Broken Dolls

Where to start with this review? I have no idea! This book was so amazing! This was just such an interesting concept and def. has not been done before!

Twists and turns make this book a must read! The story and characters make it come alive right off the page!

Go Into This One Knowing Dolls and a creepy creator!

This is a fabulous book. Besides its intriguing title, what first caught my attention about Broken Dolls was its cover. It illustrates something a bit macabre, and yet innocence, too. Then when you take a look inside, the story captures your attention and interest from the opening statement until the end of the story. The story is unique, not the same-ole tale that so many books rehash.

It has a bit of a sense of Pinocchio. Ella is a doll who doesn't feel any physical pain, nor remember life before she was a doll. That all changes when Lisa, another doll is made and "activated." You'll be kept guessing whether the doll-maker is good or evil. Did he give Ella a better life as a doll? Or is he up to something more sinister? Expect to be surprised by the twists in this book. You'll not be disappointed. Things -- and people -- are not always what they seem.

What a unique little book.

Broken Dolls is a fairly quick read, coming in at only around 150 pages, but it still packs quite a bit in to a short space.

We're introduced to Ella in the midst of her excitement over getting a new friend - another doll to join her, and share the little space that the Professor has carved out for her to live her life in. She's not a perfect doll, but she can dance, and that's all that matters... At least, that's what she had always thought, until Lisa comes into her life and everything starts to change.

This book seems to skew a little younger than most YA, both in length and subject matter, but I still really enjoyed it. The concept is original and fascinating - the idea of a doll who used to be human, but who has forgotten what that was like... The struggle that she faces as she wavers between wanting to remember and not, wanting more and being terrified of it.

Woven into this is the mystery of her past, and that of Lisa, and the mysterious Professor. Who is she? Who is the Professor? How did she come to be a little dancer doll, living out her life in a dusty little attic, never seeing the outside? Is the Professor just a mad collector, wanting more and more dolls, or is there something more to it?

All of this makes this an intriguing little book, especially as the ending unfolds and we start to learn some of the truths that Ella discovers - and remembers - along the way. It's a mystery with a hint of dystopia, with a little foray into what it means to be human, as well. I see that there's to be a sequel, and I would definitely check it out.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel. It's actually probably more of a novella due to its short length, which is probably my only complaint.

** some spoilers **

We start off with Ella, the main character who is also a living doll, meeting her new friend Lisa, another living doll. Unfortunately, Lisa seems a bit crazy and the Professor calls her too broken. Shortly after the Professor introduces Ella to his granddaughter Gabby. The two become best friends and Ella finds out Gabby is going to die from an outbreak of mysterious illness. Lisa becomes obsessed with finding a way to become human again. She terrorizes Ella in the process of her investigations. The Professor begins to take on the appearance of a creepy old villain until the truth is finally revealed - he might just be a hero. Ella, on the other hand, is not at all what she seems. Truthfully, her story is sad and her true self is really not a likable person. I guess you could say in the end everyone gets what they wanted but the happy ending is a little bittersweet.

Ella ends up being two very different people and it's strange to say that her doll self is very likable while her real self is just nasty and bitter. I really hated her other side and I ended up feeling very sad for the Professor.

I feel that these characters were all very dynamic and the story progressed rapidly but smoothly. Everything wrapped up nicely. I'm pleased to see there is going to be a sequel. I'm very interested in getting a copy as soon as it's available.

5 stars.

Broken Dolls is an amazing book! Full of mystery and craziness, it was epic. I really loved the way everything happened, how incredible were the characters un their own ways and the best thing was the end, I wasn't expecting that AT ALL.

For me Ella was soo sweet and polite, I truly loved her throughout the book because of how she tried to saved everyone and protect them. But at the end I didn't think the same, I'm not going to tell you why because of spoilers but I want you to know that at the end I pretty much hate her. However, me "hating" her was what it would happen, I think the book was made to hate her after all.

The other girls/dolls were really nice and supportive. Gabby was the best soo cute and brave, I loved her. Lisa was also a nice person but I didn't like how she dealt with all this, but now I get that it was necessary for her to be like that.

The only bad thing for me was the end, I know I've just said that I wasn't expecting that at all and I wasn't but I didn't quite liked it. It wasn't bad but it didn't work for me. I don't know how to explain it, I think I liked it because it was unexpecting and I didn't like it because of how ugly was Ella reality :/.

However, the end wasn't a big deal because it was okay and the rest of the book was super awesome.

