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Dolls

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“In Los Angeles, lots of teenagers are famous. Most for their looks, some for their talents, and many for no apparent reason other than having a lot of money or a sex tape. But only Charlotte Hayes was famous for killing somebody.”

It happened during the high school football game, seventeen-year-old Charlotte snatched in the shadows behind the crowded bleachers by a man with no voice and a black soul. Ezra Cabe saw potential in her, a promising addition to his collection of girls, and with Charlotte standing half-naked in the dark of his apartment, Cabe eagerly began his ritual initiation.

A moment later he was dead, stabbed in the throat with a knife secured by Charlotte in a desperate escape. News and media outlets covered the amazing story for weeks, dubbing her “The girl who fought back.”

But for Charlotte the fight is only just beginning, because Ezra Cabe is somehow back, and he’s everywhere: a shadow person hovering just out of view… watching from the dark corners of the house when Charlotte’s home alone… even invading her mind, corrupting her thoughts. The horrifying truth is that Ezra Cabe never had more power over Charlotte than when he was dead.

Desperate to avoid being alone, Charlotte calls the only person close enough to help: Matt Hillerman, her estranged best friend from middle school. Matt's different now--taller, broader, covered in tattoos--but one thing hasn't changed: his devotion to Charlotte. Together, they'll fight to outrun a fate worse than death in a game of cat-and-mouse against the ghost of a madman, and in facing the horror of shadows and nightmares, Charlotte and Matt will also rediscover the power of friendship, forgiveness, and maybe even love.

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First published December 20, 2013

3 people are currently reading
349 people want to read

About the author

Jonathan Harrow

3 books26 followers
Jonathan Harrow left a career in Hollywood to pursue his dream of writing novels. He has an author crush on Charlotte Bronte, and a real crush on his author wife, YA bestseller Kelly Oram. They live in Phoenix with their four kids and their cat, Mr. Darcy.

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5 stars
36 (29%)
4 stars
48 (38%)
3 stars
24 (19%)
2 stars
13 (10%)
1 star
3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for Kelly Oram.
Author 33 books4,380 followers
April 17, 2014
This was a great fast-paced and very CREEPY supernatural YA horror-suspense. It even has a good romance in it for those of you like me who need kissing and sexual tension to finish a book.

It's well written, I loved the characters, and best of all it was FREE right now on amazon. I recommend you check it out if you like this kind of book. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Dolls-Jonathan-...
Profile Image for Evey.
1,316 reviews190 followers
March 2, 2016
This book, as you can tell from my previous status, was really weird. I felt like I was missing information all the way, like everything happened in a rush, with little questioning coming from both main characters. It was really, really odd, but it had a lot of potencial, hence the reason I'm giving it three stars.
Profile Image for Mike Bratek.
84 reviews39 followers
August 19, 2017
I sense a sequel?

The book danced around as you try to decipher what the author is writing about until the end. It danced so much around, that many times I lost interest, which took me longer to read. So for the books, I hope book 2 gets better at plot building!
7 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2014
Dark and disturbing. Read this one when you are not home alone.
Profile Image for NancyBooks.
111 reviews37 followers
February 18, 2019
Para mí fue un libro que llamó mucho la atención desde el comienzo ya que la manera en como la protagonista enfrentó esa situacion de secuestro fue lo que detonó toda la trama del libro. Durante el desarrollo de la lectura me sentía intrigada y quería saber más sobre lo que iba a ocurrir, ya que la forma en cómo el autor describe a los personajes, los escenarios y situaciones te dejan a la expectativa de que va a suceder después además que trata un tema que a mí parecer llamo muchísimo mi atención sin embargo el final me dejó muy sorprendida y con ganas de más.
Profile Image for Gabbs  Guerrero Machado.
43 reviews2 followers
October 7, 2020
I have really loved this book. I consider that it is a book that hasen't received enough attention from the public, since in several blogs and groups in which I am a member, it is unknown. It has a deep mystery that the author knew how to take advantage of in each facet and despite having a nice central romance, the plot goes further. Here in Goodreads I have seen that it has very few reviews compared to other books by other authors, which I think shows more ignorance of the existence of this book that negative opinions about it. I totally recommend it, since I have reread it on more than one occasion.
Profile Image for sandra.
677 reviews
May 9, 2017
Y esto, amigos, es el inicio del matrimonio Warren.

