual story alternately told by Iris, trying to raise herself up and become an artist and Silas, a taxidermist with a questionable background. I found it equally strange and compelling.

I have to say that this book is a combination of odd, creepy, and even a bit disturbing. While it was somewhat what I thought it would be, this author delves into the downtrodden, under belly of Victorian London.

She shows us a world that is scary and creepy. Her descriptions are such that you can just visualize the filth and despair. Desperation and fear abounds in such a matter that you are sucked right into the city, connecting with the characters.

For a first time author, Macneal nails it with her in-depth character development. The odd and peculiar abounds while making this novel unique and engrossing. Silas creeped me out and the reader is kept on pins and needles with knowing what is to come yet not knowing when.

The Doll Factory left me thinking long and hard about whether I enjoyed this book or was just compelled to keep reading. It is captivating! This book stays with you, worming into your psyche and leaving you feeling just a bit creeped out.

I wanted more. More in terms of the ending. What happened with Iris and Louis? What happened with Rose? Ack… Will there be another book? I guess we wait and see.

To be truthful, I had a hard time getting into this story, nearly giving it up. But…I'm extremely glad that I pushed on. The scenes were pretty vivid, I had no trouble visualizing where I was…just everything had a dark tint to it. I guess that's called Noir. The characters were fully fleshed out and mostly likeable, except for a couple who weren't. The book was excellently written...no errors that I could find and it had a nice flow to it (once you got past the beginning). I loved the ending, how it was all chaos all of a sudden and you just knew that something bad was going to happen....and then it was over. No real explanations as to what happened, which I think I really liked since the book was rather long anyway. Just the ending, in the last chapter, in the future. Very satisfying.

This was a great debut novel which richly describes Victorian London. It is very atmospheric with historical detail. There is love, obsession, Art, poverty, social class, and science. Iris is a very strong character and wants to be a brilliant artist. Silas is deranged and wants to possess her. This story is dark at times but unforgettable.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.