This was a really unusual story about a living doll, Ella, who lives in the attic of the Professor, the man who made her. She wears tutus and spends her days dancing and she’s really pretty happy, but then the Professor makes another doll, a goth doll called Lisa. Lisa is angry and mean and she upsets Ella, who can’t understand where Lisa’s rage is coming from.

I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever read a story like this one! It was slightly steampunky, which is obviously cool, slightly sci-fi, a little bit dystopia

The plot itself is told through Ella’s viewpoint and she watches as Lisa just goes around disrupting her previously placid life and making all sorts of discoveries that make Ella question what the Professor is really up to. There aren’t that many twists and turns – it’s more like a slow build towards the ultimate climax. I was glad we got a resolution to the story and I would be quite interested to read the sequel, Shattered Girls, to see where the story goes next.

The characters were the most interesting thing about the book, I found. My favourite was Lisa – she really seemed to have her wits about her and wasn’t about to just sit around and accept the way things were. Ella, by contrast, seemed very keen to preserve things exactly the way things were (although I don’t really know why – being a doll sounds pretty sucky), so the points where she and Ella clashed were pretty funny! I also really liked the author’s writing style. There was a really nice flow to it and Ella seemed to have a very definite voice.

There were points where I wondered how well it actually worked as a YA book. Ella doesn’t really have an age as such – she thinks she’s been a doll for a long time, but doesn’t really know – although the way she speaks and her view of the world comes across as fairly childlike and her friend Gabby is eleven, so in some ways this might work more as an MG book. But then, the themes the book deals with are better suited to a slightly older audience, so I don’t really know how else it could have been classified.

In some respects, I would have liked to have read the same story from Lisa’s viewpoint. I think it would have been really spooky and interesting to have read about her waking up as a doll and trying to solve the mystery of the Professor’s work while trying to contend with Ella, who is happy with the status quo.

Really that was the only mildly negative thing I picked up on. Other than that, this was a quick, fun read.

4 stars

An epic and unique story that is so unlike the others that it gets three stars just on the merits of it's individuality. But then there is how much Puxty can pack into less than 150 pages with characters that balance good and evil, ethics, morals, and faith and hope with the genius of science, discovery, and exploration.

The chapter illustrations and odd font add to its ambiance and then we're introduced to a girl in a ballerina tutu who is an animate doll and "the professor" who takes care of her, making sure she's comfortable and well while also protecting her from remembering her past. But once a new doll is introduced into the attic where Ella lives comfortably, all bets are off. Lisa was a cutter and abusive and now she has set her sites on the innocent Ella. Then the rapid decent into the madness of this science fiction-y world begins.

SPOILER: Readers discover that the professor is Ella's husband. Ella was severely disabled in a car accident in which he was the driver and they were on their honeymoon, while their young son stayed with his grandparents. Because Daniel was already a nutty professor, and she a gorgeous dancer, he decided to try to save her by separating her conscious from her body in order to heal the body and then re-vigor the body that would hopefully heal. Add to it that a new generation of children are now suffering from an illness if they have O+ blood, including Daniel's granddaughter. As everything comes to a head, more dolls are discovered and the jig is up for Ella, she is reanimated and discovers that she has become a doll many times over the last thirty years, choosing to live as a doll in blissful ignorance of her family and real self.

An amazing look into medical ethics but with enough of a gothic twist to be amazing at every turn. It's genius is in its creative complicated-ness.

Read if you liked [book:The Adoration of Jenna Fox|1902241], [book:Eva|631169], [book:Lockdown|6420846], [book:The Gardener|7173435], and [book:Wither|8525590].

Che bello quando si riceve una arc e si scopre un romanzo altrettanto piacevole!

Broken Dolls di Tyrolin Puxty è uno YA che mescola spunti sf e distopici, non senza alcune scene che definirei più “inquietanti” che decisamente “horror”.

La protagonista è Ella, una bambola molto particolare, poiché in grado di muoversi e parlare autonomamente, benché incapace di provare vere emozioni e sensazioni.
Ella è una creazione del professore con il quale vive, uno scienziato le cui creazioni sono appunto queste particolari bambole, molto simili a delle IA, che non ricordano nulla della loro vita precedente, se non quanto ha detto loro il Professore stesso, ovvero che prima di arrivare da lui erano “rotte” (broken).

Il mondo di Ella inizia a venire sconvolto quando una nuova bambola, Lisa, il cui carattere è alquanto impertinente, ma soprattutto, dopo essere stata attivata, ha ancora dei flashback del suo passato e vuole ad ogni costo visitare il laboratorio del Professore per sapere la verità sulle “bambole rotte”.

Proseguire a delineare la trama vorrebbe dire svelare alcuni particolari inattesi che lascio ai lettori – basti dire che il climax è tutto in salita e ci saranno molte rivelazioni e prima del finale.

