This isn’t a genre I typically read, but wow! That creepy porcelain doll had my nerves on edge from the start!

One of the things I enjoyed most about this chilling story is how vulnerable Gabrielle, the main character, is. Right away, you notice her discomfort during a date that doesn’t go as she expects. Still, she tries to go along with it, convincing herself it’s "normal" for a guy to bring her to his place right away. Gabrielle’s struggle to believe she’s normal and not crazy is palpable, even as a broken porcelain doll starts speaking to her in an unnervingly creepy manner.

The dynamic between Gabrielle and her brother, Michael, is like a precarious yet beautiful dance. The novel alternates between two points of view: Gabrielle's and Detective Cole’s. Cole, who is dating Michael, complicates the story even further. Despite Gabrielle’s mental instability, I found her perspective the most compelling—especially toward the end. Her interactions with Peter, the boy she loves who is also broken, are heartbreaking. Watching these two damaged characters try to love each other is both tragic and moving.

Jesse Sprague is a masterful writer who keeps you hooked the more you read, and I love that.

Don’t go into this expecting just a horror novel or a psychological thriller—this book is so much more. I highly recommend picking it up.

Gabrielle is a college student trying to figure out how to have a normal-ish life, after having so many tragic events follow her from childhood. As the book opens, she is on a date with a guy named Joe and from an outside perspective, it isn't going incredibly well, but she is trying to convince herself this is all "normal" and it happens to everyone. However, after an uncomfortable night, she returns to her own apartment and tries to put the incident behind her.

On the other hand, her brother Michael is on the verge of a budding new relationship and everything is still fragile and tenuous, We soon find out, the love interest is a detective with the police and Gabrielle is found at the scene of a crime, covered in blood and close to catatonic. It becomes a trip down the psychological rabbit hole as we try to uncover whether Gabrielle or a mysterious doll from her childhood is the one committing the heinous crimes.

This book is not without it's flaws and although I do not fully understand some of the mental disorders this book tries to highlight, I feel as though the people around Gabrielle, are not "good" for her in a lot of different ways. When it comes to "the doll" nearly no one supports her in trying to get rid of it. It's an aspect of the book I did not understand. I also did not understand why no one seemed to focus on the fact this girl is significantly mentally ill and they just try to brush it off. But overall I was fairly intrigued and flew through the book. I did think it was going to be far more spooky and supernatural than it was.

Chills, Thrills and Twists make this story truly riveting and utterly terrifying.
I loved it and found the book impossible to put down.
Packed with interesting characters and shocking revelations it is absolutely terrifying!
Highly Recommended.

Porcelain was my first introduction to author Jesse Sprague. And as far as introductions go, it was an impressive one. I’ve been a fan of the idea of creepy doll stories ever since I saw the Living Doll episode of The Twilight Zone as a kid, so I was happy to jump right into this one. While the book ended up being quite different than I originally expected, it was still quite the ride. Sprague did a wonderful job of letting us into Gabrielle’ s head. And I have to say it’s an uncomfortable place to be. Heck just the opening scene alone, experiencing her thought process, was enough make me feel unfordable to say the least. The mystery around the doll and the way Gabrielle’s past gets revealed were well done. However, I must say that if you are hoping for closure at the end you’ll be disappointed. By the end you’ll still be left with a number of loose threads, but that’s because this is only the first book in the series. So now the wait begins for book 2. I’d like to thank Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Porcelain.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2KLU87673UKU4/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Gabrielle just wants to live like every other college girl: dress pretty, go out, maybe even have a boyfriend. But her past continues to haunt her, no matter how far she tries to run from it. As a child, she suffered immense trauma after witnessing the death of her parents—though between the blackout, the fact that she was alone in the house when it happened, and the presence of a certain porcelain doll, many (herself included) are convinced that she had a hand in this death. And when a similar event occurs at the home of a college boy who took advantage on her, it seems like the past is coming back to haunt her. As if that wasn't complicated enough, one of the officers on the case is Cole: Gabrielle's brother's new boyfriend.

The narrative shifts between Gabrielle and Cole as the case unwinds. On one side of the story is the frightened teen, convinced that she has somehow awoken something malevolent in the porcelain doll that still occupies a space on her bookshelf. As she tries to navigate the police's inquiries, she dares to pursue a relationship with Peter: a childhood friend with mental health struggles of his own. Meanwhile, Cole has troubles of his own, even beyond the fact that his boyfriend's little sister may be a murderer. His new relationship could also compromise his battle for custody of his young daughter, Isa. Before long, he has to choose whether to fight for Gabrielle and sacrifice his relationship with Michael, or fight to stay with Michael and leave the investigation. As the truth begins to come clear, another victim falls at the "doll's" hands, and Gabrielle's memories turn up surprising details.

Porcelain dares to walk a very difficult line in its involvement of real mental health struggles, and blending those with tinges of the paranormal is complex at the best of times. By and large, the book is compassionate but realistic about these struggles, while also being honest about what it's like to live with them and try to look after one's mental health. While it sometimes seems to play with and subvert the old tropes of mental illness being mistaken for demonic possession, it also leans into them in at times. The result is a waveform of tense, compelling scenes offset by (at least for this reader) discomfort with how the story may be falling into old traps. The fact that this is "Book 1" of a series makes me hopeful that this is a slow burn, and that what feels off-kilter may be elevated in future volumes.

