“The snow may fall, but the sun also rises.”

how does it feel, Suzanne Collins, to know you have broken my heart?? idk how to recover from this.

i've always had a soft spot for The Hunger Games. it's the only series that came out of the 2010s dystopian YA craze that i keep returning to, not because it was the blueprint (though it was), but because it's still good even now that my frontal lobe is fully developed. i have to say though, reading about Panem and the Capitol hits completely different than it did some 14 years ago. the books used to feel like a faraway dystopian future. today, it feels less like fiction and more like a mirror. it's just as dystopian, but not nearly as distant.

this book follows Haymitch Abernathy, District 12's drunk and deeply defeated mentor from the original trilogy, as a sixteen-year-old: the year he's reaped for the 50th Hunger Games. it's harrowing to watch Haymitch as someone hopeful, defiant, alive, and "no thanks, i don't drink" knowing where he ends up. knowing the ending of this book doesn't soften the blow. if anything, it makes it worse. even Haymitch’s condescending “sweetheart” has a different meaning now 😭

the pacing in this book is masterful. despite the actual games not starting until about halfway through, not a single second had me bored.

seeing familiar characters is equal parts wonderful and chilling–same as with Haymitch. seeing these characters young and whole, before the Capitol got to them, knowing exactly where they end up... it's horrifying. the new characters pull their weight, too. Ampert definitely stood out to me (i'm never going to recover from that squirrel scene), but also Lenore Dove, Maysilee, even Drusilla and Magno Stift with their insane outfits and Capitol lifestyles. not all of them are likeable, mind you, but even the less likeable ones are impossible to forget.

“You were capable of imagining a different future. And maybe it won’t be realized today, maybe not in our lifetime. Maybe it will take generations. We’re all part of a continuum. Does that make it pointless?”

i’m going to need 10 business days to recover before i can review this

“One eight double oh. That murdering freak has got to go. Three one six three. I won’t forget what he did to me. Four nine double two. Kyle, I’m coming for you.”

She's a Doll follows Lucy, recently murdered, recently pissed off, and now eighteen inches tall with all the logistical issues that come with being a porcelain doll. getting revenge turns out to be significantly more complicated than expected. she can't exactly do it alone, which is how Nicola gets involved. the thing is, Nicola's idea of justice looks pretty different from Lucy's, and Lucy is open to compromise. or at least, that what she'll tell you. 👀

after reading the premise, i was expecting "bride of Chucky goes on a murder mission", and the book is not really that, but it's also quirkier and funnier than the blurb suggests. it's a story about revenge, feminine rage, and a deep friendship forming in the middle of it all. there are fun moments, but there's also emotional weight: grief, trauma, and the frustration of being a woman who isn't believed.

the writing is clean, quick, and easy to fall into. the style borders on YA at times but never feels juvenile. Barbara Truelove seems like a nerd and i mean that in the most affectionate way possible. the gaming and tabletop references are a delight. i love reading something that feels like it was written by a fellow nerd/gamer.

where it fell a little short for me was character depth and development. Lucy and Nicola's whole dynamic revolves almost entirely around the revenge plot, which would make more sense if this were a more violent, action-focused story, but for something that's more focused on a friendship forming, i wanted more of who they are outside of their plot for revenge. there's queer and disability representation woven in too which i love (and would have loved to see even more of)

still – a fun, fast read with a creative premise and a lot of heart and humor.

a big thanks to Netgalley, Bindery Books, Ezeekat Press and author Barbara Truelove for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!