La storia è molto gradevole, assolutamente originale e sorprendente, scritta bene, soprattutto riesce a coniugare una narrazione accattivante con concetti più profondi e spunti di riflessione.
Non manca forse di qualche ingenuità da primo romanzo, forse anche dovuto al target principale − benché ritengo possa essere benissimo una lettura anche per adulti, che, anzi, possono meglio apprezzare alcune tematiche.

Per prima cosa ci si chiede se la nuova vita di Ella come bambola sia davvero una sorta di idillio: meglio essere pressoché perfetta, vivere in un luogo confortevole e sicuro, ma non essere senziente e avere una libertà limitata e nessun ricordo, oppure essere del tutto umana e, soprattutto, mortale e fragile?
La risposta è semplice solo in apparenza, il percorso di Ella lungo la storia è in grado di dimostrarlo, in particolare nel finale, quando viene rivelato il vero ruolo del professore e quale sia il ruolo e la scelta della nostra protagonista.

Anche qui si pone un’altra domanda: chi può scegliere per noi, per la nostra vita e fino a che punto?

I personaggi sono delineati in modo tridimensionale e credibile, ognuno ha la propria personalità che si rispecchia nelle azioni e nel carattere.
Non c’è nessun personaggio perfetto, né alcun “buono” o “cattivo”, tutti hanno lati positivi e non, tanti dei quali si rivelano con lo scorrere della storia, e si dimostrano spesso più complessi di quanto possa sembrare ad un primo sguardo.

Avrei preferito sapere di più sull’ambientazione, in particolare la “misteriosa” epidemia letale che colpisce tutte le persone del gruppo sanguigno zero positivo… Il background è un po’ troppo sfumato.
Così alcuni aspetti più tecnici del lavoro del Professore rimangono non detti né spiegati, purtroppo.

Complessivamente, una lettura notevole, originale e interessante, consigliata a tutti.

This Novel was like Lemony Snicket, the writer of Doctor Who,and The writer of Jack and The Cuckoo Clock got together and wrote one amazing book.

The writing is very different then anything I've read in a while but in a really good way. I liked reading in the eyes of a non human for once, To know how she feels even if she can't feel, simply put this Book is pretty awesome.

So I just finished reading Broken Dolls. I hadn’t heard of this author previously. She had only written one book prior to this one and that was a few years ago.

Well… I was completely engrossed in this book from the start. I absolutely loved the characters and the descriptions. I could see in my minds eye what each and every one of them looked like. I could picture Lisa running around insanely trying to “break” Ella.

There were so many twists and turns in this story, I couldn’t decide who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. I really did not see that ending coming at all!! I loved it!

There was a preview of another book called Shattered Girls and I can’t wait for that one to come out. In the meantime, I am going to get her previous book Dumb Luck. I hope it is as good as this one.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any form of compensation.

Very dark and unique. Looking forward to the sequel!

What an odd, quirky book! There are a lot of layers to why and how girls are being changed into dolls. Really a different concept which is refreshing. The twist at the end? Didn't see THAT coming!

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. The premise sounded rather quirky, so it could have gone either way for me. I'm so glad that I decided to give it a chance though, because it was blast to read! In some places Broken Dolls reminded me of another excellent book I had read - The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath, which I have reviewed here. It has the same quirky and slightly psychedelic feel to it.
This is the story of Ella, and Ella is a doll, though she knows that she has been human before, she just doesn’t remember what it was like or anything from her past life. All she knows is the dusty attic and the big chest she lives in, the old tape recorder she plays with during her Imagination Time, and the ancient black and white TV she watches sometimes. The only person she ever interacts with is the Professor, who, even though he always tells her that she is special, nevertheless forbids her from leaving the attic and never explains anything.
She doesn't remember how long she's been a doll, but her peaceful and boring life changes when the Professor creates Lisa, another living doll. Lisa is a Goth and a rebel and she remember her human life. And she will stop at nothing to get her human body back and make the Professor pay for what he's done to her.
At first, Ella thinks that Lisa is crazy and is scared of her, but then Ella meets Gabby, the Professor's granddaughter and everything changes. Gabby is sick and Ella has the sinking feeling that the Professor will try to change her into one of his living dolls. And Ella will do everything in her power to save her new friend. So the good little dancing doll rebels for the first time in her memory.
What I loved about this book was its unpredictability. You start the book with the idea that you have the plot pretty much figured out - crazy evil Professor praying on little girls and turning them into dolls for his crazy evil pleasure. And for the first part of the book, Mrs. Puxty does a good job to cultivate that assumption… until she starts slowly revealing little details that make us doubt what's going on and wonder if what we are seeing is perhaps not the whole truth. And in the end we discover that all of our assumptions were wrong and the villains are not who we had expected. What can I say? That was brilliant!

