An interesting alternative history story with shades of mystery, magic, romance and intrigue.

I'm not one for reading blurbs. Most of the time, I jump right into a book with no knowledge of what it's about. But I read the blurb for this book and was immediately hooked. I hoped that the book itself could live up to how the blurb made me feel.

And it did.

I fell in love with this book. I read it like it was water and I was stranded in the desert. I needed to know more. Each twist in the book twisted my gut. It made me hunger for the rest of the story even as I was worried at what would come next.

This story was woven so tightly, I felt like it was a favorite sweater that I could pull tight around my shoulders. I began to feel these characters were my friends. Matrona, though naive, overeager to please, and too submissive for my taste at first, grew into a strong woman who made tough choices that effected not only herself, but her family and her village. Slava, this mysterious man who trapped Matrona into doing his bidding, ended up the greatest surprise of all. The reasonings for what he did and who he was were something I didn't see coming.

I loved the writing, most of all. The little details of the village. The lack of smiles and warm touch. The single dimple with the half-smile. The look of the sky as the story began to unfold. Each detail brought with it a images of the world the author created, bringing to life the village in which Matrona lived.

I went into this book hoping that I would like the story. Instead, I ended up loving it.

The Fifth Doll peeked my interest as I read the Paper magician trilogy previously by Holmberg and was absorbed by how unique the magic system was.

The Fifth Doll has it's own unique magic system which is interesting yet complicated to understand at parts. It is interesting for the reader to discover what happens when Matriona opens the different layers of the doll.

Matriona starts out weak but develops into a strong women who does things to make herself instead of continuing to make her family happy. Jaska was an interesting character and I would have liked to see more presence of him throughout the book.

The world building was not as strong as paper magician but the book was still enjoyable and I would recommend it for a relaxing weekend read.

*ARC received from publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

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. She finds that the dolls hold an evil magic which holds Matrona’s village in limbo and she is the only person who can take the spell away.

This book reads like a folk story and Ms. Holmberg draws you into a new world that intersects with the Russian revolution. A very unique tale indeed.

Please visit Ms. Holmberg’s website at http://charlienholmberg.com for more information about the author and her works.

Thank you to Ms. Holmberg, 47North Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Charlie Holmberg is an incredibly gifted and imaginative writer. This is a beautiful fairy-tale story in a unique setting. The book held my attention throughout and kept me turning pages every moment I had the chance. The twists and turns of the plot were unexpected, and kept me guessing til the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Holmberg's street crew for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I were asked to say one thing about Charlie Holmberg as an author, I'd have to say: "She doesn't deal in cliches." I've read every one of her books and each of them provides me with a new and unique world.

The Fifth Doll is no different.

Enter Matrona, looking forward to her future wedding in which all of her years spent trying to be the dutiful daughter will be rewarded by a loveless match with a perfectly respectful, perfectly dutiful husband...even though she is past the preferred marriageable age and secretly attracted to Jaska, the younger son of the mad potter's wife.

However, Matrona gets a little too curious and we all know that curiosity kills cats. But Matrona isn't a cat, so suffice it to say it just lands her in some very uncomfortable water. Slava, a crotchety tradesmen, has been keeping a villages worth of dolls (literally; one for every villager). Matrona discovers them and, in so doing, inadvertently volunteers herself to be the next doll keeper. Every three days she must open another layer of her doll and face the consequences.

At first, I thought the dolls represented self-discovery...each nesting doll another layer that held you back from accepting your true self. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't but, while the setup dragged, you don't get a lot of time to dwell on it once you hit doll four. From there, it's a row of dominoes that knocks all the rest down...to discover another two rows of dominoes that knocks all the rest down...to discover another floor of dominoes that knocks all those down...to discover an entire cavern of them until you stop, exhausted, looking around you a little dazed at the end wondering, "What just happened?"

