What do you think?
Rate this book
Locked House Hauntings #1
Deadlocked Dollhouse
A cursed dollhouse. Seven stages until murder. What can this father do?
Mark's always been a bit insecure as a father, his own childhood sucked. He's been terrified he will ruin his perfect daughters. So he buys them presents and hopes he won't screw them up.
They certainly won't forget this dollhouse.
He doesn't know how to stop it, and all he wanted to do was be a good father. He was worried that they'd grow up to hate him, now he's worried they won't grow up at all.
You'll love this terrifying countdown, can he stop himself?
Mark's always been a bit insecure as a father, his own childhood sucked. He's been terrified he will ruin his perfect daughters. So he buys them presents and hopes he won't screw them up.
They certainly won't forget this dollhouse.
He doesn't know how to stop it, and all he wanted to do was be a good father. He was worried that they'd grow up to hate him, now he's worried they won't grow up at all.
You'll love this terrifying countdown, can he stop himself?
- GenresHorrorParanormalFiction
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 23, 2017
125 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Mixi J. Applebottom
21 books64 followersSo I am remodeling my five story house and working my little tail off writing novels. Meet me now before I'm famous! :P
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
October 22, 2019
Mark tries to be a good father and buys a dollhouse for a good price at a thrift shop. But after getting replacement of a damaged part of the dollhause (at the dollhouse maker's son) he soon discovers that the gift to his girls is cursed. There are seven stages of the course (each chapter has an illustrations about it). Will he and his family survive? Can they overcome the curse of the witch (she was the wife of the dollhouse maker). There are some real fine ingredients in that story like the dollhouse, the witch or the showdown at the end. But sometimes the action is imposible (witch/cabin) or Mark's reckless driving or Mark's behaviour at the hospital or the explanation for the curse itself. Also the characters remain a bit flat and one-dimensional. Nevertheless the book proved a good pageturner and if you are a fan of haunted dollhouses you definitely should lay your eyes on it. I would have liked to hear more about the curse, the background of the dollhouse maker's family or the witch.
January 22, 2024
Spooky!
Small backstory:
Mark will do anything to make his daughters happy so when he comes across a cute dollhouse in a thrift store that is cheaper than what he thought - he buys it and takes it home. Though he finds out soon enough that the dollhouse is anything but "cute" as things start happening that sets off a chain of events of bad luck as Mark comes to find out that the dollhouse has been cursed by a witch and he will need to track her down before something bad happens to his family!
Thoughts:
This was my first time reading this author and I have owned this book for awhile. It had lots of creepy moments and quite a bit of crazy horror action however parts of it had some repetition throughout the story which I didn't care for as the characters kept repeating some of the same things through the book. The dollhouse is cursed - that is given but I felt that I shouldn't have had to read that it was cursed a hundred or more times throughout the story.
The characters were okay - but I felt that the way they were being throughout the whole story was maddening as they are the type of characters you would yell at while watching a horror movie and they do all the wrong things. Yeah - those kind of characters.
Otherwise the story was fast paced and the horror action was great but other than that I wasn't too impressed. There are more books in this series and I own the second book but at this point I do not know when I will read it. Giving this book three "Creepy Curses" stars!
Small backstory:
Mark will do anything to make his daughters happy so when he comes across a cute dollhouse in a thrift store that is cheaper than what he thought - he buys it and takes it home. Though he finds out soon enough that the dollhouse is anything but "cute" as things start happening that sets off a chain of events of bad luck as Mark comes to find out that the dollhouse has been cursed by a witch and he will need to track her down before something bad happens to his family!
Thoughts:
This was my first time reading this author and I have owned this book for awhile. It had lots of creepy moments and quite a bit of crazy horror action however parts of it had some repetition throughout the story which I didn't care for as the characters kept repeating some of the same things through the book. The dollhouse is cursed - that is given but I felt that I shouldn't have had to read that it was cursed a hundred or more times throughout the story.
The characters were okay - but I felt that the way they were being throughout the whole story was maddening as they are the type of characters you would yell at while watching a horror movie and they do all the wrong things. Yeah - those kind of characters.
Otherwise the story was fast paced and the horror action was great but other than that I wasn't too impressed. There are more books in this series and I own the second book but at this point I do not know when I will read it. Giving this book three "Creepy Curses" stars!
November 24, 2017
This book makes me so glad my daughter never wanted a dollhouse. Dolhouses are supposed to be a sweet, girlie thing but Mixi turned it into a thing of horror......well written thrilling horror. I found myself unable to put the bok down because I wanted to know what happened next.
December 31, 2017
I started this one tonight after binge reading thrillers and horrors. Maybe I’ve just had too many in a row but I just wasn’t feeling it.
I DNF around 59%. I can see where it’s going (or at least where I THINK it’s going) and I’m not intrigued enough to keep going.
The writing is great but I didn’t like the characters. The Dads obsession with being a crappy dad was a real turn off.
Maybe I’ll finish the rest at a later date.
I DNF around 59%. I can see where it’s going (or at least where I THINK it’s going) and I’m not intrigued enough to keep going.
The writing is great but I didn’t like the characters. The Dads obsession with being a crappy dad was a real turn off.
Maybe I’ll finish the rest at a later date.
February 7, 2021
The “Ghost Story Junkie” says not a bad story but it was fairly typical. I didn’t especially have good or negative feelings for Mark…the father that brought the cursed dollhouse into the life of his family. To his credit…he didn’t know it was cursed and he had had a bad upbringing and was trying to raise his daughters better. High marks for Mark! The dollhouse was a gift that any little girl would have loved…but unfortunately NOT THIS ONE!! After some research he learns the house has a curse made up of seven stages. As he begins to have strange experiences… he frantically tries to solve the curse before it kills his family. I liked the story and the plot built around this dollhouse…it was eerie as well as creepy. The story is short but anyone like me…”The Ghost Story Junkie”…that likes supernatural and paranormal offerings, will more than likely like this one.
November 26, 2017
A horror story reminiscent of "The Shining" or the Monkey Paw. A hardworking father, scared of following in his abusive father's footsteps, brings home an elaborate dollhouse from the thrift store. Little does he know that this dollhouse will totally change his family's life.
