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Inanimate
Evil comes in many forms—sometimes with button eyes and stitched smiles.
After a devastating loss and a childhood steeped in neglect, young Connor’s grief festers into something monstrous. When a mysterious entity offers him the power to bring his dolls to life, the line between imagination and nightmare shatters.
What begins as comfort quickly becomes vengeance. The dolls are no longer toys. They obey, they watch, and they kill.
As Connor loses control of the horrors he’s unleashed, he must face a terrifying truth: the greatest monster may not be the dolls… but what he’s becoming.
After a devastating loss and a childhood steeped in neglect, young Connor’s grief festers into something monstrous. When a mysterious entity offers him the power to bring his dolls to life, the line between imagination and nightmare shatters.
What begins as comfort quickly becomes vengeance. The dolls are no longer toys. They obey, they watch, and they kill.
As Connor loses control of the horrors he’s unleashed, he must face a terrifying truth: the greatest monster may not be the dolls… but what he’s becoming.
569 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 11, 2026
Inanimate by Deryck Jason is a dark, emotional horror story that mixes grief, neglect, and killer dolls in a way that really sticks in your head. Connor starts as a bright, lonely boy who only really connects with his dolls, and the book does a good job showing how his life slowly falls apart after his mothers death and his fathers new relationship. By the time he ends up in a facility and meets The Eye, you understand why he is so angry and why the offer of revenge through his dolls is so tempting. I liked how the dolls feel like a twisted little family, each with its own role and personality, and how the story moves from sad to truly scary as Connor sends them into the small town that hurt him. The tone is very much classic horror, with a strong emotional core so it is not just gore for the sake of it.
Goods:
- Strong emotional backstory for Connor that makes his turn to revenge believable
- Creepy and memorable use of dolls as living characters, each with its own role in the story
- Clear, fast paced writing that is easy to follow and keeps the story moving
- Interesting moral angle that makes you question who the real villain is, Connor or the people who wronged him
Bads:
- The story is very dark and sad, which may be heavy for readers who prefer lighter horror
- Some side characters, like people in the town and staff at the facility, feel a bit flat and mostly there to be part of the plot
- There are moments where the violence and cruelty might feel too strong for sensitive readers
- Readers who like very detailed worldbuilding or explanations about The Eye may find those parts a bit thin
Why I would recommend this book:
I'd recommend Inanimate if you like horror that mixes real life pain with supernatural revenge. It is a good pick if you enjoy stories about damaged characters making terrible choices, creepy doll horror, and a plot that asks you to think about how much blame belongs to the victim and how much belongs to the people who broke him in the first place.
Every book hits differently for every reader.
Thanks for reading my review.
- Corey
Goods:
- Strong emotional backstory for Connor that makes his turn to revenge believable
- Creepy and memorable use of dolls as living characters, each with its own role in the story
- Clear, fast paced writing that is easy to follow and keeps the story moving
- Interesting moral angle that makes you question who the real villain is, Connor or the people who wronged him
Bads:
- The story is very dark and sad, which may be heavy for readers who prefer lighter horror
- Some side characters, like people in the town and staff at the facility, feel a bit flat and mostly there to be part of the plot
- There are moments where the violence and cruelty might feel too strong for sensitive readers
- Readers who like very detailed worldbuilding or explanations about The Eye may find those parts a bit thin
Why I would recommend this book:
I'd recommend Inanimate if you like horror that mixes real life pain with supernatural revenge. It is a good pick if you enjoy stories about damaged characters making terrible choices, creepy doll horror, and a plot that asks you to think about how much blame belongs to the victim and how much belongs to the people who broke him in the first place.
Every book hits differently for every reader.
Thanks for reading my review.
- Corey
April 7, 2026
Personal Copy Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Inanimate by Deryck Jason
First—Deryck… thank you for finding me on TikTok and deciding I was mentally stable enough for this. Bold assumption. But I appreciate the trust—and the chaos.
Because this story?
Yeah… it goes there.
I’ll be honest (as always): I don’t usually do slow burns. I get bored. I want things to happen. I want impact, not patience.
But this?
This didn’t feel slow.
It crawled.
There’s a difference. A very uncomfortable difference.
It builds in this quiet, creeping way that slips under your skin before you even realize it’s there. One moment you’re reading, the next you’re not just a reader anymore—you’re watching. Stuck. Like some invisible entity forced to witness everything unravel in real time.
And I felt it.
Anger. Hurt. Grief. Disappointment. That sharp kind of loneliness that doesn’t scream—it just sits there, heavy. It doesn’t hit you all at once. It drips. Slowly. And somehow that makes it worse.
Did I agree with everything?
No.
Did that matter?
Also no.