Soy muy cagona y odio con todo mi corazón las películas tipo Expediente Warren. Odio todas las cosas de miedo o terror o espíritus o fantasmas o lo que sea y la verdad nunca había leído nada así. Realmente lo empecé a leer sin saber qué esperarme y creo que eso ha sido algo bueno porque no me he decepcionado. Así que . Charlotte me ha gustado bastante y ni hablemos de Matt! Y su relación es taaaan cuquis y monos y adorables y me he quedado con muchísimas ganas de más.

Pero no solo de ellos, sino del libro en sí porque el final no me ha gustado mucho, es como que deja abierto todo el tema de Charlotte preocupándose por más casos como el suyo, dando a entender que ella iba a intentar buscarlos y "arreglarlos".

Muy recomendable si te van estos temas!

PD: Lo pasé realmente mal con todo el tema de las arañas y casi me da un suponcio leyéndolo.

PD2: No sabía que Jonathan Harrow es el marido de Kelly Oram!!

Profile Image for Renee Rearden.
Author 2 books79 followers
August 28, 2014
Holy Amazing Surprise!!!

I read. A lot. So imagine my delight when I opened the sample chapters for Dolls on Amazon, was hooked by the first paragraph and downloaded the book immediately to read on my lunch hour.

Yes, the hook is that good:

“In Los Angeles, lots of teenagers are famous. Most for their looks, some for their talents, and many for no apparent reason other than having a lot of money or a sex tape. But only Charlotte Hayes was famous for killing somebody.”

It encapsulates the sad state of titillating news/entertainment in our society…and thoroughly captured my attention.

Charlotte Hayes and Matt Hillerman (H/H) are a fantastic combination of strength and vulnerability, intelligence and naïveté, snark and sincerity. Each obstacle thrown in their way not only forces them to depend on each other to survive but forges their friendship with deeper meaning.

Mr. Harrow hit a home run with this supernatural thriller. Witty dialogue (great guy-speak) and heartfelt emotion balance the terrifying horror of a well-written plot. I LOVE stand-alone books that give a satisfying resolution but keep me thinking and wondering, “Huh, maybe,” long after I’ve finished a story.

Dolls is a great upper teen to young adult novel. As an adult, I appreciated the real emotions expressed by the characters. Mr. Harrow created a wonderful standout from the usual teen angst peppering this genre, and I look forward to reading more of his work!

*Amazon Kindle freebie
Profile Image for Tracy.
Author 4 books15 followers
September 18, 2016
I found this book to be creepy. I wasn't sure if what was going on was more supernatural or if the main character Charlotte was suffering from a psychotic break and she was perpetrating all the acts that she THOUGHT was happening to her and eventually to Matt. Books like that really mess with my head and I had to set it down a few times to just get up and do something else. And this remained until the end of the book. I wouldn't necessarily call this book scary, but then it takes quite a bit for me to call things scary. It IS creepy and it will raise the heart rate, so keep that in mind.

Charlotte's cohort in all this is Matt. He's amazing and throughout it all, he has her back, when no one else does. Sometimes throughout the book, I really tried to figure out how he just knew where she was. For example, how did he know she was in that apartment? That just seemed a little far fetched, but it ADDED to the element of her suffering from delusions. She wasn't. Just it seemed like it and this helped to reinforce that idea in my head.

The ending leaves us satisfied if Mr. Harrow decided to not pursue any more, but open enough that he could. I am glad that he has.

Mr. Harrow has a twisted mind. I'm just sayin'. I'm sure he's positively lovely in real life and he gets his wickedness out on paper. So, if you like the supernatural, and you like some horror, and a whole lot of creepy, this is the book for you. You'll greatly enjoy it.
Profile Image for A. R..
Author 3 books55 followers
November 9, 2015
If you're looking for creep factor in a book, this is one for you. It didn't keep me awake at night until I finished the book...when you think about the ending...there is definite creepiness.

At first I wasn't sure I was going to finish this one. The book started with so much happening (creepy paranormal confusing stuff!) Within the first 50 pages so much had happened that I wondered how much suspense there could be in this book. It was supposed to be a thriller....but I didn't imagine the thrill happening so quickly or to such a degree. It almost turned me off. But I have made it a personal policy to give a book 50-75 pages to grab me, and this one did.

There are plenty of moments where you really have to suspend belief and you don't want to think about how things happen too closely. But if you take the book at face value, it's an exciting read.