If you love horror story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, grab this book! Once you start reading, you won't stop until you reach the end.
If you love horror story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, grab this book! Once you start reading, you won't stop until you reach the end.
October 6, 2024
Deadlocked (Dollhouse)
An un-named man is working toward completeing his 400th (and final) dollhouse. The Victorian house would sell for 8,000 dollars but he decides he’ll keep it. As he’s putting the glass in one of the windows, his nagging (unattractive) wife comes downstairs and starts to annoy him with dumb questions. She jostles his hand and ends up gettinc cut by the glass and starts carrying on like he stabbed her with it. The shard gets flung from her hand and back into the house (irritating the man). Now the man is FED UP and he curses her out. She then does something interesting. She starts to put a curse on him. When she’s done, he stabs her with one of his tools. He dies a month later but the house is complete. She’s presumed dead but it doesn’t say.
A father (Mark) goes to a thrift store to find a bicycle seat for his daughters (Beth and Coralina). Because of his guilt from not feeling like he’s a good father he sees the perfect thing to make up for it. It’s a dollhouse and even tho it looks expensive. It only costs five dollars. So, he buys it. Mark finds one of the house’s hidden places in a table that has extra chairs inside, but he ends up breaking the table. He doesn’t touch the house again. The next day, Mark (who also builds houses-only real ones) tries to find who made the house so he can get a replacement for the table. He doesn’t find anything on the house but inside he finds a secret room (revealed by pulling a book in the library). The room has three wooden people inside. Mark puts them in other parts of the house.
Mark’s worries are put the rest. The girls love the dollhouse -proving he’s a good father-. The next morning, Beth-whose very introverted and barely speaks- finds a certificate of authentication from Piere Vladamar. When he gets to the location tho, its been gutted. The lady there who owns a bakery gives him the number for the person who rented her the building after saying she thinks the doll maker died. Mark is able to track down Mr. Vladimir’s son who tells him he’ll be opening another store and taking his father’s place. He gives him a free replacement part, but goes on to say that he thinks the doll house is what killed his father-leaving Mark to question his sanity-. When he takes the piece home, he-and Beth-discover it doesn’t fit.
Mark goes to bed early thinking about how much of a failure he is. Then he starts to dream. He sees the lady at the Bakery (Candy). She says her business is a failure and she’s going to kill herself. She says she hopes he’ll come buy some of her cupcakes before she does it. Then he sees the girl at the Vladimir’s home that answered the door. (Piere’s son’s daughter). She tells him the dollhouse is haunted. Then the son is there and says not haunted cursed. Mark sees they’re sitting at the same table that’s in the dollhouse. He says it’s black magic. Two families along with his father. Candy starts to cut her head off with a guilitine. Her head comes loose. Mr. Vladimir tells him the nightmares are just the first stage. When Mark awakens he’s on the roof.
The next morning, Mark finds out Kelly lost her job and they have an argument before he leaves for work (over him blowing money on things like the dollhouse being the cause she has to work). At work, he can’t stop thinking about how he ended up on the roof (and how he managed to get down). Kelly texts and apologizes and sends a picture of the girls playing with the dollhouse. All he can see is the broken table. Later that night, he has another nightmare that he’s trapped in the secret room and he’s made of wood. A needle is sticking out of his eye. He tries to pull it out if won’t budge. The door swings open and he’s outside standing in front of his truck and it’s coming toward him. He’s able to hop in the truck and turn it off but he has a strong thought that he turned on the car and stood in front of it -on purpose-. That night he ties his arms to the bed.
The next morning, Mark goes back to see Mr. Vladimir. He exchanges the piece and asks if he asks him if the nightmares have started and he’s started sleeping walking. Mark says yes. He takes the broken table piece, but he tells him he has the cursed dollhouse that killed his father. He tells him never to come back. He opens the piece of paper Mr. Vladimir gives him and it explains the 7 stages of the curse.
He ends up going to the park and starts to think of a memory of his father. Throughout the book he’s comparing himself to his father -not wanting to be an emotionally absentee and have anger issues like him-. But then he sees a ferocious dog coming toward a little girl and he races to get to her. Luckily the dog is just trying to play with the girl and not attack her, but when Mark jumps the fence to try to get to her he trips, falls, skims his knees, and twist his finger. Then he sees that broken bone is the next thing on the list.
He goes to the library and asks the librian if she has anything on “Able’s Curse”. She says it seems like every month someone’s asking her about “Ables Curse”. She gives him four books. It says it’s a curse with seven steps and it ends with dead. This includes murder and suicide. There are some notes from others that say that have some of the symptoms. He checks the books out. In further reading the books later he finds out the curse is activated by a object, a witch’s passion, and an incantation.
Then it list seven similar symptoms. There’s a footnote that the curse has no known cure at the time. In the book, thee are notes from a teenage girl and a boy named Kevin. Kevin has notes of what doesn’t work (to get rid of the cursed object). The girl says she’s tried them and failed. In another book, Kevin’s also noted what failed (as in spells). One needs a virgins blood and a branch. The girl says she’ll kill herself before she gets to the last stage. He then finds instructions on how to create the curse (from Keven). One of the ingrediants is a witch’s blood.
Mark wakes up pointing a gun at his wife-one that he doesn’t know how he got of the safe and that now is loaded. Luckily, he’s able to shake himself out of the fog. So, Mark decides to go to Mr. Vladimir. When he gets there, he hears an argument from inside between Mr. Vladimir and his mother. He’s asking her how lives she has to ruin and states that these are innocent people. She screech’s and flies out the door. Mark decides to follow her and ends up the woods. He gets a call from Kelly telling him to come home. His daughter is on the roof. Kelly later at work tells him she’s pregnant.
Mark is able to climb unto the roof and eventually lower Coralina -holding her- down a ladder. Kelly is shocked to find her bleeding. It turns it out it’s from Mark. His nose is bleeding-the third stage-. Mark tries to talk to Kelly about the curse but they instead get into a fight about her not wanting to get a job (again ever). Then they get into another fight because Kelly find’s Candy’s card and thinks she’s a stripper. He tries to explain everything and tries to get her to read the books, but she doesn’t believe him. A little while later after the second argument, Kelly calls from the hospital. Coralina has broken her arm. In the car, a lady motions to him and he sees his nose is gushing blood down his shirt.