The things I liked:
• I didn't like the village. It was very double-think from 1984...you do what's expected, you don't have your own opinions, and you don't step out of line. It makes so much sense when you find out more about the village itself and that is what is magical about it. It's a perfect construct for the world that Ms. Holmberg built.
• The ending was a wild ride and literally made me puzzle over it for a month and a half. I think I finally have it figured out and I've never had a book make me think about it so long after. It was a novel experience.

The things I didn't like:
• It harped way too much on the age difference between Matrona and Jaska. I honestly don't think the age gap lent anything to the story and it irritated me every time it was brought up (WE GET IT).
• I wish doll three had been condensed.
• If I were to split the book into quarters, 2/4 - 3/4 dragged. I almost dnf'd because I wasn't getting any answers...just more story that confused the snot out of me.
• You don't find out why things were happening until the end. I prefer to find out as things go along...others may enjoy the suspense.
• This had a very inception feel to it. You had to seriously be paying attention and think about it as it was happening. As this had a very YA feel to it, I didn't want to work that hard.

All in all, this was not one of Holmberg's best books. I don't regret the read, because it was unique and I read it for free, but I'm not altogether sure I would recommend it to anyone that isn't getting a deal on price.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from reviewing Ms. Holmberg’s books, it is that I can always rely on her for charm and imagination. Her newest novel, The Fifth Doll, delivers both in spades. I have to admit I have been stalking her list on Netgalley ever since I heard she was close to finishing the book. Lo and behold, I was granted the ARC on Friday. So much excite!

The description is intriguing…

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.

Hook, line and sinker, right?! I have to find out what is in those dolls? I’m already committed. I know that opening these dolls will be like eating a bag of chips. I can’t stop at one!

So we start the story with the intriguing mystery of these dolls, as well as an excellent main character. Matrona is no Mary Sue, but she is still a strong female character. She’s not good with a bow and arrow, and has no martial arts skills. She is not a beautiful jack-of-all trades who every man in the kingdom falls in love with. She is a milkmaid. She’s pretty but not stunningly beautiful. She is close to 30 in a village where marrying early is important. She also has normal problems. She struggles with caring for emotionally distant parents while reconciling her own self-perceived failures in life. What will ultimately save her … is her heart. The moral courage and reliability that are at her core. I think that makes her a strong female character, even if she never wields a sword once.

I do recognize the author works hard at her craft, but there is an ease to her writing that allows you to drift in and latch on to the story effortlessly. There is excitement but you won’t be battling confusion or fantasy-fatigue. You know what I mean? It’s when an author packs too much extra fake language or complexities into a book, without giving you a chance to find your bearings. That can be a real pet peeve of mine when I’m reading fantasy or sci-fi. I shouldn’t have to swim against the current in order to get to the story. Ok, that was my second fish analogy. Time to stop.

Read The Fifth Doll. It’s a good weekend book! Then do yourself a favor and pick up some of Ms. Holmberg’s other novels. In fact, I think I’ve reviewed a couple already. You won’t be sorry.

Bonus Link for this book:

I really liked the descriptions of rural Russia, but am not familiar with the terms so I started a Pinterest Board for my research. I had to stop about 1/2 through because I was afraid I’d inadvertently post spoiler-y stuff. So there aren’t a whole lot of pins. But please visit it if you have a chance!
https://www.pinterest.com/lostnagoodbook/the-fifth-doll/

Song for this book: Baiushki Baiu – Sari Cucien

*3.5 stars, rounded up to 4*

I originally requested this after coming across it on Netgalley during a random browse thru the sci-fi/fantasy category. The description sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a shot. It sat on my Kindle carousel for a good while (so many books, so little time…) so it was a few days after it was released before I actually got around to starting it.  I had seen The Fifth Doll mentioned in several posts and compared to Naomi Novik's Uprooted and Catherynne Valente's Deathless, two books that I love dearly. I decided to go back and check the Goodreads reviews to get an idea of the accuracy of that comparison and from there decided to read the first chapter or two to see if it hooked me like those two had. I was about 40% thru before I realized that it absolutely did have that “unputdownable” quality like the others and had to force myself to put it down and go to bed lol. After finishing it, I can say with certainty that the comparisons do indeed fit.