Good writing, likable characters and unlikable ones as well, this book makes for a decent suspense novel. There was even a twist that I didn't see coming until just before it happened. And I certainly did not anticipate the ending....still shivering over it.

If you like suspense/thriller books you would like this one.
Profile Image for Paola A Sánchez.
975 reviews10 followers
April 7, 2018
THAT WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING.

Try Drag Me to Hell meets The Evil Dead remake, and you'll find a horrifying aesthetic, the one I pictured while all the violent, gruesome and supernatural stuff was happening. I mean the whole love story was in fourth place when it came to the plot and the direction the story was taking; I must admit that I wasn't convinced at the beginning with such insane first six chapters that got me scared to death, I was like "WTF is going on I was promised some teenagery little high school fright, not some quality horror😵". Then I got drawn to the plot and I just needed to understand what the hell was taking place and why, by the way also Why, until I loved it and I could literally picture all that was going on which I thought was also a small rendition to that 90's anime they mentioned which I found was equally disturbing with bloodthirsty villains with no humanity left which got me enchanted, props for such gore-ish scenes and the fact I'll never see adult nerds the same fucking way. Good job, Jonathan.
67 reviews2 followers
May 30, 2015
So messed up!

But I loved it! Is that weird? Totally crazy and unbelievable and yet I read the whole thing in a day. Even sat in the most uncomfortable position so I could read while my kindle charged(if you know me you know how big that is). Couldn't put it down and it was the definition of suspenseful. You really had no way of knowing where the story would go next and I really like books like that.
Profile Image for Sara Jane Korczak.
180 reviews9 followers
October 31, 2016
Holy creep fest! I haven't read a book that has given me the he ever jeebies in a LONG time. Not since reading The Shining as a teen have I woken in the middle of the night freaked out. I got up at 3 am and made my husband check the bed for spiders. Superb writing, excellent storyline, well developed characters. A must read for any horror fan that stays on the same side of creepy and scary without being disgustingly graphic.
Profile Image for Karie.
Author 1 book14 followers
April 22, 2015
So very not my cup of tea--I don't like horror/suspense. Nevertheless, this was pretty well written and I absolutely adored the male lead. How could you not love a D&D-playing, death-metal-loving guy nicknamed Matt the Satanic Viking--who is actually a big teddy bear? Yeah, I'm a fan of him. The creepy situation that he and Charlotte find themselves in? Not so much. Definitely rated PG-14.
Profile Image for Karrie.
194 reviews9 followers
July 5, 2017
Overall it was a thought provoking horror story that I found enjoyable. There were a few major twists I just didn't see coming. I could have given it a 4star, but for the few predictable parts, the unpredictable salvaged that, and a few little things that may have been editing, but not enough that I can't tell this author "Rock On!"
Profile Image for Brittney Peterson.
188 reviews
March 7, 2014
This book had my heart racing from the beginning. It is full of suspense, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Although this book is not demonic, there is voodoo and possessions in it. So you will want to avoid this book if you do not like those kind of references.
Profile Image for Andrea Gomes.
142 reviews2 followers
January 23, 2016
¿Qué clase de libro es este?

Nunca había leído algo igual. En realidad, no lo podía leer de noche (llámenme cobarde) pero no podía. Si lo hacía, me quedaba pensando en el libro y lo creepy que es.

Sin duda me sorprendió, de varias maneras posibles.
Profile Image for Daniela.
48 reviews1 follower
February 16, 2016
WTF with that cover man? That girl doesn't represents Charlotte or the other girls. On the other hand, pretty good and creepy book. I'm wondering why doesn't have more reviews. Lack of publicity maybe? If there's a second part I'll be reading it.
Profile Image for Lupi .
435 reviews
December 27, 2018
4/5 🌟

Sí te gustan las historias con elementos paranormales sin llegar a ser de terror, deberías darle una oportunidad.

Esta bien estructurado y aunque tiene algunos elementos algo clichés es una historia sorprendente.
Profile Image for Eli Diago.
118 reviews1 follower
November 3, 2016
3.5 * No lo hubiera leído si no es x la lectura en grupo y me gustó aunque no creo leerlo una segunda ocasion
Profile Image for Fernanda.
86 reviews7 followers
February 14, 2018
Creo que mi cerebro quedó un poco perturbado después de leer éste libro.
¡Si no fuera por ese final tan horriiiiiible!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews

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