Back at home, he finds Kevin killed himself, his wife, and his dog 6 months ago. He sees the same dollhouse in one of the pictures. Then there’s one about a girl named Emily killed herself, mother, and brother. Mark comes back to himself when he finds Kelly sleepwalking and heading for the roof. He wat5ch’s as she scales the building and has to go up the ladder. He can’t get her down so he just sits there with her. Kelly says she now believes him and she wants him go to back and talk to Vladimir. Vladimir says there’s nothing he can do and slams the door on him, Later when he comes home-after debating if he should go after the witch- Coraline’s nose is bleeding all over the place.
Kelly is found unconscious on the floor with her foot twisted. Kelly is taken to the hospital. Mark tries to smash the dollhouse with a sledge hammer while Beth (seeing this) cries hystaerically. After this, he tries to explain to the girls but ends up yelling at Beth and getting more and more furious at Kelly -for racking up hostpial bills-. Not only does he curse at them, his actions with them become rough on the way to the hospital. His thoughts also get worse and worse about his wife.
He has to keep it straight in his head. The curse wants him to kill Kelly but he wants to kill the witch. She he goes home and grabs his riffle. On the way out, he sees the dollhouse unharmed. As he’s about to shot the dollhouse, he suddenly feels at peace. This is stage 5 (elation). Stage 4 was furry. Then he starts to play with the dollhouse and discovers more hidden latches. In a better mood, Mark goes to the hospital to get his family when Kelly calls. When they get home Coralina notices the dollhouse is fixed but Kelly ignores her question of how it got fixed. pissed. Kelly asks Mark about it and he tells her he *did* try to destroy the dollhouse and kill the witch. He says he’ll take care of the dollhouse. Then he smash’s it to bits again. After this Kelly notices her nose is now bleeding.
In the morning it’s back. Mark -now wanting to appease Kelly anyway he can- takes off that day and takes them to the woods. Coralina enters the fury stage and calls Kelly and Mark shit parents when Mark drops that Kelly’s pregnants. She says they can barely feed them and then calls Kelly a bitch and asks doesn’t she know how to close her legs. Kelly slaps her and Coralina jumps out the car. Mark catches her and brings her back. Then they go looking for the witch and find her cabin. The witch -over icecream- explains to them she had to kill her husband because he took her for granted. All she wanted to do was go on the cruise he promised. The witch says there’s nothing she can do. She only meant to curse her husband not everyone else. Then she kicks them out. Before she does she points out Kelly’s nose is bleeding.
Kelly does some digging around and finds a man named Timothy Burton had a cursed locked box. When she calls him, he says he killed the witch and then don’t call him again. The next stage is fearful and Mark becomes paranoid of the witch killing them and the next day of making breakfast, Kelly can’t find anyone to watch the girls. So, they all go after the witch. The girls stay in the car. On the way there, Mark confesses he’s scared and then Kelly says she’s the one he needs to fear because if he kills the girls she’ll kill him. So he takes off running.
Kelly gets to the cabin and it’s blank inside (no doors, no windows). At first, the cabin is locked, but Mark finds a way in through the back. Meanwhile Kelly realizes she must be in the celler as a happy feeling comes over her. Mark immediately wants to go in shooting, but the witch pops up out of nowhere and grabs the gun. Then she locks him in. Beth and Carolina have gotten out of the car and gotten lost in the woods. When Mark comes to he’s on the floor next to Kelly. He says he thinks they’re in the dollhouse and he thinks she’s going to stab them with needles-through their eye-. Beth and Carolina find the cabin. Carolina goes in, sees the witch, and asks her for a story or icecream. She realizes the witch isn’t good just before she snatches her up.
Mark attempts to choke Kelly after she doesn’t take his theory seriously that they’re locked in the doll house. Then tells her to tie him up-with his belt-before he does it again (and he’s already thinking of it). The witch ties Coralina up in a web of her own hair and takes her voice. Kelly sees a ladder and Carolina coming down it. Kelly makes it out of the celler. Mark makes it out to but charges Kelly and starts to choke her. Coralina and Beth are watching this and pleading to their dad. Kelly’s body goes limp and she dies. Beth rush’s in with a riffle. The witch says put the gun down. Mark tackles the witch and then starts to choke and suffocate Carolina. The witch gets up and Beth pulls the trigger. In the end they all survive. Mark takes the house to the dumpster and piles things on top of it hoping to deter someone from seeing it.
My Thoughts:
Even tho the chapters were relatively short, this was a slow read because it repeated itself A LOT! From Mark’s drumming on the wheel of his truck, to the repeated actions of this family going through the seven stages, to the mention of them all at some point wanting ice cream. Then there was the constant way Mark would obsess about not being like his father. I do know that sometimes without knowing it or wanting to you will display some traits from your parents, but that’s over half this book. He didn’t KNOW the house was cursed. If he would have and still have given it to his daughters, THEN that would have made him a bad father. But NO what made Mark a ish character wasn’t that he was a bad father. It was that he was a bad HUSBAND. True, maybe they both *did* need to work, but maybe he could have said “Ok you don’t have to go back to work while your PREGNANT.” If he’s in construction, this should be reasonable because my best friend did construction for a minute and he did pretty well financially with it. After that we’d have to talk. Even if Kelly didn’t want to go *back* to work-which I get-. She could find something online -if they had a computer-. All I’m saying is Mark could have handled that better and I really crazy about him as a character. I’m not even sure I fully agreed with Kelly expecting Mark to carry all the load himself. I do think she should have time off while and after her pregnancy but supporting four people with one source of income is A LOT! The “scare” part of it wasn’t really all that scary-tho it did start off good- (So I was fooled after I read the prologue).