Because this isn’t about comfort. It’s about perspective—twisted, raw, and seen through a child’s eyes. And that’s what makes it hit differently. Justice and revenge blur into something messy and unsettling when filtered through innocence that’s already been broken.
I finished this in one sitting. Not because it’s easy—but because I needed to know. Needed to see how far it would go. Needed to witness the outcome, even when part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to.
And can we talk about the dolls for a second?
Yeah… no.
I will never look at them the same again. Ever.
This is the kind of story that lingers after you close the book. The kind that has you staring at the ceiling, replaying moments, side-eyeing every toy in your house like it might be plotting something.
It crawls.
It stays.
And it doesn’t leave quietly.
Also—small note that isn’t so small:
Never lie to a child who’s been through hell. “Protection” isn’t always protection. Kids see more. Feel more. Know more than we give them credit for. And this story makes that painfully clear.
Because at the end of the day?
Nobody comes between a child… and their toys.
Four possessed-doll stars from me.
The dark got me—and I have a feeling it’ll get you too.
And uh… quick warning:
If you’re currently enjoying emotional stability and would like to keep it that way—this might not be your book. We’re talking heavy themes, disturbing moments, and a whole lot of “maybe I should’ve picked something lighter.”
So yeah…
If that’s not your thing—go watch a Disney movie.
If it is?
Welcome to the dark.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Inanimate by Deryck Jason
First—Deryck… thank you for finding me on TikTok and deciding I was mentally stable enough for this. Bold assumption. But I appreciate the trust—and the chaos.
Because this story?
Yeah… it goes there.
I’ll be honest (as always): I don’t usually do slow burns. I get bored. I want things to happen. I want impact, not patience.
But this?
This didn’t feel slow.
It crawled.
There’s a difference. A very uncomfortable difference.
It builds in this quiet, creeping way that slips under your skin before you even realize it’s there. One moment you’re reading, the next you’re not just a reader anymore—you’re watching. Stuck. Like some invisible entity forced to witness everything unravel in real time.
And I felt it.
Anger. Hurt. Grief. Disappointment. That sharp kind of loneliness that doesn’t scream—it just sits there, heavy. It doesn’t hit you all at once. It drips. Slowly. And somehow that makes it worse.
Did I agree with everything?
No.
Did that matter?
Also no.
Because this isn’t about comfort. It’s about perspective—twisted, raw, and seen through a child’s eyes. And that’s what makes it hit differently. Justice and revenge blur into something messy and unsettling when filtered through innocence that’s already been broken.
I finished this in one sitting. Not because it’s easy—but because I needed to know. Needed to see how far it would go. Needed to witness the outcome, even when part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to.
And can we talk about the dolls for a second?
Yeah… no.
I will never look at them the same again. Ever.
This is the kind of story that lingers after you close the book. The kind that has you staring at the ceiling, replaying moments, side-eyeing every toy in your house like it might be plotting something.
It crawls.
It stays.
And it doesn’t leave quietly.
Also—small note that isn’t so small:
Never lie to a child who’s been through hell. “Protection” isn’t always protection. Kids see more. Feel more. Know more than we give them credit for. And this story makes that painfully clear.
Because at the end of the day?
Nobody comes between a child… and their toys.
Four possessed-doll stars from me.
The dark got me—and I have a feeling it’ll get you too.
And uh… quick warning:
If you’re currently enjoying emotional stability and would like to keep it that way—this might not be your book. We’re talking heavy themes, disturbing moments, and a whole lot of “maybe I should’ve picked something lighter.”
So yeah…
If that’s not your thing—go watch a Disney movie.
If it is?
Welcome to the dark.
April 13, 2026
This was a fun read! The plot picks up fairly quickly from the beginning, and stays consistent throughout the book. The writing is very detailed, which is excellent for detail oriented readers, I found myself skimming a bit but it didn’t impact my overall read. The horror was quite slasher as characters were killed one by one in gruesome ways. It reminded me of Chucky or even Five Nights at Freddy’s due to the toys carrying out the killings. I liked reading about the toys so I wish more exploration had been given to the toys and their personalities. It also read a bit like a crime thriller as we read the majority of the book from the perspective of the police investigator. As a teacher, I was a bit thrown by the dialogue of Connor, even my gifted students don’t have that kind of sentence syntax. That said, I understand that Connor was experiencing supernatural influences, which makes his unusual dialogue add to the creepiness of his character.
I think my favourite part of the book was actually the prologue! I had a similar experience with some of my toys as a child, so that part of the book was most impactful to me. I think that the prologue could be extended/elaborated into a short novella that I would definitely read!
3.5/5
I think my favourite part of the book was actually the prologue! I had a similar experience with some of my toys as a child, so that part of the book was most impactful to me. I think that the prologue could be extended/elaborated into a short novella that I would definitely read!
3.5/5
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews