Scan barcode
aleen_elizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gore, Body shaming, Cancer, Incest, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Child death, Death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cannibalism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, Vomit, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Sexual harassment, and Violence
catspajamas15's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wow what a gut punch of a story.
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Murder, Domestic abuse, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
erinmg's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Body horror, Rape, Blood, Sexual violence, and Murder
Moderate: Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Child death
Minor: Misogyny, Violence, Kidnapping, and Pedophilia
mickey09's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cannibalism, Body horror, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
xdawnsii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
While reading, it felt like the beginning had been a bit slow to start. After finishing to book, I appreciate the time the author took to give us a deeper look into the characters and how they got to the events of the book. I would highly recommend this book!
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Sexual assault
Minor: Kidnapping, Rape, and Abandonment
kirahaycock21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Body horror, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Violence, Child death, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Torture, and Cannibalism
Minor: Torture, Abandonment, and Sexual violence
ryankaybee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Vomit, Rape, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Torture, Violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, Cannibalism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
To say I have a soft spot for horror stories that push against the boundaries of what is deemed acceptable in modern literature is an understatement. For this reason, I have been getting into extreme horror lately in a big way. It’s the kind of story that ends up like a sticky spiderweb – you turn and get trapped further, the spider a never-ending threat that pushes further on the edge of your peripheral vision. It stalks you slowly, ramping up the fear and the anticipation. That is exactly how I see extreme horror.
Brother is one such book that evoked all the emotions from me. As soon as I finished the book, I had considered throwing it across the room due to how it was left. I felt angry, shocked, annoyed, I felt it all. I will always rate a book 5 stars that is able to exude that kind of emotion from me as a reader. I felt destroyed. I was walking around the house aimlessly, not knowing what to do next. I knew I couldn’t have started another book, but I didn’t know what to do either. I read this as a buddy read with anna_reads_horror on tik Tok and I could barely wait for her to finish so we could talk about it. I felt unhinged!
So, Brother…out in the West Virginia sticks live the Morrow family. They are a family with secrets. Bloody ones. Micheal wants to break free of their bloody secrets. He isn’t like the rest. Maybe because he isn’t. The Morrow family took Micheal as a three-year-old boy and brought him up like their own. They taught him to hunt and prepare a carcass for butchering. The things that that prepared him for doing was diabolical.
One thing this book does incredibly well is the examination of Nurture vs. nature. Is a killer made or born? In Brother’s case it is certainly nurtured into one. Micheal was only a baby when he was taken from his family. He is surrounded by bloodlust predominately from his mother and his brother Reb.
Now, Reb is a different beast entirely. He is sadistic, calculated and hates his adoptive brother Micheal. He does things to Micheal that only a psychopath would be capable of. Adding someone of my comments during the buddy read to show just how this made me feel at different points –
‘Momma liked her girls young’ urgh, I’ve a really bad feeling 13%
‘Why do you think your family left you outside. They don’t want you no more’ 14%
‘OMG just imagine if that firework had gone off in his hands. 30%
‘He yearned to touch her, but the idea of doing it while she was breathing scared him.’ URGH 43%
‘a party aint a party without a splash of red’ OH NO 77%
Graphic: Death of parent, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Animal death, Blood, and Death
killmoore_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I went into Brother thinking that I had the big twist spoiled for me, and woo was I wrong. The characters are so well written that it made me physically uncomfortable at times - and the duel point of view is both disturbing and truly heart breaking. We have the birth of a serial killer on one side, explaining the world through his trauma and perception, then we have Michael and his battle against his own morality and the bonds of blood. Phenomenal writing, and an absolutely devastating story. I'm honestly glad that it didn't end with a pretty bow - it couldn't have ended in a better way.
While this is gruesome and pretty bloody at points, I would not consider it over the top or anywhere near splatterpunk territory. Check your trigger warnings and you should be fine. This is mainly a story of love and loss, and what it means to be family - kind of.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
yellowbrickbookshelf1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Animal cruelty, and Gore
Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, and Rape