I have a weak spot for anything 'fairytale-esque’ and this definitely falls into​ that category, as it is a retelling of the origin of Russian matryoshka dolls. The mc’s name, Matrona, is a nod to this as well. This story is very well written and so imaginative. It definitely kept me guessing until close to the end when the truth about Slava, the creator of the dolls, is revealed. I liked that the Japanese nesting doll is where Slava found the inspiration to create his dolls, it's a small detail but one that ties this retelling to the real history of the matryoshka dolls.

I thought Matrona was developed pretty well but others, especially Slava, could have used a little more fleshing out. I would have also liked a little more backstory on Pavel and Oleg and the symbolism of the white horse. The writing style was solid and the pacing was just right in my opinion. The romance was subtle and didn't overshadow the main plot, which was nice for a change. The main thing I wasn't really happy with was the magic system. There's very little explanation of any of it or how it really works, only that it does. As a fan of fantasy and fairytales, I appreciate a well developed magic system as part of solid world building and that was sorely lacking here for me. Overall, it was an enjoyable read but I feel there was potential for it to be more.

**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions are my own.**

I recieved this novel on netgalley (amazing site!) for an honest review and I must say this book is utterly fantastic, creepy in the best of ways, mysterious, and darkly magical. It hooks you right from the start and from loving The Magician's series she wrote before, I knew I would love ANYTHING Charlie N. Holmberg would write. It was very hard to put down this book, even when I had to do other things. It was incredible and if you want to disappear into another world Charlie N. Holmberg has created, definitely check this novel out. You won't regret it!

Matrona has always tried to be the dutiful daughter her parents expect her to be. She stays on top of her chores and never complains. She’s even gone so far as to agree to marry the man of her family’s choosing, despite having a long-harbored secret attraction to a younger man in her village. Pretty much she’s living the status quo. There’s nothing really to shake up the comfortable existence that she and everyone else in the village have carved out for themselves.

That is, until one day, on her way home, Matrona decides to pay a visit to Slava, the local tradesman. Upon entering his empty house, Matrona discovers a room filled with nesting dolls. Dozens of hand-carved dolls that strike an eerie resemblance to the people of the village. When she finds the doll that resembles her father, Matrona’s curiosity is too much to keep her from messing with it. The next day, when her father begins acting in a strange and confused manner Matrona figures out that the dolls are more than just decorative; they actually hold some kind of magical force over the village.

As Matrona tries to unravel Slava’s connection to the dolls and what is going on in her village, she begins to piece together the puzzle of the past and visions of a place long forgotten.

I really loved the idea and, frankly, the imagery behind The Fifth Doll. I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who wasn’t familiar with a nesting doll, and to have a whole village’s inhabitants tied so intricately to said dolls gives them this sinister quality that I never would have associated them with until now.

However, the way the mystery unfolds for Matrona, along with readers, was too unfocused for my tastes. The little breadcrumbs that we are given are nothing compared to the big info drop we get toward the end of the book. While the truth behind everything was really intriguing, I would have liked things spread out a little more throughout the story.

As for Matrona, I could really feel her frustrations at living a redundant kind of life, but at the same time her reluctance to rock the boat. This is elegantly played out in Matrona’s attraction to the younger Jaska. The romantic element is definitely a secondary element, but it’s used as a device to get Matrona out of her shell a little bit. I liked the somewhat unconventionality of the relationship, for the time period.

Overall, The Fifth Doll is full of interesting concepts and magics. If the information was paced out a little differently I’d probably be giving it a higher rating. As it stands, Charlie Holmberg has never disappointed when it comes to going off the beaten path in regards to the stories she tells and The Fifth Doll stands up really well next to its predecessors.

