'

Sunday 15 January 2023

BAD DOLLS by Rachel Harrison

 

Bad DollsBad Dolls by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was looking forward to checking out this short story collection and read it over the weekend.

So, here are my thoughts...

REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN:

Jordan is friends with Maggie and she lives with Kenny. When a Magic 8 Ball enters her life, everything changes...

I found myself captivated by this tale about one woman's quest to have someone else—or in this case, something else—make the hard decisions for her. Deep down inside, she knows what she wants but has lived most of her life going with the flow. Until she met Maggie.

This was quirky and fun, a bit on the magical side.

BACHELORETTE:

When Natalie agrees to reluctantly attend her childhood friend's bachelorette party, she doesn't realise how much sacrifice the weekend event requires...

I really enjoyed this wicked little tale about a group of women who plan to spend a weekend together to celebrate their friend's upcoming wedding. Natalie's discomfort and paranoia really give this story a sense of impending doom that manifests as a weird ritual. Loved the ending, too.

GOBLIN:

Meg and Dani decide to download an app called Goblin so they can lose weight before a wedding they plan to attend...

Yikes! This was quite horrific and sad. Deals with some heavy and serious issues—eating disorders and body dysmorphia. But the personification of the app's ability to keep you on your weight-loss journey was really interesting. And that ending! 👀

BAD DOLLS:

When Mackenzie's younger sister dies, she moves back to the town she tried so hard to escape. And finds herself being haunted by a porcelain doll...

It's no secret that I love creepy doll stories, and this was eerie. It hit all the right notes. Mackenzie was paranoid enough and grieving enough to make the doll incident seem like something she was imagining due to the trauma and the alcohol. Or her disappointing life. Maybe even the collective darkness her family is suffering at their loss.

Either way, it was fantastic!


This is a very well-written collection, full of interesting and damaged characters suffering through their own separate issues as they struggle to deal with real life situations edging on the supernatural.

No comments:

Favorites More