Nobody is who they seem to be when we first meet them, apart maybe for Gabby, but she is a 10 year old child, so not really capable of much deception. So it was fun for me to discover different sides to all these characters and to constantly have to revise my opinion of them. And the best part is that the author does those reveals in a very natural way that flows seamlessly with the story.
I also loved Ella, even though I came to hate her by the end. Well, hate is kind of a strong word. Let's just say that I disliked the person she was when she wasn't a doll. I won't go into many more details because that would be a spoiler, so to know more, you need to pick up this book and read it for yourself.
The book is also well written and the story was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my sit. I devoured it in one day because I just couldn't put it down! It's also not very long, only about 150 pages, so that helped.
Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book. You want something fast-paced and interesting to read while curled up on your couch with a cup of hot chocolate? Broken Dolls is a book for you.
PS. I have received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the moment I started reading this book, I knew it was going to be unique. Creepy, chilling to the bones, and absolutely confusing. One of the main questions that lingered in my mind is why the Professor was so cruel? The author have made him seem to be twisted in every way and have a sick obsession about young girls and dolls. You can see how that made me uncomfortable and I did not see the twist that came at the end.

The story follows us with Ella - the broken doll that was made to dance. She tutus, watches ballet on TV, and lives in the attic where Professor has put her. But when another doll is activated, her life seems to be strange and she starts to question everything that she sees. Who is Professor and why is he keeping her away from everything else? After Lisa goes too far and tries to break Ella, she is forced to decide what will her life look like and why is she getting all of the emotions that the dolls usually don't get.

Great writing and structure of the book, I definitely was surprised at how it ended. Cannot wait for the second book in the series, Shattered Girls, to continue the adventure of Ella and Gabby.

Ella is an animated doll dancing on points, that lives in an attic and talk with the professor, a middle-aged man who is her creator. She vaguely remembers that she was human, so long ago, but did not want to know the mystery of her existence until in the attic comes Lisa, a gothic and rebellious doll, who, instead, remembers perfectly of being once human.
But why the professor turns humans into dolls, and what is the relationship between Ella and Gabriella, the professor's wife, that an accident that has left paralyzed?
Officially aimed at younger, Broken Dolls is an excellent book that makes the reader raising good questions, well written and intriguing at the right point, and with a magnificent cover.
Thanks Curiosity Quills Press and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely! A new idea nicely executed. I loved every moment of it. Who was Ella? Why is she a doll? Well, the answers were not what I was expecting at all. The book is well written and I was engaged in the story. It has intrigue and mystery.

My copy had an excerpt of the second book in the back. I read it and I can tell it is equally interesting.
I will definitely read the next book in the series.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

This was a real surprise for me! There were a lot of things going against this book in the beginning. It’s about dolls; I hate dolls, they terrify me! The beginning was really slow and lacked any meat to it. The character were slightly annoying. What it had going for it was I sure the professor was a creep and I HAD to know what he was doing.
I am so glad I requested this and continued it. What it lacks in actual suspense, it certainly makes up for it in twisty turny style! Seriously don’t trust anyone let alone your instincts when it comes to this novel!
I don’t even know what else I can say that won’t give anything away. I will be looking out for book two, definitely!
I received this ebook from Netgalley and the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really good! It had amazing characters and it was well-written and had a very interesting plot! I would definitely recommend.

The concept is unlike anything I have ever read. Basically their is a Professor who takes girls who are dying, and who have no chance at surviving and turns them into dolls. Somehow in his infinite wisdom he has found a way to transfer their essence into doll form.

Our main character, Ella, is his most successful creation. She is a ballerina doll and can walk, talk, dance, and enjoys living in her box in the attic and watching television. She has no memories from her human life and idolizes the professor.

All is well with Ella until the professor creates a new doll, a goth named Lisa. Something goes terribly wrong in her building process and she can remember all of her previous life except for her "death." She becomes convinced that the professor is sinister and breaks into the lab turning all of Ella's emotions and memories back on. The story quickly progresses from there with Ella questioning her existence as a doll, developing a friendship with the professor's granddaughter, and slowly unraveling the secrets of her creation.

At the same time this is going on there is a worldwide epidemic where people with "O Negative" or "Universal Donor" blood type are contracting an incurable virus that kills people quickly and that no one knows how people get.

Obviously there is quite a bit going on in this story but as it all unfolds at the end you will not be disappointed. The twist is insane and unexpected and I can't wait for book two just because of the ending.

This is book one in what appears to be at least a duology so hopefully it will continue to be just as impressive as this debut but also be a little better in its final execution.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1484371707

This is yet another novel with such a beautiful, intriguing cover design. I absolutely love how beautiful and dark this looks all in one. The story itself blew my mind with how it turned out. I was completely shocked towards the end at all the secrets revealed. Just amazing writing in every way. The concept was perfection.

Ella was such an awesome character at first. She seemed sweet and fun, yet gullible at times. Ella seemed to have enjoyed her life for a while until she met a new doll named Lisa. For some reason, after Lisa arrived she began to breakdown and try to figure things out. When the truth is revealed and she is back to normal she is no longer the sweet, fun character. She becomes an old, selfish hag. I can't believe how much resentment she has towards the professor and how she really wants to escape her life. Ella really changed and it broke my heart. I felt bad for her, but at the same I really think she needs to put on her big girl panties, move on with life and love her family.

The professor seemed like a crazy man for a while to me. I mean seriously turning girls into dolls -- that seemed beyond weird. As the truth began to roll around I realized he was seriously an awesome man that was helping out people and grieving his own lost. I felt bad for him the way Ella treated him when she turned human. All the love in the world can never prepare someone for such heartache. I was happy for him at the end though -- glad he finally moved on and seemed less creepy.

Lisa was seriously creepy -- I mean, no words can express how much she made this book seem like a horror novel. She was extremely goth and downright crazy. However, when she returned human and found out the truth she just seemed like a girl that was torn and hurt. She definitely added some spark to this novel.

Gabby is such a sweet girl! I enjoyed her the whole novel. She was full of light and happiness, even when she was sick. Even finding out the truth she was just a ray of sunshine. I truly enjoyed Gabby and glad things worked out for her in the end.

Overall, this was definitely a different story that was a bit creepy, but with so many shocking twists that it kept me on the edge of my seat. This was absolutely amazing and I'm excited to read the next book, Shattered Girls. I totally enjoyed the preview of it. Tyrolin Puxty is brilliant!

The cover is what really drew me to this book. I found the artwork to be very beautiful; it says a thousand words all on its own. It also very much represents the story, which explores some hard topics in a very interesting way.

Ella has been perfectly happy living in the attic, she gets to watch whatever she wants and dance all day. She can not remember questioning why she cannot leave the attic, but understands whatever the professor tells her to do is in her best interest. But when the professor introduces another doll to their very private and closed attic, everything comes falling down.

Lisa begins to question her life; she remembers parts of her past, which is not supposed to happen, and she refuses to be locked up. She begins using the mouse holes to travel the house. Lisa only returns to torture Ella’s mind with huge ideas, dark and frightening ideas that scare her.

The story touches on different physical and mental ailments, and you’ll begin to question who is really the sanest person in this house and how it is that their lives have crossed in this way.

I really enjoyed this story and the variety of characters. The story gets into deep into the characters and the plot really got me thinking. I was interested to see how well we get to know each character and how their stories begin to entwine. I felt it was well written and had a message that will stick with you.

It is a short read under 200 pages and something I would love to read again and recommend to others.

I loved this book! It was really well written and frankly, creepy. I loved the setting and the cast of characters. I kept thinking of Melanie Martenezs song, Dollhouse when I was reading it.

Ella is a doll. A long time ago she was a human being, but she does not remember anything from that time. She lives in the attic of the professor who created her and she loves to dance.

Ella lives in something like a perfect world: she spends her time keeping company to her creator and dancing and imagining every sorts of adventures.

This perfection starts to crumble when Lisa appears, another doll - a goth one - who oddly remembers something about her past as human girl and who has no desire to spend her life as a sentient object. Lisa ends up being quite unstable in her relation with Ella, but is able to instill some doubts about their creator activities.

In the meanwhile Ella meets also Gabby, the professor granddaughter, who has a viral illness that will soon kill her.

In Broken Dolls the author creates an atmosphere that from strange becomes soon creepy: what is the real purpose of the professor? What makes him changing some people in dolls? Will this be the fate of Gabby?

During the novel Ella begins to doubt her reality and becomes aware of some limitation that are imposed on her: she can't go out of the attic and she only can aim to be a dancer; and at the same time the reader begins doubting everything about the professor and the dolls.

Despite some imperfections the novel develops some interesting ideas and the story is quite engaging and some turn of events can unsettle the reader. This book is the first of a series, and maybe in the following ones - as one can suppose reading the preview - the context the story takes place in will be described with more details.