What a wonderful tale. Having read other works of Charlie's I was fully expecting a beautifully crafted world and story and was not disappointed. The story feels of old fable/fairy tale from the old Russian Empire and is just as richly decorated. Quite good.

There are some interesting ideas at play here, but for me the pacing of the narrative really hampered the story. This is the story of Matrona, a soon to be married young woman in an isolated village and the discovery of the wooden dolls that depict every member of the community. The overall plot is sound and fairly well told in readable prose, but the pacing is terrible. The majority of the book is taken up with Matrona opening her doll layers and the revelations each layer contains along with the machinations of village life, in all its small minded glory. The climax of the narrative happens abruptly and there was just not enough exploration of the ideas entailed therein. I enjoyed the village and the characters and I felt that this action was really important to have sympathy for our protagonist. I just wish that the ending had been equally as detailed. I would have loved to spend more time seeing the results of Matrona's actions and I also felt that some of the characters were dealt with in very short shrift. Overall, I wanted more from this book.

Matrona lives in an isolated village. It's a close knit community were everyone knows everyone, and the church, and obedience to its teachings, is central to life. It's always summer, and the crops are always good. Life is quiet and uncomplicated-- the only strange things to have ever happened is when the potter's wife went mad and when Matrona's baby sister disappeared at three days old. The local tradesman, Slava, is the sole villager who has ever left; few others have even tried.

Matrona tries her best to be a dutiful daughter, and, at age 26, is settling to loveless marriage arrangement to make them happy. But her real affection lies with Jaska, the much younger son of the mad potter's wife. It's her secret, until everyone in the village finds out. How? Well, it starts with a collection of wooden dolls she accidentally stumbles upon inside Slava's house. There's one resembling each person in the village. When Slava discovers her snooping he insists Matrona become the next care taker of the strange dolls, staring by opening hers. When she does, strange things start to happen.

Best I can describe this book is that it's fine, nothing special. Matrona reads much younger than 26, and this book has a very YA vibe to it. It's not particularly inventive or memorable, but pleasant enough to read. The plot gets a little messy towards the end and the ultimate conclusion is pretty predictable.

I'm beginning to think that Charlie Holmberg is incapable of writing a bad novel. The best part about her writing is that, unlike a lot of authors out there, her books just keep getting more creative. She never reuses ideas and is always creating unique characters unlike any she has written before. Not only does she write amazing stories, but she builds exciting new worlds to explore in each book. I am beginning to liken her to Hans Christian Andersen, because the way her mind works when writing these stories is so exciting and different. No book is alike, and no book can be compared to others out there. She is in a league of her own.

Matrona Vitsin lives in a world of never ending sunshine. There is no rain nor snow, no war nor hunger. Going about each day working her family's dairy farm, she hopes to have a good marriage to make her parents proud. But one day on the way home, she finds a paintbrush on the path and realizes it belongs to the tradesman, Slava. Hoping to return it to him, she enters his home and discovers a room full of matryoshka dolls. Dolls who look remarkably like her family and neighbors, and even one who looks exactly like herself. When she opens up her own doll to find the smaller one inside, her whole world changes. Now, she is enslaved to Slava, who wants to make her the new keeper of the dolls. Every three days she must open up the next doll within her original doll, and each time her eyes will become wise to her reality. First comes secrets, next comes doubt, third comes memories, and lastly...well, you will have to read further to find out.

There is so much to say about this book, but without giving spoilers, it's difficult to tell you how magical it truly is! Even though I had an idea where the story was headed, I still found myself surprised at every turn. While The Fifth Doll focuses more on Matrona's struggle and growth, there is also a sweet romance between herself and the younger son of her neighbor. He is seven years younger, so in her quiet, conservative village, it is forbidden to act on her feelings. When you-know-what hits the fan, that all flies out the window, and the reader really gets to see Matrona and her sweetheart shine. I particularly liked how she didn't stick with her awful betrothed for very long and realized where her heart truly lied. It made the ending all the sweeter.

