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Doll Manor
The secrets of Angel Manor lie slumbering, kept dormant through the efforts of Freya, one of the only people to survive the house's terrible legacy.
But someone is working to break the seven seals that herald the apocalypse, and Angel Manor is the final one.
Could the person that has been sending strange porcelain dolls to the Manor be responsible, or is the threat closer to home than Freya could ever dare imagine?
But someone is working to break the seven seals that herald the apocalypse, and Angel Manor is the final one.
Could the person that has been sending strange porcelain dolls to the Manor be responsible, or is the threat closer to home than Freya could ever dare imagine?
- GenresHorror
405 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 4, 2019
21 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Chantal Noordeloos
30 books122 followersChantal Noordeloos (born in the Hague, and not found in a cabbage as some people may suggest) lives in the Netherlands, where she spends her time with her wacky, supportive husband, and outrageously cunning daughter, who is growing up to be a supervillain.
When she is not busy exploring interesting new realities, or arguing with characters (aka writing), she likes to dabble in drawing.
In 1999 she graduated from the Norwich School of Art and Design, where she focused mostly on creative writing.
There are many genres that Chantal likes to explore in her writing.
Currently Sci-fi Steampunk is one of her favourites, but her ‘go to’ genre will always be horror. “It helps being scared of everything; that gives me plenty of inspiration,” she says.
Chantal likes to write for all ages, and storytelling is the element of writing that she enjoys most.
“Writing should be an escape from everyday life, and I like to provide people with new places to escape to, and new people to meet.”
Chantal started her career writing short stories for various anthologies, and in 2012 she won an award for ‘Best Original Story’ for her short ‘the Deal’. Coyote is her first big project.
Chantal lives in The Hague with her family.
When she is not busy exploring interesting new realities, or arguing with characters (aka writing), she likes to dabble in drawing.
In 1999 she graduated from the Norwich School of Art and Design, where she focused mostly on creative writing.
There are many genres that Chantal likes to explore in her writing.
Currently Sci-fi Steampunk is one of her favourites, but her ‘go to’ genre will always be horror. “It helps being scared of everything; that gives me plenty of inspiration,” she says.
Chantal likes to write for all ages, and storytelling is the element of writing that she enjoys most.
“Writing should be an escape from everyday life, and I like to provide people with new places to escape to, and new people to meet.”
Chantal started her career writing short stories for various anthologies, and in 2012 she won an award for ‘Best Original Story’ for her short ‘the Deal’. Coyote is her first big project.
Chantal lives in The Hague with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 25, 2019
I could not put this down!
From the start this book captivates your mind with a most heinous scene from one of the story's villains. I gotta say, I hate dolls, but the way she (the author) uses the fear of dolls to her advantage here, and even provides a backstory to them, allowed me to pace that fear for the entire story and not get overwhelmed.
I found myself deeply involved in the lives of the characters. Willing myself not to scream "Run!!" or "I knew it!" as I read through each paragraph. My imagination was on fire, physically manifesting itself in me as it increased my heart rate and pulled at my emotions.
As a sequel, I highly recommend. As a book alone, I highly recommend. It provides enough of a back story, and many references, to Angel Manor that you don't need to know what happened before. It wouldn't hurt, though.
Now please excuse me while I lament having finished this book.
From the start this book captivates your mind with a most heinous scene from one of the story's villains. I gotta say, I hate dolls, but the way she (the author) uses the fear of dolls to her advantage here, and even provides a backstory to them, allowed me to pace that fear for the entire story and not get overwhelmed.
I found myself deeply involved in the lives of the characters. Willing myself not to scream "Run!!" or "I knew it!" as I read through each paragraph. My imagination was on fire, physically manifesting itself in me as it increased my heart rate and pulled at my emotions.
As a sequel, I highly recommend. As a book alone, I highly recommend. It provides enough of a back story, and many references, to Angel Manor that you don't need to know what happened before. It wouldn't hurt, though.
Now please excuse me while I lament having finished this book.
October 4, 2019
I’ll start by saying this book scared the living hell outta me. I had nightmares for 2 nights.
I don’t do synopsis reviews, so here’s what I thought spoiler-free:
I absolutely loved it! Noordeloos’ style is so easy to engage and she traps you with the first page. I couldn’t put it down. It’s terrifying and satisfying simultaneously, which is definitely an accomplishment. The world she has built is both horrifying and entrancing. The characters are so much deeper than one often finds in horror.
Basically, if I could ask people to read any horror novel, this is the one I wave around like a crazy person.
You don’t have to have read Angel Manor to follow Doll Manor— the explanation of any events from book 1 allow you to smoothly read this without issues (I haven’t read Angel Manor in 5ish years, and so didn’t remember much, but Doll Manor made excellent reference).
