Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Vértestvérek by Ania Ahlborn

35 reviews

nonfictionfeminist's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Death

Minor: Incest, Vomit, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

kawooreads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is maybe the most treacherous book I have ever read! The whiplash from all the things that happen within this story... I know I will be left thinking about this one for a long time. A family with a dark, horrific passion, a young man torn between who he wants to be and who he has become, and a plot line that left me gasping at every turn. It's like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, meets The Devil's Rejects, meets a complex Netflix true crime docuseries taking place in the backwoods of Appalachia. I'm not a huge horror fan, but the shock value of the gore and violence felt elevated due to the author's ability to write characters as helpless children who grow into monsters. The sister, Misty Dawn, is maybe the most tragic character of the book.  It's wild to me that I am rating this story five stars, but I feel compelled to rate so well because the story rocked me from beginning to end. There were parts where I was tearing up and parts that had me flinching in disgust.  I felt almost the gamut of emotions with this one, except maybe joy. You will find little joy in this tale. Content warnings: all of them....all graphic content warnings you can think of are probably in here....

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Murder, Body horror, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Violence

lovelydeadgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Child death, Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

chloseencounter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Brother was my second novel by Ania Ahlborn and I always find myself enjoying her narrative voice. To be as vague as possible this book is about a very twisted family and one child who finds himself doubting his capacity for evil. Ania Ahlborn’s books are always so bleak and this was not a departure from that theme, if you want to read a story that’ll ruin your week and an ending that’ll make your stomach drop, this is it. I will say, that in my own personal opinion, I liked The Devil Crept In more even though this is her most talked about novel. Either way this was a solid read. I’m excited to read The Shuddering next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Murder, Emotional abuse, Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Death, Cannibalism, Rape, Kidnapping, Blood, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Gore, Incest, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

bhender3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Torture, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Cannibalism, Body horror, Animal death, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Death

ashlyreadsevrythg's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Incest, Body horror, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Gore, Murder, Child death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Blood, Rape, Self harm, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Grief, Kidnapping, and Suicidal thoughts

bxtskr's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

please read the content warnings for this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Incest, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Stalking, Torture, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

erinamazing's review against another edition

dark sad tense

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

0.25

I don’t remember who recommended this book to me but if they’re my friend on Goodreads they’re going to be really upset with my review. TL;DR— This book was bad. It was just bad. It was gross for the sake of being “shocking” and in a way that did not propel the story. I truly wish I could take back having read it. 

Content Warning for this book: 
SA, Incest, Cruelty to Animals, Cannibalism, necrophilia, Violence, Murder (the last two are kind of expected, I guess given the book’s description)

I… don’t even know where to begin. The writing was somehow unimaginative and predictable while being about the most grotesque of subjects. None of the major plot points were thoroughly explored or sussed out. I mean, we’re dropped into a bizarre backwoods family of serial killer cannibals and yet we know very little about how this came to be and how all of these people have seemed resigned to participate in it? There’s mention that “Mama” is brutal and we know that her husband, Wade, is complicit and seems afraid of her… but WHY?

We know that Michael was abducted as a child and told his family abandoned him and that the Morrows saved him… but we don’t explore his birth family at all other than to provide shock value when Michael learns about Rebel’s elaborate plan to destroy Michael and everything/everyone he might ever care about as retribution for something Michael did as a child that resulted in the death (unknown to Michael) of the elder sister that Rebel fixated on in a very unhealthy way. And we know almost NOTHING else about this birth family except what we learn from the brief mention of Alice’s family— because that’s right folks, Michael’s love interest is his biological sister. Which Rebel also orchestrated. But also his adoptive sister tried repeatedly to seduce him as well so there’s really just quite a variety of incest in this book. 

And how, in a semi-modern time period, did you Morrows get away with never enrolling their kids in school or working outside of the home? 

And why do we accept that because “Mama” had a shit childhood she’s a casual serial killer? 

I just have… so many questions. I predicted every single twist and yet still feel I have no answers here. I’m honestly just completely disgusted by both the subject matter/plot and the quality of the writing itself. Like, if you’re going to explore taboo subjects and lean into the morally depraved and grotesque then at least do it well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Death, Bullying, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Rape, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Incest

islabjb's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Kidnapping, and Gore

Moderate: Violence, Incest, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Pedophilia

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.75

Well this was a heartbreaking and fantastic read. Unlike any of the horror books I've read thus far. It played out like an incredibly well done psychological horror movie in a good way. Took me almost until it was revealed to work out the twist and the ending just ripped my heart out. Not as graphic as I was expecting but the actual plot is where the horror lies. So so good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Animal cruelty, Murder, Physical abuse, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Animal death, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Incest, Sexual content, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Stalking, and Drug use

Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts