Broken Dolls

after reading them by this same author i was highly looking foward to this book because i devoured them and it's most likely going to be on my favorites of the year. i cannot say the same for broken dolls. this one actually has a premise that is more up my alley because home invasions are one of my greatest fears.

i honestly find it very difficult to discuss this book so i'm going to start off positive. the writing in this is absoutely impeccable just like them. mique knows how to write and it shows. there were some slight errors but that doesn't really ever bother me.

now to me this story had no character development, no depth, no nuance which is the exact opposite of them. for me extreme horror needs those things or else it feels like torture porn for the sake of torture porn which is not why i read extreme horror. i read this genre to explore the darker sides of humanity which is a cathertic experience for me and don't get me wrong i love a gory, slasher, time but this didn't feel like that. this book made me feel actually icky and not in a fun way. i have never felt any shame around reading this genre and will openly talk about it with almost everybody in my life going into extreme detail but i honestly don't want to tell anybody the content i read in this because i feel shame. i've been starting to have conversation with others in the community who also read this genre about where lines should be and i'm not saying censorship or anything like that but what should be acceptable for the genre and this was crossing the line for me personally.

i did not have a good time reading this at all and i love to feel uncomfortable when reading extreme horror. i love to feel my stomach twist. hell when i read them i literally vomitted and loved it. this was not that. 

This was a super disappointing read for me since I really enjoyed Mique's debut novel, “Them”. Unfortunately, “Broken Dolls” didn't hit for me in the same way as his previous release. 
There was very little plot aside from the torture and debasement of the entire cast of characters, excluding only our main villain. If there was stellar character development driving the story, I really wouldn't have an issue with this. However, I feel like I didn't get to know any of the characters in a meaningful way. Overall, this made the novella feel very one note. 
Additionally, one of the main features I enjoyed in “Them” was the meaningful commentary, and there was almost none that I could gather from this story. Books are obviously allowed to be “just for fun” and don't always have to have something to say, but that's just what I prefer to read. I also think if there was some kind of commentary, it may have helped me to align with the characters a bit more. But again, this is just personal preference at the end of the day. 
I did thoroughly enjoy Mique's descriptive writing and the passion he has for crafting gorey scenes really shines here. There is no doubt that he is a talented writer and has a gift for creating visuals, whether those visuals are beautiful or twisted. 
I do want to note that I wasn't the biggest fan of the content in this book. The abuse described was mainly directed at a very young minor and it made me exceedingly uncomfortable throughout, which Mique might argue was the point (valid!) but it was not for me (which is also valid!). 
Lastly, the misogyny in this book was also horrifying to me... and I'm not sure that this was an intentional part of the horror created by the novel. It seemed like it stemmed from a lack of awareness and insensitivity towards the female characters, rather than a carefully crafted literary device. This is something I see a lot from male-identifying authors, particularly in the extreme horror community. I hope to see this start to shift sometime soon, but I'm not holding my breath. 
Take all of my thoughts with a grain of salt based on personal preference (not every book is for everyone!) and please go support Mique by reading “Them” on KU now!! 
Thank you to Mique for providing me with an ARC! I feel extremely privileged to be one of the early readers and I look forward to seeing how future releases grow over time. 
& that's all she wrote for this extremely (painfully) honest review! I hope y'all know that you can trust me to be 100% transparent with my literary opinions, even when I'm reviewing the work of someone I know.