As always, I eagerly anticipate Charlie Holmberg's next book! I leave the story with a recurring thought in mind, "What will she think of next?"

**I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I love books set in Russia as well as books with a fairytale or folktale theme so this one fits the bills really well. It follows Matrona, who is an unmarried young woman who seems to be a cinderella style character until she unwittingly enters the mystical, odd world of Slava. Slava, another individual within the community who processes a dark and unusual secret...he makes and looks after dolls which replicate everyone in the community and that's all I'm going to say as it's nice to discover the story as you go.

The writing was very quick and easy to read, I could have read it in one day and I did find the story on the whole very whimsical, sweet and interesting but I felt that it read like a YA book even though I can't find anywhere that says it is a YA book. I would recommend it if it sounds appealing to you but it was a little disappointing for me personally.

I loved the creativity and originality of the plot. It was like something from the Twilight Zone, or Are You Afraid Of The Dark. Without revealing spoilers, I thought the whole idea with the dolls was new and kinda creepy and the mystery made me want to keep reading. It was a good twist on Russian folklore. The payoff/reveal at the end did not disappoint. I also liked that it was a stand-alone (though there is definitely room for expansion if the author so chooses!)

Matrona is the leading lady. She's a dutiful daughter who wants to be good and virtuous and strives hard to please her parents and those in her community. She's in her mid-twenties and not married, though she's finally secured an engagement to a man in her village, Feodor. Throughout the book, we see Matrona grow and come to realize that she deserves more than she's been given, and that being so submissive and deferring will never bring her the happiness she wants. I loved this character arc, and how she questions her actions but boldly goes forward with what she feels is right.

Jaska was the main secondary character, and I thought he was hot. Like those were VERY vivid character descriptions ^_^. Very good as the romantic interest, but also a good balance with Matrona. The other characters in the village are well-done and detailed enough that they stand out as individuals.

There were a couple really powerful scenes, such as (slight spoilers) when Matrona has to fight off darkness and harsh words from within herself. Matrona was totally incapacitated, even though physically there was nothing wrong with her, and her family and friends basically told her to get up and move on, not understanding the anguish she felt. It was especially poignant coming after she receives harsh treatment from others in her village. Even though that was hard to bear, it was nowhere near as bad as what she causes herself. I thought it was such a vivid portrayal of not only the negativity we unleash on ourselves so often, but also was such a good way of showing the reality of living with depression and anxiety.

Overall, a haunting, magical, tantalizing read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie Holmberg is a relatively new author. I've read her Paper Magician trilogy, and it was highly original and was quite entertaining. The magic systems that she comes up with are Sanderson-esque.

The Fifth Doll is no exception. It's got a really creative and almost scary twist on magic and Russian nesting dolls.

You can read the blurb for what it's about, but basically, the main character stumbles upon a secret that a fellow townsperson is keeping, and is forced to start messing with the magic of some Russian nesting dolls. Over time, more and more is revealed, and Holmberg has done a great job of peeling back the layers of humanity, one doll at a time, to reveal that fifth doll inside.

Overall, a unique and hard to put down take on Russian folklore, magic, and seeing past the outside shells of the people around us. I'd definitely recommend this to people who like interesting magic and folklore and slow-reveal stories.

A little bit fantasy, a little bit magic, a little bit mystery, a little bit otherworldly, that’s The Fifth Doll.
Matrona lives in a small village where everyone has a place, a home, food and no one seems to want to leave, it’s so…so nice. Matrona included. She is a dutiful daughter agreeing to marry someone who is the obvious choice for her. She does, though, question her friendship with another young man in the village, someone who is totally wrong for her.
One day while on an errand, Matrona enters the house of a tradesman, Slava and she discovers a collection of nesting dolls. She has never seen anything like them and these looked all too familiar. They are all painted to look like someone in the village. They’re all there. What can she do? She opens the doll that looks like her father and the next day her father begins to act not like himself.
Slava knows when something has been touched and he confronts Matrona about touching the dolls. She is now, he said, the curator of the dolls and passes their care on to her. She doesn’t want the job, thank you very much, but it’s hers whether she wants it or not. Matrona can’t help herself. She opens her own doll and begins acting very strangely. Three days later, she opens her second doll and is quite besieged with strangeness. In three days she opens the third. With each opening, she experiences new thoughts and feelings and with each opening these are worse than the one before.
But it’s the fifth doll that tells it all. And it’s a good thing we understand that this book is a little bit fantasy, a little bit magic, a little bit mystery and a little bit otherworldly.

