Reviews

I'm actually giving this a 3.5, but goodnotes doesn't have the option for that.
When I first saw Brother on a list of most disturbing books, I was extremely excited. As someone who loves all things horror and Appalachia, the idea of the book grabbed me, and made me buy it and start reading it near instantly. The idea of an Appalachian family gone bad, killing together, and the member of the family who disagrees with these activities seemed like the description of a book written just for me.
Unfortunately, it didn't stand up to the hype, or at least not to what I was expecting from a novel many people called one of the "most disturbing books they'd ever read." Firstly, I want to say that it reads like a YA novel. If it had been marketed as YA horror, I think I would've enjoyed it more, as it would've more accurately tempered my expectations. Unfortunately though, it was not. The violence in the book is not as extreme as one would expect, featuring a bunch of fade-to-blacks, or focusing instead of Micheal's internal thoughts and feelings whenever things get particularly interesting. From a positive end, Ray was a much more interesting character, and the chapters from his perspective were a lot more intriguing to read, though no less predictable. I feel like, with the exception of the final twist,

Spoiler

about Alice and her relation to Micheal

I could see all the books big twists coming from a mile away.

Spoiler

From the moment they started staking out the house with the green shutters, I knew it was going to be Micheal's mother.

On a note away from personal taste, Ania Ahlborn could really use an editor. Micheal is referred to both as being seven years old, yet as having a "six year old brain" in the same chapter, taking place over a single morning. The events which take place in the book, and the music, movies, and other hints to the year of taking place leave the book happening anywhere from '78 to '82, so it feels like it's taking place in some weird universe where the end of the '70s and the beginning of the '80s happened all within the same year. (The Scotia mining disaster, which happened in '76 is said to have happened 5 years ago, yet The Empire Strikes Back is playing in theaters, and a "brand new track" that came out in '79 is playing.)
If you're reading for your first introduction in to horror lit as someone in their plays teens, I think this would be a good choice for you to pick up, but if you're a seasoned splatterpunk fan, don't read this expecting to be disturbed and disgusted. For me, the most disturbing part of the book came when Ray is describing his Grandfather's treatment of his sister, and not at all the murders which take place.

c_holmes's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

julia11's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 stars.
The Morrows are a poor family that 'live off the land'. But they're not hunting animals, they're hunting people. The youngest son, Micheal, is conditioned early on to believe this is the only way for survival, but unlike his family, he doesn't enjoy the hunt. Michael's life, as he knows it, is changed when his brother, Reb, introduces him to a girl and gives him a glimpse of normal life... But Reb only has revenge on his mind.

I've heard a lot about Ania Ahlborn from other horror readers and I hadn't checked her out until now and I can't wait to binge read more. It's brutal, horrifying and twisty. She does such a good job of making you root for a character that really shouldn't be likeable. Every time I thought for sure I had the twist figured out, some other piece of information would be thrown in and I'd be back at square 1. My only downfall was that it felt a little slow at times, which is a weird thing to say about a book about cannibals. I liked the character development but it felt like it was dragging at times. That's the only thing keeping it from being a 5 star read for me, otherwise I really enjoyed it!

cherihy808's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This seriously may be the hardest book I’ve ever had to rate and review. I hated it! But yes I gave it 4 stars. 😂Let me try to explain. First off, I do enjoy a good thriller book but I’m not into gore and horror. To some this might not have been classified as HORROR but to me it was. It was literally the MOST disturbing and darkest book I’ve ever read. With that said, I made the decision to read it so I can’t punish the author with a low rating just because I didn’t like the subject matter. It was well written and even at 50%, when I really didn’t think I could keep going, I wanted to find out what happened to Michael. So the author deserves 4 stars for that reason alone. Also the ending was pretty good. It left you wondering what happens next and if there’s a possibility for a sequel? If there is, I’ll be honest and say I probably won’t read it. I also knocked a star off due to animal abuse…I just can’t give a 5 star to anything that includes that - sorry.

As far as characters, I hated them all (except Alice). Even Michael. Yes I felt bad for him at times but then at other times he gave me the creeps just as much as Reb and Momma.

The last thing I have to say is I wonder how someone can actually think of these things and write about it ?! I know it’s fiction. I know it’s her career, but I have to be honest, if Ania Ahlborn was my family or friend, I think I’d be really afraid of her.

Content Warnings

dehydrated_dobby's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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