I don’t do synopsis reviews, so here’s what I thought spoiler-free:
I absolutely loved it! Noordeloos’ style is so easy to engage and she traps you with the first page. I couldn’t put it down. It’s terrifying and satisfying simultaneously, which is definitely an accomplishment. The world she has built is both horrifying and entrancing. The characters are so much deeper than one often finds in horror.
Basically, if I could ask people to read any horror novel, this is the one I wave around like a crazy person.
You don’t have to have read Angel Manor to follow Doll Manor— the explanation of any events from book 1 allow you to smoothly read this without issues (I haven’t read Angel Manor in 5ish years, and so didn’t remember much, but Doll Manor made excellent reference).
January 5, 2020
A lot going on
For me it feels like the author had several ideas and shoved them together instead of exploring them as their own separate books. The whole doll maker idea could have been its own thing, instead it’s shoe horned in here and just feels misplaced.
The number of and weird things and deaths happening make everything less impactful. Not just for the reader, the main character stops really caring about all the death around her.
I like the general idea of the story, the seven seals being broken, 4 horseman rising. I think it would have been better with several side things removed and focus on that main idea.
For me it feels like the author had several ideas and shoved them together instead of exploring them as their own separate books. The whole doll maker idea could have been its own thing, instead it’s shoe horned in here and just feels misplaced.
The number of and weird things and deaths happening make everything less impactful. Not just for the reader, the main character stops really caring about all the death around her.
I like the general idea of the story, the seven seals being broken, 4 horseman rising. I think it would have been better with several side things removed and focus on that main idea.
October 24, 2019
Dolls???
Fantastic fo!!ow-up read!
I thought the first book was great but this one was was amazing.
Freya and Bam are introduced to Wulf, an enigmatic man whom Freya met on a rare night out from the manor. The seals are being opened, one by one and Marie Clare 's talents are called on again, in ways she didn't expect.
I will say no more except to say that I haven't felt any quakes so I would say there is still enough time to read both books before any doll maker strikes!!!
Fantastic fo!!ow-up read!
I thought the first book was great but this one was was amazing.
Freya and Bam are introduced to Wulf, an enigmatic man whom Freya met on a rare night out from the manor. The seals are being opened, one by one and Marie Clare 's talents are called on again, in ways she didn't expect.
I will say no more except to say that I haven't felt any quakes so I would say there is still enough time to read both books before any doll maker strikes!!!
January 11, 2021
This is a great series! Very scary and fast-paced. When is the next one coming out??
July 10, 2020
Doll Manor is book 2 of Chantal Noordeloos’s Lucifer Falls duology. I rushed to read it after reading the sneak peek of its intense prologue at the end of book 1, Angel Manor. The prologue is truly captivating and horrifying. It promised an intense story to follow, and I was not disappointed.
Doll Manor is a complex tale with in-depth characters. Ultimately, the story shows how legends and folklore from different countries and cultures are horrifyingly connected. It’s a daring premise, but Noordeloos pulls it off with impressive skill. The highs and lows in the flow add to the tension and kept me captivated. I read the book in two days. As with Angel Manor, it was exhausting and I loved it.
The content and graphic sequences and gore put this book on the cusp of extreme horror. Doll Manor goes far beyond the disturbing nature of Angel Manor, playing on fears and squeamishness you might not have realized you even had. The synopsis is grossly oversimplified and does not do it justice, but it’s hard to say much about this story without giving spoilers.
I highly recommend Doll Manor, but suggest you check your intestinal fortitude at the title page. It gets wild after that.
Doll Manor is a complex tale with in-depth characters. Ultimately, the story shows how legends and folklore from different countries and cultures are horrifyingly connected. It’s a daring premise, but Noordeloos pulls it off with impressive skill. The highs and lows in the flow add to the tension and kept me captivated. I read the book in two days. As with Angel Manor, it was exhausting and I loved it.
The content and graphic sequences and gore put this book on the cusp of extreme horror. Doll Manor goes far beyond the disturbing nature of Angel Manor, playing on fears and squeamishness you might not have realized you even had. The synopsis is grossly oversimplified and does not do it justice, but it’s hard to say much about this story without giving spoilers.
I highly recommend Doll Manor, but suggest you check your intestinal fortitude at the title page. It gets wild after that.
March 30, 2020
Wow, what a punch this sequel packs! I actually enjoyed it more than the first book of the trilogy and think the author has really gotten into her stride here!
