The Dollhouse Asylum

by Mary Gray

This is an updated edition of ASIN B00EHKY36G.

A novel about escaping psychological abuse.

When the world is breaking all someone wants is safety. A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched. But when eighteen-year-old Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields-a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus-she is thrilled to have a chance at survival. At first, Elysian Fields-with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns-is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole her heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world. The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now Persephone, and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along. Play it right, then they'll be safe. But play it wrong, they'll die.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Horror, Paranormal

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 22, 2013

About the author

Mary Gray balances dark and twisty plots with faith-based messages. Some of her best ideas come when she’s lurking in the woods, experimenting with frightening foods, or pushing her kids on the tire swing. She is a contributor to THE FAITHFUL CREATIVE magazine, and is the author of THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM, OUR SWEET GUILLOTINE, and HUSH, NOW FORGET.

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is an astounding amount of stupid within the pages of this book. I can say with absolute confidence that this is the worst book I've read this year.

You could call the main character of this book innocent, sheltered. I could be nice to her, give her the benefit of the doubt, and call her naive.

But no. Nope. I've had it. I've read way too many books lately about stupid girls and their stupid actions and I'm just absolutely fucking fed up with the incomprehensible idiocy of our narrator, Cheyenne. I'm going to call her naive, but I'm going to redefine the word naive to fit my opinion of Cheyenne's absurdity.

Naive: \nä-'ēv\, adjective 1. so fucking dumb it makes my teeth hurt

You might think, for roughly 0.23 of a second, based on the half-assed excuse of a zombie cover of the pretty girl blond girl made slightly less pretty with the use of some strategically placed rottage that this is a book about zombies, about the zombie apocalypse, about survival, about gritty realism. You have never been more mistaken in your life. This is my theory, the zombie apocalypse thing is but a scheme in order to bring together 14 of the dumbest people in existence together in one place. In that sense, it's a good thing they're within this "Elysian Fields," because I really cannot comprehend how they've managed to get along this far in life, much less survive 2 seconds of the supposed zombie outbreak. It should have set off some sort of alarm within Cheyenne's head when she sees the nature of her companions---in a disaster, one would choose to rescue the most important, vital, prominent members of society. Doctors, scientists, etc. Not 14 shit-faced, trope-filled teenagers with a shared IQ of 110.

But I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself. Cheyenne wakes up, disoriented. She's been chloroformed. Chloroform actually smells sweet, not sour, but details, right? Realism--please.

I don’t know this place. I was walking to my bathroom when someone grabbed me from behind and forced a sour-smelling cloth over my face

SHIT. SHE'S BEEN KIDNAPPED. What to do? Scream? Shout for help? Struggle to get the fuck out of here? Oh, wait, no. Teo, Hot Math Teacher. Cheyenne's been having a secret affair with him. They're in luuuuuurve.

It’s Teo, my Teo, standing across from me on the hardwood floor, beaming at me. His ebony eyes shine forth like two onyx stones, and even his olive-toned skin makes me breathe a bit shallower. Choking back a strangled laugh—no one’s here to hurt me—I reach out for the love of my life, too tongue-tied to say anything.

Teo's the kidnapper? Oh, it's all good, then. ^________^ Does he love me?????? He's sooooo hot.

I wish he’d tell me why he brought me here. Maybe he let my mom know, explained what we were actually doing.
“Teo—?”
My heart flip-flops and it’s hard to say anything. He’s happy to see me. It’s all I can do to keep myself from smiling stupidly.

Oh, girl. No. That shit is not normal. You were Stockholm Syndrome'd long before you were kidnapped.



Teo shows her media clips of people freaking out. The Living Rot has spread across the world from Beijing. It makes people turn into voracious cannibals. It destroyed China, and now it has destroyed the world. And apparently, all this shit has happened within the past few hours or so, since it's not like choloroform can knock you out for a long time. Whatever. TEO IS THE SAVIOR. IT MUST BE TRUE. He makes her wander around the block of houses, in the sweltering heat, in order to pass some stupid sort of vague test that I still can't comprehend.

Teo's started his own human version of Noah's Ark, in which he's recruited the dumbest teenagers in the world to survive with him where the rest of the world has been destroyed. He renames them. Tristan and Isolde. Romeo and Juliet. Pyramus and Thisbe. Cheyenne herself has been rebranded "Persephone." Does she question him? No.

Instead of learning survival skills, they have "evening soirées." They dress up in period costumes. The teens get together the first evening for a dance.

“At night,” Teo prowls around the couples, “shall be our evening soirées. Each couple shall have the chance to host one, and dazzle us with your ability to bring your stories to life.”

Does anyone question this shit? No.

There's some plot in there somewhere, but it is completely lost in the entire book's utter absurdity. I just cannot wrap my head about how foolish everyone in the book acts. NOBODY questions Teo. Nobody acts the way they should in the case of a severe emergency such as this. They buy into everything so completely, so incredibly.

Cheyenne herself is a fool. An absolute fool. She is so wet for teacher that it makes me sick.

At the foot of the stairs, Teo clutches my waist the way I have always dreamed he would. It’s tight, possessive, and I am only too happy to be wanted by someone else.

The world is imploding. Her mother may be dead. She doesn't give a fucking thought to the world outside. It's all Teo. Teo. Teo.

Does he really feel that the time he spends thinking of me is a waste? But that can’t be how he feels, because no one could fake a kiss like that. So maybe he meant that he’s spent a lot of time thinking about me. Which is actually a compliment. I shouldn’t get caught up in overanalyzing everything.

Naive is one thing, but Cheyenne---I can't even describe it, it just makes me so completely angry at how she justifies abuse, how she justifies violence, how she justifies any bad behavior as long as that bad behavior is perpetrated by someone she likes.

Because killing your father turns you into nothing. Nothing but sorrow and pain and numb. So he must be telling it wrong. His dad forced him to drive that car while drunk...

Right, forcible drunk driving: the not guilty defense of every single DUI conviction ever.

Cheyenne takes abuse lying down. She is inexplicably attracted to this sinister (but hot!) man despite all the shit he pulls, despite his obvious cruelty towards others, and only after seeing him actually KILL someone and set a lion loose on a poor boy (yes, a lion), does she finally start to listen to her instincts, which should have been screaming in her ear "YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH A CREEPTASTIC MOTHERFUCKER. RUN AWAY NOW." Her body rebels.

He brings those tender lips to my neck and brushes my skin before kissing my throat.
I should hate it, and I abhor myself that I don’t. My mind shrivels, but there’s this little part of my body that quivers at his touch. Like it hasn’t gotten the memo that Teo’s a deranged killer who enjoys snipping marionettes.

That should be ample evidence of what I think of Cheyenne and this book.

Along with horrible teacher-love, there's also a love triangle between Cheyenne and the teacher's little brother. Because in between all the survival and dances, Cheyenne's got to notice Marcus's totally ripped arms.

