Porcelain

by Melissa R. Mendelson

Her angelic face was the first thing that I saw. Her eyes were innocent. Her beauty stole across my heart. I wanted her. I wanted to bring her home. I wanted to wake up in the morning and look at her because seeing her would be all that I needed, but I never asked where she came from. I never wondered, but the little, red dots on her porcelain skin gave me pause. And when I did not look at her, I knew that she was looking at me, but she was just a doll. I kept saying that to myself. She was just a doll, but then the news came pouring in with horrific tales of murder and mysterious disappearances involving little girls. If there were any survivors, they all said the same thing, “It wasn’t me. It was the porcelain doll.” I wanted her gone after that, but I never got the chance for she was playing me the whole time. And the last thing that I saw was her face. (Porcelain (Amazon/Amazon Kindle); The Broken Dolls (Amazon Kindle); The Children’s Dinner (Sirens Call The Sirens Call February 2018 Issue #37)

92 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 3, 2015

About the author

Melissa R. Mendelson has been writing short stories and poetry since high school. Her focus has been primarily horror and dystopian, but she also makes room for science-fiction. She has a particular interest in identity, who we really are especially in the face of high stakes, unspeakable evils. With events in 2019/2020 when she was faced with a crisis of fertility and motherhood along with the pandemic, she created a prose poetry collection, This Will Remain With Us and a short story collection, Stories Written On Covid Walls, which were both published by Wild Ink Publishing.

Reviews

[Amy W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway.

This is more of a short story than an actual book and I read it in a couple of hours. The book itself is nearly A4 in size and not really what I was expecting, but understandable given that this is not by an established author and has been published independently.

First of all I cannot ignore the actual composition of the writing. There were many instances of sentence structure gone wrong, mostly caused by errant commas that appeared all over the place. There were also issues in the sections of dialogue. Conversations were not always laid out correctly so it could be difficult to understand who was talking. These errors need to be corrected before the story can pass muster as a professional publication.

Another problem I had was that the story jumps forward in time between chapters and it wasn't immediately obvious whether it was the same day or not. It could have done with the chapters being dated or at least starting with "The following day..." or "One week later..." etc. I also didn't have a clear picture of the characters in my head as they are only described in scant detail.

Obviously the author knows who her characters are and where the story is going, but she needs to think about how the story translates for the reader who doesn't know any of the background. The author might know what she means, but that doesn't mean the reader does.

Despite all that, the story itself had potential. The idea of a "living doll" is a horror staple and one that never fails to unsettle. The influence of Stephen King was evident and his books were actually referenced here in Porcelain.

I think this book could go two ways. Either it could be made into a true short story by trimming down some of the unnecessary scenes and tightening things up, or it could be fleshed out into more of a novella. This would be achieved by focusing a bit more on the characters and their situation, taking time to really set the scene. As it stands, the book felt in a no-mans-land between the two.

Overall not a bad effort, but definitely some issues that need to be addressed.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Porcelain" which I won through Goodreads/First Reads is very reminiscent of a Stephen King horror novel and begins with Paige, a young teen who's staying with her aunt and sick grandfather for the summer. When Shelli her sister turns up not only is Paige badgered into socializing more but the girls begin constantly bickering. After Shelli steals a porcelain doll from the local Antique Store the story begins to heat up as the girls unexpectedly discover that their fate is tied to the doll and its evil curse.

In this novella Melissa R. Mendelson creates a tale that blends mystery and horror but the story lacks several aspects that would make it more than just a good outline. Although the tale is interesting and has an intriguing twist at the end it could use an editorial review and grammatical changes. There are no background details or description that would help build the intensity and suspense in a story where an procelain doll stalks not only Paige but attacks a randy boy with rape on his mind.

Like the plot there is little depth or complexity to the characters. From what I could gather Paige is responsible , but addicted to horror stories and browbeaten by her sister while Shelli is a partier and drinker who seems almost self-destructive.

For all my honest criticisms "Porcelain" does flow quickly to a heightened climax, but needs more work if it is to rate higher.

[Unsolved ☕︎ Mystery]

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!

I made it to chapter 2.
It was difficult to tell who was speaking, which made it confusing.
I love mind benders but not like that.

I really wanted to get into this story; the synopsis was interesting.

Since I didn't finish, there will not be a rating.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, let me say thank you Goodreads and Melissa Mendelson for the opportunity to win and read Porcelain. I love genuine horror... spooky, dark and creepy, and keeps you guessing kind of horror. I have to agree that Porcelain is very reminiscent of Stephen King. Not a lot scares me, and even though this book did have some frightening “chucky-like” moments, it didn’t give me the true spine-chilling creeps that I was hoping for. I give this book 3 – 3 1/2 stars.

Porcelain is an interesting story. I did like the twist at the end, but I too, was a bit confused by the jumping in time between chapters. Sometimes I had to flip back pages because it wasn't clear. Sometimes it was difficult to stay focused on the story. Overall, I think it was a good attempt by this author. I am looking forward to trying future books.

[Nicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had some scary Undead Doll moments but in the end it was anticlimactic. The rest of the plot wasn't cohesive. The character's conversations felt stiff and disjointed to me. This book could have been better with some editorial help.

[Jjean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start with family drama - sisters in arguments - some tension that give an atmosphere of fear - a short horror tale with a doll & a curse, some very unrealistic and some you will wonder about!

[Catherine Milmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually like longer novels, but the story was spooky and I do love Stephen King books. although this was a short story enjoyed it, thanks

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really fell flat for me. I found the dialogue to be unrealistic and choppy. It was a short read, however, I had trouble staying interested in it.