An un-named man is working toward completeing his 400th (and final) dollhouse. The Victorian house would sell for 8,000 dollars but he decides he’ll keep it. As he’s putting the glass in one of the windows, his nagging (unattractive) wife comes downstairs and starts to annoy him with dumb questions. She jostles his hand and ends up gettinc cut by the glass and starts carrying on like he stabbed her with it. The shard gets flung from her hand and back into the house (irritating the man). Now the man is FED UP and he curses her out. She then does something interesting. She starts to put a curse on him. When she’s done, he stabs her with one of his tools. He dies a month later but the house is complete. She’s presumed dead but it doesn’t say.
A father (Mark) goes to a thrift store to find a bicycle seat for his daughters (Beth and Coralina). Because of his guilt from not feeling like he’s a good father he sees the perfect thing to make up for it. It’s a dollhouse and even tho it looks expensive. It only costs five dollars. So, he buys it. Mark finds one of the house’s hidden places in a table that has extra chairs inside, but he ends up breaking the table. He doesn’t touch the house again. The next day, Mark (who also builds houses-only real ones) tries to find who made the house so he can get a replacement for the table. He doesn’t find anything on the house but inside he finds a secret room (revealed by pulling a book in the library). The room has three wooden people inside. Mark puts them in other parts of the house.
Mark’s worries are put the rest. The girls love the dollhouse -proving he’s a good father-. The next morning, Beth-whose very introverted and barely speaks- finds a certificate of authentication from Piere Vladamar. When he gets to the location tho, its been gutted. The lady there who owns a bakery gives him the number for the person who rented her the building after saying she thinks the doll maker died. Mark is able to track down Mr. Vladimir’s son who tells him he’ll be opening another store and taking his father’s place. He gives him a free replacement part, but goes on to say that he thinks the doll house is what killed his father-leaving Mark to question his sanity-. When he takes the piece home, he-and Beth-discover it doesn’t fit.
Mark goes to bed early thinking about how much of a failure he is. Then he starts to dream. He sees the lady at the Bakery (Candy). She says her business is a failure and she’s going to kill herself. She says she hopes he’ll come buy some of her cupcakes before she does it. Then he sees the girl at the Vladimir’s home that answered the door. (Piere’s son’s daughter). She tells him the dollhouse is haunted. Then the son is there and says not haunted cursed. Mark sees they’re sitting at the same table that’s in the dollhouse. He says it’s black magic. Two families along with his father. Candy starts to cut her head off with a guilitine. Her head comes loose. Mr. Vladimir tells him the nightmares are just the first stage. When Mark awakens he’s on the roof.
The next morning, Mark finds out Kelly lost her job and they have an argument before he leaves for work (over him blowing money on things like the dollhouse being the cause she has to work). At work, he can’t stop thinking about how he ended up on the roof (and how he managed to get down). Kelly texts and apologizes and sends a picture of the girls playing with the dollhouse. All he can see is the broken table. Later that night, he has another nightmare that he’s trapped in the secret room and he’s made of wood. A needle is sticking out of his eye. He tries to pull it out if won’t budge. The door swings open and he’s outside standing in front of his truck and it’s coming toward him. He’s able to hop in the truck and turn it off but he has a strong thought that he turned on the car and stood in front of it -on purpose-. That night he ties his arms to the bed.
The next morning, Mark goes back to see Mr. Vladimir. He exchanges the piece and asks if he asks him if the nightmares have started and he’s started sleeping walking. Mark says yes. He takes the broken table piece, but he tells him he has the cursed dollhouse that killed his father. He tells him never to come back. He opens the piece of paper Mr. Vladimir gives him and it explains the 7 stages of the curse.
He ends up going to the park and starts to think of a memory of his father. Throughout the book he’s comparing himself to his father -not wanting to be an emotionally absentee and have anger issues like him-. But then he sees a ferocious dog coming toward a little girl and he races to get to her. Luckily the dog is just trying to play with the girl and not attack her, but when Mark jumps the fence to try to get to her he trips, falls, skims his knees, and twist his finger. Then he sees that broken bone is the next thing on the list.
He goes to the library and asks the librian if she has anything on “Able’s Curse”. She says it seems like every month someone’s asking her about “Ables Curse”. She gives him four books. It says it’s a curse with seven steps and it ends with dead. This includes murder and suicide. There are some notes from others that say that have some of the symptoms. He checks the books out. In further reading the books later he finds out the curse is activated by a object, a witch’s passion, and an incantation.
Then it list seven similar symptoms. There’s a footnote that the curse has no known cure at the time. In the book, thee are notes from a teenage girl and a boy named Kevin. Kevin has notes of what doesn’t work (to get rid of the cursed object). The girl says she’s tried them and failed. In another book, Kevin’s also noted what failed (as in spells). One needs a virgins blood and a branch. The girl says she’ll kill herself before she gets to the last stage. He then finds instructions on how to create the curse (from Keven). One of the ingrediants is a witch’s blood.
Mark wakes up pointing a gun at his wife-one that he doesn’t know how he got of the safe and that now is loaded. Luckily, he’s able to shake himself out of the fog. So, Mark decides to go to Mr. Vladimir. When he gets there, he hears an argument from inside between Mr. Vladimir and his mother. He’s asking her how lives she has to ruin and states that these are innocent people. She screech’s and flies out the door. Mark decides to follow her and ends up the woods. He gets a call from Kelly telling him to come home. His daughter is on the roof. Kelly later at work tells him she’s pregnant.
Mark is able to climb unto the roof and eventually lower Coralina -holding her- down a ladder. Kelly is shocked to find her bleeding. It turns it out it’s from Mark. His nose is bleeding-the third stage-. Mark tries to talk to Kelly about the curse but they instead get into a fight about her not wanting to get a job (again ever). Then they get into another fight because Kelly find’s Candy’s card and thinks she’s a stripper. He tries to explain everything and tries to get her to read the books, but she doesn’t believe him. A little while later after the second argument, Kelly calls from the hospital. Coralina has broken her arm. In the car, a lady motions to him and he sees his nose is gushing blood down his shirt.
