Careful what you wish for: The Doll's Eye by Marina Cohen

HI guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're spotlighting a title that released a little earlier this year, but I hadn't had a chance to give it its time in the sun...until now.  Allow me to turn the wattage up to 110% because this author has once again struck gold with a Children's Fiction story the is both familiar and unique, while giving it just enough creepiness to have you leave the light on.  It's a curious combination, I know, but it works oh so well and so, without further ado, I give you today's book of choice...

The Doll's Eye

by

Marina Cohen

9781626722040

Roaring Brook Press

About the book...

All Hadley wants is for everything to go back to the way it used to be—back when she didn’t have to share her mother with her stepfather and stepbrother. Back when she wasn't forced to live in a musty, decomposing house. Back when she had a life in the city with her friends.

As Hadley whiles away what’s left of her summer, exploring the nearby woods and splitting her time between her strange, bug-obsessed neighbor Gabe and the nice old lady that lives above the garage, she begins to notice the house isn’t just old and creaky. It’s full of secrets, just like appearance of a mysterious dollhouse and the family of perfect dolls she finds.

Oh, how she wishes her family were more like those lovely dolls! Then one day, Hadley discovers a lone glass eye rolling around the floor of the attic. Holding it close one night, she makes a wish that just might change her world forever.

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First things first, that cover!

It's so cute yet SPOOKY at the same time...and the deeper you read into the novel, the more things pictured become clear.  Seriously, I didn't see the little detail on the doll's head until I was like halfway through the book and then I almost dropped it in surprise!  ~shudders~  

Second things second, the story!

Just as she did with The Inn Between, the author is able to weave a story with enough chills to keep a broader audience interested, but not so many that younger readers will be clamoring into parents beds.  It has a familiar feel to it, like a memory you've only just forgotten, while still bringing you to new places, circumstances, and curiosities.  The parallels drawn between Hadley and the child from the past serve to strengthen the overall history being uncovered, without overshadowing the strange happenings of present day, allowing readers to get lost in BOTH stories without truly being lost.  You'll come to care dearly about our girl Hadley and worry for her as what's really happening becomes blatantly clear.

Third things third, my conclusion!

In the end, it was a quick read that I simply couldn't put down.  I had to see how things would play out for our little leading lady as well as those around her.  With every turn of the page, we're brought closer to the shifty shady finale, but ultimately what happens is kept as secret as the house's history is to new buyers.  It reminds us to be grateful for what we have as well as who we have in our lives because you never know when something might upset the balance and set things in motion most unexpected.  So, my friends, come in for a cup of tea and sit a spell...just be careful what you wish for, and do mind the dolls....

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About the author...

Marina Cohen grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, where she spent far too much time asking herself what if. . . . In elementary school, her favorite author was Edgar Allen Poe. She loved “The Tell-Tale Heart” and aspired to write similar stories. She is attracted to the fantastical, the bizarre, and all things eerie. 

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Special thanks to MacMillan Publishers for the ARC for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now via Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of MacMillan Publishers, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!