Title: Doll Bones
Author: Holly Black
Date Read: January 10 2017
Published: May 7 2013 @ Margaret K. Elderberry Books
Genre: Middle Grade Adventure/Horror
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½
I'll preface this review by saying that while I didn't love it, I did like this book, and by saying that I am terrified of china dolls, which may or may not have had a consequence on my rating.
This novel follows twelve-year-old Zach and his friends Poppy and Alice as they go on an adventure to lay a ghost (trapped in a frightening china doll) to rest. The doll, dubbed by the three friends as The Queen, comes to Poppy in a dream, convincing her that she must do the ghost's bidding or be haunted forever. The story revolves largely around the interplay between fantasy and reality, and what it means to grow up and lose your unflinching belief in the fantastical.
What I liked most about this book was that, and it's funny to say this about a ghost story, it was very believable. The characters, mainly Zach, grappled with whether or not to believe in the ghost and their quest in very much the same way that I did as a reader. I also thought it was really fitting to see the characters understand in themselves that whether or not Poppy's story was true, they wanted it to be true. I really love reading about characters who are very self-aware, which I was a treat in this book.
I found this story really interesting to read this as a 22-year-old instead of perhaps the intended audience, because I was absolutely horrified at the thought of any twelve-year-olds I know getting on a bus at two in the morning. Hell, I don't even like getting on the bus at two in the morning. I spent a lot of the story thinking to myself, "Oh God, you're going to be in so much trouble."
All that being said, while I think this was a believable story with well-rounded characters, the pacing felt a little stop-start to me, the romantic element felt very left-field and unnecessary, and I wouldn't say that the book over-all left a lasting impression on me.
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