Sunday, August 2, 2020

The #Sexy Nerd's #Review...Island of the Dolls...#Horror #Dolls #Island #MexicoCity

THE CREEPIEST ISLAND ON EARTH

Deep within an ancient Aztec canal system on the outskirts of Mexico City lies Isla de las Munecas...a reportedly haunted island infested with thousands of decrepit dolls.

While there to film a television documentary, several friends discover a brutal murder. Soon fear and paranoia turn them against one another - even as the unknown killer stalks them throughout the longest night of their lives.


The Sexy Nerd ‘Revue’
Before I delve into my review, I have to give an explanation as to why it took me so many months to finish this book.  Would you believe when I started reading this it was back in March of 2020 when the pandemic became a real reality for the U.S.  My job was advising we’d have to work remote and the whole nine, so needless to say, I literally just finished this book.  As in my last review, between my depression and loss of concentration, I just didn’t have any desire to finish reading.

So, with all that being said it pains me to say that not much changed after I got back into the book.  I’m a little on the fence with this story for a few reasons.  Let me see if I can explain what I mean.  I find dolls to be very intriguing and I had plenty of them as a little girl.  Hell, I still own dolls.  I love ‘em.  I totally get why Maria, who was the star of this novel, enjoyed her “Angela.”  Angela was her best friend and great confidante.  Whatever Maria was feeling, it was Angela she sought to talk to.  Her mother didn’t have an issue with her daughter relying heavily on Angela to get her through, this was a normal occurrence for an only child, but when Maria was starting school, Angela was a deterrent and her mom didn’t want her to take Angela to school. 

Fast forward to present day where a film television crew head out to the infamous Isla de Las Munecas (translation:  Island of the Dolls), to make a documentary about the alleged ghost that inhabits the island going around murdering anyone who happens upon it.  Hmm, sort of makes you wonder why on earth you’d want to make a documentary knowing this going in, but at any rate, they had a guide take them to the island.  The second clue something was wrong was the guide advised he’d pick them up the next day and would not be back to get them today.  Hmm? 

After spending a few hours on the island looking at all the dolls that were literally in every crack and crevice, the island gave them the creeps, but they still forged ahead.  A terrible storm was brewing and eventually flowed onto them so they had to quickly take shelter.  It was at that time they found an old dilapidated house and inside it was a little girl hiding under the bed.  They soon learned that Rosa came to the island with her brother, Miguel, and his girlfriend, Lucinda.  Rosa seemed wise beyond her years to be only eight-years-old, but she told them a story of how the ghost did something to her brother.  As the film crew began searching for Rosa’s brother, they discovered he had been brutally murdered.  Not only murdered, but mutilated.  His eyeballs were missing.  Yuk!  And that, readers, is where the story forges on.

What I just wrote sounds pretty spooky and engaging at the same time, but the problem was it most definitely wasn’t as exciting as I just made it appear.  Where was the horror in this story line?  I was so disappointed with this.  I love a good horror story.  My readers know this.  I can read horror all day and never get tired, so when this book came to me in my newsfeed this past winter, I couldn’t wait to give it a try.  Damn!  Just wasn’t my cup of tea.  In fact, the story got dumber as it went on, if that makes any kind of sense?  I clearly could see the parallels between Maria’s past and the film crews’ present, but for all the build up I’d heard about this story, it was a complete letdown.  I really wanted this story to scare me half to death and it didn’t come even close.  I wanted Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby type of hair-raising, and all I got was ho-hum!  There were moments where I was like well all right, now we’re getting somewhere, and no sooner as I got my eyes ready to delve into the gore, it was a dream or someone imagined something and it wasn’t what I was hoping it would be.  What the hell?

I don’t know readers.  I suppose I was expecting a whole lot more than what I got and unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be for me.  I also found the story to be entirely too long and even when the author brought you to the meat and potatoes, it was as if the food sat on the plate cold.  I’m just pissed it wasn’t what I wanted it to be.  I so wanted this story to be as good as the premise and the title, but fell short.

The Sexy Nerd gives The Island of the Dolls three winkin’, blinkin’ and nods’ at this wannabe horror story.  There was so much hope and promise had this story been handled differently, but not all stories are meant for everyone.  Until next time, Nerds, open a book and get completely mind blown!



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