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In the Dollhouse We All Wait
Not yet published
Expected 10 Apr 26An extreme horror novel of privilege, cruelty, and survival—splatterpunk at its most unflinching.
“In the dollhouse, if you don’t play with Annie…she plays with you.”
Sam Frain thinks she’s found the perfect a live-in nanny position in a sprawling mansion owned by one of the wealthiest families in the country.
The job seems simple: Take care of Annie Lange.
Annie may look like a grown woman, but she lives inside a world built for a little girl—frilly dresses, scripted games, rigid rules, and what seems like every doll in the world.
As Sam learns the true nature of Annie’s games, she's forced into a waking nightmare of psychological domination, grotesque excess, and carefully curated cruelty. In this gilded cage where money erases morality, survival means choosing whether to resist—or become part of the performance.
Blending the social unease of The Nanny Diaries with the ruthless brutality of Hostel II, In the Dollhouse We All Wait is a harrowing work of extreme horror that explores power, complicity, and the terrifying truth that the rich really are different.
Proudly represented by Torrid Waters, a division of Crystal Lake Publishing—Where Stories Come Alive!
“In the dollhouse, if you don’t play with Annie…she plays with you.”
Sam Frain thinks she’s found the perfect a live-in nanny position in a sprawling mansion owned by one of the wealthiest families in the country.
The job seems simple: Take care of Annie Lange.
Annie may look like a grown woman, but she lives inside a world built for a little girl—frilly dresses, scripted games, rigid rules, and what seems like every doll in the world.
As Sam learns the true nature of Annie’s games, she's forced into a waking nightmare of psychological domination, grotesque excess, and carefully curated cruelty. In this gilded cage where money erases morality, survival means choosing whether to resist—or become part of the performance.
Blending the social unease of The Nanny Diaries with the ruthless brutality of Hostel II, In the Dollhouse We All Wait is a harrowing work of extreme horror that explores power, complicity, and the terrifying truth that the rich really are different.
Proudly represented by Torrid Waters, a division of Crystal Lake Publishing—Where Stories Come Alive!
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 10, 2026
1 person is currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Amanda M. Blake
38 books16 followersAmanda M. Blake is a cat-loving daydreamer who enjoys geekery of all sorts, from superheroes to horror movies, urban fantasy to unconventional romance. Born and raised in Texas, Blake attended Trinity University in San Antonio and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English.
Amid dipping tentacles into the sea of gothic and horror short stories and poetry, Blake is also the author of horror novels QUESTION NOT MY SALT and OUT OF CURIOSITY AND HUNGER and the fairy tale mash-up Thorns series.
Extreme horror novel IN THE DOLLHOUSE WE ALL WAIT comes out 2026 through Crystal Lake's Torrid Waters imprint, and alt-historical plague novel MASQUE releases in 2027 through Quill & Crow. For more, visit amandamblake.com.
Amid dipping tentacles into the sea of gothic and horror short stories and poetry, Blake is also the author of horror novels QUESTION NOT MY SALT and OUT OF CURIOSITY AND HUNGER and the fairy tale mash-up Thorns series.
Extreme horror novel IN THE DOLLHOUSE WE ALL WAIT comes out 2026 through Crystal Lake's Torrid Waters imprint, and alt-historical plague novel MASQUE releases in 2027 through Quill & Crow. For more, visit amandamblake.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 14, 2026
Title: In The Dollhouse We All Wait
Release: April 10th
Author: Amanda Blake
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Welp, I just read that.
Warning ⛔️: This is a work of extreme horror. Extreme sexual sadism is leveraged in this one, and it’s used masterfully.
I loved the psychological horror elicited through the interactions between Sam and Anna. The concepts of real-life dollhouses, playthings, and how one reaches the pit of such extreme carnal needs are explored in a way that feels both disturbing and compelling. There’s also something to be said about the relationship between pain and finding pleasure, for both the inflictor and the receiver, and how that dynamic unfolds throughout the story.