There is an ample amount of slut-shaming and fat bashing. The poor fat girl (Ana) is clumsy, constantly munching on vegetables, constantly wanting to burst into tears because she's fat and therefore unlovable by her chosen partner. She also splits her sari's pants because of her legendary fatness. We have Cleo, the slutty girl, who's the object of hatred because she wears tight dresses and she's got big boobs. Which are obviously implants, geez.

A short, black dress hugs her body so tightly, it’s like her curves are about to pop. Two curves in particular—it’s obvious she’s had those puppies enhanced.

We have the idiotic blond cheerleader who is more concerned about the fact that this compound doesn't have a gym than she's worried about the impending doom of the world. We have idiotic boys. Everyone is a moron, everyone is evil besides Cheyenne and the love triangle boy.

Fuck you, book.

[Giselle]

DNF at 40%

At first when I was reading and things were just odd and kind of stupid, I figured there were drugs or mental illness involved (no I'm serious), but it's really just an annoying book.

It's about this young teacher, Teo, who, after this zombie-like epidemic has returned (or so he says), builds this "ideal" town where he brings 7 couples with him who are all students. He renames them after famous couples in literature - like Romeo and Juliet - and forces them to act and dress like them. If they want the vaccine they have to do as he says. So… 13 teens and one weird 24 year old. Why is he in charge? Why are they not just... you know... taking the vaccine? Oh wait, maybe it's the lion. The lion Teo lets out of some random hole (in a wall or the ground I'm not even sure) who eats and kills one of the couples. Lolz. A fucking lion!

Then there's an icky romance, an even ickier love triangle - with 2 brothers - and an irritatingly naive protagonist.

"Plus, I've broken Teo's cardinal rule: Never interfere with what he says. I'm mostly mortified I somehow forgot about that unspoken rule, but I can't help wondering why he thinks calling people names is okay. But that's Teo. His mind is so far ahead of everyone else's that he has a hard time being patient sometimes."

Uurgh. Being an advanced human being is so demanding!!

"I shake my head; It's impossible to be perfect. Of course, Teo knows that, but who am I to challenge his authority?"

"I can't help wondering if it hurt him to be angry, if he realizes how much he hurt me. But it doesn't matter; I'll do anything to prove myself to him. Because I can show him I'm worthy of his love, his dreams, this place. He might have unrealistic expectations, but I can do better. He will see."


Yeeeah… O.o

[Gray Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

"A novel about escaping psychological abuse", my foot.

Our main character is how do you say... not the brightest crayon in the box. She's stupid.

As are all of the other stereotypical characters.

-Cheyenne, our main character who is yet another cliche of a white girl in YA with an odd name to try and make up for her bland personality. She's eighteen-years-old although a five-year-old would probably be more intelligent. Cheyenne also loves classics and Greek myths, although throughout the book you'll be wondering if she can even read... or like... think for herself....

Oh, and she's soooo not like other girls. She's (in her own words): "complicated", yeah, it's really complicated on how someone could live eighteen years and still be this stupid.

NEXT we have:

-Teo, our hot psychopathic English teacher who is supposed to be charming but is about as charming as a piece of lettuce in someone's teeth.

-Marc, Teo's brother who is "hot" with "nice arms" (you know, because people are only their bodies, duhhhh).

-Then we have the stereotypically mean girl character who our main character will slut-shame several times for daring to have *gasp* big boobs *gasp*. A nerd, a fat character, two stupid jocks, and a manic pixie dream girl.

IF I haven't gotten across to you guys how bad this book was, here are some snippets along with my (witty) commentary to try and make them bearable:

At the foot of the stairs, Teo clutches my waist the way I have always dreamed he would. It’s tight, possessive, and I am only too happy to be wanted by someone else.

This scene is RIGHT AFTER she finds out that her family and friends are dead, but who cares when the hottttt teacher wraps his pervy arms around you, right?!?!

Let your hair down, girls.' he [Teo] once said. 'Not for aesthetics, but to relax your brains.'

O_O ..... what..... the... actual..... [censored]

I'm not a child,. I'm a grown woman--the way he kissed me proved that.

Last time I checked swapping spit with someone doesn't make you grown... but okay, girl.

"I can breathe in a room like this," he says [Teo says] voice low and nearly care-free.
And I know exactly what he means. He's not talking about the air freshener. He means our time together is no longer contained to those heart-stopping moments after class.

.... or he means the air freshener.... Also, did I mention that this is a teacher/student relationship?!? As if this book couldn't get any more trashy, geez.

I take a deep breath and push my worries away. Sometimes it's better to hide away our hesitations and trust in those we love.

She thought this... right after Teo tells her that he left her family to die. BUT WHO CARES IF SHE'S WITH HER HOTTTT TEACHER.

Honestly, it goes on and on.

HERE'S THE REST OF THE PLOT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW:

The first half of this book is this girl wanting to sleep with her teacher, one sentence it's "oh, boo hoo my life is gone!" The next is: "He's soooo hot".

Then Teo starts forcing people to go to weird parties and everyones like: oKaY.

Then he starts throwing fits and randomly killing people and everyone is like: oKaY.

Then Cheyenne decidedes she'd rather get with Teo's younger brother and Teo is like: nOt oKaYYY.

Then they overthrow Teo, which they should have done in the first place.

And then they find out, oh he LIED to them, and they could have realized that so easily because there was EVIDENCE EVERYWHERE.

I'M DONE.

Just,,,, done.

[Matilda]

The amount of time we're waiting for this book should be illegal!
We can call it ... Obstruction of Justice. I deserve to have this book, in my hands, so I can drool over its cover, and do this:



ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL DAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Try and stop me. Seriously. I dare you.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dollhouse Asylum features one of the worst love triangles imaginable: a girl who is spineless, insipid, and subservient; a guy who is a murderous, raving lunatic; and another guy who is only notable because he is the lunatic's brother. If those were my only choices, I might hope for the disease called the Living Rot, to take me instead.

The events of The Dollhouse Asylum are so out there that I kept waiting for Cheyenne, the protagonist, to wake up and declare it all a mere nightmare. Instead, Cheyenne mostly sits back and waits for kisses from her absolutely insane and absolutely abominable boyfriend, Teo, while madness swirls around her.

The Living Rot is a (fantastically-named) disease that had supposedly been eradicated. When it returns, Teo brings Cheyenne and fourteen other people to a disease-free community called Elysian Fields. He tells them that he has a vaccine, but to obtain it, the residents must impersonate famous couples - some fictional, some real. If they portray these couple accurately, they will be rewarded with the vaccine. If not, they will be killed. I'll pause here while you try to absorb this, because I'm still not sure I understand...
..........
..........
..........

OK, I'm back. Of course, the first question is, why did these people tolerate Teo's madness? Even after he murdered several of them, the survivors still obeyed his orders. This wasn't a situation where they were born into a cult and indoctrinated into its bizarre ways. Instead, they were plucked out of their normal lives and told, "Make me believe you're Romeo and Juliet, or you die." It was never adequately explained how Teo was able to wield such power over them, and that was one of the biggest failings of the book.