The flow of the narrative, from the first haunted house book into a wider apocalyptic spectrum into the second book, was just so well done. I couldn't put it down and loved every minute. And that cliffhanger! Come on Ms Noordeloos, where is the third book?! :D
The scares, the creepiness, the suspense, all excellently done!
Once again though, the only detractor I can mention, is that the (mostly) main character Freya needs more character development. It feels that the other characters such as Bam, Marie-Claire, Tara, Koyi, and even the mysterious Wulf, are better fleshed out and that I know them better.
Once again, highly recommended! 4.5 stars
The flow of the narrative, from the first haunted house book into a wider apocalyptic spectrum into the second book, was just so well done. I couldn't put it down and loved every minute. And that cliffhanger! Come on Ms Noordeloos, where is the third book?! :D
The scares, the creepiness, the suspense, all excellently done!
Once again though, the only detractor I can mention, is that the (mostly) main character Freya needs more character development. It feels that the other characters such as Bam, Marie-Claire, Tara, Koyi, and even the mysterious Wulf, are better fleshed out and that I know them better.
Once again, highly recommended! 4.5 stars
February 7, 2020
I’ve always liked this author’s vision and, while I feel parts of this book could be improved, I love the themes and imagery used. In a book intended as horror for adults, portions contained a Young Adult feel, particularly the interactions between Freya and Bam, though this could be representational of the characters’ ages and therefore I felt distanced from them, feeling young women having gone through what these do they would grow up fast. This is the second in the Lucifer Falls series which began with Angel Manor which I preferred, and, though I feel this series could be more intense, it’s difficult not to like stories that contain the best of creepy things: a haunted manor, nuns, angels, and dolls. I looked back over the first book after reading the second and will eagerly check out the final instalment when it appears.
January 20, 2020
A good but, frustrating read!
This sequel was not as good as Book 1 of the Lucifer Falls series. There were too many plots and too many characters, none of whom had their roles properly explained. We were taken from suicide infected forests in Japan to the infamous Lucifer Falls in Scotland in an instant. Yes, I understood that the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" were being awakened but by who and for what purpose was not immediately apparent. Who were the good guys and who were the bad? Not sure . Who was the Doll Maker and what was his purpose? Again, not sure. Perhaps everything will become clearer in the next installment of this series. This book was, however, a damn good read - confusion notwithstanding.
This sequel was not as good as Book 1 of the Lucifer Falls series. There were too many plots and too many characters, none of whom had their roles properly explained. We were taken from suicide infected forests in Japan to the infamous Lucifer Falls in Scotland in an instant. Yes, I understood that the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" were being awakened but by who and for what purpose was not immediately apparent. Who were the good guys and who were the bad? Not sure . Who was the Doll Maker and what was his purpose? Again, not sure. Perhaps everything will become clearer in the next installment of this series. This book was, however, a damn good read - confusion notwithstanding.
November 12, 2019
I really enjoyed Angel Manor and was eager to get stuck into the sequel, Doll Manor. As with the first book, the prologue hits you hard and doesn’t take any prisoners. It’s brutal. Then pace really slowed down in the opening chapters, as we learn about Freya’s life one year after the events of Angel Manor. Whilst interesting, I didn’t find the passages too gripping until we meet up with Tara and co in Aokiagahra, Japan. For me, that’s where the story takes off and we are propelled into a dark world, where sinister forces are intent on opening the seven seals to bring forth the apocalypse. It is a fantastic sequel and has left me eagerly wanting more.
September 1, 2020
Excellent story
I read Angel Manor and loved it, so I decided to give Doll Manor a try. I loved it from beginning to end. The story draws you in and holds you till the very end. You just can't wait to see what's going to happen next. The ending was surprising yet brilliant. I highly recommend this book.
I read Angel Manor and loved it, so I decided to give Doll Manor a try. I loved it from beginning to end. The story draws you in and holds you till the very end. You just can't wait to see what's going to happen next. The ending was surprising yet brilliant. I highly recommend this book.
June 14, 2020
Right...
suicide forest, 4 horsemen, the dumb house, Bambi the dead babysitter hasn't gotten smarter in the afterlife...not has the main character in actual life. Crazy psychic a Grim, carnage of limited sense other then page count filler perhaps. I may need some drugs to take while reading maybe it helps.
suicide forest, 4 horsemen, the dumb house, Bambi the dead babysitter hasn't gotten smarter in the afterlife...not has the main character in actual life. Crazy psychic a Grim, carnage of limited sense other then page count filler perhaps. I may need some drugs to take while reading maybe it helps.
August 27, 2021
I read the first book and was in awe, as I normally don't like ghost stories, but it was amazing. And I could think it was possible, but she topped it with Doll Manor. I am truly looking forward to the next book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews