Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Neighbors by Ania Ahlborn

5 reviews

tarantulagirl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Death, and Murder

jdcorley's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

A real pleasure - Ahlborn's mastery of sensual (and sexual) description melds with a very simple story.  A young man, struggling, moves in with another young man, struggling, next door to the hottest, most perfect MILF of all time, who is, as it turns out,

a deranged serial killer, surrounding herself with such broken, subservient people so that she can fulfill her dark urges.

By keeping it simple, Ahlborn brings us fully within the psychology of the two characters and we end up rooting for our hero, and aghast at our antagonist, as the best thrillers do.  Not a horror novel, per se, but instead a thriller in the classic mold, when we were horrified by a simple murder.  Don't go in looking for a twist or for a dastardly mystery - instead, just enjoy the unfolding of character and thought.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

cursivewolf's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

The premise is a bit cheesy, and the imagery and writing reflects this. I wish Ahlborn had expanded on Andrew’s childhood and friendship with Mickey in his childhood more, I feel like that part was lacking. It wasn’t a bad read, I just felt that something was missing the entire time. Andrew just seemed very one-dimensional as a character overall. 

Harlow was not a good woman by any means. But her trauma went unhelped, her way of coping was furthering the cycle of her trauma over and over. And her husband enabled it, because that’s what he thought would help. Harlow was a desperate, sick woman. But she never got the help she deserved at the beginning.

Harlow’s backstory and motives make the story, I believe. I wish there had been more to it, but for the most part I liked what was given to us about our antagonist. But it just didn’t feel balanced.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Addiction, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Miscarriage

whatindiaread's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence

lpniskanen's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Rape