Review: The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray

Author: Mary Gray
Series: None
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance
Release Date: October 23, 2013

Format: ARC

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary From Goodreads: 

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when 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 Cheyenne's 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. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along. If they play it right, then they'll be safe. But if they play it wrong, they'll die

My Thoughts

I was originally drawn to this book because of its cover. Yes, I am a huge cover slut, I won't even deny it. But when I read the blurb I was instantly hooked. However, what I actually received was not what I expected at all. When I originally read the summary, I thought this book was going to be some sort of dystopian mythology novel but boy was I wrong. It was completely horrific and disturbing, yet I kind of liked it!

The Dollhouse Asylum starts out with Cheyenne waking up with her boyfriend (who also happens to be her math teacher) at this strange neighborhood with no memory of how she got there. Now if this were me, red flags would've been going up all over the place, but of course she doesn't question this at all and seemed perfectly okay with it. This brings me to say that I did not like Cheyenne very much. I questioned her blindness toward Teo's sadistic and psychotic ways. His actions were not okay at all. I understood that their relationship was obviously abusive and how people in these types relationships often overlook the abuse due to their love for the significant other. So part of me understood why Cheyenne didn't finally realize Teo's motives until the end of the novel but the other part of me was just like "No. This is stupid. How can she not see?" so I was very conflicted about Cheyenne's character.

What really irked me as well was the fact that there was a love triangle. Coincidentally, Teo's brother, Marcus happens to like Cheyenne and actually knows about Teo's psychotic ways. So of course, after Cheyenne sees Teo's true personality, she decides that she likes Marcus.
 

But aside from this, I oddly really enjoyed The Dollhouse Asylum and its creepiness.

This pretty much sums things up:

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

"I'm not sure which bothers me more: that I actually wanted to be his puppet, or that he clearly enjoys cutting our strings."

I definitely recommend this book to people who love creepy/dark fantasy novels!

         

About Mary Gray

•Website

Mary Gray has a fascination with all things creepy. That’s why all her favorite stories usually involve panic attacks and hyperventilating. In real life, she prefers to type away on her computer, ogle over her favorite TV shows, and savor fiction. When she’s not immersed in other worlds, she and her husband get their exercise by chasing after their three children. The Dollhouse Asylum is her first novel.