Honestly, the concept and premise sounded interesting but the execution was so unbelievably shit. The plot didn’t make sene and the jokes + audience reactions were so so incredibly bland. Literally don’t bother.
🖤𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼🖤 “He was never the puppet. He was the puppet master.”
🖤 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🖤 This was a banger of a horror story involving a little ventriloquist doll. I loved the ominous and bleak setting. The childhood trauma inflicted on the main character who suffers from it still as an adult. The possession aspects of the doll towards its owner. The prose that paced the story out so you were eager to find out what happens next. Everything was just pulling the reader further into the abyss of this evil doll. Because face it… all dolls are evil.
*spoilers* Adamier still suffers from post-traumatic stress due to what his father put him through as a child. The memories often fade in and out whenever he’s put into a situation where the horrid events took place or if something put him back into that childhood experience. His lovely wife, Evandra, tries her best to be a loving spouse.
It’s not until he returns home after his father’s death that he comes into contact with Mr. Nice Guy. His father’s ventriloquist doll that he showed up with unexpectedly that made him feel unsettled as a child. Everything about the doll screams to just put it back where he found it and erase its existence. But instead, he decides to open his box. And that’s where the fun begins.
See… Mr. Nice Guy promises him the world if he keeps him out. Declaring that he can be the way Adamier can make money since his finances aren’t that well at the moment. In fact, they haven’t gotten the money to pay rent because he’s been suffering writers block which has took a turn in his career.
Well, Adamier takes up the offer and takes him to an open mic night sort of thing where Mr. Nice Guy tells him to keep his lips sealed and he’ll do the rest. And that’s exactly what he does. And the crowd absolutely loves it. But it’s what he asks for in return that really starts to bother Adamier. Especially after finding out this doll may have some other morbid secrets about himself. And possibly his dear wife at home.
🖤𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓵🖤 This was absolutely a page-turner. A finish in one sitting type of book the way it pulls you into its confined pages and doesn’t let go until the end. Kind of like if Mr. Nice Guy had a hold on you and wouldn’t let you leave until you finished the last page and put him back in his box. The characters were likable. There’s a balanced level of smut and gore that will have you entertained throughout the story. I’m actually hoping for more from Mr. Nice Guy since I don’t think his story is complete.
**no AI was used to generate any part of this review**
I'm really enjoying the story. The doll immediately reminded me of Slappy from Goosebumps, which instantly grabbed my attention.
The writing style took me a little while to get used to, though. It's very different from what I normally read, with lots of short, choppy sentences.
At first, it made it harder for me to really get lost in the story. Since this is my first book by this author, I think it's just a different writing style than I'm used to.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story. The writing style took some getting used to, but the story itself definitely kept me interested.
ARC review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️🌶️ This made me think differently about dummies/ dolls. I was hooked and enjoyed every minute of it! I will be thinking about this for a long time.