The other major failing was the love triangle between Cheyenne, Teo, and Marcus, Teo's brother. I think Teo was supposed to be a sexy, dangerous type, a la The Darkling, but he was simply abhorrent. He reveals his madness very early on, but Cheyenne continues to swoon over him. She's convinced he's merely misguided, even after he murders several people and threatens her own life. Her stupidity made it impossible for me to have an ounce of sympathy for her. As for Teo, what exactly was it that drew him to Cheyenne? Perhaps he was attracted to her gullibility, but this is another aspect of the story that didn't make any sense. The third side of this twisted love triangle is Teo's brother, Marcus. He's as dim-witted as Cheyenne, but at least he wasn't trying to murder her; I suppose that's a point in his favor.

I'll leave you with this quote from Cheyenne: "Am I really one of those girls who needs to have a boy?" If you have to ask yourself that as you continue to happily make out with a guy after watching him murder people, the answer might be, "YES."

Note - I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Drew Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

EDIT 23 January 2020:

I didn't much care for this book.

I feel like it just wasn't finished.

I know the author really believed in this project, and it does have some comparatively bright moments, so I feel bad reviewing it so harshly, but I have to be honest about it.

[Alice Qu · Rating 4 out of 5]

So. Where in the world do I begin.
The thing is, when I finished this, my brain went whack like "WHATWAHTWATWHUTWHATTHEHEEELLLLPFFFFTT"
I mean, the plot was good...
I read this book overnight.
But that's besides the point here.
The first two chapters really frustrated me since the main character IS THIRSTY AS HELL (which is funny how in the beginning she actually wanted water..) Now let explain myself for ^ that statement up there. Every since the book started and we meet fellow Teo (pronounced Tay-oh, but who gives a damn here?). Her calculus teacher. Which by the way, is it even possible for a 24 year old to be a teacher?
But besides that, she has at least mentioned wanting him to kiss her again at least 15 times in the first two chapters which drove me insane.
Like.
Insane.
This girl just has put her hormones into a box and burn it away.

Even though I was entirely ADDICTED to this book as a teenage girl can, I didn't think the book started on the right tone. It seems to me that the book started right smack middle in another story. They mention a zombie apocalypse.
A.
Zombie.
Apocalypse.

They also never explained how it happened and how they survived, just saying that the outbreak started in Beijing (wow, thanks) and how the government and all that promised that nothing like that would ever happen. And let me also point out something out. *BIIIIIIG SPOILER ALERT LIKKEEE OOMMMGGG*

Not a single zombie appeared in the book. (I won't explain further because that would ruin the whole spoiler thing or whatever)

I don't even get the whole "zombie apocalypse" thing, it didn't really play an important role in the book, the author just threw it out there like it was normal and happened all the time.

"Hey, how are you doing? How's your garden coming along?"
"Oh nothing, I'm just waiting for this entire wave of zombies to walk by, and yeah, my radishes are blooming like fireworks, can't wait to harvest them!"

Oh, and they also call zombies the Living Rot
*giggle*

MOOOOOOVING OOON

Now back to this girl protagonist. So after her loyal-and-sexy-as-hell boyfriend kills her two new friends Bee and Ramus, (I'm not going to explain the plot here so just read the blurb). She goes all from that thirsty girl into this "ohmygod he's so baaaaad. Cheyenne say nono." She goes from obsession on Teo to love and touch and cherish her, to this rejection towards him.

And guess what.

On the NEXT CHAPTER SHE GOES ALL CRAZY FOR TEO'S BROTHER MARCUS.
Like, not the crush feeling with the butterflies in the stomach, but along with that, FREAKING WANTING HIM TO SMOTHER HIS LIPS ON HER FACE.

LIKE HOW THIRSTY CAN THIS GIRL GET.

So apparently, they discover that Teo is a sadistic psychopath. TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. Like darling, he was your teacher for more than a year, and you spend time with him ALL THE TIME and not once did you realize that he was THE LEAST BIT CRAZY AND BLOODTHIRSTY??? (too busy staring at his lips and praying for him to brush his fingers on your skin, i bet.)

Now that I think about it, writing this review, the whole purpose that I liked this was because of that love triangle between Teo, Cheyenne, and Marcus.

If I base my rating off of this book entirely, I would give it a 4. But the whole zombie thing just doesn't. Make. Sense. It's just there. Shouldn't there be more of something that explains that?

~siiigh~

TEO HAS AN ALBINO BOYFRIIIIIIEEEEND XD. No really, why is he even part of this? He has no significant background story connecting to what is happening and is just there being Teo's lapdog.

Well. That's about it that I have thought about this book. WAAAAITTT ALMOST FORGOOOOT

THE BEST LINE IN THIS BOOK GOES TOOOOOO.....
"And when he forces me against the wall and presses his lips to my neck, my head falls back, my mouth opens, and I let out a moan.
(IN ITALICS) Did I really just moan?"

I was reading this during my Saturday school and had to do some hardcoooore analogies to stop myself from making a scene.
like.
I DON'T KNOW.
DID YOU MOAN?
OH I DON'T KNOW.
I JUST DON'T KNOW.
MAYBE IT WASN'T A MOAN.
MAYBE WE'LL NEVER KNOW.

But overall, this book really had me on the edge of my seat except those few major loopholes with the past and "present" zombie apocalypse and that albino guy Jonas. I guess the author adding the whole thing with the apocalypse happening (AGAIN) was just so she could get to the point with the setting in Elysian Fields. I mean, couldn't she think of something else? Like I don't know, they were kidnapped or something. And I guess Jonas is just there so Teo doesn't have to do his deeds all alone.

Yep. That's it guisseeee. XD

Oh, and hi Emily ;)

[Jasprit · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Dollhouse Asylum had a lot of potential to deliver a solid story. Cheyenne was kidnapped (saved from the living riot as she’s been told.) The world that she’s taken to seems perfect, and it must mean something if Teo (her former teacher and crush) selected her as one of the few individuals he wanted to save. Cheyenne in my eyes was really naive. If some guy you shared a kiss with and supposedly liked you back kidnapped you with no explanation, wouldn’t you consider it a little strange? And if he supposedly cared about you, would he really make you earn the vaccine that you truly needed to survive? That is what our “saviour” Teo does, he pairs up all the individuals he’s saved and tells them that they have to prove that they deserve their vaccine.