Back at home, he finds Kevin killed himself, his wife, and his dog 6 months ago. He sees the same dollhouse in one of the pictures. Then there’s one about a girl named Emily killed herself, mother, and brother. Mark comes back to himself when he finds Kelly sleepwalking and heading for the roof. He wat5ch’s as she scales the building and has to go up the ladder. He can’t get her down so he just sits there with her. Kelly says she now believes him and she wants him go to back and talk to Vladimir. Vladimir says there’s nothing he can do and slams the door on him, Later when he comes home-after debating if he should go after the witch- Coraline’s nose is bleeding all over the place.
Kelly is found unconscious on the floor with her foot twisted. Kelly is taken to the hospital. Mark tries to smash the dollhouse with a sledge hammer while Beth (seeing this) cries hystaerically. After this, he tries to explain to the girls but ends up yelling at Beth and getting more and more furious at Kelly -for racking up hostpial bills-. Not only does he curse at them, his actions with them become rough on the way to the hospital. His thoughts also get worse and worse about his wife.
He has to keep it straight in his head. The curse wants him to kill Kelly but he wants to kill the witch. She he goes home and grabs his riffle. On the way out, he sees the dollhouse unharmed. As he’s about to shot the dollhouse, he suddenly feels at peace. This is stage 5 (elation). Stage 4 was furry. Then he starts to play with the dollhouse and discovers more hidden latches. In a better mood, Mark goes to the hospital to get his family when Kelly calls. When they get home Coralina notices the dollhouse is fixed but Kelly ignores her question of how it got fixed. pissed. Kelly asks Mark about it and he tells her he *did* try to destroy the dollhouse and kill the witch. He says he’ll take care of the dollhouse. Then he smash’s it to bits again. After this Kelly notices her nose is now bleeding.
In the morning it’s back. Mark -now wanting to appease Kelly anyway he can- takes off that day and takes them to the woods. Coralina enters the fury stage and calls Kelly and Mark shit parents when Mark drops that Kelly’s pregnants. She says they can barely feed them and then calls Kelly a bitch and asks doesn’t she know how to close her legs. Kelly slaps her and Coralina jumps out the car. Mark catches her and brings her back. Then they go looking for the witch and find her cabin. The witch -over icecream- explains to them she had to kill her husband because he took her for granted. All she wanted to do was go on the cruise he promised. The witch says there’s nothing she can do. She only meant to curse her husband not everyone else. Then she kicks them out. Before she does she points out Kelly’s nose is bleeding.
Kelly does some digging around and finds a man named Timothy Burton had a cursed locked box. When she calls him, he says he killed the witch and then don’t call him again. The next stage is fearful and Mark becomes paranoid of the witch killing them and the next day of making breakfast, Kelly can’t find anyone to watch the girls. So, they all go after the witch. The girls stay in the car. On the way there, Mark confesses he’s scared and then Kelly says she’s the one he needs to fear because if he kills the girls she’ll kill him. So he takes off running.
Kelly gets to the cabin and it’s blank inside (no doors, no windows). At first, the cabin is locked, but Mark finds a way in through the back. Meanwhile Kelly realizes she must be in the celler as a happy feeling comes over her. Mark immediately wants to go in shooting, but the witch pops up out of nowhere and grabs the gun. Then she locks him in. Beth and Carolina have gotten out of the car and gotten lost in the woods. When Mark comes to he’s on the floor next to Kelly. He says he thinks they’re in the dollhouse and he thinks she’s going to stab them with needles-through their eye-. Beth and Carolina find the cabin. Carolina goes in, sees the witch, and asks her for a story or icecream. She realizes the witch isn’t good just before she snatches her up.
Mark attempts to choke Kelly after she doesn’t take his theory seriously that they’re locked in the doll house. Then tells her to tie him up-with his belt-before he does it again (and he’s already thinking of it). The witch ties Coralina up in a web of her own hair and takes her voice. Kelly sees a ladder and Carolina coming down it. Kelly makes it out of the celler. Mark makes it out to but charges Kelly and starts to choke her. Coralina and Beth are watching this and pleading to their dad. Kelly’s body goes limp and she dies. Beth rush’s in with a riffle. The witch says put the gun down. Mark tackles the witch and then starts to choke and suffocate Carolina. The witch gets up and Beth pulls the trigger. In the end they all survive. Mark takes the house to the dumpster and piles things on top of it hoping to deter someone from seeing it.
My Thoughts:
Even tho the chapters were relatively short, this was a slow read because it repeated itself A LOT! From Mark’s drumming on the wheel of his truck, to the repeated actions of this family going through the seven stages, to the mention of them all at some point wanting ice cream. Then there was the constant way Mark would obsess about not being like his father. I do know that sometimes without knowing it or wanting to you will display some traits from your parents, but that’s over half this book. He didn’t KNOW the house was cursed. If he would have and still have given it to his daughters, THEN that would have made him a bad father. But NO what made Mark a ish character wasn’t that he was a bad father. It was that he was a bad HUSBAND. True, maybe they both *did* need to work, but maybe he could have said “Ok you don’t have to go back to work while your PREGNANT.” If he’s in construction, this should be reasonable because my best friend did construction for a minute and he did pretty well financially with it. After that we’d have to talk. Even if Kelly didn’t want to go *back* to work-which I get-. She could find something online -if they had a computer-. All I’m saying is Mark could have handled that better and I really crazy about him as a character. I’m not even sure I fully agreed with Kelly expecting Mark to carry all the load himself. I do think she should have time off while and after her pregnancy but supporting four people with one source of income is A LOT! The “scare” part of it wasn’t really all that scary-tho it did start off good- (So I was fooled after I read the prologue).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2018
Mike doesn't want to end up like his father, and tries his best with his girls and his wife. But it's hard when money is so tight! That's why he couldn't believe his luck when he found an amazing doll house in a second hand store and brings it home to his girls. But strange things start happening and Mike needs to find out why before it's too late!
This is the first book I've read by this author and it definitely won't be my last!! It's a pretty short read, but it's also very fast paced and very creepy. The plot was intriguing and entertaining. I liked how we see how the doll house was built and how it sets the scene for what's to come. It helped add to the tension. I also loved how we have a certain timeline and as it's being counted down, it made me read quicker to see what happens!!
It was so easy to like Mike and his family. I felt for Mike! His own childhood was horrible and all he wanted was to be a good father and husband, but he doubts himself all the time. When he sees the dollhouse, he is thrilled to be able to get something so beautiful for his girls. To see what his family goes through was heartbreaking.
In all, this was a great read and an even better introduction to this author. I will never look at a doll house the same again!
Joe Hempel is a masterful storyteller. When he is reading horror (or any other genre), he always manages to convey the creepy atmosphere perfectly and brings every book he reads to life. He is a narrator I always recommend and always will.
This is the first book I've read by this author and it definitely won't be my last!! It's a pretty short read, but it's also very fast paced and very creepy. The plot was intriguing and entertaining. I liked how we see how the doll house was built and how it sets the scene for what's to come. It helped add to the tension. I also loved how we have a certain timeline and as it's being counted down, it made me read quicker to see what happens!!
It was so easy to like Mike and his family. I felt for Mike! His own childhood was horrible and all he wanted was to be a good father and husband, but he doubts himself all the time. When he sees the dollhouse, he is thrilled to be able to get something so beautiful for his girls. To see what his family goes through was heartbreaking.
In all, this was a great read and an even better introduction to this author. I will never look at a doll house the same again!
Joe Hempel is a masterful storyteller. When he is reading horror (or any other genre), he always manages to convey the creepy atmosphere perfectly and brings every book he reads to life. He is a narrator I always recommend and always will.
November 24, 2017
What a creepy but addicting story. It grabbed me from the beginning and I just had to finish it to see if Mark and his family would survive the curse. I found it easy to like Mike's family and grew to really hate the witch. I liked the suspense and the fact that I knew something worse or creepy were just around the corner in the next chapter. Thought the curse's stages were well described and scary. I liked the story. Just long enough to tell the story and not full of extra stuff to make it longer. A great read if you like creepy scary stories that are addicting to read.
November 24, 2017
Creepy rather than scary, this is a perfect read if you have just finished an epic >600 pages book and want something engrossing yet undemanding, and just basically want to be entertained. The tale centers around a dollhouse which seems to be cursed. It drives anyone unfortunate enough to own it into madness and turns them into a killer. Mike and his family are the unlucky ones in this book. Can they survive or will the curse win?
July 2, 2018
This is one of those books that I was looking forward to listening to, and truth be told, I was not disappointed. It was a straight forward horror and an easy listen.
June 25, 2020
Enjoyable and creepy read - looking forward to reading more from Mixi! 🙂
April 10, 2022
This book had a pretty promising premise (say that fast 3 times!) but wow, the main characters were almost unbearable.
It was clear that the author was trying to establish that Mark was flawed from his past and he was able to find a crass but flexible woman to be his wife. Kelly had kind of a grouchy "sucks that I have to work and contribute to our growing family" attitude. Lots of references to how they liked to hunt, how they weren't interested in material things, and a few "we love to fondle each other and have sex" references.
The two daughters literally had one personality trait each, which made them not remotely interesting.
Mark's NONSTOP obsession with being a good father, twisting every tiny little thing into "I'm a failure just like my dad"....OMG, it almost made this book a DNF. If anything, as he progressed through the stages of the curse, he became less annoying and and the "I accidentally broke a dollhouse table and that makes me a horrible father" story kind of faded into the background.
Warning: LOTS of use of the "F" word, so if that bothers you, beware. I think it was supposed to make us see just how gritty Mark and Kelly are. Also, these people are so poor that he spends the last of his paycheck buying 4 - $1 burgers for dinner, yet they always seem to have a lot of beer, ingredients for making pizza and other meals, etc. with no problem. While their vehicles seem on the edge of collapse at all times, they seem to be able to pay their bills with no issue. It's a confusing lifestyle we're being asked to buy into.
Once we got past Mark's whining, I will say there were a couple highlights:
- The creepy entries in the library books
- The playing out of the various stages of the curse, culminating in Mark witnessing how they end up on the roof
So I give this a mediocre 2 stars - it was readable, but barely. Spelling, grammar, and word usage errors were pretty frequent, which made it harder to take seriously. The preview at the end for the next book in the series actually made me lose what little interest I had in giving the author a second try. Ugh - it was boring and weird and definitely didn't make me want to read another book.
Bonus: Curse aside, that dollhouse sounded pretty awesome! All the little places where accessories were stored and the extremely high-quality construction made me want one of those houses no matter what the price tag!
It was clear that the author was trying to establish that Mark was flawed from his past and he was able to find a crass but flexible woman to be his wife. Kelly had kind of a grouchy "sucks that I have to work and contribute to our growing family" attitude. Lots of references to how they liked to hunt, how they weren't interested in material things, and a few "we love to fondle each other and have sex" references.
The two daughters literally had one personality trait each, which made them not remotely interesting.
Mark's NONSTOP obsession with being a good father, twisting every tiny little thing into "I'm a failure just like my dad"....OMG, it almost made this book a DNF. If anything, as he progressed through the stages of the curse, he became less annoying and and the "I accidentally broke a dollhouse table and that makes me a horrible father" story kind of faded into the background.
Warning: LOTS of use of the "F" word, so if that bothers you, beware. I think it was supposed to make us see just how gritty Mark and Kelly are. Also, these people are so poor that he spends the last of his paycheck buying 4 - $1 burgers for dinner, yet they always seem to have a lot of beer, ingredients for making pizza and other meals, etc. with no problem. While their vehicles seem on the edge of collapse at all times, they seem to be able to pay their bills with no issue. It's a confusing lifestyle we're being asked to buy into.
Once we got past Mark's whining, I will say there were a couple highlights:
- The creepy entries in the library books
- The playing out of the various stages of the curse, culminating in Mark witnessing how they end up on the roof
So I give this a mediocre 2 stars - it was readable, but barely. Spelling, grammar, and word usage errors were pretty frequent, which made it harder to take seriously. The preview at the end for the next book in the series actually made me lose what little interest I had in giving the author a second try. Ugh - it was boring and weird and definitely didn't make me want to read another book.
Bonus: Curse aside, that dollhouse sounded pretty awesome! All the little places where accessories were stored and the extremely high-quality construction made me want one of those houses no matter what the price tag!