I love Russian dolls. There's something quite soothing about opening and arranging rows of little wooden figures. I also really like stories with a touch of Russian history, so when I read the blurb for this book, I was really excited to read it.

Matrona finds a room in her neighbour's house filled with Russian dolls that all bare a resemblance to the people in her village. Unable to resist, she touches one that resembles her father. However, when her father starts acting strangely she realises there's more to the dolls than first meets the eye. When she is later forced to open and confront what's inside her own doll, she discovers secrets that may have been left alone.

I ended up enjoying about 2/3 of this book, but about 70% in it all started to fall apart and I got really, really confused. I loved the beginning - it was atmospheric with a current of underlying tension. Everything is too perfect, and the villagers are very compliant. It creates a good build up of uneasiness, and it's alluded to very early on that something isn't right in this idyllic village when someone comments 'What is snow?', and I liked this bit of foreshadowing. The concept itself, that the villagers are all represented within Russian dolls was very unique. I loved the slow unravelling of the secrets that came with each doll opening, and was eager to read on to find out what the elusive 'fifth doll' would reveal. It felt like, with each layer, we were peeling away the layers of the characters.

I liked the relationship between Matrona and Jaska. In particular, the tension created after the reveal from the first doll opening was great. That meeting on the path was amazing, and the writing did a great job of creating such awkwardness between the two. If anything though, I though the relationship between the two could have been developed even further, and I was disappointed it took a backseat.

It was when Matrona went through that back door at Slava's that things went a bit downhill for me. The big reveal behind the secret of the 'fifth doll' felt a bit flat after the sensational reveals of the previous dolls, and also quite predictable. It also got a bit convoluted and confusing. A doll within a doll within a house? I don't mind a complicated story if it makes sense, but this didn't really. I also felt there wasn't enough a backstory about Slava to explain his actions.

A promising start but a confusing end.

What I loved most about The Paper Magician series was that they were super easy to read. They were like the literature equivalent of a hot cup of cocoa and a comfy chair. This book is somewhat less lovey dovey than those books are (I would use the word 'darker' but then I remembered all the blood magic in The Paper Magician and rethought my choices) but it still has that 'easy read' sense to it. I think it took me about an afternoon to get through this one, it's not overly complicated, neither is it patronising. Maybe it's like a hot cup of coffee in a comfy chair?

I love matryoshka dolls and the use of them in this semi-fantasy setting was really cool (I actually think the cover could have used this element even more and could have been even more pretty). In terms of world building I think this worked well given that, for the majority of the book, the world is a little mysterious.

In terms of strong female protagonists this one was fairly good? It's a hard line to tread when you're writing a book with that 'easy read' vibe because you don't want to make the characterisation  too heavy but equally you don't want to make a non-character. I think Holmberg does a good job of creating a varied cast of characters in such a short story.

I think this book tackles the idea of growing up and being exposed through the medium of this fantasy story in a subtle but effective way. It's thought provoking and at times it's really powerful. There's also a little bit of romance that ties in with that but it's not too intrusive, it just adds to that comfiness of the read.

I'm not going to suggest that this is one of the great works of literature of our time. But it was a stupendously enjoyable read and was a thoroughly pleasant book to sit down and read in one afternoon.

Hence my review of 5/5 stars.

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher (47 North) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.