If this wasn’t enough, Teo wouldn’t let the people he saved keep their real names, but gave them names; Persephone (Cheyenne) Romeo, Juliet etc and had them host dinner parties, and of course to impress Teo you had to play your part as your character would otherwise no vaccine for you. I was quite interested at first to see how things would play out, to see if anyone would actually stand up to Teo, there were seven other individuals, so they could have overruled Teo if they wanted, but no, everyone stood by while Teo took control. Our MC in my eyes just got worse as the story progressed, her love for Teo soon turned to disbelief as she became to realise what a psychopath he truly was. And of course she turned her attractions elsewhere to Teo’s brother *eyes roll*. But even then her hatred for Teo didn’t completely go away and whenever Teo showed his sweet side, she found herself going weak in the knees, never really sure who she liked and how she would ever escape this horrendous world.

I have been told that Cheyenne does improve in the rest of the book; this would have been something I would have looked forward to see may be earlier in the story. There have been several promising reviews for this book, but this book was just not for me.

[Alice]

This sounds epic. I really hope it turns out as creepy as it sounds.

[The_Book_Dragon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read: January 2014
Bookmarks: -5


That is what I did while reading The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray-I literally beat the back of my own head into the wall. Maybe it was a drastic attempt to dumb myself down to the level that were these characters so I could enjoy this steaming pile of shit and not push myself deeper into a migraine with this book. None of which happened. It hurts to even think about this poor attempt at a book.

Three tries it took me to get past chapter three…THREE! I knew at some stage I should have just put the bloody thing down but it was a gift and I felt compelled to give it a go, hoping maybe it would redeem itself. I was sadly mistaken.

The beginning of The Dollhouse Asylum is the main narrator Cheyenne. She wakes up in a strange place with a blindfold ripped from her face. The last thing she can remember is going to her bathroom and then a rag over her mouth. She was kidnapped. With that you are excited, thinking it has promise-IT LIES TO YOU! Cheyenne has no reaction what-so-ever to being kidnapped, the only thing she notices is that he nails are done. When she does realize she’s kidnapped-because you know that takes time to figure out-she begins to freak out for only a second because a voice calls to her, one she would know anywhere. It’s Teo, her math teacher whom she is having relations with. Seeing him washes away all her worries because he kidnapped her so they could be together. It’s alright because it’s smart, thoughtful and ever so hot, Teo. When Teo pushes her out onto a street and tells her that she is being tested and needs to find the right house Cheyenne sets off looking.

Now, as if it wasn’t going downhill from the moment Cheyenne became perfectly okay with being kidnapped, it really gets bad and proves just how stupid this girl is. All this girl can think is ‘I wonder what Teo wants, he’s just testing me I bet. Oh Teo, he’s so smart…’ Anyways, 14 house, 7 on each side. Looking at the names it is not hard to figure out that one side of the street is for girls-the other for boys. So what does Cheyenne do, she starts knocking on doors…on the male side! She comes across Mark or as he is known now is Marcus. He is an old friend of hers from school and the only thing she questions is why he wants to be called Marcus. THAT, of all fucking things to question! After spending some time knocking on doors Cheyenne finally-FINALLY finds the right house and is congratulated by Teo. Now…that is stupid. For it to be a test the first house she knocked at should have been the house she choose…not the third one. None-the-less she is welcomed.




Teo is the leader of this place called Elysian Fields and wants to play the role of God. He shows Cheyenne a video, making her believe the Living Rot has returned. The Living Rot is basically zombies that we thought we destroyed but has come back and invaded Texas in the short time she was knocked out and taken to Elysian Fields. After seeing the video Cheyenne finally, finally wonders about her mother and when she asks about her Teo gets huffying and yells at her.

Introduced to the rest of the neighbors Cheyenne is renamed by Teo as ‘Persephone’. This is a real quote people: I thought he liked my name. I always liked my name-my mom picked it specifically for me’ Well…no fucking shit. Never the less she embraces the name, no questions asked. Now, at this party (yes, instead of trying to find a cure and protecting themselves from this zombie apocalypse they are having parties) Teo fat shames one of the people he brought in. Cheyenne defends the girl and when Teo yells at her this is what is said…‘Teo rounds on me and sneers; rightly so.’ Cheyenne feels wrong for going against Teo, for defending someone he was humiliating. She even defends his actions when he pushes her around. She is then tasked with learning everyone’s name and she must to impress the Almighty Teo




Only when Teo kills off the first couple does Cheyenne realize all his screws are not in place. Now, why did the first couple die? Well, Cheyenne is with Teo just about to go all the way when Marcus, Romeo and Ramus bust in to defend her. Ramus takes fault for the plan and he and Bee are thrown to the lions. I would like to say that is metaphorically but they are literally fed to a lion. Where a lion came from, I don’t know. Now this is where it gets really stupid, kind-a like Mary Gray stopped and came back to this shit after a year hiatus. After Bee and Ramus die Marcus sneaks into Cheyenne's house to tell her she needs to still pretend to love Teo (his brother). Marcus says and I quote, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing. So far, it’s worked great.’



Now, let me get this straight. Marcus, Ramus and Romeo broke into Teo’s house to protect her from Teo. Ramus took the fall and was killed along with Bee for what?!?! For Marcus to tell Cheyenne to pretend to love Teo. Okay, I get it was to set up for Cheyenne losing love in Teo but the kill was pointless, it defeated the purpose of them trying to protect her. In playing God, Teo decides who stays and goes, all the while dangling the vaccine that will keep them from getting the Zombie Virus. Those that do not play by his rules are killed in the most ludicrous of ways. Now up until that first kill Cheyenne is adoring Teo, claiming him to be the savior and how could anyone think wrong of him. The remaining couples are dressed up and meant to reenact their tragic love stories. Romeo and Juliet extc. The only way to get the vaccine is to get engaged to the other person. O____o The actual fuck?

Needless to say, the rest of the book is the same rubbish bullshit that was fed to us from page one. Now, I am not going to lie I skimmed the rest of the book and when I hit the last 50 pages I gave up. I threw the book in anger because of the idiocy spewed on its pages.

Let’s talk about Teo and Cheyenne for a moment here. I would like to call Teo a psychopath but he’s not. As a 24 year old teacher, he is portrayed as a toddler who, if he doesn’t get his way, huffs and puffs until his way happens. He is controlling and all together a freak. It is his way or no way. Now Cheyenne on the other hand is wet clay. She is nothing but weak and pathetic. She views Teo in this godly manor that anything he says must be true and if he is mad at her she deserves it. She would defend him until her last breath-no matter what he does. Even after his true colors of being a murder are exposed she still deep down loves him. *sighs*

Now, how long should it take a group of kids-actually they are 18, so adults- to realize they OUTNUMBER Teo and the weird albino guy? Clearly until the end of the book and more people are killed. That’s when. They start getting this plan to escape after Bee and Ramus but not once does it dawn on these people that they can easily overpower two men as a group.

Now the love triangle. YES! A shitty book would be nothing without one of those. Teo loves Cheyenne because he can easily manipulate her, Cheyenne loves Teo but even before she finds out he is a crazy lunatic she begins to develop feelings for Marcus-Teo’s little brother. Now, Marcus is just as stupid as Cheyenne, as are the rest of these idiots in Elysian Fields. But Marcus likes Cheyenne and in the end they end up happily together. Oh yes, I skimmed the last few pages. Teo is killed and they drive off in a SUV into a zombie infested sunset.

Then there is the writing. There is no description at all! There is a scene in the beginning with Cheyenne knocking on doors when a hole opens up in the ground. Thinking it’s a clue, that precious Teo is giving her a clue, Cheyenne walks towards it. What comes out- the thing she is most scared of…a snake. *rolls eyes* fine I took that stride, but when her only reaction involved tip-toeing past the hole I near about had it. If she was truly as scared as she ‘claimed’ to be there should have been some reaction. Me-I am scared of spiders. If a giant hole opened in the ground and a massive spider crawled out I would be running and screaming like an Irish Banshee. I would kick someone’s door in! Needless to say, I can write out a reaction better than ‘I was taught to move slow’. She’s supposed to be scared for God’s sake!

“Seeing the snake my heart plummeted in my chest, my feet rooting me to the spot. Inch my inch I forced myself to move away from the hole, eyes wide and never leaving the slithery creature.’

And to think...I just pulled that out of nowhere.

Another thing about Mary Gray’s writing here. She begins a lot of paragraphs with the word ‘BUT’. You NEVER do that. It is common sense in the writing world not to do that. Also the grammar. ‘But it CAN’T HAVE returned’…CAN’T HAVE…..O_O Say it out loud, you sound like a dumbass. Also, and this is my favorite. ‘Gentlemen, I would like to INVITE you to leave.’ Invite….you CANNOT invite someone to leave. You can ask them to leave, demand or even force them to leave. Invite, not a chance.

Anyways, I am done now. I am sorry I read this book, I really wish I didn’t. I do not recommend it to anyone, not even of someone held a gun to my head demanding me recommend it. Do not buy it. Save yourself, your IQ and imagination.

[Keren Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

*WARNING: May Contain Spoilers*

*KABOOM* That sound? My brain imploding from the amazingness of this book!!

Welcome to your new home. Welcome to Elysian Fields. Welcome to your worst nightmare!!

A once dormant disease has resurfaced. The Living Rot is back. Just when people believed their lives would return to some form of normalcy, the disease rises up to ravage humankind.
Teo Richardson has a plan that will keep him and Cheyenne safe. He must take her to Elysian Fields. There she can live without fear of the disease. There they can finally be together. Happy ever after? Not a chance!

Teo has created Elysian Fields. He has brought 7 couples with him, then there's himself, Jonas and Cheyenne. The environment is disease free, the living rot cannot reach them here. The settlement has 14 houses. 7 on one side of the street for the women and the other side, 7 for the men. Then there's Teo's home.

Teo leaves Cheyenne in the middle of the street, alone and unsure what she has to do. She knows she must prove something to her once tutor. He always asked questions but kept the answers close to his chest. Cheyenne always had to work hard for the answers and go the right way about getting them in order to please Teo. If she asked too many questions, this would not please him, so she must prove her worth in this task he has set for her.

The street is devoid of people, the homes are all neatly lined up along each side of the road. But none of her neighbours are willing to come out and help her in this task. They stay locked up in their homes like they are afraid of something... Or someone...

Cheyenne can't understand this new world Teo has created. She does not know why she is here except for the fact that Teo didn't want her left in the world with the living rot. To Cheyenne, this is something scary and unknown. She can't prove her worth if she doesn't have the first clue what is going on.

There are 7 couples. 7 men and 7 women. Cheyenne makes 8. The couples live in homes provided for them by Teo and no-one is quick to make friends with Cheyenne. After all, she's new here and why should she rock the boat? The couples have all been renamed. They are now known by names of lovers in literary fiction; Romeo and Juliet, Marc and Cleo, Bee and Ramus, along with others. Cheyenne is from now on to be known as Persephone. Teo is her Hades.
I will be honest, at the point in the book where I discovered this, I thought Teo had a bit of a God complex going on. But I later found out there was so much worse in store. Things that make my heart beat faster and my emotions highten to levels I wasn't aware existed. I literally had palpitations and sweaty palms.

Teo wants these couples to all prove their worth, to earn the vaccine for the virus. They must all do something of equal greatness to prove to him that they should survive and continue to live in Elysian Fields.
Everyone cowers from Teo. They know that he has Jonas on his side. Jonas is... let's say, a little 'trigger happy' when it comes to his stun gun. He knows Teo wants order and order he shall have, no matter the cost.
The couples all host soirees in honour of the couple they have been named for. If they do well, they earn the vaccine. If they do not, then... well, let's just say a great darkness must dwell within Teo for what he does to the couples that don't perform their part adequately.
Teo treads a very fine line between psychopath and sociopath for he does many evil things and does not seem to have a care about the consequences of his actions.

The only person Teo seems to truly care about is his Persephone. When she looks at him, she can see that if she plays things right, delivers the right lines to stroke his ego, then he looks upon her with love and devotion.

Cheyenne thought she was in love with Teo. She is 18, he is 24. She was his student and he was her tutor. It was a forbidden romance but Cheyenne couldn't help falling for the gorgeous, kind, caring man before her. He treads a very fine line between being a besotted man, in love with this woman and an uncaring sociopath who will do as he pleases and tread on anyone that gets in his way. Cheyenne was blind to his faults. She never saw the flaws that are so apparent in hindsight.

I won't tell you more, suffice to say a lot of this story is not pretty. There are things contained within those streets that people only experience in the worst of nightmares, they wake up drenched in a cold sweat and thank their lucky stars that it wasn't real.

Mary Gray fills me with shock and awe. This book totally has the WOW factor that bowled me off my feet. It swept me up and kept me engrossed from the very first word until the last. Even now, I cannot forget the chills that ran down my spine, the feeling of insects crawling all over me. When I first picked up this book, I did not foresee the things that would leave me feeling utterly disgusted. The story went from mildly to massively intriguing with the flip of a switch. There was one incident around 36% of the way through and that tipped me over the edge.
I'll share with you my final Goodreads update that I wrote just as I had finished the book:
"WOW! Now that's what I call a f**king book! OMFG! I just... Ugh... No words... Too many words jostling together... No coherent sentences... Loved. This. Book!! Mary Gray has filled me with shock and awe.... Teo... He is master manipulator walking the divide between psychopath & sociopath. Cheyenne... She's... in love... blind... Finally starts to see the light... Amazing story! Fantastic idea behind it..."

