Blog Archives
Believe in Exceptions
In Wooden Dolls Game, readers follow a woman through a lifetime of dysfunction and chaos as she tries to undo past traumas via a set of curious wooden dolls. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The main idea came from the extraordinary concept of rewinding time in order to fix mistakes from the past. I then combined that idea with several personal inspirations. One of them was meeting two little sisters during an acting course. I also worked at a company where I met a man who was my trainer at that time, and I was fascinated by how optimistic he was about life. The curious thing is that everything seemed to work exactly as he predicted. He became my inspiration for the character of Jhonatan. Finally, the story was also influenced by one of my favorite movies, The Butterfly Effect. During the pandemic, I had the time to work on this story daily, blending all of these elements together.
How did you navigate crafting the tumultuous relationship between Mary Jane and her sister?
When I was a girl, I had the chance to grow up with my stepsister. She was more intrepid, even though we were close in age. As a teenager, she was often getting into trouble, while I was the one who stayed at home. She was my main inspiration for the character of Antonia.
Is there any moral or idea that you hope readers take away from the story?
My premise is that people do not change the behavior they are naturally born with. What people carry deep in their hearts is what it truly is. That said, I do believe in exceptions and even in miracles.
Can we look forward to more work from you soon? What are you currently working on?
I am not sure how soon, but my next goal is to write a five-book series. The series is called Allies of the Stars. I am just starting this project, and while I already have the general ideas for all five books and their stories, I am still developing each one. As with all my stories, it will be a quotidian story with a touch of fantasy.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
In a moment that shapes their lives forever, five-year-old twin sisters Mary Jane and Antonia find themselves embroiled in a rivalry over the simple act of choosing a bedroom in their new home. From that one event, their sisterly bond is broken. As MJ forges a life-long kinship with Olivia, the girl next door, Antonia’s jealousy continues to fester.
Amidst the twists and turns of fate, Mary Jane is presented with a peculiar gift from a local fair—a set of mysterious wooden dolls imbued with magical powers. But as MJ discovers the dolls’ ability to transport her through time, fear leads her to hide them away, burying the magic they hold.
As the years pass and the sisters drift further apart, Antonia’s jealously for Mary Jane deepens. And, as her hatred intensifies for her sister, it sparks a life-changing tragedy, forcing Mary Jane to confront her past and the dormant magic of the forgotten dolls.
But as she seeks to use the power held within the curious toys, can Mary Jane mend the shattered pieces of the past to reshape the future? Or are some destinies bound by forces beyond her control?
Wooden Dolls Game
Wooden Dolls Game, written by Ivonne Hoyos, follows Mary Jane Crowell through a life shaped by family tension, a volatile sister, and a strange set of wooden dolls that lets her rewind time. The story begins with two little girls picking paint colors for their new bedrooms and unfolds into a tale about resentment, trauma, fate, and the high cost of trying to fix what cannot stay fixed. What starts as a simple childhood conflict grows into a sweeping journey through teenhood and adulthood, where Mary Jane desperately tries to undo tragic events using the dolls, and where every attempt triggers new ripples of chaos. It is a story about family wounds that never quite heal and the limits of love when time itself becomes a battleground.
The writing is direct and emotional in a way that sneaks up on you, and I found myself caring a lot about what happened. Scenes between the sisters made my chest tighten. Some moments felt painfully real, like the time Antonia destroys Mary Jane’s room in a wild burst of envy or the school fight that spirals into tragedy. The author captures the feeling of walking on eggshells around someone you love yet fear. I felt myself bracing every time Antonia entered a scene. The pacing moves fast, and sometimes the dialogue feels raw, but honestly, that worked for me because the characters live in a constant state of imbalance. Their world is never calm.
As the story leaned more into the supernatural element of rewinding time, I felt a mix of fascination and frustration, which I think is exactly what the book wanted me to feel. Every attempt to rewrite the past leads Mary Jane deeper into emotional exhaustion. I kept rooting for her and kept dreading what might go wrong next. The idea that fixing one tragedy only opens the door to another stayed with me. It made me think about how people carry their pain and how trying to rearrange life into something perfect can end up breaking everything. Even when the plot went dark, I stayed hooked because the emotional truth behind the events felt honest.
Wooden Dolls Game is a story for readers who enjoy family drama with sharp edges and for anyone who can handle a bit of heartbreak mixed with hope. If you like stories about sisters, trauma, time loops, and choices that echo forever, you’ll enjoy this book. For readers who enjoy a tense and emotional journey, Wooden Dolls Game is more than worth your time.
Pages: 353 | ASIN : B0CDJ8T2NX
LITERARY TITAN 