Porcelain by Jesse Sprague is a gripping, spine-chilling horror/thriller that hooked me from start to finish. This book delivers just the right amount of spooky vibes, centred around a truly creepy vintage porcelain doll. Who doesn’t love a story with a hauntingly eerie doll at its core? I absolutely loved it!

The story follows Gabrielle, whose traumatic past is steeped in blood. Ten years ago, she woke up covered in blood beside her murdered parents, convinced her porcelain doll was the killer—but also clinging to the belief it was only protecting her. Now, after years of therapy and medications, Gabrielle is ready to rebuild her life and start fresh at the University of Washington. But when a horrifying blackout leaves her next to another bloody corpse—again with her doll at the scene—she’s left questioning whether she’s a killer or if the doll is truly alive.

I particularly enjoyed the addition of Cole’s perspective, the homicide detective investigating the case, and Gabrielle’s brother’s new boyfriend. Initially, I wasn’t sure why his personal life needed to be explored, but as the story progressed, his point of view added a meaningful and emotional layer to the narrative. It was refreshing to hear from his perspective instead of just Gabrielle’s, which gave the story even more depth.

As the plot unfolded, I found myself completely engrossed. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the end, and I was thoroughly satisfied with the conclusion. The themes in this book are what truly make it stand out—it explores the fragility of mental health, the impact of trauma, and the lengths people will go to to protect those they love. These elements made for a thought-provoking and compelling read.
That said, I want to note that this book deals with heavy themes, including child sexual abuse, so please check the content warnings before diving in if this might be a trigger for you.

If you’re looking for a creepy, unputdownable Horror/thriller to read over the holidays, Porcelain is an excellent choice. The eerie doll, the suspenseful plot, and the emotional depth combine to create a hauntingly unforgettable story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing for providing me with an e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review.

✨B O O K R E V I E W✨

Porcelain by Jesse Sprague
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy pub day @jessespragueauthor !! I was lucky enough to get an ARC copy of her new book Porcelain and let me tell you, I am HOOKED.

“Ten years ago, Gabrielle woke up from a blackout covered in blood next to her brutally murdered parents. Certain that her porcelain doll was the killer, she nevertheless clung to it, because it was only protecting her. Wasn’t it?

After years of therapy, living in institutions, and lots of medication, Gabrielle has made enough progress to enroll at the University of Washington. She just wants to be normal. A doll is just a doll, after all.

But when she’s sexually pressured at a date’s house, she blacks out again and wakes up next to her date’s bloody corpse-with her doll. Worse, her brother’s new boyfriend is the homicide detective on the case. Despite her brother’s faith in her, she’s left seeing two possibilities-either she’s a killer, or her doll is.”

If you know anything about me, you know that Halloween is my favorite holiday, and this creepy thriller kept those good vibes going! I was scared, I was confused, I was excited. I felt like I was right there with the main character. I found it was in a similar vein as the third Conjuring movie and How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, so if either of those were your jam, this book is for you! Overall, it was a really fun ride and I’m thankful I got to be a part of it!

a good creepy story about a murderous cursed doll.? Say no more! Devoured this one. Highly recommend!

This was such a dark and intense read overall, I felt immersed in the story and it definitely had me questioning if it was really the doll or not, this booked definitely played on my mind after I had finished it.

This was more psychological horror than horror but no doubt what nightmares of made of!
Gabrielle our main character is sent away years ago for killing her parents, however she woke up from a blackout covered in blood and blamed her doll for the murders. This book will have you asking was it her or the doll up until the end and if Gabrielle will ever figure out what happened and is happening again…

Loved the gory details and the mental health reps a lot ….struggled a bit with gabi’s hysteria at first vug then it clicked!…
There is a typo at 16% ( last paragraph ) …thanks !

This book explores the impact trauma can have on an individual and those that are around them. The bonds Gabrielle has with her brother and friends are strained by her attachment to this doll from her childhood. And somehow, people around her keep winding up dead. What is the strange power this doll has over Gabrielle? And who is next? I really enjoyed this take on the haunted doll trope.

I wouldn’t say I very much enjoyed this, a good horror novel needs to pack a punch and not have so much fluff cluttered around it. Unfortunately this one for me had too much “fluff” and I found it very hard to get into the crux of the horror because of it.

I didn’t really resonate with much about this one I’m sorry to say which is a shame because I was very excited for it!!

I am a huge fan of Jesse, however this book just didn’t hit the spot for me, I didn’t like the pov switching however that is just personal preference.

Thank you NetGalley and Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing for providing the free ARC.

I enjoyed the story, but I think this will shine with certain individuals more so. This is more of a psychological thriller than a horror novel.

What I wanted more was how the sinister doll controlled Gabrielle. From her early childhood to her adult life, learning more about the connection and how it grew stronger.

Loved how this book explored psychological trauma and creats the detailed visual of all scenes combining both emotional and physical experience on a good level. Two unexpected pows added depth to the narration and amazingly showed the story from completely different sides.

The plot was quite predicatable at times and I didn't feel the creepy vibes I expected, but in general it was a good read.

A horror book about a cursed doll can never go wrong! Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3,5 ⭐️
It’s a good book for those who don’t read much horror in general. It’s always interesting to read about a cursed doll. I liked the author’s descriptive style, I think it has a good style. However, I didn’t find the plot of the story particularly remarkable

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I'm really conflicted about this one. I really like the story and plot. I like the way the plot develops. But some sections are very slow to move through. Overall, I really liked it, just could have flowed better.

Oh gosh this book was pretty good. I liked it. A solid 3 stars. I am so grateful to have received this ARC. Thank you so much.