This book was an utter masterpiece. How Mary Gray's mind works... WOW I would love for one day to be inside the very most inner working of her mind, just to see what it is that makes her come up with such an amazing story. Her world building is wildly intriguing throughout the book as her cast of characters spring to life. The characters are tangible and 3-dimensional, people that could really exist, like she plucked you and a group of friends up and placed you all in the book. What I liked was the fact that though in the back of my mind, I knew none of it was real, I actually felt drawn right into the pages and felt real emotions for these people.
My favourite couple were Bee and Ramus. So tragic a tale. But then, Persephone was the main attraction of this book, the main star. She was so determined to help the couples get the vaccines that they so needed. She couldn't rebel openly toward Teo/Hades. She had to do it in discreet ways. She wanted to help every couple to do well in the tasks that Teo set for them so that they had the chance of living a disease free existence. Little did she know what was around the corner. No-one could have predicted going into Elysian Fields that they might not all make it out alive. Teo's master plan was a diabolical one. What it was, you will have to discover for yourself when you buy your copy of The Dollhouse Asylum.

This story had twists and turns that I never saw coming. I thought one thing and BAM! something else came out of the woodwork. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys fast-paced, page turning stories where they can expect the unexpected!

Thank you SHP for the ARC. I am so pleased that I got an early copy of this wonderful book. Thank you most of all to Mary Gray who must have the mind of an evil genius. How she created such an elaborate story and surrounded it with twists, turns and utter heartbreak, I will never know.

[Jilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book about an abuser/victim relationship. A senior in high school gets involved with her math teacher who is a bit of an egomaniac, and suddenly he kidnaps her and tells her that he has just saved her life because a supervirus is killing everyone and he has brought her (and 15 others) to a safe place. This safe place is a neighborhood that he had built, surrounded by an electric fence, in the middle of nowhere, when this virus had previously flared up and took out a big part of the population of China. Although the scientists had assured the people that the virus was contained, he had been worried that it would mutate and show up again, so he had been planning ahead with money that he inherited from his parents. This subdivision has 15 large houses - 7 on each side of the street, and one in the middle, and is divided into boys and girls sections. It sounds like the perfect set-up, except that this guy is completely psychotic and an abuser.

The main character, a girl named Cheyenne, is totally co-dependent on this teacher, named Teo, and doesn't question the fact that he kidnaps her, instead of asking her if she wants to come with him, but feels so lucky that Teo cares for her. Teo is rude, shames her, corrects her, yells at her, punishes her, and verbally and physically abuses her, but she blames herself at every turn. She keeps saying that she needs to do better to deserve his love and how lucky she is that someone as brilliant as him would care about her at all. Even when his psychosis takes over and he even starts killing people, she tries to make excuses for him and continually goes back to him. It is painful to read because you pretty much want to slap her yourself for being such and idiot!!

There is also fat-shaming, slut-shaming, and everything else that tears down females in this book. The females are even forced to dress up as fantasy sluts while the males wore their normal clothing. I wouldn't mind too much if the females would have band together and come up with a plan to overthrow the wicked teacher. That would have been awesome. But, instead, the main character just transfered her co-dependency from one guy to another. That is the reason that I wouldn't recommend this book to any young girls.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was very different than anything I've read before. Cheyenne wakes up in a very small town. Its more like a cul-de-sac because there aren't any other buildings than 14 homes. Cheyenne finds out that her love Teo has built this place, called Elysium Fields, just for her. Teo informs her and the other new "guests" that The Rot, which is basically a zombie like disease, has reached America. Teo has a vaccine...if they're good. But to stay she and 7 other couples must pass a series of tests. Cheyenne has to trust everything Teo says even though things aren't as they seem.

Does my review sound confusing? Probably because so much crazy stuff happens that it's hard to put into words. However, Mary Gray puts everything together seamlessly. It was a very fun read.

[Kayla Beck Kalnasy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review originally posted at Bibliophilia, Please.

Oh man, I feel really bad about writing this review, but obligations. I wanted The Dollhouse Asylum so badly that I begged my way onto the tour. I mean, look at that synopsis! Have you read it yet? I thought I would be getting a book about a weird oldish guy (probably 30s to a teenager - it says "man") being creeptastic with the young girl. I guess it was a little bit like that, but the "older man" is in his early 20s, and Cheyenne is 18. Not what I had in mind. That is only the most minor of issues that I had with The Dollhouse Asylum .

The biggest problem that I had (and I really did try to get past it!) was the relationship between Teo and Cheyenne. They met because he was her math teacher. That is such a huge no for me. I am a firm believer that relationships should be between people who are equals, and the teacher-student dynamic is wrong on so many levels. Yes, I get that Teo is a sociopath and him perving on the young girl added a layer of icky to him. However, reading about their relationship from Cheyenne's point of view, thick with her giddiness and naivete, left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Speaking of Cheyenne, she was the final straw for me in The Dollhouse Asylum . Yes, I get that she's an innocent young girl with no brain. She is obsessed with making out with her teacher. She feels like a queen in Teo's kingdom and only thinks about how much she wishes her friends would love Mr. Perv as much as her. Oh yeah, she was completely blind to how the other teens were acting around Teo when she came in and thought it was because they didn't know him well. Ummm... Right... TDTL? She walked past the body bags into the encampment when he told her that those were the only way out. (Cheyenne never gave it a second thought.) She went through the booby traps. She ignored him treating them like puppets or dolls, making them dress and act like the characters he assigned to them. Cheyenne had no sense of danger or trouble until Teo started killing people.

Oh, there's supposed to be some kind of zombie thing going on outside, too, during all of this. The concept behind it was interesting, but it wasn't at the forefront of the novel. I didn't have enough damns to give to stick with the icky romance or dumb teenage girl to find out more.

I'm not saying that The Dollhouse Asylum is a bad book, but I just couldn't make it past Cheyenne's über naivete. Maybe she grew up and did fantastic things in the book. Who knows? I was already uncomfortable with her relationship with Teo and his using his authority as a teacher to brainwash her. I wasn't going to stay with the book because I was already irritated. It's just not for me.

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have seriously no idea what to make of The Dollhouse Asylum. The description made it sound super interesting, unique, and dangerous! Well, it was interesting in the beginning because I had no clue what was going on, and I was compelled to keep reading. But by the end, nothing makes a lick of sense, and I'm more confused than when I started.

The Dollhouse Asylum started off pretty good. Cheyenne wakes up and has no clue where she is. She remembers someone putting a chloroform soaked cloth over her face on her way from the bathroom, but that's it. Then she recognizes a voice. It's Teo, her math teacher whom she's been having a relationship with. Apparently he's brought her to some subdivision that he created in order to escape from the second wave of "Living Rot" which is a disease that turns people into zombies. Cheyenne is grateful to be out of harms way, and excited to finally be with the man she loves in the open. But soon enough she realizes that there's something off about this neighborhood, and something even more off about Teo.

While I loved this premise, The Dollhouse Asylum makes zero sense and there are zero answers by the end. Teo is obsessed with literature, so he renames everyone he brought to his paradise after tragic love stories. He's also fascinated by the number seven, so only seven couples are allowed to live there. But bringing Cheyenne in makes eight, so someone has to die. Teo is clearly sick in the head, but that's all we really know about him. He's kidnapped a bunch of teens, including his brother, and has no problem killing them off. He's dating a student and is manipulating her to fit into his fantasy world, while zombies bring chaos on the outside world. That's it though. I really do not understand why he needed this little neighborhood, and why he bothered bringing random students if he was just going to kill them off so he could be with Cheyenne. I really don't, and we never learn anything about his motivation. We do learn how he got the funding, but that's not really important in the grand scheme of things.

The Dollhouse Asylum was a great idea, but it simply didn't work. I can't just accept "he's crazy" as an excuse for all of this weirdness. Obviously Teo is, but something had to prompt him to do this, and I don't believe it was his obsessive love for Cheyenne or their shared love of literature. Not even the zombie apocalypse explains why this seven by seven neighborhood was necessary, especially since there's a twist involving that which I figured out early on. It's a mess of plot holes.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I thought this going to be a good book.....but it's not. I applaud that Cheyenne wants to believe Teo is a good person but it's to the point that she's blind and irritating as a reader that she takes too long to see that some people are crazy.

The whole premise of the book that this disease has resurfaced and no one has heard about it except Teo should really raise some questions to everyone in the book but instead they play along so they can get the vaccine which they shouldn't need if their little world is impenetrable. That point is even brought up in the book (by Cheyenne, I think) which adds to the irritation.

There's so much of the story that just doesn't make sense. Like how Teo bought the community and bought off or scared the kid's families so he could take them.

I thought the main plot of the story was interesting which is why I picked up the book but too many things are unrealistic. I will say the author did at least try to not leave any loose ends (the characters wondering how they got food and electricity). Overall though I was not impressed by this book.

[Stephanie Chavarie · Rating 1 out of 5]

TBH I could NOT finish this book. It was insipidly awful. The main character is (seemingly) brain washed by an (outrageously) abusive man who just happens to be her (inappropriately) older teacher. There was so much deranged love dialogue and sheer stupidity going on that I had to give up. She couldn't even feel the wind after being abandoned in a hot Texas street without wishing it was her captor's hands. GROSS. The possible zombie tie in or classic lit tie in could not begin to hold me captive, if I was the one trapped in Elysian Fields I'd rather get the rot.

[Cherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haha I rated it 5 since the rough rough rough cut I read was so awesome, and I can only imagine how it has transformed. Bravo to my awesome talented friend. I am glad I am not the only person who enjoys creepy things!!! PS Mary is not just an awesome writer but a wonderfully kind friend! Mark your calenders (a year couldn't come any faster)!!!

[Kerri (Book Hoarder) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, did not like this at all, could not empathise or sympathise with the heroine and the story wasn't compelling enough to make her infatuation and blind trust believable.

[Tee Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

***ARC received from SHP in exchange for an honest review****

Even if it weren't for that creepy but mesmerizing cover, the synopsis for this book completely intrigued me. I dove in expecting something entirely unique, and boy did I ever get it! In a world where a virus turns people into flesh-eating monsters, what would you do to survive? Leave your home behind? Band together with others to find safety? Possibly even put your life before others? Well, Cheyenne was never given the chance to decide what she would do, as she and fourteen other teens were brought to Elysian Fields, a perfect heavenly retreat dropped down in the center of the hell on the outside. WHo brought them there? None other than Teo, Cheyenne's former teacher and the "love" (or idyllic obsession) of her life. Why? Well...pretty much because he was psychotic!

The concept here was awesome, something straight out of a twilight-zone version of Criminal Minds. Teens forced to live their lives representing some of the most well-known couples in the history of the written world, under the threat of certain death if they fail. Yep, seriously twisted in that intensely creepy and stomach-wrenching way. But the unrealistic plot twists and characters that were like zombies themselves put a hole in what could have been a great story. Teo was a sadistic, narcissistic, cruel man who just happened to have a romantic side, and as far as villains go he's right up there with the worst of them. He was great! But his "Persephone" (Cheyenne) was so incredibly naive that there were honestly times where I wondered if there was something wrong with her. She was really, really slow to the uptake, and she was completely brainwashed over a man who was at best a vile serial killer. Even when she snapped out of it and figured out what he really was, she STILL had moments where she thought to herself "why do I love him, he kills people?", and I just couldn't find any logic whatsoever in her emotions.

There were a ton of great creepy twists here as Teo had "his" couples act out their characters in a test to their commitment to the world he'd created. And, as they had to conform to his strict standards, not everyone succeeded. But again, some of the things Teo had at his disposal were so far-fetched that it's impossible to not question the realism here. And I struggled with the idea that these teens wouldn't have tried to bring down the puppeteer at some point, because I sure wouldn't have sat back and waited for my test to determine my fate!

Overall, the premise behind this story was incredible, but the execution fell short. If you can get past a few technical difficulties and overlook character flaws, this is a good spine-tingling story for fans of thrillers.

[Meghan Bauer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book based on another reader's review which I had stumbled upon. She stated that while the book started out terrible, it redeemed itself at the end.

I disagree. I disagree 100% It started out terrible and it stayed terrible.

Basically this girl (Persephone - not her real name) is in love with her teacher. He "saves" her from the Living Rot, a disease that turns people into zombies, along with his brother and some of his classmates, by building them some houses in the middle of nowhere with an electric fence and some trees around it.

The more she stays there the more holes appear in his story. She rarely questions anything though and just tries to "be grateful". Even though he is an insane douche, probably narcissistic, and seems to be a sociopath.

I like the premise but the execution was terrible. The main character was vapid and unlikeable. Her relationship with her teacher is not only inappropriate and gross (this is a high school student, not college ok) but extremely abusive in pretty much every way. Well, he doesn't exactly beat her but he can be rough and he definitely threatens her with violence.

This may appeal to some younger readers but that just makes me more angry because Persephone doesn't really have character growth in the end. She gives herself equal blame as she gives Captain Douchebag for what happens and that's just not an acceptable lesson to be teaching young girls. "If your abuser does bad things, it's your fault too for leading him on" Hell to the no it is not. Screw that.

This book just made me angry and the "twist" ending was not really a surprise to me, I started having suspicions about half-way through. Plus the explanation of how it all came together still left way too many questions and barely made sense. Seriously it was a bit ridiculous.

I haven't even read anything since because it just soured me off reading new things for a while.

[Haley]

ugh....really want to read this...and LOVE the cover. But I have to say I am hating how all these covers are coming out a YEAR before the book comes out.

[MaryB · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finished it but I so did not like it. The MC was whiny and wimpy, the plot was convoluted and there was a high-creep-factor love triangle.

[Kayleigh {K-Books} · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dollhouse Asylum Review on K-Books

The Dollhouse Asylum was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I genuinelly couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Right from the moment I saw that creepy-ass cover I was dying to read it. The Dollhouse Asylum was so much more than I could have ever imagines. It was so much more creepy and it is possibly the most unique book I have ever read.