August 11, 2018
Review originally published at: http://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookre...
Mike just wants to provide for his family and be a good father. Definitely a better father than his. He finds this perfect little dollhouse at a thrift store for almost nothing, and buys it for his girls. Shortly afterwards strange things start happening and it seems that there is no way of escaping the curse put on the dollhouse.
This was an entertaining book. It’s clear from the start where the problem resides, and the reader witnesses each character’s irremediable decline. I think it would have worked better if the characters were a bit more developed. It was easy to connect with Mike, but more character development would have made me care more about him and his family.
There are some creepy scenes but overall I didn’t find the book really scary. It was a bit predictable, and I would have liked more character development and more details. I think I would have enjoyed it as a longer and more polished book.
Joe Hempel, as always, did an excellent job narrating the story and bringing the characters to life. The book was made better by the narration, since Hempel is great at creating the right atmosphere for this kind of stories. Hempel gave each character a voice and a distinctive style, creating the illusion of having several real people.
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
Mike just wants to provide for his family and be a good father. Definitely a better father than his. He finds this perfect little dollhouse at a thrift store for almost nothing, and buys it for his girls. Shortly afterwards strange things start happening and it seems that there is no way of escaping the curse put on the dollhouse.
This was an entertaining book. It’s clear from the start where the problem resides, and the reader witnesses each character’s irremediable decline. I think it would have worked better if the characters were a bit more developed. It was easy to connect with Mike, but more character development would have made me care more about him and his family.
There are some creepy scenes but overall I didn’t find the book really scary. It was a bit predictable, and I would have liked more character development and more details. I think I would have enjoyed it as a longer and more polished book.
Joe Hempel, as always, did an excellent job narrating the story and bringing the characters to life. The book was made better by the narration, since Hempel is great at creating the right atmosphere for this kind of stories. Hempel gave each character a voice and a distinctive style, creating the illusion of having several real people.
I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2018
************** AUDIOBOOK REVIEW **************
I liked this audio. I always seem to find myself wanting to listen to Joe Hempel’s narration. He always tells a fantastic story! I’m not sure which I prefer, his romance side or the dark and sinister sides. He’s so strong when reading both. Just like I’d expect with Mr. Hempel, this narration was fabulous!!
The story was just ok. Some parts made me roll my eyes a bit with more humor than any kind of fear brought on by the story. Although, this author is new to me. Mixi J. Applebottom tells an interesting story and I actually like the idea behind it. But the main curse story seemed a bit weak to me. Also, I never understood how Beth never succumbed to the same behaviors. I think if I had a bit more explanations, I’d have enjoyed it to the full 5 star rating.
I received complimentary copy of this audiobook with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.
Check out my Blog: Next Book Review
Check out my Facebook Page: Next Book Review Facebook
I liked this audio. I always seem to find myself wanting to listen to Joe Hempel’s narration. He always tells a fantastic story! I’m not sure which I prefer, his romance side or the dark and sinister sides. He’s so strong when reading both. Just like I’d expect with Mr. Hempel, this narration was fabulous!!
The story was just ok. Some parts made me roll my eyes a bit with more humor than any kind of fear brought on by the story. Although, this author is new to me. Mixi J. Applebottom tells an interesting story and I actually like the idea behind it. But the main curse story seemed a bit weak to me. Also, I never understood how Beth never succumbed to the same behaviors. I think if I had a bit more explanations, I’d have enjoyed it to the full 5 star rating.
I received complimentary copy of this audiobook with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.
Check out my Blog: Next Book Review
Check out my Facebook Page: Next Book Review Facebook
December 1, 2017
"The seven stages of Abel's curse."
Author Mixi Applebottom calls this "One of the creepiest books I have written," Mmmm. Well, the book is very simply written, quick to read and, for this reader, more akin to a Hansel and Gretel style fairy story than an haunting with a wicked witch, cursed doll's House and a family caught in the saga. The introductory chapter is delightful with a description of the making of the hand crafted house, the last and most perfect masterpiece of one Pierre Vlad Amar but the hauntings which follow have little to commend them without solid characterisation to really draw the reader's compassion to the victims. A book for parents to read to their children to give them goose bumps at bedtime ( and, perhaps, to provide the excuse not to buy that much desired present for Christmas) if a touch of horror is what they enjoy. But, for adults, even young ones, no, stick to Stephen King, Jacqueline Druga or even the Midwich Cuckoos. Now that's creepy.
Author Mixi Applebottom calls this "One of the creepiest books I have written," Mmmm. Well, the book is very simply written, quick to read and, for this reader, more akin to a Hansel and Gretel style fairy story than an haunting with a wicked witch, cursed doll's House and a family caught in the saga. The introductory chapter is delightful with a description of the making of the hand crafted house, the last and most perfect masterpiece of one Pierre Vlad Amar but the hauntings which follow have little to commend them without solid characterisation to really draw the reader's compassion to the victims. A book for parents to read to their children to give them goose bumps at bedtime ( and, perhaps, to provide the excuse not to buy that much desired present for Christmas) if a touch of horror is what they enjoy. But, for adults, even young ones, no, stick to Stephen King, Jacqueline Druga or even the Midwich Cuckoos. Now that's creepy.
July 17, 2018
Disclaimer.
I had requested and received audible version of this book for free from the narrator, in exchange for an unbiased review.
What I liked about the book -
This was a decent horror story with some spooky sequences. It runs for ~4 hours and doesn't get boring. If you haven't read / watched a horror movie in months, you will enjoy this one. The characters are relatable and not complex. The story is easy to follow.
What I disliked about the book -
I wasn't totally creeped out or afraid during the listen. The story was somewhat predictable.
Narration -
Narration by Joe Hempel was the best part of the book. His delivery adds to the uncanny atmosphere and sets the mood for the story.
I had requested and received audible version of this book for free from the narrator, in exchange for an unbiased review.
What I liked about the book -
This was a decent horror story with some spooky sequences. It runs for ~4 hours and doesn't get boring. If you haven't read / watched a horror movie in months, you will enjoy this one. The characters are relatable and not complex. The story is easy to follow.
