"The Doll Factory" by Elizabeth Macneal

London. 1850. The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and among the crowd watching the spectacle two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of a moment – forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, a collector entranced by the strange and beautiful, that meeting marks a new beginning. 

When Iris is asked to model for pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly her world begins to expand, to become a place of art and love.

But Silas has only thought of one thing since their meeting, and his obsession is darkening ...

~taken from Amazon

This is a debut novel by author Elizabeth Macneal. I really enjoyed the Victorian Gothic aspect of this novel. Macneal does an amazing job capturing the atmosphere of Victorian London. This book was both beautiful and extremely dark at the same time. 

The characters are well written and diverse. The plot, however, moves at a crawling pace. I had a difficult time getting in to it. I actually had to force myself to even continue to read. It wasn't until the last quarter of the novel did my interest even get peaked, and then I was left in a whirlwind ending and wishing I had been given more. 

If you are a fan of art, thrillers, Gothic or Victorian era novels then give this a read.  Though it was a 3 star read for me, I have a feeling I am the minority and that there are a ton of readers who will love this! 

I do look forward to reading more books from Elizabeth Macneal, as her writing is marvelous and the way she transports readers to the setting is magical. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me an advanced copy to read and give my honest review. 

Happy Reading!