When Cheyenne wakes up in a strange place she doesn't know what has happened. Told that a virus has wiped out the world and she is in a safety asylum Cheyenne is in shock. The love of her life Teo has taken her and seven other couples into his safety world but all is not right. Renamed to reflect seven of the most famous couples from tragedies they must learn to act as their namesakes would or their life could be in danger. As Teo becomes more and more eccentric and dangerous Cheyenne, now Persephone, must decide whether to follow the man she always believed she loved or helping her friends to escape from his madness. Will everyone survive or are the destined to end up like the original tragic couples?

Mary Gray... I bow down to you. The Dollhouse Asylum was such an addictive, mysterious and creep-tastic book. I really enjoyed it. Mary's writing style was just fantastic. It drew me in right from the start. I was hooked and intrigued by her incredibly unique and mysterious story line. I just had to know what was going to happen and keep reading. I was just completely taken with the storyline and the characters.

I adored that Mary adopted from tragic stories within the book. As soon as I saw the list of names I couldn't read on as I just had to stop and try and figure out which tragedies they were. So many of the stories within this story are some of my favourites and so I really loved that aspect of the story. The Dollhouse Asylum is so creeptastic and incredible. Mary Gray is seriously fantastic to have come up with that concept.

Teo... okay I freaking hate him. He is such a psychopath. Right from the start I hated him and was coming up with some ways that I would like him to die... preferably by me jumping inside the book and doing it myself. I wanted to strap him in an electric chair... or behead him. He was awful and I just kept hating and hating him more and more the further I got through the book.

Cheyenne... oh Cheyenne. This is the only problem that I had with this book. Cheyenne really annoyed me. Right from the moment she was still loving Teo even though he was crazy evil and it made me want to reach into the book and knock some sense into her. She got better as we got through the book but she was still quite dependent other people and I just wanted her to get up and kick some ass by herself but it never came.

The Dollhouse Asylum is a great, creepy book and is the perfect book for halloween... I know too late telling you right since it's now November. I really enjoyed the book and think it was possibly the most unique story I have ever read. I loved how different it was from anything else I have ever read. The Dollhouse Asylum is definitely worth buying. It was a great read. I really enjoyed it.

"Just because you love someone doesn't mean you should."

[Maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okokokokok wait, hold up..

THIS IS THE MOST FURY INDUCING BOOK I HAVE READ. EVER.

I would like to point out that I was looking forward to this book for months. Months. The plot sound so unique and thrilling! The cover was pretty. It sounded like something I would love. Oh, how wrong i was.
The protagonist, Cheyenne, wakes up after being drugged. Thats right, drugged and kidnapped. With chloroform.
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I'd be pretty freaked out at this point. But, oh no, Cheyenne is fine because her darling Teo is there; if he's the kidnapper, everything's fine! Right?
'Wherever he goes is where I want to be. Teo is brilliant and kind.'

Then she is sent out onto a random perfect suburban street, told by her boyf to find the right house. Then she knocks on doors and goes on and on about being hot and parched, when she was just kidnapped and taken to an unknown location. Uhhhh huh.

She finds the 'right house' and shes 'passed the first test' (the purpose of which is NEVER explained) and she can stay in this fucked up place for a bit longer. YAY.
Then shes taken to another house, with some person who is automatically a slut cuz she has big boobs, and is shown a video of this zombie virus, the Living Rot, killing the whole world, in these few hours she has been unconscious.. Yeah right. This is of course all believed because is comes from her darling Teo (who she only kissed for the first time 6 days ago and is her maths teacher...). She is then introduced to 7 other couples, where you can already smell a love triangle with her beloved's little bro, and they are then told to dance... Um, say what?

[Levian · Rating 1 out of 5]

the story took place in a world where a flesh-eating virus wiped out part of the human populations. Cheyenne found herself in Elysian Fields, a place cut off from the world that they were safe from the terrifying virus. together with 7 other couples, she had a chance of survival. the person that brought them together was Teo, an older man that Cheyenne fell for. however, he felt distant now that he called himself their Director. everyone was given a new identity, names that reflect the most tragic romances in stories. they had to prove themselves worth it for the vaccine Teo held.

i felt cheated into struggling through the book because of its stunning cover. the backdrop was unusual enough for a difficult start, a challenge to our imaginations, but the mass amount of characters only made it worst. given that they were monitored and controlled by Teo, multiple of the characters hid their true intentions towards Cheyenne, which further complicated stuff. as disturbing as the psychotic if not sadistic side of Teo was, it kept the story interesting and flowing. the rest of the pages were slow and often over elaborated. the never ending internal struggles Cheyenne had towards Teo was tiring to watch. while Teo treated them his puppets, she still felt something for him, which was just unimaginably odd and difficult to relate to, at the same time also making her impossibly naive.

my review: here

[Marisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from a Twitter giveaway.
I hated this book. I hated it so much, but I felt I should give it a chance all the way to the end to redeem itself.

Characters were poorly developed.
Cheyenne was a poorly written character that lacked personality and growth. Initially I didn't care for her and I did not grow to like her and her choices.

The world made little sense. The author chose to have the readers jump right into Cheyenne waking up and reacting to a kidnapping on the first pages. But once she sees it is her older beloved Teo-it's cool and didn't really question anything.

The plot made little sense.
It made little sense when Teo, the leader, wanted to have 7 couples in his new world nor did the reasons why some couples were disposed of make sense. Snake holes? Lion den? A game of hide and seek to survive?

It began weirdly. Ended weirdly. It was weird. I think you can read many more better written and plotted books.

[L.A. Goodman · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is so rare that I don't finish a book. But I just couldn't with this one. It seems that some people like it and that's fine. For me the main girl was incredibly naive, one-dimensional, and someone ridiculous. She seemed to be high or going through all these crazy things in a haze. She had no real emotion aside from her need to please the mad doctor and there was no reason or explanation for that obsession from her POV unless I just didn't get to it. I'm not willing to put myself through getting there though. I like characters to have a purpose and more reasons to do things than pleasing some guy who is also one-dimensional.

Sad, cause the premise had such promise too. Ah well. Unfinished book is unfinished.

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read a book with such an annoying, whiny, self-centered MC. She was horrible. I didn't like her at all and thought the entire concept was kind of lame. Who just goes with everything they are told and accepts it blindly after being kidnapped and watching other horrible things happen? And then still whines about loving the psycopath who has them captive? Not enjoyable at all for me. I only finished to use it for a reading challenge. And the only reason it gets 2 instead of 1 star is the correct use of lose and loose (finally!) and the way the characters were paired up using romantic couples of literature.

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first look this book seemed interesting but once I started reading I found it to be very boring. I wasn't even sure I wanted to finish it but I hate leaving books halfway through.

While reading nothing caught my interest and I found myself disliking the main character, Cheyenne. She was naive and obsessed with Teo who was a phsyco, then starts having feelings for his brother once she realizes this.

The ending wasn't very good either.

Honestly, this is one of my least favorite books. I just don't think it had much depth to it.