Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA

Publication Date: 14th December 2015 by Curiosity Quills

Format: ebook sent to me for review by Curiosity Quills Press via Netgalley

Ella doesn’t remember what it’s like to be human; after all, she’s lived as a doll for thirty years. She forgets what it’s like to taste, to breathe…to love.

She watches the professor create other dolls, but they don’t seem to hang around for long. His most recent creation is Lisa, a sly goth. Ella doesn’t like Lisa. How could she, when Lisa keeps trying to destroy her?

Ella likes the professor’s granddaughter though, even if she is dying. It’s too bad the professor wants to turn Gabby into a doll, depriving her of an education…depriving her of life. 

With time running out and mad dolls on the rampage, Ella questions her very existence as she unearths the secrets buried in her past; secrets that will decide whether Gabby will befall the same fate…

(from goodreads.com)

This book was strange but I actually really enjoyed it. It definitely isn’t an all-time favourite but I’d say it’s definitely worth a read, as it’s unique and short. I particularly enjoyed the fact that Ella has lost her memory, so that the reader can relate to her in the way that neither knows what is going on, as obviously she is a character that you couldn’t normally relate to, being a doll.

I loved this book for how unique it is, I’ve never read anything else quite like it and it was a quirky read too. There’s a lot of mystery involved, as you don’t really find out what is truly going on until towards the end of the story. I did really enjoy this mystery though, it wasn’t overcomplicated, which was perfect as it is a short book and if it had been too complex it would have been too much and potentially overwhelming.

The characters were quite flat, I will say, but then I guess that’s mainly because Ella is a doll and doesn’t really know herself, so there is not a lot of room for development anyway. In fact, she was probably the least developed of them all, though this may seem to be so because her character is quite shallow and simple anyway. Gabby is the best developed, though I still feel as though there was a lot of room for improvement in terms of character in this book. Then again, it was a short book, so it perhaps wasn’t long enough for this to be included.

The plot was really what grabbed me though with this story – as I’ve said it’s very unique – and I did find myself engrossed in the events and wanting to know what was going to happen. Because all that Ella truly understood was what she felt it did mean that I felt her fear, so to speak, and I’d find myself seeing the characters through her eyes due to the way she’d react. I found this was really interesting as it gave the story a very one-sided view but worked to build up the tension and mystery that I particularly enjoyed.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It’s very short and quirky and definitely worth picking up. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read, and there were a lot of places where more development was necessary or could have been included, but nevertheless this is a fun read all the same.

Rating: 3 / 5 stars.