The Toy Maker by Jeremy De Quidt

 

I'm sure that as small children we all wished that our toys would come to life. In fact I am pretty sure that many of us imagined that they did actually come to life. But how alive would you want them to be, alive in the sense that within their very pastel and plastic like chest they had an actual human beating heart? Now that's a scary thought and thats exactly what the book touches on. I think every parent in the world, and police officer for that matter, would love a doll that would be able to tell you if what the person was saying was truth or lies, but this could also place many people in dangerous situations if the wrong people had control of it that is. I loved the detail and depth of the plot in which this book had for it was different and unique, engaging and mysterious. There was nothing about this book that was predictable in any sort of way.

The whole dark and daunting concept of the book meant that the reader was pulled into a whirlwind sort of ride where many things would perhaps be considered as taboo topics, things that just should not happen and yet seem to happen anyway. The whole adventure about the secret note did seem to have a very pirate like feel to it, and yet there were also aspects of the book that made me think of Oliver Twist, in that the reader was able to get this clear image in their mind of the characters looks, but also the vision of the town settings and working conditions. It meant that the book was able to come alive and that this was a huge advantage because it drew the reader in far more, making them want to live that experience.

The book for me resembled that sometimes the people you don't want to trust, are the people that you should trust the most for they are the ones more likely to help you and be there for you. I do feel that the book has left me with many questions, as to who the little boy's real family were, and what became of the toys with the human hearts after everything was solved? I just loved the whole adventure of the novel because it is unlike anything that I have ever read before. I felt that the right amount of detail and depth was placed into it to get the readers addicted and make them want to read and not put it down.

There was just something about this book that was taboo and yet addictive, like a sour sweet that you hate the taste of but also love at the same time. It was adventurous, mysterious and witty. It was well written and everything flowed together perfectly without giving away the ending in a predictable like manner, which many other books seem to do.

My rating