However, this isn’t simply a depraved story of a serial killer killing and torturing unsuspecting victims. These elements are firmly embedded within a gripping, intentional storyline about survival and healing.
Definitely give this a read if you’re a consumer of extreme horror.
Release: April 10th
Author: Amanda Blake
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Welp, I just read that.
Warning ⛔️: This is a work of extreme horror. Extreme sexual sadism is leveraged in this one, and it’s used masterfully.
I loved the psychological horror elicited through the interactions between Sam and Anna. The concepts of real-life dollhouses, playthings, and how one reaches the pit of such extreme carnal needs are explored in a way that feels both disturbing and compelling. There’s also something to be said about the relationship between pain and finding pleasure, for both the inflictor and the receiver, and how that dynamic unfolds throughout the story.
However, this isn’t simply a depraved story of a serial killer killing and torturing unsuspecting victims. These elements are firmly embedded within a gripping, intentional storyline about survival and healing.
Definitely give this a read if you’re a consumer of extreme horror.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Before I accepted the assignment of reading In The Dollhouse We All Wait, I encountered a very long list of trigger warnings. Having read Blake’s Question Not My Salt, I knew what to expect in terms of violence and sex of a graphic nature. Having read Blake’s Question Not My Salt, I was eager to begin this new novel.
And I was not disappointed. Blake’s writing, while not for the faint of heart, is top notch. Her descriptions are admirably vivid and they place you smack in the center of the action. Like Question Not My Salt, In the Dollhouse We All Wait is a page turner and one that casts a dubious eye on the upper class.
Hired Nanny Sam learns quickly that the rich are not like us once she is brought to the “Dream House” where she meets her ward Annie. Annie dresses like a child, speaks like a child, but is very much not a child and with dark desires befitting the most evil of adults. Sam soon realizes that the Dream House is truly a house of horrors.
This book could not be more timely with its focus on the horrific acts the elite perform in the shadows (and get away with precisely because they are the elite).
I am a fan of Blake’s work and look forward to reading more from her catalogue.
And I was not disappointed. Blake’s writing, while not for the faint of heart, is top notch. Her descriptions are admirably vivid and they place you smack in the center of the action. Like Question Not My Salt, In the Dollhouse We All Wait is a page turner and one that casts a dubious eye on the upper class.
Hired Nanny Sam learns quickly that the rich are not like us once she is brought to the “Dream House” where she meets her ward Annie. Annie dresses like a child, speaks like a child, but is very much not a child and with dark desires befitting the most evil of adults. Sam soon realizes that the Dream House is truly a house of horrors.
This book could not be more timely with its focus on the horrific acts the elite perform in the shadows (and get away with precisely because they are the elite).
I am a fan of Blake’s work and look forward to reading more from her catalogue.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Step into Annie's world at the Dream House.
For Sam, being hired as a nanny for a rich family is a dream come true. But as soon as she meets Annie, she realizes that not everything is as it seems. This book was so powerful in its descriptions that I felt nauseated, scared, and claustrophobic at times. This author knows exactly what she is doing, and she does it entirely too well!
So , come and play with Annie and her dolls. She might even show you around the repair room or the barre room..its almost like you could play forever....
For Sam, being hired as a nanny for a rich family is a dream come true. But as soon as she meets Annie, she realizes that not everything is as it seems. This book was so powerful in its descriptions that I felt nauseated, scared, and claustrophobic at times. This author knows exactly what she is doing, and she does it entirely too well!
So , come and play with Annie and her dolls. She might even show you around the repair room or the barre room..its almost like you could play forever....
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Depraved, horrifying, disturbing.
A gruesome extreme horror that almost gave me Human Centipede vibes. This had body horror, erotic horror, psychological horror, gore, and so much more. I kept thinking "things can't possibly get worse" and then they did.
A gruesome extreme horror that almost gave me Human Centipede vibes. This had body horror, erotic horror, psychological horror, gore, and so much more. I kept thinking "things can't possibly get worse" and then they did.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews