The Dollhouse District

by Blaire Russell

218 pages, Paperback

Published January 25, 2026

Reviews

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dollhouse District is dark, vicious, and hypnotic—a pastel-coated nightmare that turns survival into a moral freefall. From the moment Rosalie wakes inside the District, the story makes one thing brutally clear: innocence is a liability, and hesitation is a death sentence.

The concept alone is chilling—a simulated prison where freedom is earned through murder—but what elevates this book is how deeply it commits to psychological tension. Rosalie’s betrayal by her own alliance is gutting, and her split-second decision to bind herself to Zyren Mordecaine feels both desperate and devastating. One token. One choice. A lifetime of consequences.

Zyren is terrifying in the quietest way. He doesn’t need theatrics to assert control—his presence is the threat. As her protector, he keeps Rosalie alive, but the cost is obedience, surveillance, and the slow erosion of autonomy. Their dynamic is uncomfortable, intoxicating, and perfectly suited to a world where ownership masquerades as safety.

Rosalie’s evolution is the heartbeat of the story. She doesn’t become strong by staying pure—she survives by adapting, hardening, and learning when to bare her teeth. The Dollhouse District doesn’t reward goodness; it rewards monsters willing to do what others won’t.

If you love dystopian dark romance, lethal games, morally gray (or outright black) characters, and stories where survival means surrendering parts of yourself you may never get back, The Dollhouse District is an unforgettable descent into control, blood, and becoming exactly what the world demands. 🖤🎀🔪

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dollhouse District was such a gripping dark romance thriller — I became completely immersed and invested in this brutal, high-stakes world.

We follow Rosalie, who is thrown into the Dollhouse, a simulation prison where there is no trial, no justice, and no choice. Survival is the only currency, and freedom is earned through blood. Rosalie is imprisoned alongside her friends, River and Liora, who quickly prove they are not the people she thought they were — willing to sacrifice her without hesitation if it means saving themselves.

To escape the Dollhouse, prisoners must kill three designated targets. While surrounded by violence and desperation, Rosalie remains a strong FMC who clings to her values, refusing to blur her moral lines or fully surrender to the deadly game — even when doing so puts her at risk.

Along the way, she meets Zyren, her assigned protector — a guard placed inside the Dollhouse to monitor and control prisoners. His presence offers protection, but at a cost, binding Rosalie into a different kind of captivity. Zyren is morally grey, obedient to orders, and admittedly a bit of a bastard 😉 — and yet I fell for him instantly. The slow-burn romance between him and Rosalie was beautifully done, offering rare moments of hope and tenderness in an otherwise bleak, oppressive world.

Set in a dystopian landscape filled with advanced technology, constant danger, and relentless psychological pressure, this story asks powerful questions:
What would you do to survive? How far would you go? Would you abandon your values — or fight to remain a good person? And what would you sacrifice to protect the ones you love?

A dark, intense, and thought-provoking read from Blaire Russell that stayed with me long after I finished.

Tropes:
⭐️ Forced Proximity
⭐️ Enemies to Lovers
⭐️ Morally Grey MMC
⭐️ She’s Sold to Him / He Despises Her
⭐️ Dark Romance
⭐️ Romantic Thriller

Spice Rating: 🌶️

[Soft and Sinister Sisters Talita Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖤 ARC REVIEW 🖤
Dollhouse District by Blaire Russell

This isn’t my usual go-to read, but wow—I was hooked from page one.

We follow Zyren and Rosalie in a brutal dystopian world where Rosalie wakes up trapped in a simulation prison. She’s innocence personified, while Zyren has fully embraced the darkness—and that contrast? Chef’s kiss.

Fast-paced, action-heavy, and impossible to put down, this story keeps you on edge as characters literally fight for their freedom in the most deadly way possible. Add in a subtle touch of romance (because I need it 😌) and you’ve got a seriously addictive read.

At just 195 pages, this was a quick but intense ride.
If you love dystopian worlds, high stakes, moral gray characters, and survival games where not everyone makes it out alive—this one’s for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
Highly recommend!

#ARCRead #DystopianReads #Bookstagram #DarkFiction #SurvivalGames #BookReview #QuickRead

[Lauren Balmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received this book as an ARC, I really enjoyed this book, but the ending really let it down.

I loved the dark yearning and build up to Rosalie's and Zyren's relationship and it was done so well. It was really gripping and fast paced, I couldn't put it down. It takes you on a roller coaster, so many twists and turns, I loved Zyren's character development, starting off as a mystery and softening to Rosalie.

There was so much room for the characters to develop, I felt the ending was lacking and rushed. It is a HEA, but I wanted more from the ending, the relationship between the FMC and MMC personally could have been more in depth when they escaped. The book builds upto the 'after' part but falls short.


It is a dark book with themes of violence
-murder
-Toxic relationships
-death
-kidnapping and imprisonment

please check your trigger warnings 🖤

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC DNF: I really struggled to get into this book from the offset. There was a few things that were said twice for example when she is injected it says twice that she’s knocked out and it fades to black. I noticed there wasn’t much character description so I really struggled to try and picture what each of the characters were like which ended up blending them altogether it wasn’t until I think the third chapter when I realise that they weren’t three girls were hanging out together it was in fact a boy there as well I stopped reading after 20%. The book has a hunger games vibes about it mixed with a bit of black Mirror and almost traitors in the way of trying they were trying to figure out who had killed one of the characters when I stopped reading.
If you’re into hunger games type, black mirror dystopian books then this would be for you but unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me.

[Beckreadz25 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from the author and really enjoyed it.

Set in a dystopian world, criminals get sent to compete for freedom in the Dollhouse District. It's not just a fight to survive, it's a fight yo save your humanity. The FMC, Rosalie, quickly finds out that she has awful friends. She happens to find her way to Zyren who is as morally grey as they come but turns out yo have a soft spot for a feisty prisoner.

The story at times was heartbreaking but necessary to show how cruel the world can be and how far people are willing to go to live. if you enjoyed The Hunger Games, this is even better IMO.

4/5⭐️for a thrilling story with a lot of action and just the right amount of spice.

[Kyla Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick easy but enjoyable read. It took me some time to really get into it because it is not what I expected at all. I feel that the description did not describe the book well but honestly that is my only complaint. I would not consider this book super dark and I personally do not see the need for all the content warnings. This is one I would not be afraid to recommend at all. Think Hunger Games but instead of the reaping it’s just criminals getting put into an alternate reality to serve time for their crimes. If you like alternate reality/scify ish this would be the perfect quick read!

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC copy. All opinions are completely my own.

[Zoe Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sent this book by the Author so first of all, thank you for that Blaire ☺️

I enjoyed this book, I don’t think it was what I was expecting but it did turn out good.

I liked the slow burn between Rose and Zyren but I felt like the book could have been longer and have more between them..

I’ve never read anything with this theme, but I think I’ll be looking into books that are similar because I do like the simulation aspect of the book.

I would like to have seen an epilogue perhaps of how they got on after Xander was killed and they kept little Xanders hologram, or maybe a second book or bonus chapter from the author but over all I did enjoy the book as I read it within 24 hours 😊

[Kayla Berger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t usually read dystopian thrillers, but once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Rosalie and Zyren had a tense and intense start, and their story ended perfectly.

I would’ve loved a little more romance between them since the focus leaned more on plot than spice, but the story was still incredibly gripping and kept me hooked. I highly recommend this book, even if it’s not your usual genre.

I’m so grateful to the author for letting me read this early!

[Tanya Watters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sent an ARC. Sadly, what I thought I remembered when I signed up isn’t what I read. From the first page, I knew this wasn’t going to be a book for me but I stuck it out to the end and yep, still wasn’t for me. Started out confused and ended with a huh? A list of trigger warnings for minimal action? To me this book doesn’t fall into a definite genre. It felt like the author tried to blend thriller, fantasy and romance and missed the mark.

[TheBoozyBookDragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a rollercoaster ride this book took me on! There were so many ups, downs, twists and turns in the story that I didn’t know which way was up!
I was a little slow to warm up to the story I’m not going to lie but I got to one point in this book and something just clicked, like ‘damn, there is it, this is the sh*t that I’m taking about!’.
If you were a fan of hunger games this book is giving them kind of vibes and is defiantly for you!

[Nicole Fehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an arc. I couldn’t put it down, I enjoyed the storyline. I do think that there could have been more story for the characters and even more from their relationship. I did get confused a lot through the book, that is why I only rated it 3 stars. I like the idea of the book and think that it could be a lot more to it. The ending was disappointing for me because I believe it could have been more detailed.

[Raina Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every bit of this book. It drew me in fast — like, start-at-10pm-and-suddenly-it’s-4am fast. I completely lost track of time and had to force myself to put it down just to get some sleep… and then finished it the very next day.

The story grips you from the start and doesn’t let go. It’s addictive, intense, and impossible to read “just one more chapter.”

Definitely recommend. I loved it!!

[nicole innocenti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I really enjoyed reading this. It sucked me in and I couldn’t put it back down. The plot, setting, and the characters were amazing and addicting however I do feel like the story was kind of rushed and I wish there was more details with that being said that’s why I rated this book a 4/5. I would recommend this book.

[Bri_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy quick read for me. I appreciated the character development sprinkled in there for the main characters. The concept was interesting and kept me invested. I appreciated the love interested aspect although I would’ve loved to see more growth and development there. I appreciated the way you seen how both of the main characters experienced growth at the end.

[Judie Kovaleski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I had no clue where it was going. I enjoyed the second part of the story, I honestly, had trouble getting through the first, it was a bit confusing. The book has real world/simulation world, so if youre into that, I'd say definitely read it!I'm unsure if this is the authors first book but wouldnt mind reading more in the future.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been in a reading slump for the last 2 and a half weeks, but I thought to myself, let’s try reading again. I read this in one sitting! I was a little confused in the beginning, but once I caught on, I was hooked!

[Ashley Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC review- I feel the book was a little too fast paced and all over the place. I was confused more often than not. I did enjoy a lot of the storyline and the romance but to me it felt like it just happened with no kind of buildup. Overall a decent book and I enjoyed the concept

[Jen Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hunger games kind of book. Good book! Rose starts out with her friends and then ends up fighting for her life against them! You get to feel the emtions and rawness of what Rose is feeling and how she gets through this "game" she's been thrown into.

[Liz Pellinen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fast-paced and short but it was a good storyline kept me hooked till the end. I don't think it could have had a better ending.

[Lizzy Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this sent as an Arc, I did enjoy the book however I felt like it was rushed and I was very confused at times especially in the first half. It did give me hunger game vibes.

[Ashley Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had so many twists and turns and took me on a rollercoaster ride but I enjoyed every minute of it. It hooks you from the start and you won’t want to put it down. I can’t wait for book 2