REVIEW: The Doll Factory (Elizabeth MacNeal)
Author: Elizabeth MacNeal
My rating: 4/5.
Premise: London 1850. Among the crowds in Hyde Park, two people meet. For Iris, it is the encounter of a moment, but for Silas, that meeting marks a new beginning. When Iris is taken under the wing of artist Louis Frost, her world begins to expand, to become a place of art and love. But Silas has only thought of one thing since their meeting, and his obsession is darkening.
[⚠️CW: imprisonment]
After a slow start, I became hooked with this book! Think the TV show You, but in Victorian London where the creepy guy is a taxidermist. Through Iris, you get a real sense of the restrictions for women in that era - the pressure to preserve their reputations and their limited career options. In the book, we see Iris grasping every opportunity that comes her way, which left me thinking "you go get em girl" the whole way through! Silas, on the other hand, oozes creepiness. Every chapter from his point of view left me feeling unsettled and nervous for Iris, but unable to put the book down! Some parts in particular left my skin crawling - I'm still pretty disturbed by him! Overall, a very thrilling and unsettling book, featuring some female empowerment.