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    The Fifth Doll
    The Fifth Doll
    The Fifth Doll
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Fifth Doll

    Written by Charlie N. Holmberg

    Narrated by Angela Dawe

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician Series transports readers to a darkly whimsical world where strange magic threatens a quiet village.

    Matrona lives in an isolated village, where her life is centered on pleasing her parents. She’s diligent in her chores and has agreed to marry a man of their choosing. But a visit to Slava, the local tradesman, threatens to upend her entire life.

    Entering his empty house, Matrona discovers a strange collection of painted nesting dolls—one for every villager. Fascinated, she can’t resist the urge to open the doll with her father’s face. But when her father begins acting strangely, she realizes Slava’s dolls are much more than they seem.

    When he learns what she’s done, Slava seizes the opportunity to give Matrona stewardship over the dolls—whether she wants it or not. Forced to open one of her own dolls every three days, she falls deeper into the grim power of Slava’s creations. But nothing can prepare her for the profound secret hiding inside the fifth doll.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJul 25, 2017
    ISBN9781536670134
    The Fifth Doll
    Author

    Charlie N. Holmberg

    Charlie N. Holmberg is the award-winning author of the Numina series, The Fifth Doll, and many other books. Her Wall Street Journal bestselling Paper Magician series has been optioned by the Walt Disney Company. Charlie’s stand-alone novel, Followed by Frost, was nominated for a 2016 RITA Award for Best Young Adult Romance. Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. She is a proud BYU alumna, plays the ukulele, owns too many pairs of glasses, and finally adopted a dog. She currently lives with her family in Utah. Visit her at www.charlienholmberg.com.

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    Reviews for The Fifth Doll

    4/5

    86 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      There are a lot of things I wish had happened that didn't. And a lot of things that I wish hadn't happened that did.
    • 5/5
      Though the narrator’s was a consistent whisper, I thought I would never make it through the story. I fell asleep over 6 times. But the story was not bad. Granted, the Paper Magician series and Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet were way more awesome is suspense and the big reveal.
      This was a quaint tale, a little let down, but over all good.
    • 3/5
      Was not thrilled, for Charlie this book dragged and really was predictable - I am kinda sad on this
    • 4/5
      Delightful and intriguing

      I'd heard of this book for a while, but didn't know too much about it. When I decided to read it, I ended up devouring it in about one day.

      It was an amazing story, well written and engaging. It covered quite a few things that I very much could connect and identify with. I loved it.
    • 3/5
      I liked it, but it's certainly not her best. There is potential for a sequel, and I'm sure I'd listen to that, too. The narrator did a great job.
    • 3/5
      Was not thrilled, for Charlie this book dragged and really was predictable - I am kinda sad on this
    • 4/5
      I loved the premise of this book - that Matrona and her whole village were isolated not by geography but by magic - taken out of the real world. What are the trade-offs for safety? What is freedom of choice worth? I liked too the challenges Matrona faced - condemned by your people, condemned by yourself, to see who you were, to see who you could become. How would people react if they knew all the things you thought and the secrets you kept? How damaging are those negative thought you have about yourself? Interesting ideas explored in this book.
    • 3/5
      This is the first book I have read from this author. Yet, I enjoyed this book enough that I do want to check out other books from this author as well. In the beginning, I was intrigued by this story but also, it did take me a while to really connect with the story and stay focused. However, once I did, I could not stop reading. Thus the second half of the story is better. Matrona is a good main character. As I got to know all of the villagers, she really was the right person to battle Slava. No one else would have been as strong as she. The mystery surrounding Slava and his dolls is what kept me reading. For example: Why does Slava have Matrona return to open another layer of her doll only every three days? What secrets does the fifth doll bring? Can Matrona break Slava's hold on her and the villagers?
    • 5/5
      This is not the type of book I typically read, but I was intrigued by such an original premise. The idea of matryoshka dolls that contained secrets of everyone in a village proved to be a story as great as I had hoped. I read the book in two sittings. I look forward to reading more by this author as this was a truly magical escape into another world.
    • 5/5
      From the author of the Paper Magician Series comes a tale about dairymaid, Matrona Vitsin, who lives a dull life in a small village that never changes. She is betrothed to Feodor Popov, who is not attentive, nor as demonstrative as she feels a husband-to-be should be, and wants more. In fact, the only person that she feels a kinship with is Jaska, youngest son of the Maysak family. That kinship will help her through the next few weeks when she finds a strange room full of matryoshka dolls (Russian nesting dolls) in tradesman, Slava Barinov’s home that mysteriously look like each person in the village.See my complete review at The Eclectic Review