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September 1, 2026 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
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Clay Wilde has livedwith his aunts and his cousins Addison and Sophie ever since his mother disappeared eight years ago. Genevieve Wilde was the founder of Doll Eyes, Inc. which had a line of very creepy, Gothic dolls called "Wretches". She released them sparingly and in unconventional outlets, and the demand drove up prices. Clay suffers from a lot of physical ailments, some of which have to deal with his bones. On Clay's birthday, he gets a mysterious present on his bed with information only his mother would know. He loops in his cousins, as well as Addison's best friend Elise, who uses a walker or wheelchair, and the group helps him try to find his mother. Because of the weird nature of the dolls, the people interested in them are sometimes alarming, and there is even an invitation-only online forum called the Curio Cabinet. Clay manages to contact his mother's business partner, Greggory, and while visiting him, sneaks onto his computer and invites himself onto the forum. He gets some critical information, but is soon blocked. There are some sightings of "the man with the button eyes", a mythical character from the stories that feature the dolls, and who is said to come after anyone who "dusts" a doll. (One of the unusual features is that if someone tries to open a doll up and figure out how it was made, the doll disintegrates!) The group attends Creep Con where they make more contacts, and find about about the super creepy Geneives, who are involved in some dark magic surrounding the dolls. At one point, Clay thinks he has found his mother, and also realizes he is cursed and turning into porcelain, just like the dolls! It's likely that the woman he found isn't his mother, but he and his group need to locate her quickly before Clay turns into one of the "Wretches". Will they be able to solve this mystery?
Strengths: I enjoyed the idea that there were super creepy, limited edition Gothic dolls, and that the developer of these was surrounded in mystery. There are a lot of creepy doll books out there even though the traditional china and porcelain dolls may not be something tweens have ever personally seen. Clay loves his aunt and cousins, but of course wants to know more about his mother. A death certificate has been issued, but lacking closure, he still wants to believe she might be alive. Addison and Elise make great teammates, and there's a little flirting going on between Elise and Clay. Six-year-old Sophie adds some levity, and also has an imaginery friend, Clarissa, who occasionally has good observations. The doll underworld is well portrayed, and there are so many twists and turns that I don't want to ruin. You'll just have to pick this one up yourself to find out what happens!
Weaknesses: Whoever edits K.R. Alexander's horror books should have taken a look at this. While the descriptions of the dolls and the world surrounding them is interesting, the story isn't as fast paced as my readers tend to like, and could be a little bit scarier. I'll still purchase a copy EVEN THOUGH IT IS PUBLISHED IN PAPERBACK. ARGH! Oh, Scholastic. I know things are tough, but why are most of the horror books in paperback while the sappy Life Lesson books all in hardcover?
Clay Wilde has livedwith his aunts and his cousins Addison and Sophie ever since his mother disappeared eight years ago. Genevieve Wilde was the founder of Doll Eyes, Inc. which had a line of very creepy, Gothic dolls called "Wretches". She released them sparingly and in unconventional outlets, and the demand drove up prices. Clay suffers from a lot of physical ailments, some of which have to deal with his bones. On Clay's birthday, he gets a mysterious present on his bed with information only his mother would know. He loops in his cousins, as well as Addison's best friend Elise, who uses a walker or wheelchair, and the group helps him try to find his mother. Because of the weird nature of the dolls, the people interested in them are sometimes alarming, and there is even an invitation-only online forum called the Curio Cabinet. Clay manages to contact his mother's business partner, Greggory, and while visiting him, sneaks onto his computer and invites himself onto the forum. He gets some critical information, but is soon blocked. There are some sightings of "the man with the button eyes", a mythical character from the stories that feature the dolls, and who is said to come after anyone who "dusts" a doll. (One of the unusual features is that if someone tries to open a doll up and figure out how it was made, the doll disintegrates!) The group attends Creep Con where they make more contacts, and find about about the super creepy Geneives, who are involved in some dark magic surrounding the dolls. At one point, Clay thinks he has found his mother, and also realizes he is cursed and turning into porcelain, just like the dolls! It's likely that the woman he found isn't his mother, but he and his group need to locate her quickly before Clay turns into one of the "Wretches". Will they be able to solve this mystery?
Strengths: I enjoyed the idea that there were super creepy, limited edition Gothic dolls, and that the developer of these was surrounded in mystery. There are a lot of creepy doll books out there even though the traditional china and porcelain dolls may not be something tweens have ever personally seen. Clay loves his aunt and cousins, but of course wants to know more about his mother. A death certificate has been issued, but lacking closure, he still wants to believe she might be alive. Addison and Elise make great teammates, and there's a little flirting going on between Elise and Clay. Six-year-old Sophie adds some levity, and also has an imaginery friend, Clarissa, who occasionally has good observations. The doll underworld is well portrayed, and there are so many twists and turns that I don't want to ruin. You'll just have to pick this one up yourself to find out what happens!
Weaknesses: Whoever edits K.R. Alexander's horror books should have taken a look at this. While the descriptions of the dolls and the world surrounding them is interesting, the story isn't as fast paced as my readers tend to like, and could be a little bit scarier. I'll still purchase a copy EVEN THOUGH IT IS PUBLISHED IN PAPERBACK. ARGH! Oh, Scholastic. I know things are tough, but why are most of the horror books in paperback while the sappy Life Lesson books all in hardcover?
What I really think: This will definitely do better than this author's The Glass Witch, if only because of the creepy doll cover that is reminiscent of Ford's The Headless Doll or Alexanders' The Collector. Make sure you order extras of this if you are hosting a Scholastic Book Fair.
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