What I disliked about the book -
I wasn't totally creeped out or afraid during the listen. The story was somewhat predictable.
Narration -
Narration by Joe Hempel was the best part of the book. His delivery adds to the uncanny atmosphere and sets the mood for the story.
November 28, 2017
This is intense, creepy and suspenseful. I loved the storyline, but didn't care for the characters. Mark is a nice guy, but he's weak. Kelly is a selfish, silly and unfeeling person. The one thing that ruined the story for me was the constant referrals to the abuse cycle. The cycle is a choice, you can do what your parents did, or you can do what you wish they had done. And not providing well, and not being perfect have nothing to do with it. If it wasn't for this aspect of the story, it would have been brilliant.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.
July 24, 2018
So I love scary, haunted stories and this one was awesome! miliar with the narrator and he always does a smash-up job with narrating haunted ghost stories but the author was new to me. I like the style of writing and the flow of the story.
Mark works hard for his money but is still poor. When he sees a bargain at the thrift shop on a custom dollhouse he doesn't pass it up. Not often does he get an opportunity like that to buy his two girls a special gift. The house is perfect with tiny hidden rooms and extreme detail. The girls love it. Soon he learns its secret and the story gets creepier from there.
The story is short, but a great listen for anyone who loves a good paranormal story!
Mark works hard for his money but is still poor. When he sees a bargain at the thrift shop on a custom dollhouse he doesn't pass it up. Not often does he get an opportunity like that to buy his two girls a special gift. The house is perfect with tiny hidden rooms and extreme detail. The girls love it. Soon he learns its secret and the story gets creepier from there.
The story is short, but a great listen for anyone who loves a good paranormal story!
June 2, 2022
More like a 3.5
This was an entertaining read but there were a few things that didn't add up for me especially with the family's finances. There was quite a bit of swearing in it. This doesn't bother me, but I thought there was more than necessary.
I did read the sample of the next book which was provided at the end and I'm not sure that I would continue this series. I do feel like several of the books can be read as standalones, if not all, but in looking at the summaries it seems some of them connect a bit with a previous installment. I may pick up another installment of this series later on, but it probably won't be a series I read completely.
This was an entertaining read but there were a few things that didn't add up for me especially with the family's finances. There was quite a bit of swearing in it. This doesn't bother me, but I thought there was more than necessary.
I did read the sample of the next book which was provided at the end and I'm not sure that I would continue this series. I do feel like several of the books can be read as standalones, if not all, but in looking at the summaries it seems some of them connect a bit with a previous installment. I may pick up another installment of this series later on, but it probably won't be a series I read completely.
August 18, 2018
Loved how the father just wanted to be a good dad to his kids. Then comes the dollhouse. Seems like the perfect gift for daughters, right? What little girl doesn't love dollhouses? Well, maybe not this one! :) Gets and stays very creepy and errie, and I really loved the story and narration! Hope to listen to more by both author and narrator :) Excellent job, I loved it!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
October 30, 2019
I'm not much of a "Horror" fan, and I'm not sure why I picked up this story... other than that the narrator, Joe Hempel, is awesome! That alone should be enough justification, right? But, it's October, and I've always been intrigued by stories with creepy dolls, so why not a creepy dollhouse... hummm... And, like me, you'll probably find yourself taking a pass on that cute little dollhouse at the second hand store...
November 25, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
This is a book that I could not put down because I had to find out how this story ended. It was creepy and compelling (in a good way) at the same time. The writing was very good and the characters were believable.
I will be reading more books by this author in the future!
This is a book that I could not put down because I had to find out how this story ended. It was creepy and compelling (in a good way) at the same time. The writing was very good and the characters were believable.
I will be reading more books by this author in the future!
November 27, 2017
I picked up this book through Kindle Unlimited and read it within a couple of hours. It was a quick read with a bit of a predictable ending. There were a couple of things I was confused about, but I don't want to give away any of the story. I'm not sure if I'd really call it "horror", but it was definitely creepy and I did want to see how things would turn out.
May 1, 2018
Cursed dollhouse
The characters are easy to relate to and believable. I kept turning pages and reading well into the wee hours of the morning just to find out what finally happens. It's a good read. If you don't like curse words then you might not want to read this. There is not a ton at the beginning but picks up pace as does the book. I am starting book 2 now.
The characters are easy to relate to and believable. I kept turning pages and reading well into the wee hours of the morning just to find out what finally happens. It's a good read. If you don't like curse words then you might not want to read this. There is not a ton at the beginning but picks up pace as does the book. I am starting book 2 now.
July 22, 2018
Deadlocked Dollhouse by Mixi J. Applebottom. One day, Mike went to a thrift store and bought a dollhouse for his daughters. Little did he know this dollhouse would change everything for them. He will now go through seven stages until he will murder his family. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by the author.
July 24, 2018
Altough it´s actually 3,5 I enjoyed the book. I read it in one day. It´s a good story, not so scary, creepy in some parts, but good to spend the time. Everything happens fast. I´d have liked to read more about the course, the dollhouse and the woman at the end. It ends quickly and that´s a pity. But if you want some light suspense with a bit of supernatural, this book is ok!
May 10, 2018
Goosebumps for adults
This book had the feel of a John Saul story. I liked it for the suspense. Few authors can draw you in with haunted objects and keep your interest like Mixi did with me and the dollhouse. Really enjoyed it!!
This book had the feel of a John Saul story. I liked it for the suspense. Few authors can draw you in with haunted objects and keep your interest like Mixi did with me and the dollhouse. Really enjoyed it!!
May 8, 2019
Good book
I gave this book four stars. The story starts right away and really got my attention but the ending seemed rushed. What happened at the end during the three days and at the moment of resolution. I would recommend this book to others.
I gave this book four stars. The story starts right away and really got my attention but the ending seemed rushed. What happened at the end during the three days and at the moment of resolution. I would recommend this book to others.
October 31, 2021
This book had a good premises but I had a hard time with it. Mostly it had to do with Mike, I found him to be irritating. I just couldn't find the story believable enough to be able to suspend my disbelief. There is a line and this story fell over that line.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews